âDing Xing, where is this treasury you mentioned thatâs able to restore the empire?â the tall, thin person leisurely asked. Their goal was to occupy the Greatsword Dynasty, but they still wanted their promised reward.
Ding Xingâs expression changed. âIf we deliver that to you, will you leave?â
The tall and thin person sneered. A figure suddenly appeared in front of Ding Xing, and kicked him a hundred meters back, where he crashed against a wall.
Ding Xing felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, and he almost couldnât breathe after being kicked.
Everyone else in the room was stunned, and the youth almost soiled himself.
âI donât think that you understood me. Remember this: we are from Aegis,â the lanky man stated confidently.
Ding Xingâs lips were bleeding, and he panted heavily as he lowered his head. He regretted his decision to leave Planet Zenyu. These people from Aegis were clearly intimidated by Lu Yin, which was why they had tricked Ding Xing into leaving Zenyu Planet on his own. He couldnât believe that he had fallen for their scam, not to mention the fact that he had even revealed his princeâs identity.
He turned to look at the youth, and the tall, thin man walked towards the youth at that same moment.
The youth was the prince of the Greatsword Dynasty, and he was also the only member of the imperial family who had survived the Second Grade Hallâs massacre.
Ding Xing was very loyal to the imperial family, as his entire goal was to rebuild the Greatsword Dynasty. However, at this moment, he was powerless.
The lanky man bent over and looked down at the youth. âTell me, are you willing to let us stay here and help you?â
The youth turned pale. âYes, yes.â
The tall, thin man smirked and patted the youth on the shoulder. He then glanced over at Ding Xing. âGo and bring the treasury over. Otherwise, you will die.â
Ding Xing answered bitterly, âThis is Northcastle Weave, and we are very close to Frostwave Weave. Arenât you scared of the Great Eastern Alliance?â
His words caused the lanky manâs face to become quite grim. Aegis had always been very aggressive, and they normally would have never even tried to negotiate with the Greatsword Dynasty. In the past, they would have just directly taken over the area similar to what the Second Grade Hall had done. However, Aegis was holding themselves back by trying to gain the Greatsword Dynastyâs official support, and this was precisely because of the Great Eastern Alliance and Lu Yin.
Although they werenât scared of Lu Yin, they still didnât want to give him any excuse to create trouble for them, as that would certainly be a huge hassle. Thus, they were eager to gain the Greatsword Dynastyâs official support. Otherwise, they would have never stayed in this place.
This reminder annoyed the lanky man as Aegis had never been worried about anyone before, let alone some Explorer. The Great Eastern Alliance was just some small fry to them.
A loud crack rang through the hall as Ding Xing was kicked again, and he almost spat out his intestines.
âNobody dares to rebuke Aegisâs actions,â the lanky man said coldly.
Ding Xingâs heart fell, as it seemed that the Greatsword Dynasty was finished. He watched on as blood dripped down from the corner of his mouth and froze as it landed on the floor. Wait, hold on. Ice?
Ding Xing touched the floor and was shocked at how cold it was. Swordian Planet was perpetually sunny, and it was impossible to find ice anywhere on the mainland. Ding Xing looked around the great hall. Could this chill be because of the innate gift of someone from Aegis? He glanced around, but he couldnât see anyone using their innate gift.
Ding Xing was confused, and he looked back down at the floor, only to be stunned even more. The floor had completely frozen over, and his legs were stuck now. He tried to pull his legs out of the ice, but he quickly realized that he had lost all feeling in his legs, and the chill was quickly spreading all around him.
Ding Xing was frightened. He was a Cruiser with a power level of 60,000, but he had still been frozen by someone without even realizing it. âWho is it?â
At that moment, everyone realized that they had been frozen in place.
The lanky man was astonished by this sudden change, and the ice beneath his feet shattered as he rose into the sky. He was the only person not frozen to the floor, as everyone elseâincluding the Aegis mercenariesâhad been frozen in place.
The mercenaries tried their best to free themselves as soon as they realized that they were stuck.
The lanky man looked up and saw what seemed like crimson meteors crashing towards the ground. These meteors were actually personal spacecraft, and from the looks of it, at least a hundred people had landed on the planet.
The lanky man was shocked. âWho would dare to move against Aegis?â
Ding Xing felt the iciness that surrounded him and suddenly thought of a person: the captain of the Seventh Imperial Squadron.
Ding Xing had stayed on Planet Zenyu for quite a long time, and he had become quite familiar with the captains of the Imperial Thirteen Squadrons. The captain of the Seventh Imperial Squadron was relatively new compared to the rest, and Ding Xing had heard rumors claiming that this person had almost frozen the entire Auna family solid, and even Xueshan Auna, who was a Hunter, hadnât been able to withstand his power. This person was definitely one of the most elite fighters among the captains of the Imperial Thirteen Squadrons.
Ding Xingâs eyes gleamed. If it really was that person, then that meant that Lu Yin was taking action.
The tall, thin leader of Aegisâs forces grew restless, and he looked into the distance, where he saw someone slowly walking towards them. It was Yan Yan, and the cold grew more intense as he drew closer. However, Yan Yan had only frozen the bottom half of the people in the palace. Nobody, not even the Cruisers, were able to move a finger aside from the skinny leader.
Yan Yan was someone who even Old Gu De hadnât been able to deal with, and Xueshan Auna had not been able to withstand Yan Yanâs powers either. He was a powerhouse comparable to Aden, and there was no way that these people from Aegis could defeat him.
Yan Yan had listened to Lu Yinâs warning, and since these people were good at playing dirty, he had been determined to immobilize them as quickly as possible. This was the sort of task that Yan Yan excelled at.
Multiple figures appeared in the sky, and they quickly surrounded the Greatsword Dynastyâs imperial palace.
The lanky man glared at Yan Yan. âWho are you? We are from Aegis!â
Yan Yan raised his head. âIâm Yan Yan, the captain of the Great Yu Empireâs Seventh Imperial Squadron.â
The skinny manâs eyes narrowed. He had already expected this to happen. The Great Yu Empire would definitely take action once Aegis gained control of Northcastle Weave, but he hadnât expected them to retaliate so quickly.
âAegis was hired by the Greatsword Dynasty to get rid of the Second Grade Hall. What does the Great Yu Empire want?â the lanky man asked sternly.
Yan Yan answered in a cold voice, âWe want to arrest the criminal, Ding Xing, for the crime of attacking our cultivators.â
The lanky man quickly responded, âAlright, you can take him away.â
Ding Xing shouted, âCaptain Yan Yan, I have a deal with the Royal Regent, and he promised me that the Great Yu Empire would help reinstate the Greatsword Dynasty. Captain Yan Yan, please fulfill that promise!â
The tall, thin man became furious, and he lashed out at Ding Xing, but he was stopped by a wave of frost.
Yan Yan glared at the man. âDing Xingâs crime will be judged by the Great Yu Empire. The Royal Regent has ordered that whenever Ding Xing calls for the Great Yu Empireâs aid, we must provide assistance according to their agreement. Aegis can leave now.â
The thin manâs brows rose. âCaptain Yan Yan, you canât conduct business like this. Aegis has already chased away the members of the Second Grade Hall, so isnât it too late for you to try to help them now?â
Ding Xing piped up anxiously before Yan Yan could even answer. âI made a deal with the Royal Regent to reinstate the Greatsword Dynasty! Thatâs not just limited to chasing away the Second Grade Hall. Anyone who dares to attack the Greatsword Dynasty will be treated as an enemy.â
The lanky man was furious, and he glared at Ding Xing. âYouâre asking to die!â
Ding Xing wasnât scared of death; the only thing that mattered to him now was the survival of the Greatsword Dynasty. Aegis clearly wanted to take over the Greatsword Dynasty, but Ding Xing would never let that happen. He knelt down as he faced Yan Yan. âCaptain Yan Yan, please help the Greatsword Dynasty chase away the members of Aegis. I will be eternally grateful.â
Yan Yan looked over at the lanky man. âYou also heard him. Leave.â
Lu Yin had told Yan Yan that he wasnât to fight against the people from Aegis if he could help it, as Lu Yin didnât want to become enemies with them.
The lanky man had realized how powerful Yan Yan was, and just his frost energy alone was enough to make the leader of Aegisâs forces anxious. There werenât many experts in the Seventh Squadron, but their captain was intimidating enough already. How could there be such an overwhelming expert in the Great Yu Empire?
âFine, Captain Yan Yan. Aegis will remember todayâs events, so please inform the Royal Regent of our stance. I hope that he can handle the consequences.â He then leaped into the sky and quickly flew away.
Yan Yan melted his ice, and the other people from Aegis quietly left in an orderly fashion.
Yan Yan watched them all leave in surprise. These people were from Aegis, the most powerful security and mercenary company in the Outerverse. The Great Yu Empire had definitely made some powerful enemies this day.
Aegis wasnât some remnant of a major Innerverse power that had been stranded in the Outerverse. Those forces didnât have a strong foundation in the Outerverse and were only able to survive by relying on their Enlighter realm powerhouses. If anything happened to their Enlighter powerhouses, they would be doomed and unable to accomplish much of anything. However, Aegis was different. They had an extremely strong foundation in the Outerverse and were also familiar with many of the underworld powers. If they made a move, then they would definitely be able to cause much more trouble than a single Enlighter powerhouse.
After Aegis left, Ding Xing expressed his gratitude to Yan Yan. âThank you for your help on behalf of the entire Greatsword Dynasty, Captain Yan Yan.â
Yan Yan coldly answered, âHis Highness has already verified your crime.â
Ding Xing bitterly responded, âI understand, and I will definitely admit to my guilt.â
âWhereâs the treasury?â Yan Yan asked.
Ding Xing said, âI will go bring it now.â
The youth fearfully looked up at Yan Yan from the crowd. He was a prince from the Northcastle Weave, but he was so terrified at this moment that he didnât even have the courage to stand up. The Greatsword Dynasty had been completely controlled by the Second Grade Hall for nearly two years, and the royal family had lost all of its dignity.
Although the past few emperors of the Greatsword Dynasty had been useless, they had still maintained the tradition of taking care of their national treasury.
The cosmological location of the Greatsword Dynasty was unique, as it was situated right next to the Astral Wilderness. The previous emperors of the dynasty had possessed great foresight, knowing that their empire would encounter troubles in future. This was where the treasury came into play.