Nightking Zhenwu revealed a slight smile when he looked at Zhuo Daynight. “Congratulations.”
There was absolutely no emotion in Zhuo Daynight as she grunted in affirmation while exchanging glances with Nightking Zhenwu.
Nightking Zhenwu told her, “Relax, I’ll remove the Sealed Cage Technique from the Dayking bloodline in just two more months.”
Zhuo Daynight heaved a sigh of relief. She had been clenching her hands so hard that they had gone pale, but they finally started to relax after hearing those words.
Nightking Zhenwu watched as Zhuo Daynight left before activating his gadget and making a call.
***
Somewhere else in the universe, Lu Yin had not headed back to Zenyu Star yet. The Innerverse had reconnected to the Outerverse, but there was still no way to travel between the two regions.
When the Outerverse had been isolated from the Innerverse by the overflowing energy of the Astral River, the Astral River Ark had been torn apart and split in two. Thus, Lu Yin’s foremost priority was to take a look at the ark and see if there was any chance of restoring it.
Obtaining control of the Astral River Ark held a significant meaning for Lu Yin. According to Lilyrose, the backup ark in the Innerverse had been hidden in the Blazing Mist Flowzone. Regardless, Lu Yin wanted to take a look at the edge of the Astral River.
Lan Si had already gone to Zenyu Star, and he had been accompanied by Elder Tie and the others.
Lu Yin was staring at the depths of the Astral River when his gadget suddenly rang. He glanced at it, and his gaze trembled; it was Nightking Zhenwu.
The gadget’s screen rose into the sky, and Nightking Zhenwu’s image appeared with a smile on his face. “Congratulations on defeating Lan Si. You can now be considered to be on par with the Ten Arbiters.”
Lu Yin had expected Nightking Zhenwu to contact him. After all, the Daynight clan’s stone of inheritance was still in Lu Yin’s possession.
“Are you trying to show off your own superiority by saying such a thing?” Lu Yin replied coldly.
Nightking Zhenwu chuckled. “You can treat it in that way, but even if you become one of the Ten Arbiters, there will still be a disparity between you and me. I forgot to tell you this, but I’m the leader of the Ten Arbiters now.”
Lu Yin’s gaze grew sharp. “What do you mean?”
“It’s what it sounds like. The contest for the Astral Tower is not simple, and nobody knows exactly how many experts will appear to take part. When the Sixth Mainland invaded the Fifth Mainland, those experts from the Neoverse who appeared might have just been sent out to probe the Innerverse’s strength. Thus, the Ten Arbiters must unite for the Astral Tower’s contest, and I’m currently leader of the Ten Arbiters,” Nightking Zhenwu proudly explained. His eyes showed his contempt for Lu Yin.
Whether it was in terms of strength or attitude, Nightking Zhenwu always desired to look down upon others, as only by doing so could he directly attack their convictions.
When experts competed, the resulting battle would not just be physical, and it would involve their attitudes as well. Zhenwu wanted his image in Lu Yin’s heart to be that of an unrivaled opponent.
If Lu Yin had lost to Lan Si, then Nightking Zhenwu could have said anything, not having to be too worried. However, since Lu Yin had won, Zhenwu intended to use the battle with Lan Si to demonstrate the terrifying abilities level of the Ten Arbiters. This was so that the unrivaled image of being the leader of the Ten Arbiters would become even more resplendent.
Humans could not compare to gods. No matter how powerful a human became, even if their power surpassed that of a god, against true divinity, a human would always have to lower their attitude one notch.
Lu Yin had never expected that Nightking Zhenwu would actually become the leader of the Ten Arbiters, as not a single one of the Ten Arbiters were simple. Unseen Light had been able to fight on par with Zhi Yi, Wen Sansi was unfathomable, Ling Gong was amazing, and Liu Tianmu felt like a truly unrivaled person. Lu Yin truly did not believe that any one of these people would be willing to pledge their allegiance to Nightking Zhenwu.
However, this was clearly something that Nightking Zhenwu would never lie about, as such a lie would be instantly discovered.
“What? You don’t believe me?” Nightking Zhenwu’s lips curled up as he looked at Lu Yin with evident disdain.
Lu Yin muttered to himself and then looked up. “Since you’re the leader of the Ten Arbiters, then doesn’t that mean that, once I defeat you, I’ll become the leader of the Ten Arbiters?”
Nightking Zhenwu’s expression sank, as he had not expected Lu Yin to react like this. He had wanted to use his rising momentum to break Lu Yin’s mental state, but Lu Yin was not an easy person to deal with.
Nightking Zhenwu responded in an icy tone, “Defeat me? Do you think that I’m trash like Lan Si?”
Lu Yin’s brows lifted up—trash? Lu Yin truly did not think that that was the case. Lan Si had been able to receive multiple Night Advents and had not collapsed, which showed that his spiritual force was not weak. Even if Lan Si might not be able to match up to Nightking Zhenwu’s strength, Lan Si would be able to survive the match at the very least, and Nightking Zhenwu’s physical strength might not actually be enough to take Lan Si’s Vacuum Palm.
Still, the most difficult thing about fighting against Nightking Zhenwu was his secret technique, Heart Seeker. That technique could not be guarded against, and once a person was struck, their defeat was already ordained.
There were too many factors that could influence a battle. Nightking Zhenwu had shown his disregard for Lan Si, and Lu Yin did not have much more to say. The Nightking could continue on with his arrogance!
“There’s no way that you called me just to say that,” Lu Yin commented.
Nightking Zhenwu looked sullen. He then shared the image of the stone plaque in the Daynight clan’s ancestral grounds through the screen. “Do you see that stone plaque? Your image is ranked third.”
Lu Yin looked at the image, and sure enough, his image was right below Nightking Zhenwu and Zhuo Daynight’s images. This proved what Nightking Yuanjing had told Lu Yin. Only by entering the Daynight clan’s corridor of inheritance and comprehending battle techniques could a person have their image appear on the stone plaque within the Daynight clan ancestral grounds. Lu Yin had obviously been exposed the moment he stepped foot within the corridor of inheritance.
“Don’t you find it strange that Zhuo Daynight surpassed you? Clearly, you’re already aware that she’s comprehended Night’s End, Daybreak,” Nightking Zhenwu continued to say.
Lu Yin silently stared at the Nightking, a sense of unease rising within his heart.
Night’s End, Daybreak was the absolute battle technique of the Dayking bloodline. Thus, Zhuo Daynight comprehending Night’s End, Daybreak represented the emergence of the Dayking bloodline’s hopes whereas Nightking Zhenwu represented the Nightking bloodline’s hopes. In other words, the two were mortal enemies.
Nightking Zhenwu looked over towards the stone plaque in the ancestral grounds. “I’ve promised Zhuo Daynight that, as long as she puts in the effort to climb up and become ranked second only to me on the stone plaque, I would give her a chance to represent the Dayking bloodline and win them their freedom. She managed to seize this opportunity. Do you know what it means now that she’s managed to climb her way up?” Nightking Zhenwu stared at Lu Yin, and his tone suddenly grew incredibly haughty. “She will become my, Nightking Zhenwu’s, wife.”
Lu Yin’s expression transformed, and his face gradually turned green as he clenched his fists. His rage soared.
He was aware of just how much Zhuo Daynight hated Nightking Zhenwu, but now, she had been forced to work so hard just to climb up beneath him. Worst of all, her goal was actually to become this man’s wife. To Zhuo Daynight, this was the worst tragedy, and she likely no longer saw any hope for her life.
For her, this was a fate even worse than death.
“Are you angry? Furious? Hahaha!” Nightking Zhenwu laughed in a carefree manner.
Lu Yin’s expression grew frosty. “So is this what you wanted to say?”
Nightking Zhenwu grinned, a cruel smile on his lips. “What I wanted? Wrong! She’s just a slave, some trash from the Dayking bloodline. Do you really think that such a creature is suitable to become my, Nightking Zhenwu’s, wife? My goal is to obtain Night’s End, Daybreak. To that end, the mind of the cultivator who comprehended the technique must collapse after encountering a huge setback. I’ve given Zhuo Daynight hope, and soon, I will personally destroy it. This is what I want to do in two months’ time.
“In two months’ time, on the day of my promise to remove the Sealed Cage Technique from the Dayking bloodline to her, I will throw her to the depths of the abyss. In fact, it won’t just be her. Everyone she knows, her clanspeople, parents, and everyone else, will all be forced into the abyss.”
Lu Yin felt his scalp go numb, and he stared at Nightking Zhenwu in disbelief. How could a human be so black-hearted?
“Seventh Bro, kill him! You have to kill him!” Ghost Monkey shouted. He had become so furious that he could not hold himself back anymore. “Ever since this monkey was born, I’ve never run into anyone like this. He’s too evil and shameless, and he’s actually willing to use such methods to deal with a person! How hateful!”
Lu Yin lowered his head and did not speak.
Nightking Zhenwu was still maniacally laughing. “Lu Yin, I gave you an opportunity to follow me and wait for the day when I eventually become one of the Cosmic Five. You would have been able to shine brilliantly in the universe, but you rejected my offer! Do you really believe that unifying the Outerverse will allow you to stand against my Daynight clan? Or that you have the necessary clout to contest me? Let me tell you right now—you can’t do it! I want you to know that you can’t even save a single girl! You will never save this girl, who revealed her cultivation of Night’s End, Daybreak for you, thereby forcing her entire clan into the abyss. She did all this for you, and I want you to watch as she sinks into despair while you swim in hatred for the rest of your entire life.”
Each one of Nightking Zhenwu’s words reverberated through Lu Yin’s head. He could picture Zhuo Daynight’s desperate and agonized expressions, eyes filled with bewilderment and suffering for the future. She had done everything for him, and if not for him, then Zhuo Daynight would have never exposed the fact that she had comprehended Night’s End, Daybreak, become Nightking Zhenwu’s plaything, or inadvertently sent her clanspeople to their graves.
“Seventh Bro, don’t be fooled! All this has nothing to do with you. You’ve saved Zhuo Daynight’s life several times, and she was the reason why you even went to Planet Pyrolyte. She’s the one who decided to stall Nightking Zhenwu for you. You don’t owe her anything!” Ghost Monkey shouted, as he was afraid that Lu Yin would become addled by Nightking Zhenwu’s words.
A cultivator’s state of mind was extremely important. If their thoughts were thrown into chaos, then their entire being would also become chaotic.
This was Nightking Zhenwu’s true objective, as he wanted to disturb Lu Yin’s frame of mind while also implanting an image of him being an unrivaled being within Lu Yin’s heart. Furthermore, Zhenwu hoped to tempt Lu Yin into going to the Daynight Flowzone, which would give him an opportunity to completely eradicate the hidden danger that Lu Yin represented.
Lu Yin truly gave Nightking Zhenwu a feeling of danger, as Lu Yin was someone who had not even cultivated for twelve years yet, but he was already able to defeat one of the Ten Arbiters in a fair fight. This was a terrifying person. Lu Yin was the reason why Nightking Zhenwu had chosen to deal with Zhuo Daynight two months in the future, as he wanted to take care of Lu Yin before heading towards the Neoverse.
Nightking Zhenwu had never put in so much effort to deal with just one person before, and he had even shared the most important details of his plan with Lu Yin. Still, that was fine. Over the next two months, Zhuo Daynight would not be allowed to see anyone, and nobody would be allowed to contact her either.
Nobody could stop the Nightking’s plan from progressing.
At the edge of the Astral River, Lu Yin’s head was still hung low, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Ghost Monkey was still shouting in Lu Yin’s mind. “Seventh Bro, you don’t owe Zhuo Daynight anything! Don’t be tricked! When you become stronger, you can deal with Nightking Zhenwu then! This bastard has to die!”
Lu Yin loosened his clenched fists. His gadget had disconnected from the call for quite some time already. When he looked up, he stared across the Astral River and at the opposite side. His vision seemed to transcend an endless distance, and he felt like he could see Nightking Zhenwu as they exchanged glances.
“Don’t owe her? That’s not right. I owe her a promise, and I’ve agreed that, no matter when it may be, I will help her complete one lockbreaking job. I have to fulfill this promise,” Lu Yin stated gravely.
Ghost Monkey was confused. “When did that happen?”
Lu Yin calmly moved away. It was useless to feel upset. Nightking Zhenwu was someone whom Lu Yin already had to kill, as the Nightking’s methods were so twisted that they could petrify others.
Zhuo Daynight had already stepped into a beautiful dream that Nightking Zhenwu had weaved for her, and the more real it became, the more beautiful it would feel. But at the same time, the despair she would feel at its inevitable collapse also increased.
Lu Yin did not even dare to imagine what Zhuo Daynight would do when Nightking Zhenwu revealed his true plan. Not even an extraordinary person would be able to deal with such a huge mental shock.
Two months? Lu Yin was tight on time.
As soon as Lu Yin returned to Zenyu Star, Huan Sha and the others hastily approached him. “Your Highness, the Blaze Realm, Ross Empire, Sylvan Dragon clan, Xun family, Dire Barbarian clan, Daynight clan, and other powers from the Innerverse have all announced to the Outerverse that Your Highness is a traitor to the Fifth Mainland. Additionally, anyone who has even the slightest bit of connection to you will become enemies with the various great powers of the Innerverse. As a result, many weaves in the Outerverse are feeling anxious, and many of the powers that were originally going to join the Great Eastern Alliance have backed out. Also, many of the powers from the western region want to withdraw.”
Lu Yin calmly replied, “Make some announcements: the Innerverse has suffered greatly due to the Sixth Mainland’s invasion. During the invasion, their resources were raided and are at disastrously low levels. Thus, they intend to raid the Outerverse to replenish their reserves. The Great Eastern Alliance will use the Allied Forces to defend against this common enemy.”
Huan Sha and the others were all shocked. “Your Highness, is this true?”
Lu Yin replied, “It doesn’t even matter. Rather, what matters is that the others will believe it. Now run along and take care of this.”
