Chapter 62: The Zishan Family
The Great Yu Emperor’s name was The Undying Yushan, while his companion, The Undying Zishan, had died long ago. The Zishan Family had withered quickly after, and after a period of seclusion, the clan vanished. They were confirmed to be gone centuries ago with no surviving descendants, and it was unthinkable to find one on this fringe planet. This bloodline’s influence on the Great Yu Empire was nontrivial; The Undying Yushan had promised that their hereditary kinghood allowed them a position second only to himself. It would be a pity if Lu Yin truly was a descendant of this line; they had actually thought of subduing him.
As Zhang Dingtian and the rest were left confused about current proceedings, Lu Yin stood up with difficulty. His body quivered at first from the aftermath of Torry’s kick, but he barely held himself up, “What do you want?”
“Tell me, Child, where are you from?” Sigmund asked.
“Earth,” Lu Yin sneered.
The General shook his head, “We have observed everything during Earth’s trial. You’re definitely no earthling; they have no battle techniques.”
Lu Yin wiped his mouth, “I am from Earth, I’d left the planet at a young age. It’s up to you whether you believe me.”
Sigmund seemed like he still wanted to question more, but seeing the exhaustion on Lu Yin’s face, he immediately ordered a few people to send him up to the spacecraft for treatment.
“Wait, what about them?” Lu Yin pointed at Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue.
“Rest assured, Earth will remain untouched. We’ll send people to clear out the more powerful mutant beasts,” Sigmund beckoned, sending a troop of hundreds of Sentinels led by a few Melders. All of these soldiers came from various colonies and had cultivated using energy crystals, so they were already at or close to the peak achievement of their lives. “Protect China and all of Earth’s major cities. Disperse.”
“Yes, Sir!” All of them flew into the sky, separating in different directions. Seeing this, Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue finally relaxed. No one moved to stop the soldiers from moving out, not even Torry or Shalosh. Now that Lu Yin’s identity had been verified and relayed to the Empire, he was no longer someone they could touch.
The Undying Yushan had reigned as Emperor of the Great Yu Empire for 800 years, and had the cultivation to live to a millennium. His strict rule over these eight centuries had cemented him as the sole individual on top of the Empire’s hierarchy, and no one dared defy him. The man had one inviolable rule during his reign; the Zishan Kingship would always be held for the Zishan Family. It was a position with no authority, but it did have high status. Torry and Shalosh were only vice captains in the Thirteen Squadrons and their positions were incomparable to the King Zishan; they had no power to create any obstacles.
Lu Yin was sent up to the spacecraft, and everyone was now obeisant from the moment he arrived. This reassured him and he finally allowed himself to drift off, his consciousness fading.
With the trial now finished, arrangements were made to return each student back to their academy. Since the mission had ended in failure, many students were in bad moods. The Sentinels weren’t too bad, but students like Huo Xiaoling who had participated in the trial as a sealed Melder were miserable. Failing just a Sentinel trial was a blemish that would practically guarantee that they would have no chance to enter the Astral Combat Academy.
There was also something else that most students were unaware of, but Huo Xiaoling and the others who were at similar levels were paying close attention to the fact that the Great Yu Empire Youth Council was about to be reorganized. The Youth Council was a powerful organization that supervised the trials, meddled in educational institutions, and could even field its own army. It was a force that no one in the Empire could ignore, and all top students desired to become members. Now, the results of this trial had badly damaged their chances.
All things considered, there was a forlorn mood among the trial participants. Only Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue were celebrating. Despite everything that had happened, both good and bad, Earth had been preserved. The two were grateful to Lu Yin, since it was only with his help that they had been saved, and that the numerous cultivators from Earth would no longer be sent to a foreign battlefield as cannon fodder.
Raas failed to come to terms with the reality of the situation and just stared blankly at the spacecraft. He truly wished to kill Lu Yin, but Shalosh had given a warning not to act rashly, leaving him sulking. Yan Gang also started to mope after he spoke with Torry Auna. He had assumed that this trial would be a breeze, but he had been no more than a bystander in the end who hadn’t even qualified to participate in the final showdown. He had even watched as Huo Xiaoling had been threatened by Lu Yin. With no way to defend himself then, he had now received a stern warning from Torry that ensured he couldn’t deal with Lu Yin even after the trial was finished.
As for Eddy, Veron, and the others, they didn’t dare to show the slightest hostility towards Lu Yin. They may not have known much about the Zishan Family, but just from Sigmund’s attitude they could tell that it was best to not cause any problems for Lu Yin or even Earth itself. This planet had held a realmbreaker, someone with an innate gift, and a number of other things that they weren’t aware of.
The spaceship suddenly sounded an alarm, and Sigmund and a few others turned north to see a giant shadow approaching them. The students followed their gazes and gaped in horror, one of them crying out, “A giant turtle!”
Zhang Dingtian and the others who had traveled with him were also shocked; it was the flying turtle that had passed over the capital after destroying the Blue Camp. Yan Gang even blanched upon seeing its approach; this was the creature that had humiliated him.
Sigmund, Torry, and Shalosh flew into the sky together, releasing terrifying star energy in an instant that turned the weather chaotic and even changed the colors of the sky; they were Explorers, individuals of similar strength to the beast.
“An Explorer-level mutant appeared so quickly; this planet is full of surprises,” Torry commented.
Sigmund remained solemn; this turtle was neither simple nor weak. Its gargantuan eyes remained calm as it looked at the three minuscule obstructions in its path; it seemed not to care about them at all and slowly opened its mouth, ready for a small snack.
“Don’t be naughty, Little Turtle. These are good people, don’t eat them,” a girl suddenly commanded, appearing on the beast’s head.
The trio of Explorers gazed at her in wonder, “Lulu Mavis?”
Lulu casually greeted them from atop the turtle’s head, “Long time no see. How’ve you guys been?”
The three were left speechless, Long time? It hadn’t even been a month!
“Miss Lulu, this turtle… ?” Sigmund was still shocked, doubtful that a Sentinel student could tame an Explorer turtle. Just the thought was ridiculous.
The girl immediately got defensive, “It’s mine and it will stay that way.”
The General forced a smile, “Of course it belongs to you, but if I may ask, how did you subdue it?”
She smiled weirdly, “That’s a Mavis Family secret. Come, let me tell you.”
“No need!” Sigmund hurriedly shook his head, “Since it’s a secret, it would be troublesome for me to find out. You do know the trial ended, no?”
“Already?” Lulu felt a pang of regret, “What happened to the criminal? Was he caught? There was no news on the net at all.”
All of the students who had arrived to participate in the final confrontation had removed their gadgets to prevent revealing their information and location, so of course no news had been released onto the network. Torry Auna explained everything that had transpired, causing Lulu’s expression to change, “Nightking? You mean that criminal from the Daynight Clan awakened to become a Nightking?”
The trio nodded.
Lulu sighed, “That’s fun. No wonder you guys didn’t dare to let him die and had to rescue him. Clearly, the trial was impartial.”
Sigmund was embarrassed. Lu Yin had indeed been capable of killing Qingyu, but he had stopped that at the last moment. This was clearly breaking the rules of the trial.
“Pity, if I had arrived earlier, I could’ve killed a newly awakened Nightking myself. A Nightking, that would have been such an accomplishment. My family would definitely have praised me for that.”
Not one of the three men dared to interrupt. Whether it was the Mavis Family or the Daynight Clan, the Great Yu Empire could not afford to offend either one.
“Nevermind, we missed it and can’t do anything now. The trial’s done, so I should leave too. There shouldn’t be any problems with Little Turtle following the spaceship, right?”
Sigmund smiled, “Of course not, we can tow it along. That being said, I’m a little concerned it might not be able to handle warps.”
“It won’t be a problem, Little Turtle is very powerful,” Lulu was completely unconcerned, and jumped over to the turtle’s ear and spoke a few words. The gigantic turtle obediently rose up and quietly waited behind the spacecraft, closing its eyes and resting. It was a little smaller than the ship, but not by much. The size was truly astounding.
The girl herself entered the spacecraft, curious about Lu Yin; he had nearly killed a recently awakened Nightking. This was news that could shock even the Innerverse, and it was even a Sentinel native who had clearly not been so powerful before the fight. How interesting...