Aldrian then touched the leader's forehead and cast the Everlasting Demonic Follower on him, making him his slave. The moment the Everlasting Demonic Follower bound the leader's soul, he could sense something gripping it, and he knew exactly what Aldrian had just done to him.

He truly did not expect Aldrian to easily break through any seals inside his memories and soul, even those created by the patriarch himself. The seals had functioned as a safeguard to prevent any information leaks before the mission began.

Now, even his soul was bound by some kind of slave seal, based on his experience. He could feel a restriction embedded in his soul, something that also linked him to Aldrian.

Aldrian also did the same to the others, casting the Everlasting Demonic Follower on them as well. Once he was done, he released his spatial lock, allowing all of them to move again. But the moment the lock was lifted, the leader and the others seemed to want to try their luck by attacking Aldrian together.

They appeared to understand the gravity of the situation and tried to hide their killing intent and thoughts in an attempt to carry out the attack. This was also to avoid triggering the slave seal, which might harm them before the surprise strike.

However, before they could even touch Aldrian, a sudden and overwhelming pain surged through their souls at that exact moment. It was so intense and unexpected that they instantly collapsed to the ground, convulsing. Their eyes rolled back, and saliva dripped from their mouths as the leader struggled to speak.

"Please... mercy..." he said through his pained expression. Even speaking required him to endure tremendous agony.

Aldrian simply watched them writhe in pain, impressed by how they had tried to fool the Everlasting Demonic Follower. They had truly hidden their negative thoughts and killing intent completely, which was incredibly difficult to do. It showed that these people had likely been trained for this kind of deception.

Unfortunately, they still underestimated the Everlasting Demonic Follower. This technique, created by the Heavenly Demon, was a truly perfect slave seal. It would instantly inflict pain the moment a slave intended to harm their master, regardless of how fast their body moved. The pain was designed to be overwhelmingly severe, ensuring the slave would completely submit to the master.

After a few seconds of watching them writhe in agony, Aldrian finally ended the pain. The moment he did, they stopped convulsing. All of them gasped for air, their bloodshot eyes and sweat-soaked faces clear signs that those few seconds had felt like an eternity. It was as if they had just been through hellish torture.

"Now that you've experienced the effect of this technique, I hope you understand the situation you're in," Aldrian said to them with a smile. He knew they could still hear him, despite their condition making it seem otherwise, as they were still feeling the lingering effects of their tormented souls.

"I've heard that all of you will create weekly reports about this continent to each other before sending them to your higher-ups. What I want is simple. I'll let you stay on this continent and continue your mission. However, before you send anything to your superiors, you will report it to me first."

"Just think of me and send your voice transmission, I'll hear you, no matter the distance. I'll be the one to decide which information is allowed to leave. Oh, and please don't lie. I'll know instantly, and so will the slave seal embedded in your souls. If you're still stubborn… well, you've already felt what happens."

"Don't cause any trouble on this continent. Don't abuse your power here, either. That would also trigger the slave seal."

"Anyway, that's all from me. So, welcome to the Barisan Continent, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you enjoy your stay."

After Aldrian said that, he instantly disappeared, leaving the ten outsiders still reeling from the aftereffects of the slave seal. They were still gasping for air, and after a few moments, some of them finally managed to sit up as the pain in their souls began to subside.

"I think coming here was truly a mistake. From this moment on, we're no different from double agents and the mark of a traitor is already upon us," one of the women said.

"As I thought, it was a terrible idea to infiltrate this place. What was the patriarch thinking, sending us here in defiance of that man's order? This is the result, and we're lucky to still be alive," one of the men added.

The leader was already sitting, and he let out a sigh of relief as the pain finally subsided. However, his thoughts were no different from those of his subordinates. He also believed that coming to this place had been a mistake. To be honest, he felt the patriarch had been reckless to provoke someone capable of fighting an immortal by sending them to infiltrate this land in the first place.

Why would he do that? Why didn't he wait?

He then recalled that a few weeks ago, the Barevisk family had received a visit from an important figure. As an elder, he knew exactly who that person was.

Was that the reason?

He sighed again. Whatever happened in the past was meaningless now. There was no point in thinking about the cause or the reasons. They had already become traitors to their family. If the truth ever reached the patriarch, they would face the harsh punishment, possibly even execution.

They were trapped.

He sighed again and looked at the others.

"Let's look at the bright side. We're still alive, and that man is letting us stay here. We can still carry out the mission, so in a way, we're still working with our family, though we also have to give that man our reports. At least, for now, we haven't done anything that would earn us the label of traitor."

He then stood up.

"Let's go. We still have work to do. Just do our part and don't mess it up."

The others followed their leader, and not long after, they flew deeper into the beast territory.

--------------------------------

Inside his bedroom in the palace, Aldrian had already taken a meditative position after returning from dealing with the intruders. Letting them live and continue their mission was far more advantageous to him than killing them. With those people under his control, he would have more information in his hands about the other side's plans.

He could smell the stench of conspiracy coming from the Barevisk family. To uncover their intentions and understand what had truly happened, he needed someone who could serve as a bridge of communication. Those intruders were the perfect candidates for that role.

Every order and message from the Barevisk family would be sent to them, and that flow of information would prove useful for his analysis. It would also serve as a preventive measure against any unexpected moves from that family in the future.

However, from this moment on, Aldrian began to consider the possibility that other families might share the same mindset as the Barevisk family. While he suspected the Barevisk might have deeper motives behind their infiltration, he also realized this could be a sign that other families would act similarly if they grew impatient waiting for his permission.

He could already imagine a future where, if the continent's quarantine lasted too long, similar infiltrations would continue to occur. He could eliminate them or make an example out of anyone who tried to test his patience, but that approach would not be sustainable in the long run.

The Barisan Continent had already begun attracting attention, even from beyond this world, and its growing mystery would only make others more eager to infiltrate or even covet it.

If that happened, the Barisan continent would be overwhelmed if there was ever a time he was not in the continent. There is no way this continent could hold on against so many powers. It would be like this universe being ganged up on by all other universes.

He will not let it happen.

"It looks like the time is near for this continent to finally open itself to the world," Aldrian thought.

The only way to prevent such a future was through open connection. He needs to build friendly connections with others so the Barisan continent is not alone. He needs to build mutual trust so they will not do anything reckless in this continent. By building connections, they will know what to do and what not to do in this continent, because they will know him.

Letting others know more about him would create a far stronger deterrent than stories about his battle with an immortal, stories that, he was sure, not everyone from other stars would easily accept.

For now, he needed to take the throne and lead the entire continent before opening it to the outside world.

He sighed at the thought, already imagining that his peaceful days would likely come to an end once the continent was fully opened. Many would flock to it, and he would have to ensure everything remained in order while dealing with countless outsiders.

He turned his head to Sylphia's beautiful sleeping face and smiled. Her presence always brought peace and warmth to his heart. Then, he returned to focus, closed his eyes, and continued his training.