Star Odyssey

Everyone heard Ming Zhaotian’s abdication speech. Some people stared at the ground in shock, while others watched Ming Zhaotian, and a few of them even wept. 

The emperor of a dynasty naturally had their own followers as well. With Ming Zhaotian abdicating, countless other people who had once followed him were bound to suffer from his fall. Ming Zhaotian did not even have a say as to whether these people lived or died. 

“From this day forward, I will transfer my position to Reverent King Ming Zhaoshu. According to the decree of the heavens, the Shenwu Empire will now obey him,” Ming Zhaotian declared, following which, a number of the people who had gathered knelt down on the ground.

“Paying respects to Your Majesty”

“Paying respects to Your Majesty”

…

Ming Zhaoshu stepped forward and stood at Ming Zhaotian’s side. He emotionally looked down at the gathered crowd, his eyes sweeping across all of them. More and more people knelt to salute him, until finally, everyone at the palace was kneeling on the ground, except for the foreign cultivators. Even the former crown prince, Ming Hao, was half kneeling. 

Outside the palace, countless voices rang out in unison, “Paying respects to Your Majesty”...

Ming Zhaoshu had waited for this scene for far too long. He had always been adept at enduring silently, but that had demanded a certain price from him as well. The greater and deeper the patience, the more intense the eruption would be in the end. 

Even with Ming Zhaoshu’s personality, he still felt a deep desire to roar at the sky. He had not expected his takeover to be this smooth; if Ming Zhaotian had vowed to fight him to the death, then there would have been a long, drawn out war even if he had managed to kill the emperor and his heirs. But now, Ming Zhaoshu had gained everything legitimately. 

From now on, Shenwu Continent belonged to him alone.

Lu Yin looked at Ming Zhaoshu; was he happy? After waiting for so many years, enduring for so long, and scheming to the point where he had even managed to win over some of the four Martial Sovereigns who stood guard over the capital, despite being only a Martial Emperor at that time, he had finally succeeded. 

Although it was just the small Shenwu Continent, Ming Zhaoshu’s ability could still be seen.

Lu Yin had relied on the glory of his predecessors as well as his own luck to gain control of the Great Yu Empire whereas Ming Zhaoshu had relied purely on his own ability to seize the Shenwu Empire. Once this sort of person was given a stage, they could achieve world-shaking accomplishments. 

Lu Yin closely observed Ming Zhaoshu, paying the most attention to his expression. Was Shenwu Continent his final goal? Perhaps it was for the moment, but Ming Zhaoshu would undoubtedly step into the wider universe, and at that time, what would his next goal be? Ming Zhaoshu’s burning ambition would definitely become an even deeper and more impressive goal in the future. 

Lu Yin told himself not to give this person a stage where he could fully display himself. 

“I have abdicated, and I hope that you won’t break your promise,” Ming Zhaotian spoke softly to Ming Zhaoshu. 

Ming Zhaoshu looked at the half-kneeling Ming Hao. “Rest assured, Brother. I will send him safely away from Shenwu Continent, but you...”

Ming Zhaotian smiled bitterly and looked up at the sky fondly. The sky of Shenwu Continent was very beautiful, and the five sealing planets protected this place, but in the end, it did not belong to him. “Don’t save that person. When you truly grasp control of Shenwu Continent, then go ahead and cooperate with the outsiders. However, it’s too early right now, and he cannot be controlled by you yet.” 

This baffling comment confused Ming Zhaoshu.

The next moment, the entire palace quivered as the ground beneath Lu Yin’s feet broke apart. Stone pillars rose up from the ground, connected by a layer of solidified energy that cut him off from the outside world. Each of the five stone pillars emitted an eye-dazzling radiance.

Even Lu Yin could not react to this sudden change in time, let alone anyone else present.

Ming Zhaoshu hurriedly rose into the air and glared at Ming Zhaotian as he shouted, “Brother, what are you doing?” 

Ming Zhaotian looked at Ming Zhaoshu with a complex gaze, “Before you completely integrate yourself with the empire, don’t take on any appearance of strength that cannot be controlled. That person’s strength surpasses both of ours, and they cannot remain. Cooperate only with the foreigners after you have truly grasped the empire.” 

Ming Zhaoshu’s gaze flickered. 

“I, Ming Zhaotian, have protected Shenwu Continent my entire life! Let me die the same way! Hahaha!” Ming Zhaotian shouted before dashing into the sky, straight towards the five sealing planets. 

“Your Majesty!” countless shouted out in grief. 

Ming Hao clenched both fists, both of his eyes wide open, but he could not say anything. Ming Zhaotian was literally seeking death.

Ming Zhaoshu looked up at the heavens with a complicated gaze, and he seemed to be disturbed, reminiscent, and also determined.

This time, Ming Zhaotian would not reappear. His body would remain at the five sealing planets until it completely rotted away. 

Ming Hao knelt down and banged his head on the ground several times.

A dazzling radiance isolated Lu Yin, but it also blocked everyone’s sight. They could all see that Lu Yin had been sealed, but they could not see within the seal at all, and neither could Lu Yin see outside the seal.

Lu Yin looked around, and he quickly noticed that this seal was similar to the seal that had once sealed the Tower of Resonating Light. In the past, many of the trial takers had been sealed and trapped within the Tower of Resonating Light before being rescued by Lu Yin. 

This time, the seal was much tougher than the one that had been in the Tower of Resonating Light. 

Why had Ming Zhaotian trapped him in this place? Lu Yin could not figure it out.

He put on his universal armor and then reached out with a hand to probe the seal. A strong repelling force pushed back against his palm, and Lu Yin was astonished. This strength was a formless danger, so did that mean that these five pillars were sourceboxes? 

He had previously guessed that Shenwu Continent contained many sourceboxes, and he had even wondered if the five sealing planets themselves were sourceboxes. Right now, he realized that it was not entirely impossible, as the sourceboxes on Shenwu Continent were strange, and they were even used to form arrays. 

This was definitely not something that Ming Zhaotian and the other natives could do, as they were not capable of such a feat. This was a technique that belonged exclusively to Boundless Advanced Lockbreakers. 

It seemed that there were still many unsolved mysteries on Shenwu Continent, but Lu Yin’s top priority at this moment was to escape. 

Due to his time in the Ironblood Weave, Lu Yin knew that he could not unseal such an array that was formed by the invisible danger zones of multiple sourceboxes. In other words, right now, he could only barge his way through the seal. 

There was a thump as Lu Yin was repelled by an overpowering strength. Moreover, it had even left a mark on his universal armor, which was strong enough to resist the attacks from old freaks whose power levels had reached 300,000. This was inconceivable, and Lu Yin became even more intrigued by Shenwu Continent. The five sealing planets were able to resist Enlighters’ attacks, and judging by the number of rune lines that he had observed, it was possible that the planets could also resist attacks from a powerhouse with a power level of 300,000. 

Now, he was discovering that even the palace had similar seals, though they were clearly much smaller than the five sealing planets. 

Lu Yin looked up; did this mean that the true strength of the five sealing planets still had not been completely unleashed? Was their limit really attacks with power levels of 300,000? Could it resist attacks whose power levels reached 400,000? What about 500,000? 

Then, another question naturally arose. How had Wen Sansi breached the five sealing planets back when Lu Yin had participated in the continent’s Outerverse trial? 

Lu Yin definitely did not believe that the Arbiter was capable of displaying an attack with a power level of over 300,000. No matter how innately gifted Wen Sansi might be, he was still restricted by his age. That was not a question of his talent, but rather of time. He definitely could not have reached such a power level so quickly. But if that were so, then how had he damaged the five sealing planets? 

Forget it! There was no point to him thinking about such a thing at this time. First, Lu Yin needed to focus on finding a way to escape! Actually, he could use his universal armor to forcefully barge through, but he wanted to test himself to see if he could unlock this seal, as this could also be considered an opportunity. 

The sourceboxes in the Ironblood Weave emitted an invisible danger zone that made lockbreaking them very difficult, so Lu Yin wanted to use this opportunity to test his capabilities. Even if he failed, not much would happen to him anyways. Although the seal had left a faint mark on the surface of the armor, its defenses were as robust as ever. 

Inside the palace, Ming Zhaoshu issued more than ten commands before dispelling the crowd. He then walked over in front of the seal and stared at its dazzling radiance. Even he had not known that the palace held such a seal. 

He was aware of Lu Yin’s strength, and if even that youth had been sealed by this formation, then it was clear that Ming Zhaotian could have used this seal to seal Ming Zhaoshu instead. The new emperor would have been helplessly trapped as well.

Unfortunately, he had not stood next to Lu Yin, as if that had been the case, then Ming Zhaotian might not have taken such actions. 

“Little Seven, can you hear me?” Ming Zhaoshu called out.

Lu Yin did not reply. 

Ming Zhaoshu focused his gaze on the seal.

Nearby, Bigbeard, Namu, and the other foreign cultivators moved forward. “Revere- No, Your Majesty, since Ming Zhaotian was able to activate the seal, then there must also be a way to shut it down. Your Majesty, please rescue Brother Lu from this seal.” 

Ming Zhaoshu was helpless. “I don’t know how to deactivate it either. However, I will head to the imperial library. I can only hope that my brother did not destroy the records concerning this seal. Otherwise...” He recalled Ming Zhaotian’s words, which indicated that he had sealed Lu Yin away in hopes that Ming Zhaoshu would not be impeded before he obtained complete control of the Shenwu Empire. But the old emperor had thought too much, as Ming Zhaoshu was confident that Lu Yin would not interfere in the matters of Shenwu Continent, as this place was too small for the current Lu Yin. 

Also, Lu Yin and Ming Yan had feelings for each other. Ming Zhaoshu hoped that, by getting on Lu Yin’s boat, he would be able to ensure the continent’s identity and independence once it joined with the greater universe. For this, Ming Zhaoshu wanted to rescue Lu Yin from the seal as well. 

But wanting was one thing, and whether or not they could do it was another.

“Let’s attack the seal from the outside,” Bigbeard suggested. Immediately after speaking, he raised a hand to strike the void. There was a thump as his body was flung away by an enormous force, and he crashed into a corner of the palace ruins. 

Ming Zhaoshu shook his head. “My brother was very meticulous. Since he went ahead and activated this seal, then it means that there won’t be an easy way to resolve this issue. I will go and search through the imperial library, though I hope that Little Seven can come out from inside of that thing.” 

“Isn’t Ming Hao still around? Ask him,” Namu suggested.

Ming Zhaoshu laughed and shook his head. “He will not know. I am very clear about my brother’s behavior, and concerning certain matters, he will not even inform his own son.”

“How will we know if we don’t ask?” Bigbeard walked over from the distance with a grin on his face despite holding his aching waist. 

Ming Zhaoshu thought about it before acquiescing. “Very well, I’ll ask him.”

The palace had been reduced to ruins, and Ming Zhaoshu ordered that the administrative center of the empire be temporarily shifted over to Shanhai City, with the intention of returning to Mingdu after everything was back in order. 

Ming Hao was currently at the top of the palace hall, and he calmly gazed at the throne.

Ming Zhaoshu walked over towards his nephew. Ming Hao turned to face him and then smiled. “Your Majesty, your wishes have been accomplished.” 

“It’s been so many years, and throughout all those years, you’ve always targeted me. What thoughts do you have at this moment?” Ming Zhaoshu looked at Ming Hao with endless bitterness in his eyes. 

Ming Hao was in agony as he looked towards the throne. “Your Majesty, huh? This title must be something that you’ve always dreamed of.” 

Ming Zhaoshu frowned, and his eyes turned cold. “Tell me, how do we remove the seal?”

“You should know Father. He wouldn’t tell anyone, not even me, regarding certain matters,” Ming Hao replied.

Ming Zhaoshu had not had much hope to begin with. 

“Your Majesty, do you know what I hate the most right now?” Ming Hao’s gaze turned back to Ming Zhaoshu, and his expression became even more sinister. “I hate that I didn’t kill you back then. I hate that Father was so indecisive, and I hate your silent endurance.” 

Ming Zhaoshu’s eyes narrowed. “The winner takes all. There’s no need to say anything more. I promised Brother that I would safely send you out into the universe.” 

“Hahaha! Father may have believed your words, but I don’t. Who are you, Ming Zhaoshu? You appear to be cultured and refined on the surface, but inside, you are ruthless. Your ability to endure all things is astounding, and you plan everything out before you even make a move. You won’t let any opportunity go, and you won’t allow your enemy any leeway to retaliate. You’re going to let me go free? What a joke!” Ming Hao howled with laughter. 

Ming Zhaoshu’s eyes overflowed with a certain chill, but he did not speak.

“Father’s too kind-hearted. I reminded him so many times, but he only ever prevented you from seizing power and placed you outside of Mingdu. He was always unwilling to kill you. You are also very astute, and you suppressed your realm in order to remain as a Martial Emperor, and you only broke through after Father was severely injured. It’s not wrong that we lost to you.” Ming Hao smiled sadly.

Shortly after, Ming Zhaoshu emerged from the palace and announced that the former Crown Prince Ming Hao had gone missing. The new emperor ordered for his nephew’s arrest but stipulated that he must be captured alive. The orders were filled with benevolence.