Star Odyssey

Chapter 730: Desperation

Lu Yin’s expression changed, and an overflowing torrent of emotion welled up within his heart. He could imagine Ming Yan’s current desperation, especially considering how she had just been forced into condemning her own father. It had to be unbearable for her, and it was all just for the Shenwu Empire. Was the Shenwu Empire really that important? 

“Immediately make preparations. I’m going to Shenwu Continent.” Lu Yin immediately left King Zishan’s palace and made his way towards the space station. 

En Ya quickly sent orders to the space station.

Before long, an Aurora flew towards Darkmist Weave.

Lu Yin looked out at the darkness of outer space and felt his mood turn heavy.

The death of Ming Yan’s father was sure to be a huge blow to her, not to mention how she would suddenly have all sorts of burdens thrust upon her. He did not know if she would be able to push through this event. 

Now that the Great Eastern Alliance had been officially established, even if there was no more Shenwu Continent, Lu Yin would not mind. The reason why he had Shenwu Continent initially join was because he needed someone to set an example. As far as the Great Eastern Alliance was concerned, Shenwu Continent was not even as important as a puppet organization like the Nine Stacks Sect. 

Meilan Daynight and the others had long since expected that Lu Yin would appear, and all the Daynight members kept their distance from him while he was in the space station since they knew that Lu Yin would not be in a good mood at this time. 

Lu Yin could not be bothered with any of these people, and he directly entered Shenwu Continent with Huo Qingshan’s assistance. 

Ming Zhaoshu had earned an overall horrible reputation in Shenwu Continent, but he had been rather well liked in Shanhai City, where he had lived for so many years.

Now that he was dead, the people of Shanhai City were grieving.

All of Shanhai City was bustling to finish arrangements both for Ming Zhaoshu’s funeral as well as Ming Yan’s ascendancy ceremony that would allow her to fully inherit the throne.

The Ming family’s direct line of descendants had all been eliminated, save for Ming Yan. For countless years, the Shenwu Empire had been controlled by the Ming family. And now, Ming Yan was able to succeed the throne upon the premise of righteously condemning Ming Zhaoshu; the twenty eight crimes that he had been convicted of had turned into goodwill for the former princess. 

However, such actions also caused many to feel afraid of her.

When Lu Yin arrived in Shanhai City, he overheard many discussions as well as many different appraisals of Ming Yan. 

Lu Yin’s figure flashed, and he quickly entered the Reverent King’s Residence. 

The manor’s security was very tight, and there were two Cruisers used their martial power to constantly monitor the manor grounds at all times. Bei Hong and the other ministers were inside the Reverent King’s Residence at this moment, all of them preparing for Ming Zhaoshu’s funeral. 

Ming Yan was in the main study. Ming Zhaoshu’s corpse had been cleaned up, but there was still a remnant scent of blood in the study. The blood that had spilled onto the table had not been cleaned yet, and there was also a bloodstained letter on it. 

That letter was addressed to Lu Yin. 

Ming Yan had been staring at that letter for a long time.

The door to the study slowly opened, and the imperial bodyguards entered in an orderly line that then split up to stand on either side of the room. Bei Hong entered and bowed deeply to Ming Yan. “Princess, please restrain your grief. The most important task at this time is to inherit the throne and stabilize the empire.” 

Ming Yan’s voice contained no fluctuations as she said, “Choose a date.”

Bei Hong bowed again. “Yes. Your subject will take his leave.”

“Who’s there?” The guards nearby shouted. Bei Hong and the others looked over, only to see that Lu Yin had appeared outside the study, and he was looking at Ming Yan in an endearing manner.

The moment Ming Yan saw Lu Yin, tears flowed out of her eyes again, and she got up to run towards him. At that moment, Lu Yin’s gaze became sharp. “How dare you.”

Someone within the two lines of guards in the study had suddenly lunged towards Ming Yan and grabbed her throat. A transparent vial appeared in the guard’s hand, and he stared at Lu Yin. “Don’t move.” 

This unforeseen turn of events stunned everyone present.

Lu Yin stared at the man who had grabbed Ming Yan, and understanding dawned on him when he noticed the person’s appearance. He suddenly remembered that this person was Wu Shang, an expert from the Neohuman Alliance who had participated in the trial on Shenwu Continent at the same time that Lu Yin had participated, though he had completely forgotten about this person. 

“Release the princess!” Bei Hong barked.

In the sky above them, two Cruisers suddenly appeared, and one of them used his martial power to try to entangle Wu Shang. The attacker’s eyes suddenly turned red, and then under Lu Yin’s shocked sight, changed colors again to become green. This was a Corpse King’s Second Transformation, which was when they exhibited a Green Eyes Transformation. 

“Green Eyes Transformation! Seventh Bro, RUN!” the Ghost Monkey screamed.

Lu Yin had not expected that Wu Shang was actually capable of unleashing a Green Eyes Transformation. Wu Shang was just an Explorer, but after undergoing the Green Eyed Transformation, his rune lines increased a hundredfold until they were in no way inferior to an elite Hunter’s. The Cruiser’s martial power was instantly rebuffed by the strengthened Corpse King. “Lu Yin, get everyone else to leave the room if you don’t want her to die.” 

Lu Yin shouted, “Everyone, get out!”

The gathered crowd looked at Ming Yan, but they did not bother paying any attention to Lu Yin as not many of them recognized him.

Bei Hong hurriedly shouted, “Everyone, withdraw! Now!”

The two Cruisers exchanged glances, but then obeyed Bei Hong and slowly withdrew, ultimately even retreating out of the courtyard where the study was located.

The courtyard was finally left with only Ming Yan, Wu Shang, and Lu Yin.

“What do you want?” Lu Yin stared at Wu Shang, as the green eyes gave him a sense of fear from the bottom of his heart. He concealed his bloodlust, as Ming Yan was an absolute taboo that he could not allow to be harmed. 

Wu Shang’s voice was cold, and he did not speak in a normal tone after undergoing the Green Eyed Transformation. He intermittently forced out, “Lord… said… to… make… you… feel… desperate.”

“The Seven Skygods?” Lu Yin asked coldly.

Wu Shang stared at Lu Yin and then shook the vial in his hand. “In here… it’s… the… same… as Ming Zhaoshu. Uses… are the… same.”

Ming Yan’s expression drastically shifted as she stared at the vial in Wu Shang’s hand, changing to a look of absolute hatred.

Lu Yin’s face paled. “A vitality poison… What do you want?”

“You… should… know,” Wu Shang spoke slowly, though his words were vaguely.

Lu Yin clenched his fists as he stared at the vial that contained the same poison that had affected Ming Zhaoshu. There was no antidote, and the short old man who had poisoned Ming Zhaoshu had wanted to develop an antidote through the process of observing Ming Zhaoshu’s poisoning. 

“I’m just a puny Explorer, and your Neohuman Alliance has more than enough powerhouses in their ranks, so why me?” Lu Yin asked even as he secretly crushed the jade talisman that Mister Mu had given him behind his back. He could only use this stone as a last resort, but he was not confident in his abilities to rescue Ming Yan from Wu Shang. And since he did not dare to gamble with her life, he could only seek help from Mister Mu. 

Nothing could be allowed to happen to Ming Yan. This was Lu Yin’s only thought at this moment. 

Wu Shang’s voice was glacial. “Are you… stalling… for… time?”

Lu Yin sternly replied, “I want to know why your side wants to cooperate with me and what you need me for.” 

Wu Shang intermittently explained, “There are… many… who wish… to cooperate… with us, but we… only fancy… a few… people. If you… want to… cooperate, you… must show… your sincerity.”

“Speak,” Lu Yin said.

Wu Shang’s green eyes focused on Lu Yin’s eyes. “We need… the box… that was… in Geoffrey’s… secret room.”

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed slightly, as this request was not too unexpected. The last attacker to appear on Sourcepeak Planet had also been a green-eyed Corpse King, and any Corpse King that could use the Green Eyes Transformation definitely was not a rookie. That box was clearly very important to the Neohuman Alliance. “Alright, I’ll get it for you, but you have to guarantee Ming Yan’s safety.” 

“One day… or desperation,” Wu Shang coldly said.

Lu Yin agreed. “I’ll go get it for you right away.”

However, at this moment, nobody was paying attention to Ming Yan. Lu Yin was staring intently at Wu Shang to prevent the Corpse King from acting while Wu Shang was also very cautious of Lu Yin. The youth had too many items that could boost his strength. Wu Shang was concerned, but this caused him to neglect Ming Yan. 

Ming Yan gazed fondly at Lu Yin, turned around, and then bit off the cover of the vial, causing the colorless liquid within it to flow out and enter her mouth. The entire process was done smoothly, and even Wu Shang did not have any time to react. When he finally did, the poison had already entered Ming Yan’s mouth. 

Lu Yin’s gaze sharpened, and he pointed a finger at the Corpse King. “You’re looking for death.” Then, his hand transformed into a claw, and a Skybeast Claw tore through the void as it released a terrifying howl that sounded as if an ancient beast had descended upon the continent. The claw swatted at Wu Shang, who had already let go of Ming Yan. The woman no longer held any value to him, as she was destined to die from the poison. Wu Shang looked up to confront the Skybeast Claw and lashed out with one leg. 

The green eyes transformation increased the strength of a Corpse King’s physical body by a hundredfold, and Wu Shang struck back at the Skybeast Claw, creating an impact that distorted the void. Suddenly, a giant black crack appeared in space as two attacks that shockingly surpassed an average Hunter’s tore through the void. 

The Reverent King’s Residence was instantly split into two as Bei Hong and the others stared at the frightening scene of destruction in shock from outside the courtyard. Even the two Cruisers did not dare to make any moves, as this was not a battlefield that they could intervene in. 

The Skybeast Claw had pushed Wu Shang back, and Lu Yin rushed forward to grab a hold of Ming Yan. Her face had turned a deathly white, and her focus gradually grew hazier even as her hair slowly turned white. Her vitality was being sucked away, and much faster than what had happened to Ming Zhaoshu. 

Lu Yin turned to stare at Wu Shang. “Hand over the antidote.”

Wu Shang frowned and then turned to escape.

Lu Yin burst forth with his full strength, and eight lined battle force wrapped around his hand as another Skybeast Claw struck down at Wu Shang from up above. Wu Shang raised both of his arms in an attempt to block Lu Yin’s strike, but his entire body was blasted beneath the ground, and the blow even caused him to spit out a mouthful of blood. 

Eight lined battle force was on a different level as seven lined battle force, and it made the recently improved Skybeast Claw significantly stronger yet again. Even Wu Shang with his hundredfold strengthened physical body still ended up being suppressed. 

Still, it would be very difficult for Lu Yin to kill Wu Shang, as a Corpse King’s physical strength and recovery was completely beyond what the average person could even imagine. When the formless fluctuations dissipated, Lu Yin’s body swayed, and he almost fell to the ground. This was Wu Shang’s innate gift, and it caused Lu Yin to feel feeble from head to toe. 

Wu Shang had no thoughts of fighting against Lu Yin, and he again leaped up in another attempt to flee. 

Lu Yin growled. Even if he knew that Wu Shang most likely did not have the antidote, he refused to let go of that slightest glimpse of hope, and he could not allow Wu Shang to escape. 

As he saw Wu Shang moving further into the distance, Lu Yin tapped out with a finger as his eyes went slack. The Dream Finger froze the void, and it quickly traversed the distance and closed in on Wu Shang with extreme speed. Then, the finger pierced through Wu Shang’s abdomen, and he crashed to the ground again. Fresh blood flowed freely from his abdomen, gushing onto the ground. He looked like he was in a completely miserable state. 

The ground beneath Shanhai City was rumbling, and cracks opened up throughout the city.

Lu Yin did not care about his ruptured finger, and he ferociously slammed a leg down as he barked, “Hand over the antidote!” 

Wu Shang spat out a mouthful of blood. “There’s no… antidote.”

Lu Yin’s face turned deathly pale, and he looked down as he punched Wu Shang’s abdomen again. “Hand over the antidote!” 

Wu Shang coughed out more blood, and he wanted to flee, but he was continuously pummeled into the ground by Lu Yin, punch after punch. 

These two powerhouses were only Explorers, and while Wu Shang had undergone the Green Eyes Transformation, Lu Yin’s physical power was similarly terrifying, as just his eight lined battle force was something that could not be withstood by a normal expert. That, combined with his already abnormally powerful physical body and terrifying battle techniques, meant that Wu Shang’s Green Eyes Transformation was not even able to last for a few strikes. 

When Lu Yin had been a Limiteer, he had already been able to fight against the experts on the Top 100 Rankings. Now that he had become an Explorer who had comprehended eight lined battle force and the Dream Finger Technique, there were very few people within the same realm who could even take a few strikes from him. Anyone that could be equally pitted against him was someone who belonged among the top few of the Top 100 Rankings. 

Wu Shang abruptly spat out a mouthful of blood. By this point, Lu Yin’s figure only appeared as a fuzzy image in his vision. “It’s… no wonder why… the Lord has… taken… a liking… to you. If… you change… into… a Corpse King… and practice… the… Corpse King… Transformation, nobody will… be… your… opponent in… the future.” 

Lu Yin punched Wu Shang an unknown distance beneath the ground, but it was so deep that dark red magma could be seen.