Chapter 1260: One of the Hideouts
Four days later,
Aldrian was still inside his room when a knock came from the door.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, but I already received news from the Matriarch that all the resistance group members who wish to meet Your Majesty have gathered in the city. They are already waiting for Your Majesty’s arrival," Ronald’s voice came from outside.
Aldrian came out of his meditation as he opened his eyes. He changed his casual robe into a red and golden robe using his energy before opening the door.
Ronald then led Aldrian to the same carriage he had used to arrive here a few days ago.
However, before they entered the carriage, Ronald looked at Aldrian in wonder.
"Forgive me if I seem too prying, Your Majesty, but are you not bringing your guardians with you?"
Aldrian smiled.
"They have already been behind me since earlier," he answered, causing Ronald to freeze in shock.
Then Ronald’s eyes widened in astonishment as two figures suddenly materialized from the darkness that had appeared behind Aldrian. They were the twins.
Ronald was truly shocked. He had not sensed either of them despite them being so close, and his line of sight had passed over their position countless times. It was as if they had never been there and had only appeared now.
He could not help but marvel at their ability to conceal themselves so perfectly.
’As expected from the God of Assassins,’ Ronald thought. He already knew their identities from Emilia, who had learned about them from Shen Yuan.
They then entered the carriage, and it started moving. However, Aldrian soon noticed that the carriage was heading in a different direction from the road they had taken to get here. Instead, they took the opposite direction and entered a much deeper area of the forest.
After thirty minutes of travel, the carriage stopped at the side of the road. Aldrian wondered what they were waiting for, but he raised his eyebrows when the ground beneath the carriage suddenly began to sink.
The carriage descended lower and lower until it reached a depth of one hundred meters below the surface before finally stopping. The darkness of the underground passage was illuminated by crystals embedded in the walls, revealing a long underground road stretching into the distance.
The carriage continued moving, and Aldrian could sense that the road was slightly slanted downward. They were still going deeper underground. They traveled for another hour before arriving at a teleportation gate guarded by two men.
The carriage did not stop as it entered the gate. As it passed through, the two guards bowed respectfully, as if they knew who was inside.
On the other side of the gate, the carriage appeared on another underground road identical to the previous one. They continued moving for another thirty minutes before finally leaving the underground passage.
They had finally arrived at a place that truly surprised Aldrian.
He had already guessed that they might be heading to one of the resistance’s hideouts, but he had not expected anything like this.
The sight before him was more akin to an underground city with its own civilization. Houses and towering buildings, no different from those found in a normal city, could be seen from his position.
Seeing the impressed look on Aldrian’s face, Ronald smiled and spoke with pride.
"Welcome to Underground City Number 34. This is one of our many hideouts spread across the Second Heaven."
Aldrian could not help but be amazed that the resistance group had managed to build something like this underground.
"Are all of your other hideouts like this?" Aldrian asked.
"Of course not, Your Majesty. Only some of our hideouts are like this. Most of them are on a much smaller scale," Ronald replied before looking outside.
"The ones who built places like this were those who brought their families with them in the past and fought the invaders directly from time to time. All the people living here are descendants of those fighters who risked their lives battling the invaders."
"All of their descendants inherited the will of their ancestors. They still dream of the day they can live freely on the surface, keep their faith as followers of the ancient gods of our universe, and restore the glory of their families."
The carriage finally reached the city’s entrance, where many people were already waiting on both sides of the road. The moment the carriage passed through the entrance, the people immediately fell to their knees and kowtowed toward it. Their faces were solemn, filled with reverence and worship.
The sight reminded Aldrian of how the people of the Aster Empire treated him.
"All of them already know about Your Majesty’s arrival. The legends of Your Majesty and the faith our ancestors held in Your Majesty’s return have been passed down through the generations. We believe what our ancestors believed. Your Majesty will return, lead us to victory, and restore our glory as the denizens of this universe," Ronald said as he looked at the people outside.
These were people who had continued clinging to the faith of their ancestors despite never seeing Aldrian or the gods they worshipped.
He admired their patience and determination to preserve that faith despite everything they had endured.
Aldrian, who was looking outside, could not help but feel moved. These people were very different from the citizens of the Aster Empire.
They were the descendants and families of his followers, people whose ancestors might still be alive somewhere or might have long since perished.
He doubted they had ever seen the gods they worshipped, nor had they ever seen him or lived during his era. Yet they still embraced the faith of their ancestors and continued living here while waiting for his return.
His determination to fulfill their hopes and dreams, as well as the dreams of their ancestors, grew even stronger.
After traveling for another twenty minutes through roads lined on both sides with kowtowing people, they finally arrived before a towering building. It was the highest structure in the entire underground city.
There, Aldrian saw dozens of people wearing various attires, making it clear that they came from different origins and places. All of them remained standing while looking at the carriage with worshipful gazes.
After the carriage stopped, one of the men outside quickly opened the carriage door. Ronald stepped down first, followed by Aldrian and the twins.
The moment these people saw Aldrian, they immediately kowtowed.
"We greet the highest star that illuminates the entire universe. The Great Emperor of All Heavens. We welcome the Great Emperor to our humble place," they shouted in unison.
Aldrian smiled.
"Rise."
He could sense the worship and reverence filling their hearts.
They immediately rose to their feet and looked at Aldrian with reverence. Aldrian noticed Emilia among them. When he sensed their cultivations, he found that every single one of them was an Immortal Saint cultivator, with middle Immortal Saint stage being the weakest among them.
Soon, one of them stepped forward. He was a man with short combed-back hair and the cultivation of a peak Immortal Saint.
The man bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty, allow me to introduce myself. I am Elard Vinales, the leader of Underground City Number 34. Please allow me to guide you inside, where all of us can speak more comfortably."
Aldrian nodded.
"Lead the way, Mister Elard."
Elard immediately led Aldrian and the twins inside. As they walked, the others began following behind them. Their gazes frequently drifted toward the twins.
They had already heard of the twins’ identities and could not hide their amazement when looking at them.
The twins still had admirers and even followers who wished to become like them.
As for Aldrian, they knew he had not yet reached the Divine Realm. However, the twins were genuine Divine Realm cultivators.
They were gods.
Most of the people here had never seen a true Divine Realm cultivator throughout their entire lives. Some of them had only a few opportunities to see or feel the presence of gods. All of those occasions had happened recently when Tarius and Avergis sent some of their divine followers to descend to the Second Heaven.
Now, they could finally see the gods with their own eyes, and those gods were on their side.
Aldrian entered the building, where many other people were also already waiting. All of them respectfully greeted him and the others accompanying him as they passed by.
Not long after, they arrived at a vast hall capable of accommodating thousands of people.
At the far end of the hall stood a throne with two seats beside it. Aldrian immediately knew that the throne had been prepared for him, while the two seats were most likely meant for the twins.
About ten meters in front of the throne, numerous mats had been neatly arranged for people to sit on.
"Your Majesty, we have prepared the throne for you," Elard said as he gestured toward it.
Aldrian did not hesitate and sat on the throne. The twins, however, did not take their seats. Instead, they remained standing behind Aldrian like the loyal guardians they were.
The people who had followed them into the hall also sat down on the arranged mats in an orderly manner. After everyone had taken their seats, Aldrian swept his gaze across the hall.
All of them focused their attention on him as they waited for him to speak.
After a few moments of silence, Aldrian finally opened his lips.