Lu Yin looked at Ming Zhaoshu and shook his head. “The Innerverse and Outerverse have been separated, so is there still a point to the so-called ‘promise of ten years?’ You don’t care about the current Outerverse.”
“But I still care about you.” Ming Zhaoshu’s burning eyes bored into Lu Yin. “In just two years, you were able to mature to such a degree. If you were given another two, ten, or twenty years, then you’d become strong enough to rule as a king. You’ll become a powerhouse who will shock the entire universe. I’m very sure that your value has already surpassed the entirety of Shenwu Continent itself.”
Lu Yin did not respond, as his heart was still in chaos. He had not been able to think calmly ever since his encounter with Ming Yan. His recent contest with Ming Zhaoshu had been more of a way for him to vent his feelings, and it was not actually an attempt to seize the initiative in their cooperation. Lu Yin had not become emotionless yet, and he could not easily set his feelings aside.
“Have you met with Yan’er already?” Ming Zhaoshu asked.
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. “Were you the one who allowed Nightking Changfeng to get close to her?”
Ming Zhaoshu scoffed. “I, Ming Zhaoshu, will not resort to using my daughter as a bargaining chip. Back then, it was only because Yan’er liked you that I agreed to the term of ten years with you. She will never be used as a bargaining chip. You think too little of me.”
This was something that Lu Yin could believe. Everyone’s forcefield was unique, and Ming Zhaoshu’s forcefield was an emperor adorned with a royal gown. It did not have an average aura, and since it had the form of an emperor, he would not be so short-sighted.
“I know what those people from the Daynight clan are trying to do. I cannot intentionally stop Nightking Changfeng from approaching Yan’er, and you should understand the Nightking clan better than myself. They are people whom Shenwu Continent cannot afford to offend. However, that youth is not a schemer, and he hasn’t played any tricks either. Otherwise, I definitely would not let him off lightly.”
Lu Yin took a deep breath as watched the raindrops grow smaller.
“Now that the Innerverse and Outerverse have been separated, over these last few days, I have considered sending Nightking Changfeng somewhere else. It’s merely that I haven’t been able to do so yet,” Ming Zhaoshu tried to explain. If the person he was speaking with was Lu Yin from two years ago, then there would have been no need for him to offer any explanation as he had merely treated Lu Yin as an investment at that time. The current youth was someone who qualified to receive explanations, and very thorough ones at that.
“Even if the Innerverse and Outerverse are separated, it’s still inevitable that Shenwu Continent will integrate into the universe. You can’t stop it, Ming Zhaotian can’t stop it, and you should be clear that this is not something that you can negotiate,” Lu Yin said indifferently.
Ming Zhaoshu sighed, “That’s all the more reason why we can’t set ourselves up against the Nightking clan.”
Lu Yin looked at him. “Do you know where I’m from?”
Ming Zhaoshu nodded. “Frostwave Weave’s Great Yu Empire.”
“I am now the Great Yu Empire’s Royal Regent, and I can act with the emperor’s authority. The Great Yu Empire has already unified Frostwave Weave, and we have also suppressed the Grandtop Weave. I plan to establish the Great Eastern Alliance in order to unite all of the Outerverse’s eastern weaves. Shenwu Continent will be no exception,” Lu Yin informed him.
Ming Zhaoshu was stunned. “Great Eastern Alliance? That’s not something simple. Will the powers of the various weaves agree to such a thing?”
“They won’t be able to do anything but agree to it,” Lu Yin replied without any sympathy.
Ming Zhaoshu carefully observed Lu Yin; was the kid a maniac, or was he truly confident?
“Shenwu Continent’s farce should end now. I’ll help you take care of Ming Zhaotian. In exchange, Shenwu Continent must join the Great Eastern Alliance, or else-” Lu Yin looked at Ming Zhaoshu with ice-cold eyes. “I can help you obtain Shenwu Continent, but I can also destroy it just as easily. I’ve said this before. Even if Ming Taizhong were alive, it would be useless since I could kill even him.”
Ming Zhaoshu’s eyes flickered, as he could not quite understand the current Lu Yin. He could not casually make such a decision, especially since he was suffering from a lack of information.
“I’ll give you some time to consider your decision, but not too much. The next time we meet, I’ll want to hear your decision, as well as hear about the five sealing planets,” Lu Yin said. He then stepped forward and disappeared. He had already left the Reverent King’s Residence.
Ming Zhaoshu watched the disappearing figure vanish into the rainy night. He called Tang Si over. The Reverent King had not paid too much attention to what Tang Si had said before, but now, he needed to gain a new understanding of the current Lu Yin. The youth was clearly just in the Martial Emperor realm, but he dared to threaten Ming Zhaoshu himself. That calm confidence could not be faked, and he also had to speak with Yan’er. There was something amiss with Lu Yin’s attitude.
There were quite a few mansions that lay near the Reverent King’s Residence. They had previously all been owned by officials or rich merchants who stayed at Qiong Island, but now, they had been given to the outsiders by Ming Zhaoshu.
Nightking Changfeng arrived in front of one of the mansions and knocked on the door before entering. A beautiful girl with revealing clothing welcomed him into the house. She was Xun Meiren, a disciple who was a member of the Xun family’s younger generation. Although she was just an Explorer, she was extremely astute, and she was also one of the outsiders who was cooperating with Ming Zhaoshu during this time. The Daynight clan had sent her specifically to help Nightking Changfeng.
“It’s late, so why has Brother Changfeng come to this girl’s residence? Aren’t you afraid of being seen by those young masters?” Xun Meiren leaned towards Nightking Changfeng and smiled lovably as a puff of the scent of her perfume wafted over to him.
Nightking Changfeng remained calm. “Don’t you tell me that you didn’t notice the disturbance just now.”
Xun Meiren shrugged. “A clash of forcefields. I know that one of them belonged to Ming Zhaoshu, but I didn’t recognize the other one. It’s already impressive for the little Shenwu Continent to produce Ming Zhaoshu, who’s comprehended a domain, but I never would have imagined that there would be a second person as well.”
“It wasn’t someone from Shenwu Continent. It was Lu Yin.” His tone was cold, and his voice showed a trace of restraint.
Xun Meiren was stunned. “Lu Yin? Why is he here?”
Nightking Changfeng’s eyes turned murderous. “The news of the Innerverse and Outerverse being separated was leaked to Shenwu Continent by him. He also participated in the Outerverse trial that took place here, and while it was assumed that he just participated in it as a formality, he’s come back now.”
“When he visited the space station last time, he even killed a Daynight clan Hunter so that he could send Tang Si back here, and he thoroughly offended Nightqueen Qiuyu at that time. Now that he’s shown up again, it seems that Shenwu Continent has something that he needs,” Xun Meiren guessed.
“It’s Ming Yan,” Nightking Changfeng stated.
Xun Meiren was stunned. “The little princess? Are they in love?”
Nightking Changfeng’s expression turned ugly.
Xun Meiren chortled. “I never would have guessed. I mean, I really never would have imagined it. That little princess is charming enough to attract you and even Lu Yin, but it’s hard to blame you two. She’s so beautiful and pure. Even as a woman, I’m moved when I look at her.”
Nightking Changfeng looked at her. “Help me get rid of Lu Yin.”
“Why? Just because of Ming Yan?” She asked with interest.
Nightking Changfeng snorted. “He’s a great enemy of my Daynight clan. Nightqueen Yanqing has said many times that he has to be eliminated. He’s someone that even Arbiter Zhenwu wants eradicated.”
Upon the mention of Arbiter Zhenwu, not even Xun Meiren dared remain impudent. “Actually, my Xun family also has a grudge with him, and our Young Master wants to get rid of him as well. But he’s started to mature, and now that we’re cut off from the Innerverse, not even Senior Qiuyu dares to touch him. There’s nothing much that you or I can do.”
Nightking Changfeng clenched his fists. As someone ranked twenty first in the Top 100 Rankings, he was able to look down upon the vast majority of the younger generation, which included Lu Yin. This person had used external objects to save his life against Enlighters, which was a trick that Nightking Changfeng felt was despicable. And so, he hadn’t bothered with the younger man. Now that Lu Yin had become an Explorer, his strength had undergone a qualitative change, and he could actually suppress Nightking Changfeng, not to mention the forcefield from earlier.
The more Nightking Changfeng thought about all these things, the less he could wait to slaughter Lu Yin. Of course, there was still his relationship with Ming Yan. If he, Nightking Changfeng, favored a girl, then no one else could touch her.
Lu Yin did not look for a place to rest after leaving the Reverent King’s Residence. After the contest with Ming Zhaoshu through their forcefields, Lu Yin had coincidentally found someone who he was familiar with, and the person seemed to be in dire straits. To be more precise, this familiar person was someone who was extremely miserable.
Three streets away from the Reverent King’s Residence was the busiest downtown district in all of Shanhai City. It was already midnight when Lu Yin left the estate, and Shanhai City currently had a curfew in place. Despite the curfew, there was a figure sprawled on the ground and shivering in the rain.
This person was a beggar who was covered with a straw mat and huddled up against a wall while trembling from the cold.
Lu Yin looked at the beggar, surprised. He approached the wretched looking person step by step until he finally stood in front of the beggar.
The beggar moved his straw mat aside and looked up fearfully. Lightning streaked across the sky and illuminated Lu Yin’s face. When the beggar saw his face, his pupils shrank, and he started to tremble even more violently.
“Arikar?” Lu Yin was stunned.
The beggar was terrified. “M-my lord, I’m just a beggar. Please let me go.”
Lu Yin crouched down and peeled the straw mat away. “The energy channels in your body have all been shattered, and your star energy has dissipated. Going from being a Limiteer to being a commoner must be incredibly difficult. How did you end up like this?”
The beggar was Arikar, who had once been a top-notch disciple of the Blaze Realm. He had even participated in the most recent Astral Combat Tournament and challenged a Realm Master. He had been completely overbearing back then. He had entered Shenwu Continent together with Lu Yin during the Outerverse trial, and they had even landed in the same region. The tragic part was that Lu Yin had landed in Ming Yan’s bath, which had caused a commotion. Lu Yin had managed to escape, but Arikar had been captured.
“Ming Zhaoshu is working with outside organizations and all captured trial takers should have been released,” Lu Yin said.
Arikar looked at the ground and didn’t dare to give an answer.
“I don’t like to repeat myself,” Lu Yin’s tone was cold.
Arikar’s face went completely pale. “I- I offended the Reverent King, and now, I don’t dare to show myself.”
“How did you offend him? He should have been aware of your identity, and the Blaze Realm is quite powerful. One of their best disciples wasn’t able to save himself?” Lu Yin asked, as he was truly curious about Arikar’s circumstances. Ming Zhaoshu had concealed himself too deeply. No matter if Arikar had offended the man, or even if he had tried to assassinate the king, Ming Zhaoshu would not have done anything about it given the present circumstances. Why would he have put Arikar in such a miserable state? This was especially baffling given that there were so many cultivators from the outside universe in the city. Arikar had not sought out a single person and had instead hidden here as a beggar. Something just wasn’t adding up.
Arikar’s eyes flashed, and he looked at Lu Yin. After a moment, he gritted his teeth. “I discovered a secret.”
“Tell me,” Lu Yin said.
“Ming Zhaoshu rebelled against the Shenwu Empire and released all the outsiders. I was the same, and under orders from the Blaze Realm, I stayed beside Ming Zhaoshu to facilitate the cooperation,” Arikar explained. “One time, Ming Zhaoshu sent us to carry out a mission in a valley where large numbers of the Shenwu Empire’s soldiers had gathered. We didn’t pay much attention to the details and headed there. Then-” Arikar’s gaze turned frightened. “We saw a Corpse King.”
Lu Yin’s eyes went wide. “The Neohuman Alliance?”
Arikar nodded. “Yes, the Neohuman Alliance. The Shenwu Empire is cooperating with the Neohuman Alliance. Out of all the cultivators that went into that valley, only a few survived and managed to successfully escape. Who could have known that after we reported this matter to Ming Zhaoshu, Tang Si suddenly came chasing after us. Ming Zhaoshu does not wish to expose the Shenwu Empire’s cooperation with the Neohuman Alliance.”
“Aside from me, everyone else is now dead. Although I was lucky enough to escape, my cultivation was crippled.”
“So you hid in the city, right under their noses?” Lu Yin asked.
Arikar nodded.
“You’ve been waiting for people from the Blaze Realm?” Lu Yin asked.
Arikar nodded again. “Yes.”
