Star Odyssey

“My Royal Brother is proud and arrogant. With the five sealing planets repelling the invasion of the outer universe, it had made him sullen. Now, with this rebellion causing the Shenwu Empire to fragment into two, with his personality, it wouldn’t be unexpected for him to collude with a group like the Neohuman Alliance. I know that you outsiders see the Neohuman Alliance as a public enemy, but I cannot disclose or expose that right now. Shenwu Continent is considered to be nothing more than a training ground. Exposing the presence of the Neohuman Alliance would make Shenwu Continent the public enemy of the entire universe. Even with the Innerverse and Outerverse currently being separated, I don’t dare to reveal such information.” 

“Do you know how terrifying the Neohuman Alliance is?” Lu Yin asked.

Ming Zhaoshu had a complicated expression. “If Shenwu Continent is condemned, then everyone here will die. No matter how terrifying that group may be, what does it have to do with us?”

Lu Yin withdrew his gaze. Ming Zhaoshu was correct. From the Reverent King’s perspective, he did not need to care about the influence that the Neohuman Alliance might have on the human race. Instead, he needed to tacitly cooperate with the Shenwu Empire in order to cover up this issue. This was also why the Neohuman Alliance had dared to establish one of their bases so close to Qiong Island, as it had been both a probe and a warning. 

“Have you ever thought that, with Ming Zhaotian cooperating with the Neohuman Alliance and you the outsiders, that this matter would be revealed sooner or later?”

Ming Zhaoshu’s gaze shivered. “Before that happens, I will eradicate the Neohuman Alliance and also resolve the matter with Ming Zhaotian.”

Lu Yin laughed. “You’re too confident! Not to mention you, even with my current strength, I don’t have the slightest confidence in eliminating all of the Corpse Kings from your Shenwu Continent.”

“What do you mean?” Ming Zhaoshu could not understand what Lu Yin was getting at.

Lu Yin described what he had seen in Mingdu. “There’s one super strong Corpse King, and even if you and Ming Zhaotian join forces, you still won’t be able to deal with it.”

Ming Zhaoshu was astonished. “Impossible! We know all of the experts who have come to Shenwu Continent, and there’s no such powerhouse. With the five sealing planets in place, such a powerhouse cannot enter.”

Lu Yin shook his head. “That just shows that you don’t understand the Neohuman Alliance. In the current universe, no matter what sort of ranking it is, it won’t include anyone from the Neohuman Alliance, and it’s precisely because their power level’s can’t be estimated.”

Ming Zhaoshu fell silent. 

“What sort of secret is hidden beneath the Tower of Resonating Light?” Lu Yin asked. During his most recent visit to Mingdu, the Corpse King whose rune lines rivalled Kong Shi’s had been situated directly underneath the Tower of Resonating Light. 

Ming Zhaoshu answered slowly, “Actually, I haven’t figured out what exactly is hidden there. There are thirteen levels to the Tower of Resonating Light, and eight of those levels are hidden underground. Ming Taizhong was buried in the bottommost thirteenth level. In fact, when I went down there to obtain Ming Taizhong’s inheritance, I discovered that there’s actually still another space below that level, but I could not open it no matter what I did.” 

Lu Yin was puzzled. “How large is that space?”

Ming Zhaoshu shook his head. “I’m not sure. That space is hidden too far down. Even if the entirety of Mingdu was overturned, that space still could not be reached. Also, Ming Taizhong was not the creator of the inheritance. He was just like me, and we both received the inheritance. This is just like how the five sealing planets were not created by Ming Taizhong, but rather merely activated by him.” 

Lu Yin had already been aware of this detail. After all, Ming Taizhong had just been an Enlighter with a power level of just over 200,000. It was impossible for such a person to create the five  sealing planets that were able to withstand attacks from powerhouses whose power levels had reached 300,000 unless he had also been a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker. If it was just activating the seal, then that was possible. But the issue still remained—before Ming Taizhong, there must have been a super expert who had lived on Shenwu Continent whose power level had exceeded 300,000 and had also been a lockbreaking expert. That person had to have been at least a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker, which was a frightening concept. 

Since the Neohuman Alliance had hidden themselves beneath the Tower of Resonating Light, then they must want to enter that hidden space. If that was the case, then it was possible that the secret concerning the five sealing planets was hidden in that secret space. 

“Why did Ming Zhaotian allow the Neohuman Alliance to hide beneath the Tower of Resonating Light? Isn’t he afraid that the five sealing planets might be breached?” Lu Yin could not help himself from asking. 

Ming Zhaoshu shook his head. “Before you mentioned it, even I didn’t know that those monsters are hiding beneath the Tower of Resonating Light. If that’s the case, then my Royal Brother may have been blinded by certain benefits.” 

Ming Zhaotian may have been deceived, but Lu Yin wasn’t. He had Ming Zhaoshu retrieve a map of Mingdu, and then he circled the areas where he had seen the rune lines. “The more time that passes, the stronger the Neohuman Alliance’s Corpse Kings will become. The locations that I’ve marked out is where the Corpse Kings are hidden underground. Immediately gather all of the Explorers—I mean Martial Emperor experts—and head into Mingdu to eliminate this calamity.” 

Ming Zhaoshu was now placed in a difficult position. “We are at war, and all of the experts who are my subordinates have been noted by the empire, so they cannot simply walk into Mingdu.” 

“Then have the trial takers take action,” Lu Yin said.“Besides, we can only use them to clean up the Corpse Kings at best. There’s no hope of them taking care of the entire Neohuman Alliance. Of course, you’ll also have to take action and hold back Ming Zhaotian for me.”

“Alright, I’ll think of a way to notify those at the space station and have them coordinate with our timing to attack the five sealing planets and keep the empire’s experts busy,” Ming Zhaoshu said. 

“Does Ming Zhaotian not know about the secret of the five sealing planets?” Lu Yin was puzzled.

Ming Zhaoshu replied, “So what if he does? He doesn’t dare take any risks. If no one is overseeing the five sealing planets and they collapse, then he will be condemned for eternity.”

Lu Yin understood. Someone who stood in a different position would feel a different pressure. If Ming Zhaoshu was sitting in Ming Zhaotian’s position, then he would not dare to take such a gamble either. 

It didn’t take too long to gather all of the trial takers who were at the Explorer realm or above since these people were mostly located on Qiong Island to begin with. There were more than thirty of them, five of which were Cruisers. Their participation caused Ming Zhaoshu’s strength to increase yet again, and they now had the power to stand up to the Shenwu Empire. 

Nightking Changfeng was also participating, and he was vaguely recognized as the leader of the outsiders. This wasn’t only because of his status as a member of the Nightking clan, but also because he was a Cruiser who was ranked twenty first on the Top Hundred Rankings, which meant that he could crush everyone else gathered. 

He was no weaker than Ming Zhaoshu and possibly even stronger. Ming Zhaoshu had comprehended a forcefield and was an absolute expert, but Nightking Changfeng had the benefit of the Nightking Clan’s battle techniques as well as his personal talent. Combined, he had reached the high ranking of twenty first in the Top Hundred Rankings, which showed that he possessed a terrifying strength. 

“Brother Changfeng, why has the Reverent King gathered us?” A group of people were gathered beside a mountain stream that flowed behind the Reverent King’s Residence. There was a waterfall behind them, and the scenery was pleasant. Xun Meiren was the one asking, and her every action was completely enticing, attracting the attention of many eyes. 

Nightking Changfeng was standing beside the stream. “We’ll know when once the Reverent King arrives.” 

Xun Meiren walked over next to him and quietly asked, “You haven’t met the little princess during these past few days, have you?” 

Nightking Changfeng’s face sank, as this was indeed what displeased him the most. Since he had first arrived at Shenwu Continent, he had always seen Ming Yan frequently, and her extremely beautiful face had intoxicated him. He had not once faced a situation where he had not met her for several consecutive days. Ever since Lu Yin had arrived, Nightking Changfeng had become unable to see the girl, and he became especially upset when he thought about how Ming Yan might be nestled in that bastard’s embrace. Just the thought was enough to trigger Nightking Changfeng’s impulse to destroy everything. 

“Hehe, Brother Changfeng, I urge you to endure a bit longer. We already discussed this last time, but it’s impossible for us to get rid of him,” Xun Meiren said softly.

Nightking Changfeng took a deep breath. “Nothing is impossible. It’s just that the opportunity hasn’t appeared yet.”

Xun Meiren was stunned. Quite a few Daynight clan members had arrived over the last few days, so could they have brought something fantastic for Nightking Changfeng along with them? She did not doubt the hidden strength of the Daynight clan nor their resolution to kill Lu Yin. 

A bit away from the two people, a youth sat quietly atop a tree. His name was Namu, and he was a disciple from the Myriad Swords Peak and had previously been an Area Master of Astral-5 who had participated in the most recent Astral Combat Tournament. During that tournament, he had been defeated by Grandini Mavis in the fourth round, but he had since broken through and become an Explorer, successfully graduating from the academy. He had come to the Outerverse for training, as nobody had thought that the Innerverse and Outerverse would suddenly be cut off from each other. He had been left stranded in the Outerverse and eventually arrived at Shenwu Continent. 

There were many people just like him in this place, and out of the thirty-odd people gathered here, quite a few of them had graduated from the Astral Combat Academy.

“Why hasn’t the Reverent King arrived yet? Isn’t he being too arrogant?” Someone was getting upset. 

These people all looked down on Shenwu Continent, and they saw Ming Zhaoshu as some sort of backwater native. If not for Nightking Changfeng keeping these people under control, then they likely would not have behaved so obediently. 

“The Reverent King will not be coming. I’m the one that gathered all of you.” A voice rang out as Lu Yin emerged from the forest and walked over in front of everyone. 

Nightking Changfeng’s eyes flashed as he stared at Lu Yin.

Xun Meiren was also surprised, as she had recognized that this person was Lu Yin. They had just been speaking about him, and now, here he was.

From some distance away, Namu also saw Lu Yin and was astounded. Lu Yin was not a stranger to him. Although Lu Yin had not spent much time in the Astral Combat Academy, what he had accomplished there was sensational. First, he had become one of the Astral Combat Tournament’s top four. Then, he had become the champion of the Tournament of the Strongest. He had suppressed the Daynight clan, become a member of the Council of Astral Academy, and achieved even more. These various events had caused Lu Yin to become a legend in the hearts of the academy’s students, especially after the event where he had suppressed all of the Daynight clan students in the academy. The moment where he had confronted all of the Daynight clan experts in the Astral Combat Academy had become an unforgettable scene. 

Namu had never imagined that he would meet Lu Yin here. This person was not merely just a fellow student from the Astral Combat Academy. According to the rumors, Namu’s senior Myriad Swords Peak disciple, Wendy Yushan, was Lu Yin’s fiancée. 

“Which noob are you? You actually dare to summon us here?” A man with a big beard blocked Lu Yin. He was three meters tall, and he looked down on Lu Yin with his impressive height.

Xun Meiren’s lips curled upwards. “Bigbeard” was very strong. In fact, he was second only to Nightking Changfeng, and he also had a short temper, so it was coincidentally appropriate for him to sound out Lu Yin. 

Nightking Changfeng had only mentioned to Xun Meiren that Lu Yin had arrived at the Reverent King’s Residence and not elaborated further. Xun Meiren had guessed that Nightking Changfeng had perhaps lost in some sort of confrontation, and now, she would be able to see the truth of the matter for herself. 

Lu Yin stepped forward and bumped his shoulder against Bigbeard’s shoulder. All the crowd heard was a soft thump, but after that, Bigbeard’s entire body was flung away, and he landed in the stream. 

The gathered trial takers were astonished. Bigbeard was one of the few Cruisers among those who had gathered, and he was famous for his strength. Everyone present was aware that his power was second only to Nightking Changfeng, but he had just been sent flying by a casual shoulder bump. 

Xun Meiren was stunned. Lu Yin was as powerful as expected. Even Nightking Changfeng could not send Bigbeard flying that easily. 

Nightking Changfeng’s brows furrowed, and he took several steps forward. “I forgot to tell everyone here, but this is Lu Yin, an expert who came to support the Reverent King. I trust that everyone has heard of him.” 

“Lu Yin?” The crowd was surprised. 

“He’s Lu Yin, the unequaled Limiteer?” 

“I heard that he defeated Ling Que and Mu Rong.”

“That’s old news. It’s rumored that he’s even killed Enlighters, and not just one at that.”

“He broke through to the Explorer realm?”

…

From within the stream, Bigbeard furiously bellowed and charged upwards with a fist aimed towards Lu Yin. “Kid, you’re asking for it!”

Lu Yin did not move. Instead, a light flickered through Nightking Changfeng’s eyes, and he raised a hand to divert Bigbeard’s punch, which caused the entire valley to quiver. Bigbeard stared angrily at Nightking Changfeng. “Nightking, what do you mean by this? Are you protecting him?” 

“Hehe, Brother Changfeng was saving you. This person is Lu Yin,” Xun Meiren said with a bright smile.