CHAPTER 679: THE UNFORTUNATE BANDITS

As the cruisers drew closer and closer to the continent, the man with a face full of scars grew increasingly pleased. He is a leader of the bandit group known as the Red Mist from Arantes Star, the star near the Ancient Blue Gate World. They had already become one of the most wanted bandit groups because of their notorious deeds.

They seemed to have no fear, thanks to their powerful group, which even included members at the pseudo-immortal establishment stage. The average member was also strong enough to wage war against a small noble family, which showed just how powerful this bandit group was.

They would rob, pillage, and commit all kinds of notorious acts, no matter who the victims were. Whether commoners or nobles, it made no difference to them, truly bold bandits.

Because of how sleekly they always escaped and hid, constantly changing positions after committing their deeds, they were never captured by any cultivator families. And because of how strong they were, not many families dared to face them recklessly.

Because of all that, their name became widely known across their home star and even in nearby stars.

This group, upon receiving information about the Barisan Continent, was instantly tempted to use it as their new hiding place. They traveled easily to the Ancient Blue Gate World since they had their own means of transportation, and now they were nearing the continent.

How could they not be tempted by the description of the Barisan Continent? It was said to be so weak that their group alone could rule over it, if not for that mysterious man. The only reason they still hesitated was his reputation and the stories that had spread even to other stars.

Although they leaned toward not believing those absurd stories, the fact that many great powers took them seriously was enough to keep them from recklessly facing that mysterious man.

Still, no matter how absurd his strength and reputation were, that mysterious man was in the end, just a human. Compared to the entire continent, he was a small presence. If a single bandit group wanted to infiltrate and hide, there was no way that man would know, unless—

Unless they were unlucky enough to encounter him the moment they entered the continent.

As they neared the shore, the bandits suddenly saw a young man appear in midair not far from their boat. They couldn’t sense any cultivation from him, but they didn’t care. They continued forward, even intending to crush him with their cruisers.

The man with the scarred face only sneered at the sight of the lone young man.

"Bad luck for you, son. For you—"

He paused his thought as he suddenly saw the young man release crackling lightning. A moment later...

Rumble! Rumble!

Heavenly lightning roared across the region. Its deafening rumble echoed through the silent night, and its blinding light lit up the coastline. The strike carried pseudo-immortal strength, and the moment the bandits sensed it, a chill ran through them. There was only a split second before the strands of lightning instantly struck the cruisers.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Rumble!

Boom! Boom!

The cruisers were instantly struck by the heavenly lightning. Although they had their own defensive shields, meant to protect them from powerful attacks, Aldrian’s lightning had reached the level of a pseudo-immortal stage attack and was far beyond what those defenses could withstand.

The shields shattered on impact, and the lightning tore through the vessels. The cruisers exploded, and due to their high speed, the momentum of their fall was immense. Since they were already close to the beach, some of the wreckage slammed into the shore, while the rest crashed into the water.

As for the bandits, every one of them, except one, was instantly obliterated by the lightning. The attack was too fast for them to react. It didn’t give them the slightest chance to escape. They didn’t even have time to scream. All they could feel was a chill running through their bodies

And then, death.

The only survivor was already in the young man’s grasp as he choked him. The survivor was the leader of the group, while the young man was none other than Aldrian. At the moment he struck the cruisers with his heavenly lightning, Aldrian had teleported the leader into his grasp and instantly destroyed his cultivation.

The leader’s face had gone pale, with blood flowing from his lips and nose. He did not even know what had happened, only that he suddenly found himself in Aldrian’s grip, his cultivation already crippled.

Before he could say a word, Aldrian looked into his memories, causing the leader’s body to tremble.

His body spasmed as Aldrian forcefully looked through his memories, and after a few moments, it was done. Aldrian did not release his grip. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the direction from which the cruisers had come.

In the next instant, his body vanished, leaving behind only the shattered remains of the cruisers, that some of them engulfed in flames.

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

After thirty minutes of teleportation, Aldrian stopped above the ocean, where he spotted a lone interstellar vessel floating on the water. From the leader’s memories, he knew this was the group’s vessel, and acquired with the wealth they had stolen.

This vessel was one of the main reasons they were so difficult to capture. With it, they could escape to another star whenever necessary.

According to the memories, after arriving in this star, they had left part of their group in the vessel, waiting for a signal. If the situation on the continent proved safe, the ship would be brought in and hidden as quickly as possible.

Besides the vessel itself being a valuable asset, it also carried many of the group’s treasures. These items held great value to them, and with their intention to make the Barisan Continent their new hiding place, they had brought much of their wealth along.

This interstellar vessel was not as large as some others, but it was almost as big as a standard flying fortress.

Aldrian then teleported beside the interstellar vessel and drew a sword from his storage ring. With a few slashes, he created a path through the hull. The vessel’s composite armor was no match for his slashes, and without much effort he stepped inside, still holding the leader in his other hand.

Upon entering the vessel, he encountered several bandits. He killed them instantly using illusions, showing no hesitation. He stored his sword and began dragging the leader’s body through the corridors.

The interior of the vessel resembled that of a ship, but on a much grander scale. As he moved deeper inside, he continued to encounter bandits.

Each time, he killed them without a word.

Only the sound of short screams and gurgles could be heard each time a bandit crossed paths with Aldrian before dropping dead.

After fifteen minutes of silent slaughter, Aldrian reached a section of the vessel filled with large boxes and cages. The boxes held valuable treasures, while the cages contained humans, elves, and other races.

These were the victims the Red Mist group had kidnapped, captured with the intent to sell as slaves. Aldrian swept his gaze across the cages and spoke calmly to them.

"You will be free after this. I have already killed the bandits. For now, please stay here until I call for help from outside."

The prisoners stared at him with trembling eyes. They also astonished to see the group’s leader in such a pitiful state in Aldrian’s grasp. They watched as Aldrian dragged his body away like a sack of rice, disappearing from view.

Whispers began to spread among them. Who had that bastard bandit offended to end up like that?

Not long after Aldrian finished clearing the vessel of bandits, he took out a communication artifact, the one given to him by Emperor Rozwald for direct contact.

A moment after he activated it, the emperor’s voice came through.

"Ah, Your Excellency, I didn’t expect you to contact me so soon. Is there something you need?" Emperor Rozwald asked.

Aldrian then explained what had just happened. Once he finished, the emperor’s astonished voice resounded.

"The Red Mist bandits? To think they actually dared to try infiltrating the Barisan Continent. Don’t worry, Your Excellency. I will dispatch my troops immediately to—"

"No," Aldrian interrupted calmly. "Emperor Rozwald, there is no need to send anyone. I will send this interstellar vessel along with everything inside it directly to you. Don’t be shocked when it appears on the palace grounds."

The emperor fell silent, stunned by Aldrian’s words.

"Your Excellency, what are you—"

"You will see soon enough, and again, don’t be shocked when an interstellar vessel suddenly appears on the palace grounds," Aldrian cut him off once more.

"I will leave the rest to you, Emperor Rozwald." He added.

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. Then he looked at the unconscious bandit leader in his grasp and tossed him aside without much attention. He stepped out of the vessel, and a moment later, the interstellar vessel vanished. A few seconds after that, Aldrian disappeared as well.

While Aldrian returned to his mansion in Avon City, the imperial palace of the Martal Empire fell into chaos due to the sudden appearance of an interstellar vessel on the palace grounds.

It did not take long for them to realize that the vessel belonged to the infamous Red Mist bandits. Inside, they found the bodies of many dead bandits and their leader, though still breathing was left in a pitiful state.

The emperor, upon seeing this, truly could not comprehend how Aldrian had managed to send all of it here without any sign, as if it had appeared out of thin air.

How did he do it?