Bei Qing's injuries weren't serious, and Lu Yin hadn't been merciless. However, he had still managed to beat Bei Qing to the ground.
Lu Yin had disguised himself as Lu Xiaoqi, so it was normal that Bei Qing couldn't recognize him.
Lu Yin stood up. "Don't ask too many questions. You'll only get into trouble."
Hua Ying clenched her fists tightly, and a strand of black sand spread out and enveloped her.
Lu Yin frowned. He had felt that the black sand was strange, but it was even stranger now.
Suddenly, the Corpse King that he had brought out growled.
Hua Ying looked at the bag and glared at Lu Yin. "You kidnapped me!"
Lu Yin didn't answer and instead looked at the black sand with interest. "Where did you get this?"
Hua Ying leapt towards Lu Yin and pressed down with her hand. She wasn't a close-combat expert, but she was confident in the black sand's defense. Even a Martial Sovereign wouldn't be able to break through it.
Lu Yin grabbed her hand and felt the hardness and coldness of the black sand. He frowned; this feeling?
Hua Ying's other hand slapped towards Lu Yin's abdomen, but Lu Yin grabbed it and carefully felt the black sand. There wasn't anything special about it, but it carried a layer of cold energy that reminded him of the Corpse King. He suddenly turned around to look at the Corpse King that he had brought out, and his eyes flashed. Finally, he looked at Hua Ying. "Where did this black sand come from?"
Hua Ying kicked out, aiming for Lu Yin's lower body. Lu Yin's expression changed; he had cultivated and fought for six years, but this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. This woman was too vicious. He raised his knee and slammed it into Hua Ying's abdomen, causing her to bend over and retch.
Lu Yin released her. "Tell me, where did this black sand come from?"
Hua Ying gritted her teeth and a dagger suddenly appeared in her hand, stabbing towards Lu Yin. The pollen appeared around them once again, and Lu Yin frowned. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it, breaking it with a crack. The dagger fell to the ground, and the black sand peeled off at the same time.
"You're waiting for the pollen to take effect?
It's useless, "Lu Yin said indifferently, tossing her aside.
She was beautiful, but she was ruthless. She had been on the frontlines for many years, so Lu Yin wasn't interested in her.
He looked at Bei Qing. "Where did the black sand come from?"
Bei Qing had not expected that even Hua Ying would not be able to retaliate, and he was astonished by Lu Yin's strength. "Black-Robed Manor Head gave it to us so that we can fight against even stronger enemies."
"Black-robed Prefecture Lord?"
"After the disappearance of the previous chief of the Divine Guards Society, the current chief of the Divine Guards Society."
This wasn't Lu Yin's first time coming into contact with the Neohuman Alliance, and he had a special feeling about them. He was very sensitive to them, and that layer of black sand had given him a unique sense of gloominess. This black-robed Academy Master might very well be a Corpse King.
If even the Demon Hunters Society had been taken over by the Neohuman Alliance, then the Great Ming Constables would most likely be in the same situation. These two organizations were the most powerful in the Shenwu Empire. It seemed like the Shenwu Empire and the Neohuman Alliance had a very deep relationship.
After knocking out the Demon Hunters, Lu Yin left with Arikar and the Corpse King.
Mingdu was very different from two years ago. Many places had changed, and the ground had been reinforced. There were also many more soldiers than before.
Lu Yin stood outside Mingdu and looked into the city with a shocked expression.
On the surface, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. However, through the rune lines, Lu Yin could see that there were several Cruisers hidden underground. One of them had rune lines that were almost on par with Kong Shi's. Kong Shi was a peak Hunter, and she was close to Aden's level. She could even withstand a few attacks from an Enlighter.
Even Ming Zhaotian, who had once been the strongest person on Shenwu Continent, had rune lines that were far inferior to Kong Shi's.
Lu Yin couldn't help but guess that the terrifying Cruiser hiding underground was a powerhouse from the Neohuman Alliance.
A Cruiser with rune lines that rivaled Kong Shi's was no ordinary Realmbreaker.
There were as many powerhouses in the universe as there were stars in the sky, and there were even the Ten Arbiters in the younger generation. However, the Three Dark Hands were not included in the list of dazzling powerhouses, as those three powers contained unimaginable freaks.
Lu Yin didn't dare to approach Mingdu any further, as he was afraid of being discovered by that Cruiser.
With his power level, he was not that person's opponent in a fair fight.
Lu Yin spent two days circling around Mingdu and discovered that most of the Neohuman Alliance's members were gathered in the city, and they were all gathered under the Tower of Resonating Light.
He desperately wanted to know what was beneath the Tower of Resonating Light.
With that in mind, he brought Arikar and the Corpse King back to Qiong Island.
Ming Zhaoshu waited for Lu Yin for five days, and during that time, he had spoken with Tang Si. Tang Si's conclusion was that Lu Yin truly did not fear an Enlighter and had even dared to take the initiative to attack. Ming Zhaoshu could not understand this, as he was well aware of how powerful an Enlighter was. With his strength, he could not even retaliate against an Enlighter, but Lu Yin could, which was very strange.
Ming Zhaoshu had also spoken with Ming Yan the previous day, but they had not come to an agreement.
They had been separated for two years, and their relationship had only been established for a few days, so it was normal for it to have faded. In the past, Ming Zhaoshu would not have cared, but now, he had no choice but to do so. With Lu Yin's current strength and ambition, Ming Zhaoshu needed to maintain a close relationship with this person, and Ming Yan was especially important.
However, Ming Yan had become somewhat haggard over the past few days, and her mind was unstable. She had fallen into a state of confusion, and aside from preventing Nightking Changfeng and the others from visiting her, Ming Zhaoshu had no other choice.
Today, he arrived outside Ming Yan's room once again.
"Yan 'er, Father wishes to speak with you," Ming Zhaoshu said.
Inside the room, Ming Yan buried her head in her arms. "Father, I'm tired, and I wish to rest."
Ming Zhaoshu was helpless. "Just a few words. Is that alright?"
Ming Yan softly acknowledged, and Ming Zhaoshu stepped into the room and opened the windows to brighten up the room.
Ming Yan had not left her room for several days, and her lips were slightly pale.
Ming Zhaoshu looked at his daughter, and his heart ached. "Yan 'er, Father does not want to force you. If you like Lu Yin, then Father will help you. If you don't, then Father will help you reject him."
Ming Yan's eyes dimmed. "I don't know."
"Before he came back, I thought that I loved him very much and that I had been waiting for him all this time. But the moment I saw him, he felt like a stranger to me."
"Back then, we had only met a few times, and I admit that he was my everything back then. But now …"
"Father, can you tell me what's going on?
Do I love him or not?
I don't know, I really don't know. "Ming Yan looked at Ming Zhaoshu as if she was asking for help.
Ming Zhaoshu sighed. Feelings were hard to explain, and many people were the same. When they were in a relationship, they would express their true feelings, but when the relationship ended, those feelings would disappear very quickly. Humans were just that complicated.
Ming Yan clearly could not tell the difference. If she had not cooperated with the outsiders over the past two years, then her feelings for Lu Yin would still be as pure as they had been two years ago. No, they might even be deeper. But now, due to the clash of cultures and the liberation of her thoughts, she was overthinking things.
Nightking Changfeng and the others often interacted with her, and the impact on her thoughts was immense.
Ming Zhaoshu hoped that Ming Yan would accept Lu Yin, as that would strengthen their cooperation. If Lu Yin could truly establish the Great Eastern Alliance, then Ming Zhaoshu's position would not only be the master of Shenwu Continent, but could even go one step further. But with Lu Yin's pride, he would not accept such feelings. Ming Zhaoshu could tell that this person was proud and arrogant.
There was no point in forcing it. Ming Zhaoshu was smart, and he would allow these feelings to develop freely. However, he could still guide them.
"Yan 'er, Father will clearly tell you that your feelings for Lu Yin are real," Ming Zhaoshu said solemnly.
Ming Yan looked up with a dazed expression. "Then why don't I want to go with him?"
"After two years, you've become unfamiliar with him, and that's normal. That's why you're retreating, but your feelings for him have never changed. Trust me and face your own heart. You love him." Ming Zhaoshu patted Ming Yan's head. This was the only way he could guide her. Fortunately, these feelings had not completely disappeared. As long as Ming Yan could confirm it, then it was not fake.
"Rest well. Also, try to avoid contact with Nightking Changfeng and the others as much as possible," Ming Zhaoshu said before leaving the room.
Ming Yan watched the door close and then buried her head in it again. Were these feelings real?
Really, were they real?
Once a person entered an open culture from a closed culture, the change in mindset would be huge. Even the person themselves would not know that such a change would occur, and only those closest to them would be able to sense it.
The unfamiliarity that they had felt when reuniting with each other might disappear as they interacted with each other, and they would return to being warm and affectionate. But it was also possible that they would become more and more unfamiliar.
In an inconspicuous corner of Shanhai City, a black shadow roared as it attacked a passing soldier. Dozens of soldiers finally managed to restrain it. "What is that?"
"Quickly report this to His Highness!" an older soldier shouted.
Not long after, Ming Zhaoshu arrived. The moment he saw the black shadow, his eyes trembled, and there was even a trace of panic. "Quickly burn it. This person has been infected with the plague. Don't let anyone come into contact with it."
The surrounding soldiers hurriedly took the black shadow away.
Ming Zhaoshu was just about to leave when his expression changed again, and he revealed a bitter smile. "Come out."
Lu Yin slowly walked out from the corner and looked at Ming Zhaoshu solemnly. "So you knew."
Ming Zhaoshu sighed. "We'll talk about it when we get back to the manor."
That black shadow was the Corpse King that Lu Yin had captured. He had used the Corpse King to test Ming Zhaoshu and confirm Arikar's words. Ming Zhaoshu knew about the Corpse King, which meant that he knew that Ming Zhaotian was working with the Neohuman Alliance.
In the Reverent King's Residence, Ming Zhaoshu's study had been reorganized, and he sat down in silence. After some time, he said, "Two years ago, that Arbiter from your universe called Wen Sansi severely injured my royal brother, Ming Zhaotian. I took the opportunity to enter the Tower of Resonating Light and obtain Ming Taizhong's inheritance to break through to the Martial Sovereign realm. However, I accidentally discovered a huge secret. My royal brother discovered my tracks and wanted to cripple my cultivation. Because of this, I rebelled.
"My royal brother's injuries had not healed, and I had comprehended a forcefield, so the battle ended in a draw. In addition to my many years of planning, even the Martial Sovereigns guarding the four peaks of Mingdu were my people. In the end, Shenwu Continent was divided into two."
At this point, Ming Zhaoshu looked at Lu Yin. "You already know all of this."
Lu Yin looked at Ming Zhaoshu and waited for him to continue.