Lu Yin didn't slow down as he pulled Hai Qiqi along. He used the three grains of Fatesand to seal his body's limits to move, and they soon arrived at the palace. Beside him, Hai Qiqi didn't seem to feel any discomfort at all. Instead, she looked around the palace in amazement and excitement. "So this is the paradise of those in power. How interesting. Eh, the murals are so beautiful."
Lu Yin looked at Hai Qiqi seriously and said, "Don't wander off. I have something to do, and I'll look for you when I'm done."
Hai Qiqi waved a hand. "Go on, go on. Have fun."
Lu Yin didn't know what the Sea King had said to Hai Qiqi before leaving, but it seemed like she wouldn't leave him.
Lu Yin wasn't worried about her, as the life-saving measures that the Sea King had given her far exceeded his expectations. There shouldn't be anyone in the Outerverse who could harm her.
Lu Yin allowed Hai Qiqi to play as she pleased and gave her a medallion that allowed her to enter any place she wanted. He then went to the imperial court, where Huo Qingshan and the rest were present, including Garope and a few other cabinet ministers.
Truthfully, Lu Yin didn't know much about them. Back then, he had been urged to leave by San Dios, which was why he had appointed five cabinet ministers to oversee the empire. At the same time, Huo Qingshan, Ban Jiu, Liuying Zishan, and the rest would report back to him.
Of the five cabinet ministers, Lu Yin was only familiar with Garope.
According to Lu Yin's own thoughts, if the Great Yu Empire was completely under his control, then the cabinet ministers would definitely be reselected, and the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons might change as well. However, it was still too early to think about such things. The Great Yu Empire was still the Great Yu Empire, and it belonged to the Yushan and Wendy Yushan.
"I'm aware of everything that's happened in the empire recently." Lu Yin sat below the throne, and just like before, he didn't overstep his boundaries. He swept his gaze across everyone. "The economy has been sealed, and the Innerverse is surrounded by powerful enemies. Plus, there's that shameless Enlighter. I know all about it."
Lu Yin's words caused quite a few people's expressions to change. What a shameless Enlighter! Those few words frightened quite a few people, especially the cabinet ministers, who immediately spoke up. "Your Highness, please reconsider your words. An almighty Enlighter cannot be insulted."
"Your Highness, any almighty Enlighter has made irreplaceable contributions to the universe, so please be careful with your words."
…
More than ten people spoke up one after another and hurriedly expressed their stance. It was obvious that they knew that Karthika was nearby. To an Enlighter, even if they had not comprehended a domain, they could still easily find out what was happening on a planet. Even if their star energy swept past the planet, no one else would be able to detect it.
Only Huo Qingshan and a few others remained calm.
Lu Yin casually sat down. "An Enlighter using the lives of billions to threaten a Limiteer like me? Isn't that shameless?"
The expressions of the people below changed again. Some of them even felt their legs go soft and couldn't stand.
"Junior, don't go overboard with your words!" A loud voice exploded in the sky, enveloping all of Zenyu Star and causing the seas to roar and the three rings of the continent to tremble.
Everyone felt as if they were in a hopeless situation, as if the end of the world had arrived.
Hai Qiqi was happily looking at the mural when she heard the voice. "How annoying."
Lu Yin stood up, and his gaze turned cold. "Karthika, show yourself. Is this how an Enlighter acts?"
Everyone was frightened by Lu Yin's actions. Where had he gotten the courage to insult an Enlighter?
There weren't any Enlighters in the entire Frostwave Weave, which meant that they were truly almighty powerhouses!
Huo Qingshan and the others were shocked as well.
Lu Yin wasn't as afraid as the others. Even Northgate Taisui, an old monster with a power level of over 400,000, had dared to negotiate with him, let alone an Enlighter. If Karthika really went crazy and wanted to kill Lu Yin, then Mister Mu wasn't someone to be trifled with. He had his own trump cards, and with Hai Qiqi's presence, he didn't fear Karthika at all.
Unexpectedly, Karthika didn't show himself, but the tremors on Zenyu Star grew even more intense. Many of the ministers hurriedly asked Lu Yin to apologize, as they were truly terrified.
However, Lu Yin remained calm.
After a while, the tremors on Zenyu Star finally stopped, and everything returned to normal.
Countless people collapsed to the ground, feeling as if they had just been rescued from a hopeless situation.
Lu Yin sneered. Karthika was smart, and he must have recognized that the spacecraft that Lu Yin had used to return to Zenyu Star had come from the Sea King's Dome. It would be strange if Karthika dared to show himself since he couldn't attack Lu Yin, and he couldn't force Lu Yin to do anything either. Showing himself would only cause him to lose face, so it would be better if he didn't show himself.
Lu Yin casually sat down, and his stern gaze swept across everyone present. He took note of all the ministers who had asked him to apologize, as well as those who had made a fool of themselves. He would replace them as soon as he found a suitable candidate, as these people did not have the qualifications to stand in the same court as him.
Garope was unyielding, and he was not afraid at all. He had been the first to accuse Lu Yin of playing with his gadget in court, and Lu Yin now had a whole new level of respect for this old man.
"Your Highness, the empire's economy has been sealed, and we are unable to support the war effort. What plans do you have?" Finance Minister Gavin walked out and asked respectfully. He wasn't afraid either, as it was normal for him to be afraid.
Lu Yin muttered to himself for a moment. "We'll discuss this after that shameless Karthika scrums."
Many of the ministers felt their hearts skip a beat, and some of them almost went limp again.
Garope was just about to walk out and say something, but he was quickly grabbed by one of the ministers behind him. This minister didn't allow Garope to speak, as he was afraid that Lu Yin would speak and provoke Karthika.
Lu Yin snickered inwardly and swept his gaze across the crowd. "Alright, you may leave. We'll suspend the court for a while, and we'll reconvene after that shameless Karthika scrums."
The ministers immediately left as if they were fleeing.
Lu Yin gestured for Huo Qingshan and Ban Jiu to stay behind. Lu Yin had Huo Qingshan maintain Zenyu Star's stability while he communicated with the ministers and sent people to calm the citizens down. As for Ban Jiu, Lu Yin had originally wanted to give him the blueprint he had obtained from the die roll so that he could study it, but after some thought, he decided against it. Who knew if Karthika would try to snatch it away?
Many powerhouses were research experts themselves, and Karthika might even be able to understand the blueprint. It would be a huge loss if Karthika snatched it away, even though Lu Yin didn't know if the blueprint had any value.
Ban Jiu was still waiting for Lu Yin to speak.
Lu Yin coughed. "You may leave for now. I'll tell you when I've thought it through."
Ban Jiu was baffled, and he turned to leave.
After everyone left, Lu Yin casually sat down. The void in front of him distorted, and Karthika appeared.
Lu Yin's lips curled up when he saw Karthika. "Old man, you've been hiding your head but showing your tail. You're finally willing to show yourself."
Karthika stared at Lu Yin coldly. "Junior, don't be too arrogant. The universe is much more terrifying than you think. Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you have the Sea King's protection."
Lu Yin's expression turned solemn. "The same goes for you. Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you're an Enlighter."
Karthika laughed. "How many years has it been since a mere Limiteer dares to speak to me in such a manner?" He then stared at Lu Yin. "I won't bicker with you because of the Sea King, but becoming the Sea King's son-in-law isn't so easy. If you don't become the Sea King's son-in-law, then I'll make you regret what you've said today."
Lu Yin shrugged. "I may be young, but I've never regretted my words, especially when it comes to someone as shameless as you."
Karthika sneered. "You have a sharp tongue. Now that you've left the Sea King's protection, you've angered me. I can easily kill you without anyone blaming me, as this is the power of an Enlighter. Your so-called status is worthless in the eyes of an Enlighter. Junior, you better pray that you don't run into me again, or else I'll make you regret being born."
Lu Yin did not argue with him any further, as he was afraid that the old man would go crazy and slaughter everyone on Zenyu Star. "Your reason for appearing on Zenyu Star is very simple. Don't worry, I won't go to Planet Pyrolyte."
"That's good." Karthika waved his hand and prepared to leave.
"But even if I don't go, you won't be able to compete for pyrolyte. Don't forget about those who are as famous as me. I'll be waiting to see you suffer." Lu Yin was pleased with himself.
Karthika snorted and disappeared into the void. He did not want to talk to Lu Yin at all, as Lu Yin was just a junior. Without the protection of the Sea King's Dome, Karthika could easily crush Lu Yin to death. However, Lu Yin's words worried him, as those unequaled Limiteers would not appear.
Lu Yin was not making wild guesses. Mu Rong and the others were so famous that it would be strange if they had not been invited during the crucial period of the contest on Planet Pyrolyte. Perhaps they were already on their way here.
Not long after Karthika left the palace, in the distant Astral Wilderness, Nightqueen Qiuyu solemnly looked at the kneeling Daynight cultivator in front of her. "What did you say?
Say it again. "
The cultivator's voice trembled as he replied, "According to the news, Mu Rong is on his way to Planet Pyrolyte after accepting the Sword Sect's invitation. Ling Que is also on his way here after accepting the Wen family's invitation. They are less than five days away from Planet Pyrolyte."
Nightqueen Qiuyu's eyes narrowed. These two were just juniors, and their names were not enough to enter her ears. However, ever since the contest on Planet Pyrolyte had begun, more and more Limiteers had risen to fame. Mu Rong and Ling Que were at the top, and their reputations even surpassed those of Zhanlong Daynight and Liu Shaoqiu.
She had originally thought that the battle between those two would be the peak of the Astral Reaching Realm, but if these two arrived, everything would change. The Wen family would rise to prominence with Ling Que's help, and the Sword Sect would possess an unstoppable force. Mu Rong alone was enough to make everyone lose the courage to compete.
Nightqueen Qiuyu was well aware of the consequences of this matter. After thinking about it for a long time, she left the Astral Wilderness and entered Northcastle Weave. She then contacted Karthika from a place with a network connection.
Karthika was just about to contact Nightqueen Qiuyu to ask about the situation on Planet Pyrolyte, but he had not expected her to contact him.
"How's Planet Pyrolyte?" Karthika impatiently asked.
Nightqueen Qiuyu coldly replied, "Pyrolyte Mountain has been snatched away by the Sword Sect."
Karthika's brows rose. "What happened? Your Daynight clan sent so many powerhouses, but they were all defeated by the Sword Sect."
"We'll talk about this later. Karthika, has Lu Yin returned to the Great Yu Empire?" Nightqueen Qiuyu asked.
Karthika replied, "He's back. I already warned him not to participate in the contest on Planet Pyrolyte."
"Things have changed. Immediately withdraw from Zenyu Star and give Lu Yin his freedom. Tell him clearly that he is not restricted from participating in the contest on Planet Pyrolyte."
Karthika was puzzled. "Why?"
Nightqueen Qiuyu helplessly replied, "A few unparalleled Limiteers have arrived, and we need him to deal with them."