“Master, your subordinate has returned,” Torry Auna said as he greeted Xueshan Auna.
Xueshan’s face was gloomy. “You still haven’t found her?”
“No, she’s hidden herself very well. The Fireforge Planet’s environment is unsuitable for me to search there for prolonged periods of time.”
Xueshan smashed the table. “That idiot! She wants to drive our Auna family into the grave.”
Rocky Auna suddenly spoke up. “Brother, since things have developed in such a bizarre manner, we originally assumed that Jenny’s departure must have been related to His Imperial Majesty’s plan to invade Fireforge Planet or to King Zishan. However, His Imperial Majesty was suddenly attacked and killed, and not a single corpse from any member of the Yushan family remains. Could these two matters be related? Could this be connected to the Daynight clan?”
“The Daynight clan is a powerful family in the universe, and there is no reason for them to fight for the Yushan family’s corpses. We have also confirmed through Schutz that someone has resolved the conflict between King Zishan and the Nightking Clan, at least on the surface. The Daynight clan’s actions of taking Jenny away must be an attempt to take revenge on King Zishan and is wholly unrelated to the attack on His Imperial Majesty,” Xueshan Auna explained. After saying that, he suddenly paused and looked at Rocky Auna. “There will be others with similar opinions.”
Rocky Auna nodded in agreement. “If the attack on His Imperial Majesty has nothing to do with Jenny being captured by the Daynight clan, then that means that the Daynight clan is being used as someone else’s scapegoat. There’s somebody else making use of the grudge between the Daynight clan and King Zishan to hide their true goal of attacking His Imperial Majesty. They must also be behind the disappearance of all the Yushan family’s bodies.”
“That’s not all—even the Ross Empire was dragged into this mess. When they first attacked Captain Liuying Zishan, they injured her seriously enough that she needed half a year to recuperate. The attack at that time was very strange and came out of nowhere. The Ross Empire’s reaction when Princess Wendy attacked them was also very odd, and they acted as if they had been attacked for no reason. All these inconsistencies point to the fact that someone behind the scenes has been using the Daynight clan to attack our Great Yu Empire,” Xueshan Auna analyzed.
“Does this have anything to do with King Zishan?” Rocky Auna asked.
Xueshan Auna felt a headache coming on. “I’m not sure, but King Zishan’s connections are even more complicated than we initially believed. He has multiple connections in the Innerverse, and any one of them is strong enough to annihilate the Great Yu Empire. It’s impossible for my intelligence network to find out everything about him.”
Rocky Auna seemed like he had something else he wanted to say, but he held himself back.
Xueshan Auna glanced at him. “Is there something that you want to say?”
Rocky Auna reluctantly answered, “What do we say to King Zishan if he returns?”
The veins on Xueshan Auna’s forehead started throbbing as he sighed, “We need to tell him everything or else our family will be done for in the future. Even if he might not be able to do anything to the Auna family right now, he is someone with the right to inherit the throne.”
Zenyu Star had become very lively. Many officials were surrounded by tempting offers to side with various other forces, such as the finance minister, Bailey. When Sicar was still around, Bailey had held no real power, but after Sicar left with the second prince, Duke Yushan, Bailey had regained his power. He had thought that his situation had taken a turn for the better, but when Undying Yushan died, the issue of extended relatives fighting for meager power had appeared. All of them were promising Bailey an astronomical amount of benefits to the point where he was feeling dizzy. He felt very vexed; should he support Clay, Andong, or Luke—who might be backed by the Ross Empire? What a headache this was!
Within the imperial jail, a young man appeared in front of Sigmund Mathers and smiled at him. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Luke, and His Imperial Majesty, Undying Yushan, was my uncle.”
Sigmund Mathers eyed Luke silently.
Luke smiled, and someone behind him fetched him a chair. He sat down. “Untie General Mathers.”
“There’s no need for that. Get to the point, Mr. Luke. I’m a criminal, and I don’t have any right to ask anything of you,” Sigmund Mathers said in a hoarse voice.
Luke nodded. “Fine, I expected such bluntness from you, so I’ll get right to the point. I’d like you to support my ascension to the throne.”
Sigmund Mathers was shocked. “Ascension to the throne? You’re going to ascend the throne?”
Luke nodded. “All of the Yushan family members are dead, so the next successor is naturally me. I’m related to my uncle by blood, even if it’s just a tiny bit, am I not?”
Sigmund Mathers burst into laughter, chortling so hard that his old injuries opened.
Luke grew solemn. “What is the meaning of this, General Mathers?”
Sigmund Mathers eyed Luke and snickered. “A distant relative like you with no blood relations to His Imperial Majesty wants to ascend to the throne? What a joke! Isn’t it obvious why I’m laughing? Hahaha!”
A cold glint flashed through Luke’s eyes. “The Yushan family is all dead. If I don’t ascend to the throne, it’ll go to one of those two idiots, Clay or Andong. They’re distant relatives as well. If you choose me, then I can pardon you.”
The disdain in Sigmund Mathers’ eyes became even more apparent. “You’re pathetic. You don’t even know what I did, do you?”
Luke sneered and replied, “It doesn’t matter, even if you betrayed the country. As long as I ascend to the throne, I’ll have total control over the empire and will naturally be able to release you.”
Sigmund Mathers sighed despondently. “The empire is done for.” After saying this, he glanced at Luke and said, “Mr. Luke, it’s best that you go back and investigate what crime I committed. Even His Imperial Majesty, Undying Yushan, wasn’t able to pardon me, much less you.”
Luke was shocked. “Even His Imperial Majesty couldn’t pardon you? Just what kind of crime did you commit?”
Sigmund Mather grinned and slowly answered, “I betrayed… humanity.”
Luke left. He was extremely confused and had no idea what Mathers meant when he said that he had betrayed humanity. These extended relatives had only dared to show themselves after all of the Yushan family members died, which meant that they had never held any high positions in the past and were badly informed on the truly important matters. They hadn’t even heard of the Neohuman Alliance.
Even if Sigmund Mathers had been slandered, everyone already believed that he had committed the crime. The merit of Lu Yin revealing the location of a Corpse King was enough to ensure that Sigmund Mathers wouldn’t die, but it was also certain that Luke would not be able to do anything about this matter. The status of the Great Yu Empire’s emperor would only help facilitate internal matters of the empire; it meant nothing when all of humanity was involved.
Sigmund Meyers sighed. Like many others, he had no idea what would happen to the empire. Thankfully, his son, Wukai, had been lucky enough to enter the Innerverse for training before all this occurred. Even if he died, Wukai’s survival would ensure that the Mathers line would not be extinguished.
It was at this moment that Lu Yin entered his mind; the fact that he was still alive was all thanks to him. King Zishan had done too much for him, and it would be nice if he managed to ascend to the throne. At the very least, it would be better than any of those idiotic distant relatives winning the throne.
The fact that Luke had attempted to get Mathers’ support showed that the contest between the distant relatives was becoming increasingly heated. But even as they continued bickering, the residents of Zenyu Star kept leaving. They were unwilling to stay when they were surrounded by warfare.
If not for Huo Qingshan, Rocky Auna, Ban Jiu, and Liuying Zishan, the four remaining captains of the Thirteen Squadrons, then the battles would have been even worse.
At this point, the spacecraft that Lu Yin was using arrived at the temporary station that was situated outside the three rings of the planet.
“Please identify yourself,” a soldier said as he bowed.
Lu Yin exited the spacecraft and did as asked.
At that moment, a squadron rushed over and surrounded Lu Yin. They pointed their weapons at him, and one of them said, “This person is a spy from the Ross Empire! Hands on your head and don’t move.”
Lu Yin’s eyes glinted. “Who said that I’m a spy from Ross Empire?”
A soldier moved forward and glared at him. “Shut up! Take him away for questioning.”
Lu Yin frowned. Invisible undulations spread out as he allowed his domain to spread out to cover an even larger area. Some time later, he noticed someone in a tall building about a hundred meters away from him. It was a familiar figure—Long Chu. He was currently snickering and looking very pleased with himself.
Bloodlust rose up within Lu Yin. It’s him again! This is the second time he’s done something like this now. Long Chu thought that Lu Yin wouldn’t kill anyone here, but the entire reason he had even come here was actually to kill Long Chu.
Two soldiers grabbed Lu Yin by the arms, intending to arrest him.
Lu Yin’s eyes suddenly widened before he vanished into thin air. The void was torn apart, and the ground was rent asunder. The soldiers were all very confused—where had he gone?
At that moment, in the tall building, Long Chu felt goosebumps appear all over his body. He was well-learned, and he could tell how fast Lu Yin had moved with one look. Just as he was about to flee, he heard a voice call out from behind him. “It’s been a while, Commander Long Chu.”
Long Chu slowly turned around, his face ashen as he looked at Lu Yin. “Y-Y-Your Majesty! Why are you here?”
Lu Yin approached Long Chu step by step, his voice icy cold. “You must have been waiting for me for a long time, Commander. So who are you working for this time around?”
“What are you talking about, Your Majesty? I don’t understand,” Long Chu answered fearfully. When he first met Lu Yin, he had thought nothing of this youth. Back then, Lu Yin had merely been a Sentinel while Long Chu had personally been a Limiteer, someone who was able to easily crush the young cultivator. However, during their last meeting, Long Chu had felt like he was no match for Lu Yin, who had only been a Melder then. And this time, he only felt sheer terror. They were both Limiteers, so why was Lu Yin so much more powerful than him??
He had watched the Astral Combat Tournament, and his first reaction had been that of disbelief. Like many others, he thought that the Astral Combat Academy had put on the tournament as a show. However, as Lu Yin closed in on him, the indescribable feeling of terror became even more apparent. This was a human’s natural instinct, and it could not be faked in any way.
Lu Yin suddenly grabbed Long Chu by the throat and lifted him up. Long Chu’s feet flailed about helplessly beneath him as his face grew flushed and his veins popped out.
Lu Yin’s tone was cold when he spoke out. “You don’t know what I’m talking about? You first pledged loyalty to King Zishan, then to Sicar, and then to the second prince after that. After the second prince left, you sided with the former minister of finance, Bailey. And now that the Yushan family’s distant relatives are vying for power, I believe that you’ve found yourself yet another person to serve.”
Long Chu was shocked. “H-how do you know all this?”
Lu Yin sneered and replied, “The fact that a person as greedy as you is still alive is a great humiliation to the Great Yu Empire.” After saying that, he ruthlessly flung Long Chu through the glass window and into the space station’s square down below.
Long Chu felt as if his body was breaking apart while he coughed out a mouthful of blood. They were both Limiteers, but he couldn’t even fight back against Lu Yin. The difference between them was just too great.
The soldiers in the space station quickly surrounded Long Chu in the square. “It’s Lord Long Chu! Save him!”
“Save Lord Long Chu immediately!”
…
High up in the building, Lu Yin soared into the sky as multiple weapons were aimed at him. The void suddenly tore open, and a man walked out. “Who dares to cause trouble at the space station?”
It was a very familiar voice. Lu Yin looked over and called out, “Bronsen?”
The person who had torn through the void was numbered three on the First Imperial Squadron and someone who had known Lu Yin for a long time.
Bronsen saw Lu Yin, and his face became one of delight. “King Zishan? Greetings to His Majesty.”
All the troops in the space station immediately bowed when they heard Bronsen’s words. “Greetings to His Majesty.”
Lu Yin immediately helped Bronsen stand up. “There’s no need for all this formality. Why are you guarding the space station? Aren’t you the number three in the First Squadron?”
Bronsen sighed and replied, “It’s a long story. By the way, what is this mess all about?”
Lu Yin glanced at the twitching body of Long Chu on the square below. “He claimed that I was a spy from the Ross Empire and wanted to eliminate me.”
Bronsen was furious. “Those external relatives are growing increasingly brazen with every passing day! I can’t believe that he tried to attack you.”
“Who is he working with?” Lu Yin coldly asked.
Bronsen frowned. “Luke. I once saw Long Chu walking behind him. Luke has been going all out trying to curry favor with the various ministers, and he’s been very generous in his attempts. I believe that he might have connections to the Ross Empire.”
Lu Yin found this hilarious. “A spy from the Ross Empire tried to slander me by claiming that I’m a spy from the Ross Empire. How interesting.” Lu Yin unleashed an attack at the floor, and a powerful gale crushed Long Chu to death, leaving nothing but a mangled mess behind.
The sight shocked everyone in the space station. Even Bronsen felt a chill run down his spine when he looked at Lu Yin again. In the time that they had been apart, King Zishan had changed.
