This was an overt scheme that had been set up hundreds of years ago. Even if they were told that there was no treasure, they wouldn't believe them and would search every inch of the palace.
They also didn't dare to directly destroy the palace since they didn't know how the Undying Manual was recorded. They were afraid of destroying it with a single blow. Even if the chances of the Undying Manual being in the palace were one in a million, they still didn't dare to take the risk.
Undying Yushan had tied everyone up and buried them with him.
"What do you think?" Undying Yushan looked at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin respectfully replied, "Your Majesty is bold."
"Do you have any questions?" Undying Yushan smiled.
Lu Yin's eyes flickered, "Aren't you afraid that the Innerverse powers will destroy the Great Yu Empire in anger?"
Undying Yushan replied, "Who do you think forced that unfilial son, Duke, to do this?"
Lu Yin was puzzled at first, but then he thought of something and looked at Undying Yushan in shock.
Undying Yushan clasped his hands behind his back, "The entire universe knows that Duke betrayed the empire. Even if the empire is destroyed, he can still live. He is the only remaining bloodline of the Great Yu Empire."
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed as he recalled Duke Yushan's bitter gaze that night, as well as Dorren's blatant attempt to steal the throne. Everything was clear; Duke Yushan hadn't wanted to steal the throne at all, but had been forced to do so by the dying emperor in front of him. He wanted the Great Yu Empire to continue its legacy, and perhaps even Duke Yushan himself didn't know that he had become a chess piece.
This was too ruthless. Undying Yushan had forced his own son to rebel just to bury the powerhouses of the Innerverse. He had schemed for hundreds of years just to bury those people?
Was it worth it?
Duke had set up a scheme to destroy the Purple Star a hundred years ago in order to kill Undying Yushan, but he hadn't expected that everything would be part of Undying Yushan's plan. He didn't want to live at all and just wanted to take those people down with him.
"Your Majesty, why are you telling me this?" Lu Yin was apprehensive.
Undying Yushan looked at Lu Yin seriously, "I'm not joking with you. As long as you're willing, I can let you inherit the Great Yu Empire. Because of something, the Great Yu Empire has been targeted by the Innerverse powers, and it's only a matter of time before it's destroyed. Duke and Wendy are two options, but that's not safe. I need a third option."
"That still shouldn't be me," Lu Yin said.
Undying Yushan smiled. "You are King Zishan, and you are the fourth person qualified to inherit the throne. Of course, it should be you. Don't worry, I'm not making you emperor. I just want you to inherit my will. When the day comes that you have the ability to rebuild the Great Yu Empire and protect this part of the universe, it will be enough for me to live up to my ancestors."
Furthermore, he wasn't the real King Zishan. This person in front of him had told him everything, and he had complete trust in him. Lu Yin didn't want to betray this trust, and he had his own moral bottom line.
At the same time, he also felt the intentions of the Emperor. For the sake of inheritance, they would do anything. They would force their own children to turn against each other, make brothers kill each other, and murder their own fathers. They would not care about the lives of countless people. He did not want to become such a person.
Undying Yushan sighed, "I know that it will be difficult for you to accept everything in such a short period of time. Take this." He took out a ring and passed it to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin took it. "What's this?"
"This is the Ring of Authority of the Empire. If I, Doran, and Duke meet with misfortune one day, you can use it to command the entire Empire's army," Undying Yushan said.
Lu Yin wanted to return it, but when he saw the hopeful look in Undying Yushan's eyes, he had no choice but to accept it. He knew what Undying Yushan was thinking; in the current situation, he was in the most danger. He had been targeted for hundreds of years, followed by Doran, Duke, and finally Wendy Yushan. Even though the chances of her being in danger were low, he still couldn't afford to be careless. He was the last option since no one was paying attention to him, and he was also hiding in the Astral Combat Academy.
Undying Yushan smiled when he saw Lu Yin accept the ring, "That's the King Zishan you are. You are responsible. From now on, you are the fourth official successor of the Empire. As the successor, I have a gift for you." He then took out a crystal card.
Lu Yin's eyes lit up; this was the main point. The Zishan family's treasure was gone, so Undying Yushan would definitely compensate him.
"There are 100,000 star crystals here. Consider it your reward for breaking through to the Melder realm," Undying Yushan said.
Lu Yin had been wondering how much it would be, but he hadn't expected it to only be 100,000. His appetite had grown, and 100,000 wasn't enough to excite him. Back when he had defeated Craynor, he had obtained nearly 90,000 star crystals.
Of course, he knew that the Innerverse and Outerverse produced different amounts of star crystals. The Innerverse had nearly a hundred times more star crystals than the Outerverse, and 100,000 was equivalent to ten million star crystals in the Innerverse.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Lu Yin said gratefully.
"The Outerverse's star crystal production is very low. 100,000 isn't much in the Innerverse, but it should be enough for you. If I'm still alive after you break through to the Limiteer realm, I'll give you another gift."
"The Empire seems to be quite rich, Your Majesty," Lu Yin probed.
Undying Yushan laughed, "What do you want to ask?"
Lu Yin recalled the time when he had asked for bribes on the Capital Star. The ministers had only given him a small amount, which was far from what Undying Yushan had given him. No matter how rich the royal family was, the difference shouldn't be that great.
"Was I too stingy when I asked for a greeting gift from those ministers?" Lu Yin asked.
Undying Yushan laughed, "You weren't stingy, because it was a greeting gift."
Lu Yin's expression turned bitter, as the words "greeting gift" were an insult to him. He had gone there with the intention of asking for bribes, but he hadn't expected them to actually give him a greeting gift. The money was just pocket change, and it was too embarrassing. He had been so complacent that they didn't even care about him.
Lu Yin silently warned himself that he would have to be careful in the future. When he asked for bribes, he didn't ask for the price. Instead, he asked for a percentage.
"Alright, I've told you everything and given you your reward. Now, I'll be teaching you the royal family's battle techniques, the Invisible Aura Technique and the Ashy Force," Undying Yushan said solemnly.
Lu Yin was shocked, "You're teaching me the royal family's battle techniques?"
Undying Yushan grunted, "When I returned from the Innerverse, I brought back four battle techniques: the Skybeast Claw, Flash Step, Invisible Aura Technique, and the Ashy Force. The Skybeast Claw was given to Yu Academy in hopes of creating talents for the empire. The Flash Step was given to the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons, and the Invisible Aura Technique and the Ashy Force were the royal family's ultimate techniques. You are the official heir to the throne, so you naturally have the right to learn them."
Undying Yushan had been extremely benevolent to Lu Yin, and Lu Yin was touched, "Thank you, Your Majesty, but I've learned too many battle techniques, and it'll be too messy to learn more."
Undying Yushan thought about it and agreed, "In that case, you don't need to learn the Ashy Force. You must learn the Invisible Aura Technique."
"Invisible Aura Technique?" Lu Yin was puzzled.
Undying Yushan solemnly explained, "The Invisible Aura Technique completely conceals one's aura. In technical terms, it's combat power. Even in battle, no one can detect your combat power. The reason I was able to return to the empire from the Innerverse was because of the Invisible Aura Technique. This technique can save lives if used properly."
Lu Yin was pleasantly surprised. Completely concealing his aura sounded like something good, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Invisible Aura Technique wasn't a complicated technique; it was just a technique that used one's muscles to seal star energy. It could be learned quickly, and although it was simple, it was difficult for anyone to think of using it to conceal their aura.
Lu Yin only took twenty minutes to learn it.
"Your learning speed surprises me. I heard that you only took thirteen days to comprehend the ninety-six forms of the Skybeast Claw, and you learned Tianming's Three Stacks with a single glance. Your talent gives me hope that you'll marry Wendy," Undying Yushan sighed.
Lu Yin was still immersed in the joy of learning the Invisible Aura Technique, and he was caught off guard when he heard the name Wendy. His heart sank; he had heard this name too many times, and it was impossible not to care.
"Little Yin, I can help you with many things, but I can't help you with Wendy. Although she's my daughter, she's also the successor of Myriad Swords Peak. I can't decide where she belongs," Undying Yushan said apologetically.
Lu Yin hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I'll take care of my own matters with Princess Wendy. There's no need for you to worry."
Undying Yushan nodded, "Alright, she should be back in a few days. Do you want to meet her?"
Lu Yin subconsciously wanted to refuse, but after thinking about it, he fell silent. He knew that the gap between him and Wendy was too great, but he wouldn't lose the courage to face her, "We'll talk about it when the time comes, but I won't run away."
Undying Yushan praised, "Don't worry, with me here, she won't do anything to you."
Lu Yin nodded.
"Also, don't forget about your three-year marriage agreement with the Auna family," Undying Yushan reminded him.
Lu Yin had no choice but to nod.
Undying Yushan patted him on the shoulder, "A marriage agreement is a bond that binds two parties together. Even if you're not married to Jenny Auna, the Auna family is already closing in on you. Don't you feel it?"
Lu Yin's eyes flashed as he thought back to when he had met Rocky Auna outside the Grand Astral Gate. The Auna family's goodwill had been obvious.
"For now, you don't have any foundation in the Empire. The Auna family doesn't belong to any faction, but they can be of help to you. I won't forbid the heir from communicating with outside officials, so everything will depend on your own abilities. Even if you can't marry in the end, the three-year bond will be enough for the Auna family to help you greatly," Undying Yushan said slowly.
Lu Yin glanced at Undying Yushan. This person was teaching him how to use others and how to set up a scheme to achieve the desired results. Was this the so-called scheming of an emperor?
After a long time, Lu Yin finally left the palace. When he emerged from the underground, he was pulled aside by Undying Yushan for a long talk, mostly about how to deal with matters and so on. Lu Yin felt that the teachings were too dark, but he had to admit that they were very effective. Eight hundred years of experience in governing a country was a great asset, and Dorren and Duque had probably been taught as well. Now, it was his turn.
As he thought about it, Lu Yin unconsciously walked to the Grand Astral Gate. He looked up and was shocked to see Rocky Auna standing quietly in front of him and looking at him.