At this moment, an elderly man stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I have a question. I'm not sure if I should ask it."
Emperor Wudi Yushan smiled, "Speak freely in court."
"Years ago, the Zishan family had an engagement arrangement with the royal family. Does that agreement still stand?" the man asked loudly.
Everyone looked up at Wudi Yushan.
Even the usually indifferent Duke Yushan and several of the Imperial Court's Thirteen Team Captains looked towards Wudi Yushan.
Wudi Yushan narrowed his eyes. This was a difficult question to answer. Denying it would hurt the royal family's reputation, but admitting it would be equally challenging. Currently, the only princess of marriageable age was Princess Wendy Yushan, the youngest princess, not even thirty years old.
Wendy Yushan's marriage was beyond anyone's control because she was no ordinary princess. She was a disciple of the Inner Universe's Wanjian Mountain and ranked in the top twenty on the Star Battle List, making her one of the few in the Outer Universe with such a high ranking. She was the pride of the Canglan Territory and the Outer Universe, often referred to as the second Wudi Yushan.
In terms of status, even Wudi Yushan himself couldn't compare to the current Wendy Yushan, let alone decide her marriage. It wasn't about unwillingness; it was about inability.
Suddenly, Wudi Yushan began to cough violently. Immediately, several medical staff rushed over to inject him with medicine. After a while, his coughing subsided significantly. "Issue an order, suspend the court meeting, and resume once Lu Yin arrives."
The *Yili* ship slowly landed at the Zhenyu Star space station. As beams of light descended, Lu Yin and the others finally set foot on the ground of Zhenyu Star.
Looking around, the place was bustling with activity. Numerous advanced technologies were integrated into daily life, with bridges made of unknown metals connecting the entire city. In the sky, flying vehicles left white streaks that quickly disappeared.
Lu Yin stretched lazily, feeling the gravity of Zhenyu Star, which was similar to Earth's. The air was very fresh, and the star energy was far more abundant than on Earth.
Zhenyu Star was thousands of times larger than Earth. On this vast continent, who knew how many people and how many unique races lived here?
Xu San stared in a daze at the surroundings. This was the alien civilization monitoring Earth. Whether in terms of technology or cultivation, Earth was not comparable.
Zhang Dingtian, Bai Xue, and Shi Wuzhang were calm. They had long since read about various technological civilizations in the library and were not too surprised. On the contrary, the technology of Zhenyu Star seemed a bit outdated to them.
The *Yili* ship settled down, and squads of soldiers disembarked. Soon, West Ke Maldo, Shaluoshu, and Torreona appeared, but Mira had left the ship at some point.
At this moment, a military unit surrounded them from a distance.
Zhang Dingtian frowned. Something was wrong. These soldiers were exuding a serious atmosphere, with a hint of killing intent. Coming from a military background, he was sensitive to such vibes—this was the prelude to an attack.
"Be careful," Zhang Dingtian whispered.
Lu Yin also sensed something amiss. The soldiers around them were watching them with wary eyes.
The area around the *Yili* ship was sealed off, and invisible technological weapons locked onto them, especially West Ke Maldo.
West Ke Maldo's face turned grave as he looked at a man slowly descending from the sky. "Bronsen? What do you mean by this?"
Everyone watched the scene unfold.
The man referred to as Bronsen was clearly a strong person capable of traversing space. Such individuals were above the Extreme Realm and known as Explorers, those whose battle power exceeded 10,000, allowing them to walk among the stars. Battle power of 50,000 was called a Cruiser, and 100,000 was called a Hunter.
The emperor of the Great Yu Empire, Wudi Yushan, was a Hunter. There were only a few Hunters in the entire Great Yu Empire.
West Ke Maldo was an Explorer, and Shaluoshu and Torreona were also Explorers. Bronsen was similarly an Explorer.
Bronsen took out an arrest warrant. "By order of His Majesty, West Ke Maldo is to be arrested for colluding with foreign races and treason."
Everyone was stunned. The soldiers who followed West Ke Maldo were all shocked. Treason? That was a capital offense.
Lu Yin was also surprised. Treason?
Shaluoshu and Torreona exchanged glances. They were also bewildered. As deputy captains of the Imperial Court's Thirteen Teams, they hadn't received any prior information. Clearly, this was a sealed order against West Ke Maldo. Only Wudi Yushan could manage such a feat. Could it be that West Ke Maldo really committed treason?
West Ke Maldo frowned at the arrest warrant, his face pale. "Why? I haven't committed treason. Why would His Majesty want to arrest me?"
Bronsen's gaze was icy. He waved his hand, and a squad of soldiers apprehended West Ke Maldo.
West Ke Maldo didn't resist; he only stared at Bronsen.
Bronsen stepped forward and coldly said, "During the Earth evolution trial, twenty-seven Corpse Kings escaped, Baruda defected, and the Gama System space station was blown up."
West Ke Maldo's pupils shrank suddenly. "What did you say?"
Bronsen activated his personal terminal, projecting an image of West Ke Maldo conversing with Baruda. "You were the last person to see Baruda and were in charge of the Earth evolution trial. The Empire has reason to believe you colluded with foreign races and took away the Corpse Kings," he finished, then shouted, "Take him away."
West Ke Maldo's face turned ashen. As an Explorer, he didn't resist and was taken away by the military.
Everyone watched as West Ke Maldo was escorted away in silence.
A dignified star-traversing strongman, an imperial general, just fell like that.
Lu Yin watched West Ke Maldo's retreating figure, remembering the moment he was declared King of Zishan. This person had told him to seek help if needed. But fate was unpredictable; now he was met with such an end.
Bronsen nodded at Shaluoshu and Torreona, then walked straight to Lu Yin and slowly saluted, "Bronsen, Third Seat of the First Team of the Imperial Court's Thirteen Teams, greets King Zishan."
Lu Yin withdrew his gaze and looked at Bronsen. He said indifferently, "No need for formalities."
"Thank you, King Zishan," Bronsen replied. He continued, "His Majesty has ordered me to escort King Zishan to the imperial palace. Please, Your Highness, this way."
"What about my friends?" Lu Yin asked.
"The Empire will make arrangements. Please don't worry," Bronsen said.
Lu Yin nodded, gesturing for Xu San to follow. He glanced at Zhang Dingtian and the others, then walked out of the space station.
Xu San followed closely, trembling, not daring to leave Lu Yin's side for even a step.
Lulu Mebius, bored, wandered off on her own.
Shaluo strolled leisurely around the space station, looking quite relaxed. No one bothered them.
Lars stared jealously at Lu Yin's back, accompanied by Monu and Erd. They were all experts from the Yutang Hall, located in the first ring, clearly visible from here.
Huo Xiaoling, Jenny Onar, and other nobles were gradually being picked up.
Zhang Dingtian and the others were taken away with Lars and his group. They were heading to Yutang Hall for body reshaping, a reward from the Great Yu Empire. Ordinary people wouldn't receive such a reward even after passing the trial, but due to their talent, they did. The Great Yu Empire's strength came from continually absorbing fresh blood.
The Zhenyu Star space station was vast. Before long, a flying vehicle stopped in front of Lu Yin and Xu San. "Your Highness, please."
Lu Yin boarded the flying vehicle with Xu San. Bronsen hovered nearby. With a loud roar, the vehicle sped towards the distance.
Xu San curiously examined the flying vehicle, especially the light screen showing the pre-set route. It was automated driving.
"General Bronsen, may I ask you a question?" Lu Yin asked politely.
Bronsen's star energy shielded the air around him. Hearing Lu Yin, he respectfully replied, "Please, Your Highness."
"I heard you mention twenty-seven Corpse Kings earlier. What did you mean?"
Bronsen's eyes flickered. "The planet where Your Highness resided evolved, creating powerful evolved beings and failed zombies. Among the zombies are Corpse Kings, capable of gaining great power by consuming natural energy crystals. These Corpse Kings are part of an alliance known as the New Human Alliance, who claim to represent the true direction of human evolution. They are all Corpse Kings and are extremely dangerous."
Lu Yin's eyes flashed, instantly recalling the long-haired Corpse King and the one Zhang Dingtian had slain.
Talents were rare among humans, but Corpse Kings could obtain them by consuming natural energy crystals. This meant that the New Human Alliance members all had talents. No wonder the Great Yu Empire was so concerned. It was an alliance of talented Corpse Kings, posing a significant threat. They were entirely different species from humans.
"Was the release
of twenty-seven Corpse Kings during the Earth trial a serious matter?" Lu Yin asked.
Bronsen pondered for a moment before saying, "Capital offense."