Chapter 613: Dusk Of The Empire

Wu Shang crushed the human heart in his hand before retracting it. He then looked in Lu Yin’s direction. Apprehension flitted through his eyes before he leaped up. From the moment he appeared to the moment he left, he had never once bothered with Hua Ying and the others.

When Xun Meiren saw Nightking Changfeng’s corpse, she was stunned with disbelief. Nightking Changfeng was no weakling, nor was he someone who would fight to the death. But despite all that, he had still been killed. His abdomen had been opened up, and even his heart had been ripped out.

She was petrified with fear, and as she looked around her, she heard many Corpse Kings snarling in the darkness. A bead of cold sweat ran down her body.

“Alien, kill!” Li Zimo appeared out of nowhere and thrust his sword forward while Xun Meiren was still panicking. The sword was formless and soundless, and when Xun Meiren finally noticed it, the tip had already stabbed into her neck.

Xun Meiren sluggishly looked at Li Zimo’s cold face. She had never thought she would die here in this place.

Li Zimo withdrew his sword and then dashed towards another direction.

On the shattered ground of Mingdu, Lu Yin looked to the northwest in surprise. Nightking Changfeng and Xun Meiren had both died, and although he had not seen how Nightking Changfeng had died, Xun Meiren had actually been killed by a single strike from Li Zimo. This person was indeed cold-blooded, as Xun Meiren was very attractive.

But only this kind of cold-blooded person could develop a technique like Silence. Lu Yin had fought against Li Zimo before, and while Li Zimo’s sword techniques were not up to Liu Shaoqiu’s standards, that was only because Liu Shaoqiu had inherited the Thirteen Swords, which came with the wisdom of his predecessors. If the two were measured on solely their own terms, then Li Zimo might not necessarily be any weaker than Liu Shaoqiu. Rather, Li Zimo might be even stronger.

“Seventh Bro, are we still fighting?” the monkey asked, slightly eager. It also wanted to fight, as it hadn’t had a chance to participate in any battles since it had become Lu Yin’s tamed beast.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Lu Yin just ignored the monkey as Li Zimo was actually charging towards him.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to meet.

Li Zimo did not expect to meet Lu Yin here. There was no way that he would ever forget Lu Yin, as Lu Yin had left quite a deep impression on him during the battle of the Tower of Resonating Light. Back then, Lu Yin had faced off against two opponents simultaneously and managed to defeat both Zhanlong Daynight and Li Zimo. Right after that, he had killed the person on the top of the List of Tempering. That night was an unforgettable one for Li Zimo.

“We haven’t met for two years, so why haven’t you broken through and become a Martial Emperor yet?” Lu Yin felt puzzled.

Li Zimo’s eyes trembled, and in response, he clenched his sword hilt tightly and stabbed out. This sword moved much faster compared to two years ago, and it also had an indistinct feel to it that seemed to ignore space, as the space around the blade seemed to be weakened. This made it hard to estimate the true depth of Li Zimo’s skills.

Lu Yin marvelled upon seeing the sword strike, as this person’s sword techniques were exceptional. Unfortunately, Li Zimo had run into Lu Yin, who merely raised a hand and lightly flicked out with a finger. There was a loud bang, and the sword cracked from the impact. Lu Yin grabbed a hold of the broken sword tip and casually swiped out with it. Li Zimo dodged and retreated a hundred meters away. He then looked at Lu Yin in fear.

Lu Yin sneered at him and casually threw the broken sword tip at the swordsman. Li Zimo raised his now-broken sword to block it, deflecting the sword tip into the ground as a crisp ringing sound filled the air.

“You’re not my opponent anymore. Go and train some more.” Lu Yin leaped up. Through his domain, he could perceive that Bigbeard was in danger, as he had run into Ming Zhaochen.

Bigbeard was a Cruiser, but the standards of Shenwu Continent’s cultivators had almost reached that of the Innerverse’s elites. This continent had even given birth to Li Zimo, whose talent could rival Liu Shaoqiu’s. Ming Zhaochen was one of the top authorities in the Ming Constables, and he had the power to suppress Bigbeard.

Li Zimo watched Lu Yin’s figure fade into the sky, but he did not chase after him. There was no point, as he could not beat Lu Yin. Thus, if he chased after Lu Yin, he would just be running towards his own death. But in that case, why had Lu Yin let him go?

Lu Yin himself did not exactly know why he had let Li Zimo go, as he just felt that killing the man would be a pity. He wanted to see if, after this person entered the wider universe and experienced more excellent sword techniques, then would he eventually have a face-off with Liu Shaoqiu? Lu Yin thought that Liu Shaoqiu would also eagerly await such a possibility.

Crack!

A crack spread across the sky.

Ming Zhaotian panted heavily, and he looked across all of Mingdu, unresigned. He closed his eyes, as he knew that everything was coming to an end. The Corpse Kings from the Neohuman Alliance had mostly been defeated, and there were too many experts from the outer universe, not to mention that person wearing the set of universal armor. He knew that he had lost.

Ming Zhaoshu looked down at the capital with a complex expression. If it had been possible, then he would not have destroyed the capital, as this was the symbol of the Shenwu Empire. Unfortunately, he had been left with no other choice.

“Brother, do you still wish to continue to resist? Those alien monsters have an intense desire to kill. If you hadn’t cooperated with those monsters, then these foreigners would not have cooperated with me to invade Mingdu, as they would rather watch our internal friction increase,” Ming Zhaoshu said solemnly.

To the Daynight clan, Ming Zhaoshu had no choice but to unify Shenwu Continent and then open it up to the wider universe. It was either that, or the continent’s internal strife would continue to foment. If the Daynight clan had truly cared about the outcome, then they would have gone all-out to help Ming Zhaoshu unify Shenwu Continent, but that would have given Ming Zhaoshu too many benefits and the Daynight clan not enough.

If not for the presence of the Neohuman Alliance, then Lu Yin also would not have been able to rally the various outside cultivators to invade Mingdu either.

By cooperating with the Neohuman Alliance, Ming Zhaotian had found a possible route to defeat Ming Zhaoshu and the rebellion, but he had also been digging his own grave.

Ming Zhaotian looked upwards and smiled bitterly. “Hahaha, it’s too late now, regardless of what you say. You are right. It is inevitable that Shenwu Continent will enter the universe. Once Ming Taizhong tore the void apart, the outcome was predetermined, and no one could change it from that point on.”

Ming Zhaoshu looked at Ming Zhaotian, but he did not speak.

“Little Brother, you endured for so many years, all for this day. The crown prince urged me to completely eradicate you many times. It’s such a pity that I never acted—all because of our relationship—and that has led to today’s great defeat.” Ming Zhaotian laughed at himself.

Ming Zhaoshu’s eyes narrowed. “What is it that Brother wishes to say?”

“No matter how fiercely we have fought against each other, it’s still an internal matter of the empire. In the end, Shenwu Continent must be ruled by the Ming family,” Ming Zhaotian said. He then began to cough intensely. He had been severely injured by Wen Sansi in the past, but every time his condition had started to improve, it had been aggravated by Ming Zhaoshu. This had caused Ming Zhaotian’s injuries to not heal even after two years, or else he would have definitely defeated Ming Zhaoshu with his full strength.

“Shenwu Continent will definitely remain within the control of the Ming family. Rest assured, Brother,” Ming Zhaoshu spoke loudly.

Ming Zhaotian looked at him with a serious expression. “I can pass my position onto you, but you must agree to several conditions.”

“You are in no position to mention any conditions.”

“The majority of the Shenwu Empire is still within my grasp. If you kill me, you will not be able to ascend to the throne in a just or a favorable manner. How many islands will willingly pledge allegiance to you? How many will break out in revolt? The entire Shenwu Continent will curse you—is that what you want?” Ming Zhaotian retorted.

Ming Zhaoshu’s gaze flickered, and he looked down at the smashed capital below them. Finally, he muttered, “What are your conditions?”

Ming Zhaotian took a deep breath. “I want you to give Ming Hao a way out. Let him head out to the universe to find his own path.”

Ming Zhaoshu’s eyes went wide. “No. I can allow your other offspring to live, but not Ming Hao.”

“This is my only condition. Even with your current capabilities, are you still afraid of Ming Hao? Both you and I know that there are many who have Ming Hao’s strength, but they have no influence over you whatsoever. Also, you’ve already cooperated with some of the powerful clans from the outer universe,” Ming Zhaotian said.

Ming Zhaoshu frowned as he thought about it. While he was hesitating, another large crack appeared in Mingdu. He suddenly made his decision. “Alright, I’ll allow Ming Hao to leave Shenwu Continent alive, but if he opposes me once again, then I will kill him without hesitation.”

Ming Zhaotian relaxed and looked at the capital that was flooded with howls of grief. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. “Everyone in the empire, hear my command. Eliminate the monsters and then assemble in the palace. I will abdicate the throne.”

Everyone in Mingdu heard Ming Zhaoshu, and they all looked up in shock. Abdicate?

Just outside the palace, Ming Hao’s body trembled, and he nearly fainted as he stared up at his father in disbelief.

Ming Zhaochen’s strength left him, and he released his hand, causing his sword to fall and clatter on the ground. Across from him, Lu Yin looked up. It was over.

Li Zimo calmly looked up. He had long since considered this day, as it had seemed to be an unavoidable eventuality. After all, Shenwu Continent could not defeat the aliens.

Within the city, the empire’s military minister, Bei Hong, finance minister, Ming Zhaocai, and many more had agonized expressions. In the end, they had still been defeated, and they felt wretched even though they knew that such a day would eventually arrive. Still, they had not thought it would be so soon nor so sudden.

Due to Ming Zhaotian’s orders, everyone within the capital united to attack the Corpse Kings, and the residents of Shenwu Continent stopped killing each other.

Some distance outside Mingdu, Wu Shang seemed to be completely indifferent to these developments. Instead, he was preoccupied with a paper-thin slab that he had pulled out, seemingly making a note of something. The writing at the very top of the slab stated, “Experiment Data.”

Lu Yin walked towards the palace, step by step. Along the way, he saw many corpses. Most of them belonged to ordinary citizens who hadn’t been able to avoid the violence. One attack from a cultivator or a Corpse King could easily kill dozens to hundreds of regular people. However, Lu Yin was not remorseful, as this was the necessary price to defeat the Neohuman Alliance, and he was already content in knowing that he had minimized the casualties. The other choice would have been to allow the Neohuman Alliance to capture these people one by one to use for their experiments, which was even worse than death.

It could only be said that these people’s life and death had been left up to luck on this day.

Mingdu had been destroyed, and the ground was riddled with countless fissures and deep pits that had already started filling up with water.

Numb soldiers proceeded to rescue the civilians, and the cultivators remained silent in each other’s presence. The capital had fallen into a strange silence, with the only sounds being the occasional odd cry.

"Brother Lu!” Bigbeard caught up to Lu Yin. He had been in the process of being fiercely beaten by Ming Zhaochen, and he had nearly died before Lu Yin had arrived to save him.

"Brother Lu, thank you for saving me,” Bigbeard said gratefully.

Lu Yin replied, “Go and save those regular citizens if you still have some strength.”

Bigbeard acknowledged the suggestion.

Not much later, Lu Yin saw Namu and felt that he seemed familiar.

“I was an Area Master from Astral-5, and I participated in the Astral Combat Tournament. I’m also a disciple of Myriad Swords Peak,” Namu introduced himself.

Lu Yin nodded and then continued to move past Namu as he headed towards the palace.

Namu watched Lu Yin’s retreating figure and felt that the youth seemed completely out of reach. This person had been much weaker than Namu when he had first joined the Astral Combat Academy, and he had even been harassed by the cultivators from the Blaze Realm. And now, Namu was the one looking up to Lu Yin in hope. There was an impossibly vast gap between the two of them, but it had only sprung up in a few years.

One hour later, the zombies and Corpse Kings were completely flushed out from underground and exterminated, even as more people moved towards the palace.

Ming Zhaochen, Ming Zhaocai, Bei Hong, Hua Ying, Li Zimo, and the others had all gathered at the palace. Ming Zhaotian was about to abdicate his throne, and many wanted to bear witness to this scene.

Lu Yin also entered the palace, standing just a short ways away from Ming Zhaotian as he indifferently watched the proceedings.

He had long expected that this scene would occur, and one of his objectives in visiting Shenwu Continent this time was actually to force this to occur. Although it had been a little complicated, he had still managed to accomplish his goal.

Two years ago, he had hidden himself like a street rat as he moved across Shenwu Continent, trying to avoid the Ming Constables, soldiers from the Reverent King’s Residence, and even the Demon Hunters Society. Now, he stood high above them all, and Ming Zhaotian’s abdication was directly related to his actions and decision. This feeling of having control over others felt good.

Crown Prince Ming Hao stood behind and slightly to the right of Ming Zhaotian. He appeared to be grieving and helpless, as if he had forsaken all hope.

Ming Zhaoshu looked calm, and nobody could tell what he was thinking at the moment.

“Destiny cannot be predicted, and only morals will persist. Shenwu’s end has been delayed, and in a world that has lost its order, the five seals were shaken. I, Ming Zhaotian, the emperor of the Shenwu Empire, seek the blessing of the heavens. On the throne…” The large palace was completely silent except for Ming Zhaotian’s reverberating voice.