The Undying Yushan was the name of the Emperor of the Dayu Empire. As for the Undying Zishan, he had long since perished. The Zishan Clan had gradually faded into obscurity after his death, ultimately vanishing from the world. It had been confirmed hundreds of years ago that the Zishan Clan was completely extinct, with no known survivors. No one expected that on this remote planet, a descendant of the Zishan Clan would appear. The coincidence was astounding.
The Zishan Clan had once held tremendous influence over the Dayu Empire. Back then, the Undying Yushan had promised that the Zishan Clan would forever enjoy the title of "Zishan King," a position second only to the Emperor himself.
If this person was truly a descendant of the Zishan Clan, then it was truly a pity—he had initially planned to recruit him.
On Earth, Zhang Dingtian and the others looked on in confusion, completely unaware of what had just happened.
Lu Yin struggled to stand. His body swayed, nearly collapsing again, but he managed to hold himself up. Toleona's kick had been too powerful. "What do you want?" he demanded.
Siken Maldo asked gravely, "Child, tell me, where are you from?"
Lu Yin sneered, "Earth."
Siken Maldo shook his head. "This is the Earth Trial. Everything that happens here is under our surveillance. You are definitely not from Earth. Earthlings have no battle techniques."
Lu Yin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "I am from Earth. I left when I was a child. Believe it or not."
Siken Maldo wanted to ask more, but seeing Lu Yin's pale and exhausted face, he immediately ordered someone to take him onto the spaceship for medical treatment.
"Wait, what about them?" Lu Yin pointed at Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue.
"Don't worry," Siken Maldo said. "The Empire will not touch Earth. Everything on Earth will remain as it is. In fact, we'll even send people to help Earth eliminate powerful mutant beasts." Then he shouted, "Guards!"
A unit of soldiers immediately stepped forward, numbering in the hundreds. All were in the Explorer Realm, with some even in the Melder Realm. These soldiers cultivated using energy crystals from their respective planets without using body-shaping techniques. They were the Empire's lowest-ranked cultivators, and reaching the Melder Realm was their limit.
"Disperse immediately to protect Huaxia and other populated areas of Earth. Especially cities facing beast tide outbreaks—go now!" Siken Maldo commanded.
"Yes, General!" the soldiers responded in unison, soaring into the sky and flying in all directions.
Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue finally sighed in relief after witnessing this.
No one attempted to stop them—not Toleona nor Shaluoshu. Lu Yin's identity had been confirmed and reported back to the Empire. A descendant of the Zishan Clan was not someone they could afford to offend.
The Dayu Empire's Emperor, Undying Yushan, had ruled for 800 years. With his strength, he could easily live for a thousand. His iron-handed rule over the past eight centuries meant his word was absolute. One of his iron decrees was that the Zishan Clan would forever hold the title of Zishan King. Though the title held no real power, the status it conferred was unparalleled. As mere vice-captains of the Empire's Thirteen Royal Squads, they were far beneath the Zishan King in status—let alone in a position to make trouble.
Lu Yin was taken aboard the spaceship. Everyone inside the ship was on high alert. The moment he arrived, he was treated with extreme care and urgency.
Seeing this, Lu Yin finally relaxed and fainted.
The trial was over, and all students were to be sent back to their respective academies.
The trial had ended in failure. All the students were in low spirits. The Explorer Realm students were disappointed enough, but those like Huo Xiaoling were even more dejected. As Melder Realm cultivators who had participated in an Explorer-level trial and still failed, their dreams of joining the Sky Academy of the Stars were practically shattered. There was another factor—one most students hadn't noticed but was glaringly obvious to someone of Huo Xiaoling's level: the soon-to-be-restructured Dayu Empire Youth Council.
The Youth Council wielded enormous power—overseeing trials, intervening in academy education, and even possessing its own military force. It was a formidable institution that could not be ignored. Everyone wanted to become a member, but the disgrace of this trial severely reduced their chances.
The atmosphere was heavy and gloomy.
Only Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue felt fortunate. So much had happened—tragedy, despair—but in the end, Earth was saved. They were grateful to Lu Yin. Without him, even if the two of them had survived, countless Earth evolvers would have been sent to warzones—doomed to die.
Lars stared at the spaceship with resentment. He wanted to kill Lu Yin, but Shaluoshu had warned him not to act recklessly. Lars felt deeply frustrated.
After a conversation with Toleona, Yan Gang was equally disheartened. He had expected a simple trial, yet ended up as nothing more than a supporting character. He wasn't even qualified to participate in the final battle and had allowed Huo Xiaoling to be threatened by Lu Yin. How could he explain this when he returned? Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to Lu Yin—and even Toleona had warned him.
As for Erd and Willow, they didn't even dare show hostility toward Lu Yin. Though they didn't know about the Zishan Clan, they could tell from Siken Maldo's attitude that Lu Yin wasn't someone to mess with—nor was Earth. One had cross-border combat power, the other an ice-element talent. Who knew what else they were hiding?
Suddenly, the spaceship sounded an alarm. Siken Maldo and the others looked to the north as a massive black shadow approached.
All the students looked in that direction and gasped.
"What... what a huge turtle!" one student exclaimed in shock.
Zhang Dingtian and the others were stunned. It was a Flying Turtle—the one that had destroyed the Northeast Blue Camp and appeared in the capital.
Yan Gang's expression darkened. This turtle had made him eat dirt.
Siken Maldo, Toleona, and Shaluoshu instantly flew into the sky, unleashing terrifying stellar energy that stirred the clouds and changed the weather. All three were Explorers, and so was the turtle.
"A mutant beast with Explorer-level power appearing this quickly... This planet is full of surprises," Toleona remarked.
Siken Maldo's expression was serious. This turtle was no ordinary opponent.
The giant turtle stared at the three small figures in its path with calm, indifferent eyes. As it slowly opened its mouth to attack, a girl suddenly appeared on its head. "Little Turtle, don't be naughty. These are good people—you mustn't fight them."
The three were stunned. "Lulu Mebius?"
Lulu Mebius, sitting atop the turtle's head, waved at them. "Long time no see! How have you been?"
The three were speechless. Long time? It hadn't even been a month!
"Miss Lulu, this turtle—?" Siken Maldo asked hesitantly, clearly shocked. A mere Explorer-level student had tamed an Explorer-level turtle? Ridiculous.
Lulu instantly became protective. "It's mine. It belongs to me now and always will."
Siken Maldo forced a smile. "Of course, of course. It's yours. But, if I may ask—how did you tame it?"
Lulu's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "That's a secret of the Mebius Clan. Come, I'll whisper it to you."
Siken Maldo quickly waved his hands. "No need! No need! Since it's a clan secret, I shouldn't pry. By the way, the trial is over. So, Miss Lulu...?"
Lulu looked disappointed. "Already? What about the fugitive? Did you catch him? There's not a single update on the intranet."
All the students had discarded their personal terminals to prevent information leaks, so the intranet was silent.
Toleona gave her a quick summary of what had happened. Lulu's expression changed. "Nightking? You mean the fugitive from the White Night Clan awakened and became a Nightking?"
The three nodded.
Lulu was amazed. "Now that's interesting. No wonder you couldn't kill him—even had to save him. So much for a fair trial."
Siken Maldo looked awkward. It was true—Lu Yin could've killed Qing Yu in the final moment, but they had interfered. They were the ones who had broken the rules.
"What a pity. If I had arrived a bit sooner... A freshly awakened Nightking—how satisfying it would have been to kill him myself. The clan would've praised me," Lulu said regretfully.
The three remained silent. Both the White Night Clan and the Mebius Clan were powers the Dayu Empire dared not offend.
"Well, whatever. What's done is done. No use chasing him now. The trial's over, so I'll be off. Little Turtle will follow the ship. That okay?" Lulu asked Siken Maldo.
Siken Maldo smiled. "Of course. We can have the ship tow it. The only concern is whether it can withstand the stress during spatial jumps."
"It'll be fine. Little Turtle is super strong." Lulu didn't care at all. She leaned over and whispered something into the turtle's ear. The massive beast obediently rose into the air and then lay down beneath the spaceship, closing its eyes to rest.
Compared to the spaceship, the turtle was only slightly smaller—but not by much. It was an awe-inspiring sight.
Lulu Mebius entered the ship. She was now extremely interested in Lu Yin. Someone from a backwater world had nearly killed a newly awakened Nightking. This would shake the Innerverse. And she remembered—he hadn't been nearly this strong before. Fascinating.