Bigbeard snorted. “Lu Yin? Who’s Lu Yin? Who gives a damn! Scram! He’s just an Explorer.”

Lu Yin frowned. Then, his eyes went wide as his star energy pressed down and crushed everything in the area as he unleashed his forcefield. Everyone felt their hearts drop as an incomparable pressure gave them an unbearable sensation. Nightking Changfeng stared at Lu Yin. “Brother Lu, don’t go overboard.”

Beneath Lu Yin, dust began to float up, and his domain suddenly condensed and suppressed everyone, even Nightking Changfeng.

The Nightking clan member had clearly known that Bigbeard’s attack would be ineffective against Lu Yin, and instead of offending Lu Yin, such an incident would instead allow him to establish his dominance. Despite this, Nightking Changfeng had stopped the attack, which had caused Bigbeard to develop a grudge against Lu Yin while also improving Nightking Changfeng’s own prestige and standing, not to mention earn him a favor at the same time. It had been a rather deep scheme.

Because of this, Lu Yin had decided to just envelop all of them in the pressure of his domain; he didn’t have time to waste and slowly convince them.

Aside from Nightking Changfeng, Bigbeard, and the other few Cruisers, the others in the area were all immobilized after being suppressed by Lu Yin’s domain.

“Brother Lu, I said that that’s enough!” Nightking Changfeng barked as his body started to sparkle like white jade. His seven lined battle force erupted, and he charged towards Lu Yin. He was arrogant by nature, and when Lu Yin had flung him away in front of Ming Yan, it had caused him to feel stifled from that moment onwards. When he was suppressed by Lu Yin once again, it caused his anger to finally explode.

Xun Meiren’s eyes lit up as she watched the scene unfold.

Lu Yin had waited for an opportunity to confront Nightking Changfeng for a long time. Lu Yin was a man, and he had a problem that was common to all men; not only had this person approached Ming Yan, but he had also called her Yan’er, which Lu Yin could not tolerate. The battle with Ming Zhaoshu allowed him to vent his emotions, but the fight that would truly assuage his emotions was with this person in front of him.

All three grains of Fatesand shifted, and Lu Yin raised a hand to grab Nightking Changfeng’s fist. There was a thump that caused all of the onlookers to feel like their brains had been jostled, and they backed away as fresh blood dripped down from the corner of their mouths. They had been hit by the aftershocks of the two young men’s confrontation.

Nightking Changfeng had the innate gift of Glacial Jade Guard, and his innate gift was further supplemented by his seven lined battle force, which caused it to be much stronger than it had originally been. However, despite his strength, his fist was still tightly grasped by Lu Yin, and Nightking Changfeng found that he was unable to move.

“Too weak!” Lu Yin barked.

Nightking Changfeng’s pupils shrank, and his body changed once again. He revealed the Nightking’s Body, which was a technique that, of all the Nightking clan members in the same generation as Lu Yin, only Nightqueen Yanqing had displayed before. Nightking Changfeng was one cycle older than Yanqing, and he was a part of the same generation as the Ten Arbiters, and hence, his Nightking's Body was even stronger than Nightqueen Yanqing’s.

Nightking Changfeng had assumed that he could overturn Lu Yin’s strength by using the Nightking's Body, but he was surprised to discover that there was no change whatsoever.

Lu Yin’s eyes grew cold. “I already told you—you’re too weak.”

Seven lined battle force wrapped around his right fist, and Nightking Changfeng’s face changed abruptly, and he suddenly looked as though he was suffering immensely. His seven lined battle force was being crushed, and his Nightking's Body also appeared to be crumbling.

Lu Yin had become incredibly strong after breaking through to the Explorer realm. In terms of pure physical strength, he had even surpassed a peak Hunter like Kong Shi, and when the Yu Secret Art, Fatesand, and that finger technique from his dreams were taken into consideration, then even if he was not an opponent for a peak Hunter like Kong Shi, it would still be difficult for him to be defeated. He could currently face experts like Nightking Gu, let alone Nightking Changfeng.

Nightking Changfeng looked miserable, as he had gone all-out by combining his seven lined battle force, the Nightking's Body, and his innate gift of Glacial Jade Guard, each one of which was enough to crush countless people within his same generation. However, even combining all of them together was not enough to overcome Lu Yin’s strength.

There was a crack, and his Nightking's Body collapsed as fresh blood seeped out from Nightking Changfeng’s body. The next to collapse was his Glacial Jade Guard.

A violent gale blasted out and caused the mountain range to tremble before continuing on to blow towards the Reverent King’s Residence.

Ming Zhaoshu looked out towards the stream. “He’s still a youth after all, letting his emotions affect his actions.”

As Lu Yin’s strength continued to increase, Nightking Changfeng’s fist was eventually crushed within Lu Yin’s palm, and his bones had even started to break through his skin.

The others were frozen stiff, and Bigbeard was even quaking in fear.

“Br- Brother Lu, did you come here this time to kill people?” Xun Meiren could not endure the situation any longer, and a trace of fresh blood flowed down from her lips as her forehead was covered in beads of sweat.

Lu Yin shoved Nightking Changfeng away with a single palm and retracted his domain. It had all appeared in an instant, but now, it all vanished just as quickly.

Everyone subconsciously started panting heavily, as they had been suppressed to the extent where they had become breathless.

Everyone stared at Lu Yin in fear. They were clearly not on the same level as this person, and the disparity between them was too drastic. Even Nightking Changfeng, an expert ranked twenty first on the Top Hundred Rankings, had just been casually crushed. This person could probably rival the top fifteen—no, possibly even the top ten on the list.

Nightking Changfeng grabbed his right fist and gritted his teeth, still refusing to accept his defeat. He stared fiercely at Lu Yin.

Xun Meiren hurriedly took out some especially potent medications to treat the injury, but while doing so, the shock remained visible in her eyes. Lu Yin’s strength was greater than what she had imagined, and she wondered how this person had cultivated to reach this stage.

Lu Yin’s gaze swept over all of the young cultivators who had gathered at this place, now feeling much happier. “I’m the one who had the Reverent King gather you all here for me. There’s a matter that I have to ask you to complete with me.”

No one dared to answer, and of course, no one interrupted him. Even Bigbeard looked very sincere, and he suddenly looked at Nightking Changfeng with a trace of gratitude. If not for Nightking Changfeng, then the unlucky one would have been Bigbeard. This person was obviously a freak since he had been able to injure Nightking Changfeng to such an extent without even moving.

“The Neohuman Alliance has shown up,” Lu Yin continued.

“The Neohuman Alliance?” Many people cried out, and even Nightking Changfeng was taken aback. Xun Meiren even dropped the medicine as she turned to look at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin continued calmly, explaining, “The Neohuman Alliance is cooperating with Ming Zhaotian, and I’ve found their location. I need you guys to work together with me to completely eradicate them.”

"Brother Lu, the Neohuman Alliance is no small matter. It’s best to report this matter upwards and allow those above us make a decision,” someone said.

Lu Yin looked over. “Report it upwards? To who?”

The person was about to respond, but he was stopped by a bystander. The initial speaker suddenly remembered that Lu Yin had even killed an Enlighter, which meant that even their so-called superiors were inferior to this person, rendering the youth speechless for a moment.

Lu Yin looked away and continued quietly, “The Neohuman Alliance is an archenemy of the entire human race. I don’t care what you guys think about this. Be here tomorrow at dawn, and I’ll lead you to Mingdu. At that same time, the space station will coordinate with us and initiate an attack on the five sealing planets while Ming Zhaotian keeps Ming Zhaoshu busy. This will give us the time to eliminate the Neohuman Alliance. This is the plan, so does anyone have any objections?”

"Brother Lu, the Neohuman Alliance is hiding in Mingdu?” Xun Meiren asked.

“That’s right.”

“If a battle breaks out there, then won’t the commoners get caught up in it?” she questioned.

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. “If we don’t attack them, they’ll use those commoners in their experiments. Which outcome would you prefer to see?”

Xun Meiren choked. Lu Yin was unrestrained in his words, and in the end, she was still a beautiful woman with rarely anyone daring to speak to her so openly.

“Any other opinions? If not, I expect to see every single one of you here at dawn tomorrow. Otherwise, I’ll dispose of you before moving out to settle matters with the Neohuman Alliance.” Lu Yin’s voice was frosty. He did not need to be concerned with the thoughts or opinions of these people. Since they were able to come here to the Shenwu Continent, it showed that they were from various organizations that had close ties with the Nightking clan. In other words, most of these people would be his enemies in the future.

Finally, Lu Yin’s gaze lingered on Nightking Changfeng’s body for a moment, and then he left.

From start to end, Lu Yin did not plan to learn anyone’s name, nor where these people were from. This was because, during the upcoming battle with the Neohuman Alliance, quite a few of these people would die. They were about to face one of the Three Dark Hands, and who knew what hidden cards might be concealed up their sleeves. If not for his universal armor, Lu Yin would not take the risk of acting personally.

As the others watched Lu Yin leave, one person unhappily grumbled, “This Lu Yin is too arrogant! He actually dares to order us around.”

One of the others smiled bitterly. “You can, too, if you’re as strong as he is. He doesn’t give two hoots about us.”

“Now, he only has eyes for Hunters. No, only Enlighters. Why would he care about us?”

…

Xun Meiren looked over at Nightking Changfeng. She saw an intense bloodlust etched deep in his eyes, and delight flickered across her face. Ever since the Innerverse and Outerverse had been separated, she had been given orders from her clan to eliminate Lu Yin if the opportunity ever arose. This order had not just come from the Young Master, but also from the Clan Chief.

Lu Yin was someone that the Xun family had to kill. She did not know the reason for this enmity, and she had only been able to meet up with Lu Yin at this moment. However, she could make use of Nightking Changfeng.

The gathered cultivators left one after another until only Nightking Changfeng and Xun Meiren remained.

“Help me kill him,” Nightking Changfeng said coldly.

Xun Meiren forced a smile onto her face. “Brother Changfeng, even you aren’t his opponent, so how could I help?”

His eyes stayed icy. “During this time, my Daynight Clan was able to gather some pyrolyte from the Astral Wilderness. We’ll coordinate during this battle in Mingdu, and at that time, we’ll think of a way to blow him up with the pyrolyte.”

Xun Meiren was astonished. “Pyrolyte’s way too destructive, and that might destroy the entirety of Mingdu! There are many people living there.”

Nightking Changfeng grabbed her chin. “That’s none of my business. I don’t care how many of these native die. I just want him dead, so listen carefully: if he doesn’t die, I’ll make you die.”

Xun Meiren’s expression changed. This person was crazy, and Lu Yin had managed to suppress him twice, which had completely enraged Nightking Changfeng. He no longer cared about the repercussions of his actions. However, this was great for Xun Meiren. This was exactly the kind of person that she needed at this moment.

“Alright, Brother Changfeng, I will help you.” Xun Meiren acted as if she were scared of him.

Nightking Changfeng lowered his hand and left.

At the Reverent King’s Residence, Lu Yin arrived outside of Ming Yan’s room, but there, he hesitated. He didn’t know what to do.

The door suddenly burst open, and Ming Yan walked out. When she saw Lu Yin, a hint of delight flashed across her eyes, but there was also a sense of bewilderment and helplessness. She dismissed her maids before accompanying Lu Yin on a walk in the back garden.

For twenty whole minutes, neither of the two spoke a single word. Lu Yin simply enjoyed the fragrance of the flowers, or possibly, Ming Yan’s fragrance. Lu Yin looked at her. “Sorry.”

Ming Yan was taken aback. “For what?”

Lu Yin said apologetically. “I left for two years, but I showed no concern for you, and I even said such words to you as soon as I returned. I’m sorry.”

Ming Yan lowered her head. “It was my fault.”

The two lapsed back into silence.

Lu Yin recalled the feelings that he had held for Ming Yan when she had given him a lock of her hair, as well as their deep kiss that had intoxicated him. But now, he could not even touch her face since she would hide, dodge, or decline his advances. Every time he thought of this, it caused his heart to wrench.

Feelings came quickly, but they also vanished quickly. Had they truly disappeared, just like that? Ming Yan felt a sense of unfamiliarity with Lu Yin, but she also still had feelings for him. Otherwise, she would not have become so flustered when he had apologized just a moment ago. He could tell that she was also afraid that he would leave.

Their feelings were not stable, and they had been defeated by time. However, those sincere emotions still remained in the depths of their hearts, and it was possible for them to blossom again in the future. At that time, they could start from scratch once again!

"Brother Lu, can you give me some time?” Ming Yan looked at Lu Yin expectantly. “Let me think things through.”

Lu Yin smiled and rubbed his nose. “You are free to choose, and no one can force you.”

“But I’m afraid that, during this time apart, Brother Lu has fallen in love with someone else,” Ming Yan sadly explained.