Nightking Zhenwu looked at Zhuo Daynight and said, “I’ve released your relatives.”

A flicker of emotion darted across Zhuo Daynight’s eyes, but she remained silent.

“Look in front of you,” Nightking Zhenwu said softly.

Zhuo Daynight lifted her head to see a massive hole in front of her. Within the hole were hundreds of people from the Daynight clan. Or more accurately, there were hundreds of people who possessed the Dayking bloodline. They had all been subjected to the Sealed Cage Technique, and the mark could be seen on their foreheads. Within the crowd were elderly people, women, and even children. Meanwhile, standing next to the huge pit was no fewer than a hundred thousand people, and they all looked down into the hole with eyes full of pain and longing. Each one of them had loved ones who were inside the hole.

Zhuo Daynight’s pupils constricted, and she uncontrollably took a few steps forward.

“Do you see them? Each one of them has the Dayking bloodline. There is no purpose in having you see this other than the fact that I am upset and want to vent my emotions.” After saying that, Nightking Zhenwu raised his hand and moved his fingers.

The people from the Daynight clan who were gathered around the hole shuddered and then started to fill in the hole. They were clearly burying all the people who were inside it alive.

The people inside the pit were their loved ones, but they had to bury them alive despite the various protests and wails. Even if someone’s parents or spouse was in the pit, they were still forced to complete the horrible task of burying everyone alive. This was all because of the Sealed Cage Technique.

Zhuo Daynight’s face turned pale. “Stop! Stop this right now!”

She seized Nightking Zhenwu’s collar. Her eyes had already gone completely bloodshot as she screamed, “Stop this now! What do you want? What do you want from me? Tell me!”

Nightking Zhenwu did not move, and he simply allowed Zhuo Daynight to grab him.

Next to the two youths, the live burial continued. Those who were being buried cried out in agony, but those who were filling in the pit were suffering even more, though their pain was purely emotional. Still, they had no choice, as they had been imprisoned by the Sealed Cage Technique and had lost all control of their own movements. Even those who wished to die were unable to do so, as they were completely under Nightking Zhenwu’s control.

In the distance, Nightqueen Yanqing’s fingers moved as well. No one had asked her to come, and she had merely coincidentally stumbled upon this terrifying scene.

She would readily admit that she was cruel and ruthless, but she knew she could never be as heartless as Nightking Zhenwu. At this moment, she felt like she did not even know who her elder brother was anymore. Seeing this side of him left her terrified.

When she looked over at Zhuo Daynight, for the first time in her life, a fleeting moment of pity darted across Yanqing’s eyes.

Tears streamed down Zhuo Daynight’s eyes. She was a very compassionate person who would do anything for her family, and as she watched the revolting scene in front of her, a searing pain burned in her heart. She knew that she was the reason why these people were dying. She could not bear it any longer, and she begged Nightking Zhenwu to let these people go.

Nightking Zhenwu had an arrogant demeanor, and a sly smile spread across his face. “The Daynight clan forbids its members from marrying outside the clan. I want a wife who is worthy of me, someone who is the cream of the crop. You, my dear, fit that criteria. A descendant who has cultivated Night’s End, Daybreak is worthy to be my wife. However, you must fight for that right. You must work hard to climb to the highest place on the ancestral pillar, and you must be second only to me. You must overcome Yanqing, Zhanlong Daynight, and everyone else in the clan’s younger generation aside from me. Then, and only then, will you have earned the right to become my wife.

“If you become my wife, I can release all of the Dayking descendants from the Sealed Cage Technique. Are you willing?”

Zhuo Daynight slowly released Nightking Zhenwu. She was stunned that Nightking Zhenwu would even offer such a suggestion to her and tell her to climb through the ranks with her own strength for the sole purpose of becoming his wife. He was humiliating her by telling her to become someone who was so lowly yet also above everyone else.

How could anyone live like that? How?

Zhuo Daynight could not understand Nightking Zhenwu’s purpose, but this man was the personification of evil. His thoughts were all dark and manipulative.

Nightking Zhenwu revealed another smirk. “Look at all these people wailing and screaming in their desperation. You alone can save them. You know that, right?”

Zhuo Daynight’s arms lifelessly collapsed to her sides. She would never be able to wake from this living nightmare for the rest of her life. “I promise. I will be better than everyone else, and I will stand above all of them. I will be subservient to you alone.”

Nightking Zhenwu burst out laughing, and he raised a hand to caress Zhuo Daynight’s chin. “That’s what I wanted to hear. Remember your promise: you must surpass everyone else, and I will wait for you to make your way to my side. Then, you will obey me without question. I hope that the day when you can dominate all others without my help comes. Only then will you be worthy to be known as the wife of Nightking Zhenwu.”

And with that, he turned around and left.

If the Third Nightking did return, then it would no longer matter whether or not the Dayking’s descendants could be controlled, as they would have no opportunity to retaliate.

In the distance, the cruel scene came to a halt. The people inside the hole crawled up to meet those who were still outside the hole, and they all hugged each other tightly as they wept.

Zhuo Daynight slowly collapsed onto the ground, her body still trembling. She dug her fingers tightly into the soil, before slowly opening them. As blood flowed from her hands, she realized that there was indeed only one path for her to move forward: she would have to go through hell and high water, fighting her way through the ranks, and it would all be for the chance to become the wife of someone she absolutely loathed. How could she find the strength and motivation to go so far? She really did not know, and she did not even know if she wanted to keep living. She was starting to think that it might have been better if she had died back on Planet Pyrolyte.

However, not everything was over. At the least, she had been able to save Lu Yin and pay back the favor that she had owed him. All she could hope was that Lu Yin would live his life to the fullest!

…

On Duolun Star, in the Technocracy, what had previously been a peaceful day suddenly turned chaotic as electric shocks erupted within the planet. Many items exploded, and the entire planet seemed to be flaring up. Unseen ripples of energy spread out, and even the satellites orbiting the planet exploded.

No one knew what was happening, and they could not find the cause.

Inside a certain manor, a man and a woman were both shocked. They had both felt the terrifying force of the unseen ripples, and they had hurriedly escaped.

Inside a room, where Lu Yin had lain unconscious on a bed for three months, he finally awoke.

As he looked around at the strange room, Lu Yin felt confused before suddenly jumping up to check his surroundings.

“Seventh Bro, you’re finally awake!” the Ghost Monkey said.

Lu Yin looked around in a daze. “Where are we?”

“You were saved! Zhuo Daynight stalled Nightking Zhenwu while I dragged you away and escaped. It was just our luck that we ran into some random people from the Sixth Mainland. Without any other choice, we headed into the Technocracy, which was where I fainted. We were then caught up in a cosmic storm, and this is where we both woke up. Oh yeah, you already know the people who saved you, but you’ll never be able to guess who,” the monkey explained.

Lu Yin unleashed his domain, and his expression instantly changed. He had not expected to run into these two here.

He sat down on the bed, raised his hand, and clenched his right fist. Lu Yin was shocked, as his strength had increased substantially again, but why? He looked down at his chest, and he saw that the wound from the Heart Seeker secret technique had already healed, so why was there so much blood further down on his abdomen? He stared at it, and his face changed. “Monkey, who injured my abdomen?”

The monkey helplessly replied, “There were some strange metal thorns that attacked you when we entered the Technocracy. You’re lucky that they just missed your head.”

Lu Yin grimaced in pain, but he was still thankful that his injuries were under control. He quickly swallowed a medicinal pill.

What? Lu Yin’s left hand twitched as he looked at his other hand. It was holding something that looked quite familiar, and it had sixteen sides. After observing it for a second, his expression changed. What was this? Wasn’t this the Daynight clan’s inheritance stone?

“Monkey, where did this thing come from?” He asked, puzzled.

The Ghost Monkey replied, “You used the Yu Secret Art to snatch it, Seventh Bro. You really are something else! You were practically dead, but you still managed to steal something! Nightking Zhenwu was keeping this thing at his side at all times, so it must be very important. Even if you died, losing this would cause him a lot of problems.”

Lu Yin was shocked. He had stolen it with the Yu Secret Art? Why had Nightking Zhenwu not been keeping it in his cosmic ring? This was just Lu Yin’s luck. “Where is Zhuo Daynight?”

The monkey remained silent.

Lu Yin repeated his question a second time.

The monkey helplessly answered, “I don’t know. She stayed behind to stop Nightking Zhenwu while I carried you to safety. That being said, you don’t have to worry—she’s definitely still alive. She knows Night’s End, Daybreak, so Nightking Zhenwu definitely won’t kill her. Well, at least for the time being. It’s hard to say whether or not things will change in the future.”

The Ghost Monkey suddenly stopped speaking, but Lu Yin could guess what was next.

He looked out the window, his mind in a jumble. This was too big of a favor to repay.

Zhuo Daynight had sacrificed the rest of her life to give him a chance at survival.

“Seventh Bro, if it’s possible, you should save her! Nightking Zhenwu is not a good man,” the monkey said gravely.

Lu Yin took a deep breath. “That goes without saying.”

From outside the room, a man and a woman carefully approached him.

Lu Yin got off of the bed and walked towards the window. “Come in.”

The man and woman entered, and when they saw that Lu Yin was awake, the man spoke up. “Deafmute bro?”

Lu Yin turned his head around and smiled. “It has been a long time, Huang San, Yan Xiaojing.”

The ones who had saved Lu Yin this time were Huang San and Yan Xiaojing. Back when the Bloodburn Realm had attacked the Outerverse and lost, Ancestor Yan Cheng had been killed, and these two had offended Autumnfrost Qing. They had been terrified that Autumnfrost Qing would try to get revenge on them, which was why the two of them had not returned to Sixth Mainland. Instead, they had decided to stay in the Technocracy.

It was by complete coincidence that they had saved Lu Yin.

Strictly speaking, they had not actually saved him. Given how advanced this planet was, there was no way anyone on it could hurt Lu Yin. The two had merely snuck him out.

“I never would have imagined that we would be fated to meet in the Technocracy!” Huang San laughed.

Yan Xiaojing stared at Lu Yin, but she did not say a word.

Lu Yin nodded his head. “Thank you for saving me.”

Huang San quickly replied, “Please don’t treat us as your saviors, as we weren’t able to do that much. You came here on your own, and we simply just picked you up.” After a slight pause, Fatty Bro continued, asking, “How did you get hurt so badly, Deafmute Bro? You were like a zombie just now, and anyone who saw you would have absolutely thought that you were dead.”

Lu Yin shook his head. “Let’s not talk about the past anymore. Can you let me rest here for a few more days?”

“You can stay here for the next thousand years if you like. We had already planned to leave this house as your grave.” Huang San let a bit of information slip out.

Yan Xiaojing quickly pinched him, and the fatty sucked in a sharp breath as he smiled awkwardly at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin smiled back. “Thank you.”

Over the course of a few days, Lu Yin examined his body and realized that he had once again used the Arcane Art, Fatal Revival. He could feel that his battle force had increased to nine lines, that his physical strength had increased substantially, and that he was overall much stronger than before. His domain had even expanded to the point where it was nearly twice as large as before.

This was a qualitative increase in strength, and his rune lines had increased by nearly half their previous number. Unfortunately, he could not see the Technocracy’s rune lines.

This was an awesome feat, and a succinct way to summarize these changes to his body was that Lu Yin was now certain that he was strong enough to face off against the Ten Arbiters.

The threat of death had resulted in a massive spike in his abilities, and it was the same as what had happened on Driftcharge Planet in the past. The previous two times that Fatal Revival had activated had allowed Lu Yin to surpass Liu Shaoqiu and Nightqueen Yanqing respectively, and this time, it had elevated him to the level of the Ten Arbiters.

In the past, he had once assumed that when he became a Cruiser, he would possess a strength comparable to the Ten Arbiters. It turned out that he had been right, though he had been completely wrong about the process, which was nearly dying.

As he stared at the sky, Lu Yin’s expression turned into a glare that grew increasingly intense. His thoughts drifted back to the astral battle, and he vaguely remembered Zhuo Daynight’s lonely figure. Lu Yin would get his revenge on Nightking Zhenwu very soon.