Star Odyssey

Lu Yin stored the scarlet eyes that he had obtained from Wu Shang. Once in a while, when Lu Yin had nothing else to do, he would take them out for a look, using them to test if the surrounding area would react to them. 

Ming Yan had formally ascended the throne ten days before, and she had become the first empress in the history of the Shenwu Empire, inheriting the title of Shenwu Empress.

Her inauguration was different from Ming Zhaoshu’s, as Ming Zhaoshu had forced Ming Zhaotian to abdicate the throne and then forced the empire to cooperate with foreigners, which had led to rebellions breaking out across the entire continent. This had subsequently led to a series of endless battles, culminating in him using his own death to take responsibility for his past deeds. Although Ming Yan was Ming Zhaoshu’s daughter, she had denounced Ming Zhaoshu’s crimes, and stabilized the sentiments of the population with this move. She was also the only remaining heir of the Ming family, so very few opposed her succeeding the throne of the Shenwu Empire. 

With the current cultural mixing coming from the wider universe, many people on Shenwu Continent had already adapted to the changes. Thus, they did not use this issue to oppose Ming Yan, making her succession very smooth. 

In Mingdu’s palace, within the imperial study, Ming Yan’s expression looked completely beaten. She picked up some memos to read through, as she had become accustomed to doing.

A knock sounded from the door. “Enter.”

Lu Yin walked in.

Ming Yan was delighted to see that it was Lu Yin. “Brother Lu, you don’t have to knock before entering.”

Lu Yin smiled. “Basic courtesies are always required, even if we do belong to each other.”

His words made Ming Yan feel bashful.

“So how’s it going? Are you getting used to your days after succeeding the throne?” Lu Yin walked over to Ming Yan and embraced her shoulders, her scent wafting into his nostrils.

Ming Yan leaned into Lu Yin’s embrace. “I’m used to it. It’s not much different from back in the Reverent King’s Residence.” 

Lu Yin nodded. “That’s good.”

“Right Brother Lu, this is for you.” Ming Yan’s still face belied her complicated emotions as she took out a bloodstained letter and offered it to Lu Yin. “Father wrote this for you before he died.”

Lu Yin took the letter, opened it in front of Ming Yan, and began reading it. 

The contents of the letter were very brief, as it was a letter of entrustment. Although Ming Zhaoshu had forced Ming Yan to inherit the Shenwu Empire, in the depths of his heart, especially at the moment right before he perished, he had not been able to bear it. Thus, he had left Lu Yin a letter telling him that he hoped that Lu Yin would be able to take Ming Yan away from Shenwu Continent if she was unhappy with things. As for the Shenwu Empire, Ming Zhaoshu did not even mention it once. 

At the moment of their death, a father would only be able to think of his daughter, and any of his great undertakings would fall to the wayside. 

The letter was light, and it had no real weight to it, but Lu Yin felt that it was rather heavy. The lines of Ming Zhaoshu’s words looked very plain, but they represented the man’s most sincere emotions in his entire life: the affection a father held for his daughter. 

Ming Yan looked at Lu Yin. She had not looked at the letter, and so she wanted to know what her father had written. 

Lu Yin passed the letter over to her. Ming Yan read it and immediately began sobbing. She was completely broken-hearted. 

Lu Yin raised Ming Yan’s head up and helped her wipe her tears away. “I’ll ask you again—do you really want to stay here? Your father agreed that you could leave, and he did not want to force you to carry on this responsibility.” 

Ming Yan wiped her tears away and determinedly answered, “I want to remain here. I want to clean away Father’s criminal record. Father should be celebrated for eternity, as he’s the one who cooperated with the outsiders to establish a future for the entire continent. He did it for everyone’s future, and until these people are able to understand Father, I will not leave.” 

Lu Yin sighed, as he had already guessed that her response would be along these lines.

“No matter what your decision may be, Brother Lu will always support you. Remember, it’s not like you don’t have anyone behind you—you still have Brother Lu,” Lu Yin gently said as he hugged her. 

Ming Yan acknowledged him quietly, acting helplessly. She would only reveal this side of herself in front of this man, as she was the empress in front of everyone else. 

“Right, how do you switch with her?” Lu Yin asked curiously. 

Ming Yan explained in a dull voice, “Actually, the time that she can stay awake for cannot last too long, as she’s the second personality that was created by the poison’s removal. So, during the day, it’s always me, and during the night, there’ll be a period of time when she gains control. And if there’s any danger, she will automatically awaken.” 

“And in this way, not only do you know what she does, but she also knows what you do?” Lu Yin was astonished. 

Ming Yan nodded. 

Lu Yin’s face soured. “If she awakens at night, then what’s our future going to be like?”

Ming Yan was lost. “What future?” 

Lu Yin leaned close to Ming Yan’s ear and whispered some words, causing Ming Yan’s face to blush deeply. She hurriedly pushed Lu Yin away as she exclaimed, “Who- who’s going to do that with you?! You’re too dirty!” 

Lu Yin laughed, but soon, he could not smile any longer. The white-haired Ming Yan had appeared, and she stared at him coldly. “If you dare to tease Her Majesty again, be aware that I’ll bury you.” 

“Don’t you only wake up at night?” Lu Yin was stunned.

The white-haired Ming Yan snorted. “Get out.”

Lu Yin was rendered helpless as he looked at her. “Although you are the second personality, your internal feelings should still be the same, which means that you should like me just as much as Ming Yan.”

The white-haired Ming Yan’s eyes narrowed. “You imagine that your love is reciprocated. Be careful, lest Her Majesty bury you.” 

Lu Yin felt like her words were strange. “Where did you hear this phrase?”

The white-haired Ming Yan’s eyes flashed, and she quickly sat down to sort through the various memos.

Lu Yin stared at her and suddenly felt a bit reassured. Ming Yan was rather delicate by nature, and she would inevitably be strained after handling the huge Shenwu Empire for some time. But the white-haired Ming Yan was different. She had a valiant spirit that a monarch should possess. With her around, Ming Yan would not fall into a disadvantage. 

“I’ll have to trouble you in the future,” Lu Yin said suddenly.

The white-haired Ming Yan was sifting through documents, but she paused when she heard Lu Yin’s words. “You’re leaving?”

Lu Yin nodded. “With you around, I can feel at ease about things. Take care of yourself.”

The white-haired Ming Yan continued to focus on the memos. “Her Majesty will definitely bury you.”

Lu Yin was struck speechless again. She coldly added, “However, only Her Majesty can bury you. Before that day, make sure that nothing happens to you.” 

Lu Yin’s heart warmed, as this was likely the white-haired Ming Yan’s way of showing concern for him. 

“Alright, I got it. I’ll wait for you to bury me.” Lu Yin’s figure suddenly disappeared, but not before he lightly kissed the white-haired Ming Yan.

The white-haired Ming Yan grew furious. “How audacious of you to disrespect Her Majesty! The next time we meet, Her Majesty will definitely bury you!” 

A bit of red clothing floated down from the sky and landed next to Ming Yan. This was one of the treasures stolen from the Hall of Insight that Lu Yin had recovered. It was a lockbreaking tool that also had some defensive capabilities. When Lu Yin had been scouring the continent for the Neohuman Alliance, he had used his spare time to roll his die, and he had used almost 20,000 star essences to upgrade this red cloth until its rune lines matched those of a powerhouse with a power level of around 200,000. This meant that this red cloth could defend against a peak Hunter’s attacks. 

This was the most Lu Yin could do; nobody on the entire Shenwu Continent could breach the red clothing’s defense, as only a few in the entire Outerverse were able to do so. With this, he could at least ensure Ming Yan’s safety, as Lu Yin did not believe that there was anybody who could harm Ming Yan through poison. 

Speaking of which, the white-haired Ming Yan had appeared because of the Neohuman Alliance’s poison that drained away one’s vitality. Even Mister Mu had known of it, which meant that the Neohuman Alliance valued that sort of poison. The white-haired Ming Yan was able to absorb poison now, which could possibly make her a great threat to the Neohuman Alliance in the future. 

Lu Yin had spent a month’s time on Shenwu Continent, but fortunately, the Great Yu Empire had its Imperial Cabinet and four ministries to handle any administrative duties so that Lu Yin would not be overburdened by the empire’s affairs. 

The Allied Forces had been successfully established, and the troops were currently training in a specified location. Liuying Zishan had been acting very normal during this time, and Lu Yin knew this since he had ordered Phantom Sting to monitor her. However, that ball of light had never reappeared. 

The special forces that Lu Yin had discussed with the various allied powers had also entered their final stages of preparation. 

The special forces would also be known as the Rapid Response Team, and 113 people had already been confirmed as its members. Each and every one of them was a space-exploring powerhouse, and they were still just the preliminary troops. These experts came from the various allied forces, so they needed time before they could become a single cohesive unit. Once this battalion was under Lu Yin’s complete control, he would be able to integrate the androids into the team, which would allow it to become a superb strength that could make its way throughout the Outerverse unimpeded, becoming a sharp knife for him to wield. 

During this month, the Wei family also had not been lazing around. Wei Rong’s had long since disappeared, and Lu Yin believed that the man was running around to unite the central weaves so that they could stand up to his own Great Eastern Alliance. Lu Yin had discussed this before with the Limiteer Mistchild, and he had managed to get Mafioso Planet to send people to stir up trouble there, as he could not allow Wei Rong to lead an easy life. 

The Great Eastern Alliance had been in existence for a month, and the integration of the various eastern weaves’ resources was proceeding smoothly. Also, during this time, many hidden interstellar pirates had been weeded out, and Endless Borders had acted very proactively. 

Lu Yin had now experienced the kindness of Endless Borders, the Mavis Bank, Aurora Enterprises, Shamrock Enterprises, and the other financial titans, though he had also experienced the malice of Aegis. The Second Squadron had discovered that quite a few cultivators from hidden, dark powers had sneaked into Zenyu Star, and Lu Yin suspected that these people were from Aegis. 

He was the most concerned about Ku Wei, as the Yu bloodline had recently become a thorn in his heart. He was no longer certain whether Undying Yushan was dead or alive, which made him feel rather uneasy. 

However, even after a month, Ku Wei still had not found anything.

There was no use to rush things. If the Yu bloodline truly wanted to hide, then Lu Yin knew that it would be very difficult for him to find them. Even the Neohuman Alliance could not find them, let alone Lu Yin by himself. 

He arranged for Li Zimo to join the First Squadron and then returned to King Zishan's palace. He pulled out the Enneadic Wings and the pike, clenching them in his hands before sitting down on the yellow futon. It had been five months since he had last entered the Daosource Sect's ruins. According to his best guesses, the battle between the Ten Arbiters and Realmlings should have died down after so much time. It was time to return. 

As the scenery changed before his eyes, Lu Yin reentered the Daosource Sect's ruins, and he appeared in the floating mainland once more.

When he last came to the Daosource Sect’s ruins, the White Knight had forced him to ascend to this mainland, and she had told him that he would reappear in this place the next time he returned to the Daosource Sect. This place was near the Sierra Sea, which contained a hidden Progenitor's inheritance. 

Lu Yin recovered his senses after the transfer, only to suddenly feel the world spin around him as the mainland beneath his feet crashed towards the sea. No, it wasn’t crashing; it was being absorbed. There was an enormous attractive force coming from the bottom of the sea that was pulling this mainland towards it. 

To one side, two figures stared at Lu Yin, dumbstruck.

Lu Yin turned around and saw two people he recognized: White Knight and Shang Rong.

In that instance, Lu Yin felt his scalp go numb, and he felt a strong impulse to curse. How bad could his luck be for him to run into their battle the exact moment he entered the ruins?

Hold on. Lu Yin’s gaze streaked past White Knight and Shang Rong, and he saw that there were other floating mainlands in the distance that were also being drawn towards the bottom of the sea. There were also figures on those other mainlands. Could all of these people be Ten Arbiters and Realmlings? They were apparently participating on the same battlefield as White Knight and Shang Rong, so did this mean that he had fallen into the abyss? 

White Knight stared blankly at Lu Yin. They had parted ways a few months before, but this person had actually chosen this moment of all times to reappear. He truly knew how to pick his timing.

Shang Rong also stared at Lu Yin in shock, as he had never seen such a person. He shouldn’t be one of the Fifth Mainland’s evil survivors, as they had already met all of the Fifth Mainland’s Ten Arbiters over these few months, and they had also exchanged blows with all of them. Out of the entire Fifth Mainland, only the Ten Arbiters could enter this place. 

“My bad, did I interrupt you guys?” Lu Yin asked, his speech sounding a little unnatural, and a little pained as well.

White Knight did not answer.

The mainland continued to plummet towards the bottom of the sea.