The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 533: Protecting Their Homeland, Protecting His Legacy

If he thought about it, the power of those who could cross between universes was already enough to be considered godlike. They could do anything with just a thought. He was truly amazed by what he had done in his past life, but that was from the perspective of a mortal.

What about from the perspective of gods like these people?

The other gods must also have similar, or perhaps even greater, powers or abilities compared to him. That was what Aldrian thought. But upon hearing his question, all of them smiled.

"For how powerful, Your Majesty? Well, it’s hard to say, because we never saw you use your power in battle—not even sparring, not even once. So forget about your full power. But even that was enough to convince us that you are a truly powerful being, one whose full strength we couldn’t even begin to grasp," Valerin said.

"The only one we think could come closer to Your Majesty is the Heavenly Demon. He’s the one closest to uncovering your truth, but even he believes that he still can’t match you in strength or ability," she added.

Aldrian raised his eyebrows. He truly did not expect they held such a high opinion of him—especially when he had never fought. He looked at the others, but they also nodded in agreement with Valerin. This surprised him.

He still didn’t know the reason, as his memories on this topic had yet to return. But for him to have never fought, not even once? Then how had he taken control of everything? Sometimes, a fight was necessary—even killing, to set an example for those who disobeyed.

But to think that none of these people had ever seen him fight?

"Wait, how can you assess me to be powerful without ever seeing me fight? Doesn’t that seem like blind faith that could end in disappointment?" Aldrian asked, his expression confused.

"Also, if I never fought, then how did I end up earning so much respect from people like all of you? You’re already considered gods yourselves, and you must have your own pride. For you to bow down to me, I must have shown at least some of my fighting power, right? To assert dominance or something like that."

"Well, my apologies, Your Majesty, if you misunderstood me," Valerin replied with a smile. "What I meant is, you never fought because there was never anything that made you fight—or in other words, there was no one worthy enough for you to even consider fighting."

"All those times, whenever someone came looking to challenge Your Majesty, you simply ignored them. They couldn’t even get close to you. Even if they attacked with everything they had, you remained still and silent. It was as if the entire heavens and the universe itself had special laws for you. Everything they used against you would never reach you. The elements of the universe didn’t want to touch you."

"The only one who seemed able to get close to you—and even touch you with the intent to battle—was the Heavenly Demon. But even then, it was only touching you, and nothing more," she said, prompting everyone to nod in agreement and awe. They, too, held their own respect for the Heavenly Demon—for being the only one who could even lay a hand on His Majesty with the intent to fight.

He was one of the key reasons their universe had not fallen for so long, and that was why he had earned such deep respect.

"Also, what Your Majesty said is true—that to control many, power is needed. Power that shows dominance. But that only applies to others. For Your Majesty... well, what I can say is, you are special to us. Special to this universe. It can be said that, for as long as we can remember, it was Your Majesty who made it possible for all of us to have this kind of power."

"You are the one who created the environment where all living beings could cultivate. You are the one who taught us how to cultivate, how to live. You are the one who ensured that the entire universe remained in order and never descended into chaos."

"We are more grateful than anything for Your Majesty’s appearance in this universe—for guiding us, helping us become our best selves, and making this universe thrive and prosper," Valerin said.

"Even if we put aside Your Majesty’s strength, we are the ones who will never forget who made us what we are. For us to have the strength we possess now is all thanks to Your Majesty. All the living beings that prosper in this universe—our home—do so because of Your Majesty’s help," Durgan said.

"Your Majesty gave us dignity and a better way of life than we ever had before," said another, this time a male spirit with a pair of wings on his back.

"Your Majesty is the one who saved my life from my weakness," said another, a spirit in human form with slit irises.

Many voices resounded, each one voicing why they were truly faithful to Aldrian and how grateful they were for his appearance in this universe—grateful for how he built it into prosperity, for the knowledge he shared, and for making them as powerful as they had become.

"This universe is our home, and Your Majesty is the one who left his legacy in the form of a strong and thriving world. We will not let those beings from other universes take it, destroy it, or trample on what Your Majesty has built. We will continue to struggle until the day those invaders are gone," Valerin said.

"Our lives are something we’re willing to exchange for it. Even if we can’t reincarnate, we’ll make sure that those bastards will not succeed," Durgan said.

"But we feel ashamed that we lack the power to repel all those beings. We feel weak—our lives feel like a humiliation after being pushed back by the invaders. If possible, we wouldn’t want to rely on Your Majesty, but we no longer have a choice."

"We will make sure to pave a way for Your Majesty, so you can regain your power, enact justice, and restore order to the universe. Because that is the only way to drive all of those invaders away. Please forgive us for our weakness—and for having to depend on Your Majesty to save this universe, our home, your legacy," Durgan said as he kowtowed once more, followed by the others.

Aldrian looked at all of this, his heart deeply moved. In the cultivation world, betrayal was not rare—even those who had been fed and raised with care could turn against their benefactors. There were countless stories of disciples killing their masters, descendants turning on the parents who loved them, slaves murdering their saviors—all for the pursuit of greater power.

That was the harsh truth of the cultivation world, something many had come to accept as normal.

But here, what he saw were beings who showed their loyalty without a sliver of doubt. They showed their gratitude, and they were even prepared to die for it. They could have betrayed him. They could have sided with the invaders and abandoned this universe. But instead, they had created this entire plan just so he could return to the place where he belonged.

To the place where he was meant to be.

To the place where he could restore order to the universe.

Aldrian couldn’t help but sigh.

"What happened to me back then? Do you know how I died—or what caused me to enter the reincarnation cycle?" he couldn’t help but ask.

"If I had still been alive at that time, things might have turned out differently. I’m truly confused... and I can’t help but feel guilty for not being there when the war happened."

All of them straightened their posture and looked at Aldrian with expressions filled with respect.

"Please don’t feel guilty, Your Majesty. Please don’t blame yourself for what happened. That event occurred because of our weakness—we failed to protect our home universe," Valerin said.

"As for why Your Majesty entered the reincarnation cycle, it was your own decision. We heard from the Heavenly Demon that Your Majesty was searching for an answer to a problem, and to do that, you needed to undergo reincarnation. As for what that problem was... we don’t know. The Heavenly Demon never explained the details," she added.

Hearing her words gave Aldrian a faint sense of déjà vu.

He remembered when he met the Heavenly Demon and his wife—they, too, had told him not to blame himself. Was this what they meant? To not blame himself for not being there when the war broke out? But how could he not, when he might have been able to help them? Instead, he left. What had driven him to enter the reincarnation cycle? What kind of problem had he faced? What answer had he been searching for?

Some of the people he encountered in the past had also touched on this topic. They had hoped he would find his answer. But what kind of answer? First, he needed to understand the problem he had faced at that time—only then could he grasp the answer he had once sought.

These people didn’t know. So only the Heavenly Demon, his wife and perhaps Feng Xuanyan, or Long Shentian could tell him what kind of problem his powerful former self had carried.

"I see. Then it can’t be helped," he said. But then his gaze shifted to one of the figures standing further in the back.

The man stood out clearly, with distinct dragon features on his forehead and a symbol embroidered on his white robe—the symbol of the Silver Dragon Clan.

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