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Chapter 449: A Fierce Battle

Cheng Wu aimed his fist at the bottom of the river. The impact caused sound waves to radiate outwards, distorting the void and almost tearing right through it.

The sound waves were so intense that they could be seen by the naked eye. It once again caused the nearby section of the Skyfall Cascade to break apart into multiple streams. The water in the cascade even started to flow backwards, in the direction that it had been split.

Ling Que was forced out from the ground, and he spat out another mouthful of blood as he did so. He gritted his teeth angrily as he stared at Cheng Wu. Right in front of his face, his Que's Mighty Slash constantly flickered about, appearing and disappearing from time to time.

Many people were watching on, dumbfounded. It was easy to recognize Cheng Wu since he was the only one in the Top 100 Rankings whose innate gift was a clock. Since this clock had been able to trap Ling Que, many people had instantly thought of Cheng Wu.

Nobody expected that the person ranked sixty ninth in the Top 100 Rankings would suddenly appear in this event, let alone for him to give Ling Que this harsh of a beating. This unforeseen event was something that drew the attention of even Mu Rong and Lu Yin.

Hai Dashao had a calm look on his face. He had expected Cheng Wu to be the most powerful person who was ascending the Skyfall Cascade.

Ling Que panted heavily, his head suffering from a rumbling pain. This asshole had attacked him without any warning! How despicable.

Cheng Wu raised a fist for the third time as he stared at Ling Que.

Ling Que's heart rate spiked. "Wait! You attacked me by surprise. Give me some time to prepare if you're a real man!"

Cheng Wu completely ignored Ling Que and struck down with his fully powered fists.

Ling Que felt helpless; the previous two attacks had left him injured, and he was forced to recognize the disparity between him and Cheng Wu. While Ling Que possessed powerful innate gifts, the only move that Cheng Wu had used so far was his Thunder Punch, but just that alone was enough to restrain Ling Que. That, combined with Cheng Wu's clock, which possessed great defensive capabilities, and his power level of around 40,000, meant that Ling Que stood no chance against him, even if he utilized the Soulsplitting Technique that the Lingling clan was renowned for.

"Hello? Who is this? What did you say? Repeat yourself—did someone dare to come and provoke the Lingling clan? Alright then, wait for me to return to take care of it!" Ling Que suddenly yelled into his personal gadget. He then hopped onto the shore and stared at Cheng Wu as he shouted, "I have something urgent I have to attend to now. Wait for my return, and I'll pay you back for those two surprise attacks." After he was done speaking, he fled.

The entire Sea King's Dome fell silent; this was the best that the Lingling clan had to offer? The unbeatable Ling Que who had unparalleled innate gifts? He had been defeated so easily.

Cheng Wu was stunned as well. He had never, ever achieved such an easy victory before.

Hai Dashao became a bit angry. That little hoodlum had dragged down the standards of this event. First, it had been his paid groupies, and now, it was his shameless escape. He would not let this issue end like this.

Starsibyl had a vague smile on her face. "What an interesting personality he has. I wonder what Ling Gong will do after seeing this."

"Die of anger," Hai Dashao said unceremoniously.

"Sister Qi, that Cheng Wu fellow really is something," a maid praised in admiration.

Hai Qiqi rolled her eyes. "Walking around with a clock is basically hastening the death of a loved one. How inauspicious."

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The maid fell silent.

Ling Que's hasty escape seemed to register something in Lan Yu's mind. He immediately tried to escape from Mu Rong and head for the top. However, he was stopped by Mu Rong yet again.

Soon after that, Lu Yin approached the top of Skyfall Cascade. At this time, Lan Yu had already been defeated and swept off of the Skyfall Cascade.

People started gathering from all directions in front of the sluice gate at the top of the Skyfall Cascades.

In the waterfall to the north, there was no one to compete with Faceless Man. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say that they had all been eliminated by him.

In the northwest, Qin Chen and the man with the innate gift of frost had arrived at the top of their cascade first. They had run into some formidable foes, but the duo had quickly defeated them all. Now, they were the only ones left on that Skyfall Cascade.

In the southwest, Zhang Dingtian, otherwise known as Lan Dao, was first to arrive at the sluice gate. The powerful competitors who had rushed ahead of him had already all been defeated. Closely following behind him was Mu Rong.

On the northeastern waterfall, there was a powerful Explorer as well as Cheng Wu there, and they both were gradually making their way to the top.

At the southeastern cascade, there was only Lu Yin and a man with a pitch-black tattoo on his face remaining. However, at this point of time, the tattooed individual looked at Lu Yin with a hint of fear on his face. "Something is strange about this sluice gate. Let's team up to open it."

Lu Yin looked at the sluice gate and moved straight ahead. The tattooed man felt his heart start to race. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going over to take a look. Why? Are you going to stop me?" Lu Yin asked in a rather uncourteous tone.

There was an uncertain look in the tattooed man's eyes. He had seen how Lu Yin battled, and even though he knew that he was more powerful than some of the other participants, he was aware that it wasn't by much. Furthermore, he was injured, and he knew that he was no match for Lu Yin right now. He started racking his brains for ideas. His first thought had been to get a head start, and after arriving at the sluice gate, team up some of the other skilled challengers to fight against Lu Yin. However, that plan had failed since he had not been able to open the damn gate.

As he watched Lu Yin get closer to the gate, a ruthless glint entered the tattooed man's eyes. He decided to attack immediately, betting on a wild hope that Lu Yin might also have been injured.

A minute later, Lu Yin was the lone figure standing in front of the sluice gate. The tattooed man from earlier was currently floating downstream along the Skyfall Cascade. He had merely passed out and not died.

Lu Yin placed both hands against the sluice gate and pushed hard, but it did not budge. After some careful observation, he came to the conclusion that the only way to open this gate was by pushing it, but the strength that he had just used was clearly not enough. With that in mind, he immediately used the force of Twenty Stacks, but there was still no reaction.

He raised his head to look at the screens. He saw that Faceless had also been standing in front of a gate for quite some time now, but he was also unable to open it.

"Seventh Bro, the location of the Sea King's Trident most likely has some kind of prerequisite condition that has to be met before it can be accessed. I'm betting that this gate will only open after those conditions are met. Only then will this gate allow us to pass onto the next stage," the monkey guessed.

"What condition?" Lu Yin asked.

The monkey made an educated guess, "I'm guessing that only one person will be allowed to pass through from each of the Skyfall Cascades. If the numbers don't match up, then it will be impossible to open any of the gates."

Lu Yin agreed with the monkey's guess, and he turned his gaze towards the southwestern Skyfall Cascade. That was where Mu Rong was closing in on Zhang Dingtian.

If there could only be one victor for each stream, Lu Yin hoped that it would be Zhang Dingtian. However, he knew that such an outcome was not likely. Mu Rong had been viewed favorably by the Ten Arbiters Council for a long time. Lu Yin had also witnessed Mu Rong's power earlier, and he could only describe it as being unfathomable. It was virtually impossible for Zhang Dingtian to win against someone who was hailed as an unequalled Limiteer.

As the two individuals drew closer to each other, Zhang Dingtian, who enjoyed the high ground, raised his blade in an upright position. His eyes showed his eagerness to do battle, and his hands kept a tight grip on his blade.

Mu Rong twirled his wooden flute around his hands as he moved closer. Mu Rong was much more cautious of Zhang Dingtian than he had been of Lan Yu. People with such firm conviction and fervent spirits were often the most difficult to fight. No one knew when such individuals would display alarming feats of power.

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Although both men were Limiteers, they were also both exceptional experts in the eyes of others. This battle had garnered even more anticipation than many battles between Explorers or Cruisers.

When the two of them were a thousand meters from each other, they both started charging at each other simultaneously. The glint of a sword flashed as Zhang Dingtian sliced out horizontally with his blade. It slashed through the void and left a visible distortion in space where it traveled. Mo Rong spun the wooden flute in his hand around and redirected the sword towards the bank of the cascade.

The shore of the stream was split into two again, and the huge gap caused the water to splash out before slowly spreading further.

The next moment, both men facing each other along a narrow path. Zhang Dingtian struck out with his sword once more, and though it no longer contained its previous sheen, it felt even more perilous to Mu Rong. While attacking, Zhang Dingtian was actively restraining the power of his sword and only fully unleashed it when it made contact. The edge of his sword carried the converged full power of the weapon, and right now, the void distorted whenever the edge of the sword passed through it.

This attack, despite not covering the area of a domain, still enveloped a significant region. It was an attack that even Cruisers would struggle to evade.

However, Mu Rong had no intention of dodging. In fact, this sword attack caused him to become even more excited about this battle.

The sword edge clashed against the wooden flute atop the Skyfall Cascade. In that instance, everyone witnessed a white glow contorting within the void before spreading out. Ripples appeared within the void, and a portion of the Skyfall Cascade vanished. The ripples from the battle spread further out until it reached the river bank, causing this area of the Skyfall Cascade to be greatly enlarged.

Many people present could not determine if it was a strong gale or waves of sword qi that had crashed into the cascade banks and pierced the ground. It was fortunate that they had all landed on the midpoint of the mountain and that there was no one in close by. Otherwise, the aftershock definitely would have killed a bunch of people.

Boom!

With a thunderous sound, both the men plunged to the bottom of the waterway. The water in this section of the cascade was completely blasted away, and the two men clashed even as the murky sediment at the bottom obstructed them. After a moment, another white ripple spread out. Since the clash had taken place underwater this time, the Skyfall Cascade was split in two.

With his wooden flute in his hand, Mu Rong pushed Zhang Dingtian towards the top of the Skyfall Cascade. Everyone watched on with bated breath; was this really a battle between two Limiteers? Since the space around the Skyfall Cascades had been reinforced, the various battles so far had not contained many visual effects to wow the spectators. Despite that, everyone could sense the terrifying power level that the two men possessed.

Lu Yin looked at the screen; it was clear to him that Zhang Dingtian was suffering from the disadvantage in this exchange. Mu Rong was just too strong, and if Lu Yin was not wrong, Mu Rong had used a battle technique to evade both Zhang Dingtian and Lan Yu's attacks earlier. It seemed to be a formidable battle technique that helped him evade attacks from those whose strength was near what Mu Rong possessed. Furthermore, since Mu Rong had been able to match Zhang Dingtian's attacks with his own, it showed that even when there were not any battle techniques in play, Mu Rong still possessed impressive personal skill. Although Mu Rong looked deceptively weak, he possessed an unimaginable destructive strength.

However, what scared Lu Yin the most was that wooden flute. A wooden flute should be used to play music, not to clash against a sword. Mu Rong still had not displayed his full strength yet.

Atop this Skyfall Cascade, Zhang Dingtian was very close to Mu Rong. The long sword in his hand was no match for Mu Rong's strength, but Zhang Dingtian had an excited look in his eyes; this was a top-tier competitor—a Limiteer just like himself. Ever since Zhang Dingtian had made a name for himself in the Grayweed Continent, he had yet to meet such a challenging opponent within the same realm as him. He raised his eyes, and his gaze darted across the screens before finally stopping at the screen that showed the northeastern Skyfall Cascade, where Lu Yin was standing before the sluice gate.

Lu Yin was not mistaken; this man was indeed Zhang Dingtian, though he was now using the name of Lan Dao. Zhang Dingtian knew that Lu Yin was here as soon as he had arrived at the Sea King's Dome, but he had not reached out to Lu Yin since he wanted to meet him during battle. Zhang Dingtian would never forget the moment back in the Great Yu Empire when Lu Yin had entered the Astral Combat Academy. Zhang Dingtian had only been able to watch on as a bystander while Lu Yin slowly scaled the ranks, from the Astral Combat Tournament to the Tournament of the Strongest. All of Lu Yin's accomplishments had been witnessed by Zhang Dingtian.

No one could understand how unresigned he had been to the fate of watching Lu Yin climb to the apex. They had left Earth at the same time, but they were still worlds apart in terms of accomplishments. This was something that Zhang Dingtian just could not accept; and yet, he felt no jealousy nor resentment towards Lu Yin. Instead, he steadfastly chose to focus on improving his own abilities. He had realized his dream at this moment by finally earning the chance and the right to be on the same platform as Lu Yin. This was not a chance he was willing to give up on.

Crunch!

Cracks suddenly started to appear on his sword, and Zhang Dingtian's pupils shrank as he looked at Mu Rong. With a calm look in his eyes, Mu Rong exerted even more force through the wooden flute, causing the cracks in Zhang Dingtian's sword to spread.

Zhang Dingtian loss would be sealed if his sword broke.

With a cold look in his eyes, a dark gold glimmer started to appear, and it sheathed the sword, reinforcing it.

"Five-lined battle force! It's five-lined battle force!" someone exclaimed.

The Sea King's Dome was suddenly sent into a frenzy. It was extremely rare for someone at such a tender age to comprehend five-lined battle force, and this matter shocked even Hai Dashao. To date, the only individual known to have achieved five-lined battle force at such an age was Lu Yin. Even Lan Yu had only managed to comprehend four-lined battle force so far. But now, there was a second person who had achieved such a feat.

"Is he the exception you were referring to?" Hai Daoshao asked Starsibyl, his eyes full of longing.

When she saw Hai Dashao's gaze, Starsibyl smiled in reply. "Are you hoping for me to tell you that he is the one?"

Hai Dashao's gaze flared for a moment before returning back to normal.

"It looks like you rather admire him," Starsibyl casually .

Hai Dashao remained silent.

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Chapter 450: Unequalled Status

Starsibyl did not say anything else. Although Zhang Dingtian's performance was extraordinary, his opponent was Mu Rong, who was unequalled within the Limiteer realm. That designation had not been made by just one Arbiter, and even she had to acknowledge his power. Mu Rong's power fundamentally exceeded the Limiteer realm.

Now that Zhang Dingtian's long blade was supported by his battle force, he was able to withstand Mu Rong's blow. The tip of the blade spun and sliced out in an instant, but Mu Rong leaped up to avoid the blade while his wooden flute tapped towards Zhang Dingtian's skull. The swordsman raised a hand to grab the wooden flute, and with the support of his five-lined battle force, his strength surpassed the limits of what Mu Rong could bear. The blade in Zhang Dingtian's right hand rose up as he firmly slashed out. He knew that Mu Rong had not used his full power yet, but that didn't stop Zhang Dingtian from putting his all into this attack.

Now that Zhang Dingtian had grabbed the wooden flute, Mu Rong only had two options available. He could either abandon his flute and dodge the approaching sword, or he could attempt to forcibly withstand the attack.

In the end, he decided to take the second option. Mu Rong made no attempts to evade the sword.

Zhang Dingtian had survived countless battlefields. He had started off as a soldier on Earth, and he was not afraid of death or massacres. His blade ruthlessly struck out, causing many to feel numb since it gave off an impression of being unblockable. Would Mu Rong die here at the Sea King's Dome?

Whoosh!

Shockwaves rippled out in all directions, and the water beneath Mu Rong and Zhang Dingtian's feet was repulsed by the sheer force. Zhang Dingtian's blade stopped less than a centimeter from Mu Rong's head, at which point it could not move any further. Additionally, the void in that area had gone deathly silent. A bizarre phenomenon had emerged; right beneath the two combatants' feet, within one of the Skyfall Cascades, green grass appeared as the vague image of a farmer boy herding cattle appeared in the void.

Everyone stared dumbfoundedly at this scene. What was this?

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. This was a forcefield, which could only be displayed after one comprehended their domain to a certain degree, and they were able to alter the natural environment. During the Tournament of the Strongest, a woman named Zi Jun, who was from the Cosmic Sea's Longevity Brigade, had revealed a forcefield, one which allowed her to change the environment around her into a jade color. Liu Shaoqiu's Fourth Sword was capable of a similar feat, but there were too few people who could reach such a stage. Lu Yin himself had made zero headway in this matter, but now, Mu Rong was displaying such an impressive ability.

Though both of them had comprehended forcefields, Mu Rong's forcefield was clearly much stronger than Zi Jun's. His forcefield even had a faint image of a farmer boy and cattle within a picturesque green landscape, and the image almost seemed alive. This was a level of a domain that Lu Yin could not understand.

It wasn't only Lu Yin who was lost; Zhang Dingtian similarly could not understand this forcefield. His blade had just been blocked by an imperceptible strength.

Suddenly, the wooden flute shook, causing Zhang Dingtian to lose his grip and retreat several steps back. A crack sounded out from his long blade, and Mu Rong's wooden flute was pressed up against his chest before he could react. "You're very strong to be able to reach such a step."

Zhang Dingtian still wanted to retaliate with his broken blade, but he discovered to his shock that he was completely suppressed within this space.

"What's your name?" Mu Rong looked at Zhang Dingtian seriously.

"Zhang Dingtian."

Mu Rong had a solemn expression. "I'll remember it."

He then exerted some strength through the wooden flute and sent Zhang Dingtian rapidly flying away. He was flung towards the bank of the waterway, crash landing in a mountain before finally falling into a field.

Everyone in the Sea King's Dome watched the scene unfold. They had assumed that Mu Rong was in a crisis, but the final outcome was very different from their expectations. Zhang Dingtian was exceptionally powerful, and he clearly surpassed Lan Yu, but he had still been powerless before Mu Rong. The more strength that Zhang Dingtian revealed, the stronger Mu Rong seemed to become.

Lu Yin's face turned grave; Mu Rong would be a formidable opponent, the likes of whom he had not encountered before. Just like Tian Hou, Mu Rong was on another extreme level compared to his peers.

"Seventh Bro, I never thought that there could be another Limiteer who could still threaten you. This person is scary!" the monkey commented.

Lu Yin shifted his gaze and looked at Zhang Dingtian. Fortunately, even though his old comrade had suffered severe injuries, he was still conscious. He was looking at his broken blade and seemed to be considering his options.

In a hidden area of the Sea King's Dome, Ling Que had a similarly grave face. A flare of competitiveness appeared in his eyes; he was not convinced of Mu Rong's strength and truly wished to fight against him. Unfortunately, Ling Que had left the selection earlier than he had expected.

All eyes were currently focused on Mu Rong, as he was the most dazzling participant up to this point. Even when Faceless, Qin Chen, Cheng Wu, or even Xun Jiong's group were taken into consideration, everyone was overshadowed by the strength that Mu Rong had just revealed.

Even Hai Qiqi was stunned. "What a powerful farmer."

The maid behind hesitated, "Sister Qi, he's Mu Rong, not a farmer."

Hai Qiqi rolled her eyes. "He carries a flute and herds livestock. What is he if not a farmer?"

The maid had no comeback.

"Mu Rong, Mu Rong, I love you! Mu Rong, Mu Rong, you're the best!"

"Mu Rong, Mu Rong, I love you! Mu Rong, Mu Rong, you're the best!"

At the middle section of the mountain, the cheerleaders became even more energetic. Although they could not climb up and get any closer to Mu Rong, they were even more dazzling right now. Things had developed to the point where some of the screens were even providing closeup shots of the cheerleaders.

The Skyfall Cascade returned to normal, and the water roared as it continued flowing down. Mu Rong stood above the water and looked at the screen, specifically at Qin Chen and Faceless. Then, he calmly turned around and headed towards the top of the mountain.

From start to end, he had never even spared a glance for Lu Yin. It appeared that he could not be bothered to acknowledge either Lu Yin or Ling Que.

Hai Dashao looked appreciatively at Mu Rong; once this person became an Explorer, he would immediately enter the very top of the Top 100 Rankings. Hai Dashao could not even guess what the limits of this person were , and he deserved his title of an unequaled Limiteer.

If this person pulled out the Sea King's Trident, then Hai Dashao would not oppose it. Could Starsibyl's exception be this person?

Hai Dashao himself was not aware that even though he had repeatedly stated that he did not care about Starsibyl's divinations, deep down, he truly cared about the so-called "unexpected outcome" would be, which was a sign of his increasing belief in Starsibyl's abilities.

Mu Rong had beaten Zhang Dingtian. As a result, he was the only person left on the southwestern Skyfall Cascade.

At this point, on the five cascades, only the northwestern Skyfall Cascade still had two participants remaining: Qin Chen and the man with the innate gift of frost. Everyone turned their attention towards the screens showing those two. n-(𝚘)/𝑣(-𝖊/)𝓵)-𝔅-)I-/n

No one here was a fool. Since even Faceless was unable to open the sluice gate, the only possible explanation was that the conditions to open the gates had not been met yet. Those conditions should be for there to only be one person from each of the cascades at the top of the waterways.

"Who are you?" Qin Chen asked the cold-looking man in front of him. Even when he racked his brain about all the experts on the Top 100 Rankings, he couldn't remember anyone who matched this person's characteristics. This person was no weaker than Qin Chen himself, so if he was not a part of the Top 100 Rankings, it meant that he was a hidden powerhouse who had never made an appearance before.

The cold man replied, "Che Han."

Qin Chen was flabbergasted as he had indeed never heard this name before; this person was a genuine hidden expert. The universe was too large, and the Top 100 Rankings did not include all the experts, so it was not too surprising that a hidden expert that could rival the Top 100 existed.

"Between you and me, only one of us can remain," Qin Chen said in a low tone.

Che Han hefted his long spear. "I won't lose."

Qin Chen's eyes narrowed. "I won't, either."

Then, his star energy morphed into an inescapable net that moved to envelop Che Han.

Che Han had assumed that his spear would be able to pierce through the net yet again, but Qin Chen had already come up with a response: a series of continuous nets. However, Che Han raised his spear upright and placed it beside him, causing a cold pulse of ice to suddenly burst forth from his body in the shape of flames. The ice engulfed everything around him and was much stronger than any power he had previously displayed.

Such a powerful frost energy stunned Qin Chen, and his net was frozen in an instant. The frost continued moving along the lines of star energy that connected the trap to Qin Chen's body, forcing Qin Chen to immediately sever the star energy and retreat as fast as he could. Beneath him, the Skyfall Cascade's water rapidly froze, while at the same time, Qin Chen's face turned pale; the blood in his body had nearly froze over as well.

Che Han grabbed the spear and stabbed out once more as the five ringed pattern appeared at the speartip again. Qin Chen continued backing away, as he had carelessly assumed that Che Han's innate gift would not be this powerful. His mistake had landed him in his current disadvantageous position. It would take him at least a minute to dispel the frost that had invaded his body, so he could only endure Che Han's attacks for a minute.

Che Han had a deeper understanding of how frost affected bodies than most. When he saw Qin Chen's expression, he knew that his opponent had been afflicted with severe frostbite, and that the frost was spreading at a much quicker rate than before. After making this judgement, Che Han's spear lit up with a cold aura that took on the shape of flames. This visual struck fear in the audience's hearts, and even Qin Chen knew that he would find it hard to go on.

Based on absolute power level, Qin Chen was actually weaker than Che Han, who was a peak Explorer who would break through to the Cruiser realm with just one more step. This was why Che Han was currently holding the advantage. Qin Chen's net had also been countered by Che Han's innate gift, and everyone felt that Qin Chen's defeat was just a matter of time.

No one could have imagined that Qin Chen, who had been given the highest odds of success in the overall selection, would not even be able to pass the sluice gate.

No one in the Sea King's Dome had thought that this would happen. Many people immediately tried to search for more information on Che Han's background, but they all found nothing.

Northgate Lie stared at Che Han; he had originally wanted to defeat Qin Chen, but his target had suddenly changed. He now wanted to experience this person's innate gift.

"Sister was right. There are many people who are not listed within the Top 100 Rankings yet are no weaker than those who are," Michelle muttered to herself as she looked at Che Han on the screen.

Little Pao nodded. "Mentor has said that the universe is too big. Even in just the Outerverse, there are hidden experts."

He then looked over at Bo Junior in the distance, and hatred appeared in his eyes. That person was like a viper. He had locked onto the brothers the moment he had arrived at the Sea King's Dome. However, there was a low probability that Bo Junior could actually capture them, as the Pao brothers had removed the tracker from their bodies a few days ago.

At the northwestern Skyfall Cascade, Qin Chen's defense eventually fell apart under the onslaught of Che Han's attack. The coldness with the appearance of flames filled the air, and the net froze the moment the strange cold aura appeared. The frost continued to invade Qin Chen's body by traveling back through his star energy, which forced him to not use his Inescapable Net anymore. His most powerful battle technique had been sealed away, and Che Han was using his spear to beat Qin Chen silly. He was sent flying backwards by a single strike, and he spat out a mouthful of blood when he raised his head in shock.

Che Han lashed out with his spear once again, and the frost rose sharply as the rest of the Skyfall Cascade started to freeze. Qin Chen stared closely at the speartip, and his eyes suddenly went wide when the tip was only about a meter away from him. He clapped both of his hands together, causing an enormous net that covered both banks of the waterway and enveloped the entire area to appear. This was the true Inescapable Net.

The frost rose like smoke, but it was obstructed by the Inescapable Net this time. Although the net still started freezing over, it did not happen as quickly as before. Qin Chen had been hiding his strength all along.

This was the second time he was clashing against Che Han, and he was fully aware that he was at a disadvantage. He had laid out his Inescapable Net step by step, and as long as it completely contracted, it could entrap Che Han within it and display its most powerful strength.

However, there was one thing that Qin Chen had not considered—had Che Han used his full strength? This was answered when his Inescapable Net was broken by the frostflame, which even had a ceramic luster to it at this point. This was Fireglass Frost, which was Che Han's innate gift and also the manifestation of his power as the strongest member of the Royal Frost Continent's younger generation.

The Fireglass Frost directly smashed into Qin Chen's Inescapable Net while the ice with the strange luster moved towards Qin Chen's direction, whose eyes shrank as he leaped towards the shore, panting heavily.

Moving to the bank of the waterways was akin to admitting defeat. The Fireglass Frost stopped and gradually dissipated before the Skyfall Cascade bubbled and started flowing once again.

There was only one person remaining on the northwestern Skyfall Cascade now: Che Han.

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Chapter 451: Tease

Mu Rong's battle with Zhang Dingtian shocked the onlookers with their sheer strength while Qin Chen's battle with Che Han shocked them due to the contrasting reputations. Qin Chen was ranked eighty eighth on the rankings, but Che Han was unranked. This meant that a nobody had just created a miracle. Although such an incident did not call the validity of the Top 100 Rankings into question, it showed many just how vast the universe was and that not every powerhouse had a reputation that matched their skills.

There was another matter as well; now that Che Han had defeated Qin Chen, he had replaced Qin Chen at the eighty eighth rank. When the list was updated, those behind Che Han would be pushed back by one, and the person ranked at a hundred would be kicked off of the list.

"Seventh Bro, I feel like the most miserable person must be the one ranked 100th. No matter whatever happens in front of him, that person will be gone. Don't you think that they must live a miserable life, day after day?" The Ghost Monkey found it strange.

Lu Yin looked at Che Han on one of the screens. He had clearly seen the previous battle, and he had also seen a wreath of five interlocking plum blossoms. This Che Han was from the Royal Frost Continent, but Lu Yin had thought that the people there never interacted with the outside world. So why had this person appeared here now? Also, there was no way that this person's status within the Royal Frost Continent was simple either.

Five Skyfall Cascades meant the birth of five powerhouses, and everyone looked on expectantly, as this final exchange was the most awaited one.

Starsibyl's gaze was deep. She looked at the sky, but it was unknown whom she was looking at.

Hai Dashao was not satisfied with any of the final five participants, as he had been the most pleased with Zhang Dingtian and Qin Chen. However, they had both been defeated. There was always someone stronger no matter how powerful one became.

As Che Han walked towards the gate, all of the Skyfall Cascades' sluice gates rumbled simultaneously.

Lu Yin's eyes flashed, and he raised a hand to exert a bit of force on the gate. The gate released a grinding sound, but it could move now. His eyes narrowed, and he used more strength, trying to force the gate open. Behind the gate were five canals that converged at the Sea King's Trident. Whoever pulled it out would become the Sea King's son-in-law.

The true competition to become the Sea King's son-in-law had begun at this moment.

But everyone seemed to have forgotten that the people who were climbing up the Skyfall Cascades were just those who had qualified through their strength. There was actually still another batch of participants who had qualified through their good looks. The moment the sluice gates opened, the people who were a part of that second group received a notification. They all moved to a teleportation device that was right beside the lake where they were gathered. n𝐎𝒱𝗲(𝓵𝕓-In

Xun Jiong felt excited, as it was finally their turn to take to the stage. He was very confident in his looks, and as long as he received the Sea King's daughter's admiration, the Xun family's status in the universe would undergo a tremendous change. He had to put on a good performance, and the thought of the potential future caused his lips to naturally rise into a dazzling smile that could enchant thousands of girls.

Nearby, Hart Phoenix was a bit nervous since he did not know if he could capture the Sea King's daughter's heart, what she looked like, or even if his elder brother would blame him if he failed here. Looks could not be changed, though Hart Phoenix was truthfully very handsome.

Xia Luo was much more relaxed, as he had never intended on marrying the Sea King's daughter in the first place. He maintained his peaceful demeanor, and everything about him was calm.

Many good-looking men were gathered beside the lake. There were a few dozen of them, far more than the number of people who had qualified through their strength.

Hai Qiqi looked at the screen expectantly while the four maids behind her also looked on eagerly. All of the men on the screen were handsome lads, and the group was visually stunning.

"Sister Qi, show some mercy with your words. They are very handsome!" one maid was smitten.

The other maids nodded, similarly in agreement.

Hai Qiqi snorted. "As long as they are unattractive, clear them out. This princess doesn't care. Who asked them to be ugly and still dare to come out and scare others."

The maids felt helpless.

However, Hai Qiqi and the others continued waiting, but not a single person arrived. Instead, these handsome figures appeared not far from the Sea King's Trident, behind the sluice gates of the Skyfall Cascade.

Everyone was stunned, including Hai Qiqi.

What's going on? Xun Jiong looked around him before suddenly turning to face the other direction. It was then that he saw the Sea King's Trident a hundred meters away from him. He had a bad feeling; where was the supposed competition of their looks going to take place?

Xia Luo was astonished, but he merely blinked as his lips rose up in a smile. Interesting.

The handsome man who Lu Yin had encountered on the ship while they were sailing to the Sea King's Dome's felt his heart sink, and his face slowly paled. He was not stupid, and was a horrible premonition surfaced in his heart.

These pretty boys had appeared in a very awkward location: right between the Sea King's Trident and the five freaks who had just passed through the sluice gates. The freaks' target was precisely the Sea King's Trident, and what would they do to get to the trident? Clear out all obstacles. In other words, the group of eye candy was about to face off against the five freaks.

"Wha- what's going on? Are we supposed to try to pull the Sea King's Trident out as well? Is this a joke?" someone shouted, as he was just a mere Sentinel. His difficulty lay in not whether or not he could pull out the Sea King's Trident, but rather whether he could even hold it.

Many of these pretty boys did not have a deep cultivation. Of course, there were those who were slightly stronger, such as Xun Jiong, who was a Limiteer, and an elite Limiteer at that. However, the word "elite" was only in reference to average cultivators, not the people currently in front of them. Who were they? Freaks! Freaks among freaks!

Hart Phoenix took a deep breath; the Phoenix family did not shy from battle, not even when against a monster like Lu Yin.

"Brother, what's happening? Wasn't it agreed that I could pick a handsome man? Why did things change?!" Hai Qiqi shouted into her gadget.

At the edge of the Skyfall Cascade, Hai Dashao pursed his lips and instantly disconnected without even replying. What a joke! How could a super powerhouse such as the Sea King select a son-in-law based purely on their physical appearance? Being attractive without having any power was no different than being a straw bag. Even if he was nothing more than a manservant for Qiqi to order about and enjoy, such a person had to have some power. Otherwise, their family would become a laughingstock!

Starsibyl was not surprised, and she interestedly looked at the group of handsome men gathered beside the Sea King's Trident. It went without saying that when these people all stood together, it was indeed rather pleasing to a female's eyes.

Countless people in the Sea King's Dome were also stunned, as the scene had changed too drastically, to the point where they could not even accept the situation. How badly did the Sea King hate handsome people for him to have prepared this trick for them? However, countless people were cheering at this moment, especially the men. No one would feel good if one of these good-looking people became Sea King's son-in-law just based off of their looks. After all, what use did a pretty boy have? Many people preferred for one of the five monsters to be chosen.

Big Pao nearly set off firecrackers in celebration, as his confidence in his own looks had been trampled upon during the verbal lashing he had received at the entrance of the Starfall Sea. But now that these handsome men had been made fools of, he was extremely happy.

Michelle and the rest were all stunned as well. The Sea King truly knew how to fool around, and these pretty boys' must have reached the pits of despair now.

Indeed, the current Xun Jiong felt a little hopeless, as the Xun family regarded this competition for the Sea King's son-in-law quite highly. As long as he was selected to become the Sea King's son-in-law, the Xun family would be able to break away from the Daynight clan's clutches. However, all of these hopes were dashed with this development, as one figure slowly walked over: Lu Yin.

A smile crept onto Lu Yin's face when he saw Xun Jiong. It almost felt fated that they would meet, even in distant areas of the universe.

There was a cry as a dashing man suddenly charged towards the Sea King's Trident, his gaze firm. He was one of the rare Explorers in the group of pretty boys, and as long as he pulled out the spear, he would become the Sea King's son-in-law. Thus, in his mind, there was no need to compete against those freaks.

Quite a few others came to their senses and hurriedly rushed over as well.

However, right when they drew close to the Sea King's Trident, the atmosphere suddenly became incomparably heavy as the void distorted visibly. The group of handsome people who had charged forward were thrown backwards by an invisible attack, and countless wounds appeared on their bodies that perfectly resembled gunshot wounds.

Everyone shivered with fright, as the Sea King's Trident was not something that could be easily pulled out.

Hundreds of meters away from the Sea King's Trident, Faceless, Che Han, Mu Rong, Cheng Wu, and Lu Yin stood in five different directions. Each took one side as they faced both the Sea King's Trident and the stunning men.

The eye candy looked like a herd of sheep that was surrounded by tigers, their eyes filled with helplessness.

Truthfully, there were some powerhouses who were both attractive and powerful, such as Ling Que and Mu Rong. However, the truly powerful ones could not be bothered to qualify through their looks, and they had all barged up the Skyfall Cascades. This meant that the visual disparity between the handsome group and the monstrous five was not too great.

Their backs were to the Sea King's Trident while in front of them were the five freaks. This was an inescapable situation.

Lu Yin felt his respect for the Sea King increase by a thousand points, and he really wanted to see him. He was very curious about how ugly the man had to be, for him to come up with such a twisted prank for these poor, pretty fools.

"Seventh Bro, go on! Hehe. It must feel great to bully these delicate sheep." The monkey urged with a strange laugh.

Lu Yin's lips quirked up as he stared at Xun Jiong. Then, he charged forward ferociously. His action was like a starting gun, and the other four all suddenly acted as well. In that instant, the crowd watched on as a disturbing scene unfolded. It was as if adults were ganging up to beat up little kids. Aside from a limited few who could endure a few strikes, the majority of the handsome men were directly sent flying.

Lu Yin grabbed for Xun Jiong, whose eyes shrank. He had not brought the Gear Construction Technique's unique metal with him, so he could not exchange even a single blow with Lu Yin. "Brother Lu, please, everything was Xun Tao's schemes. The whole matter was entirely unrelated to me. Please show some mercy to me for the sake of the Xun family's reputation."

Although the Sea King's son-in-law selection was not being broadcasted across the entire universe, if the scene of him being swatted into a sorry state was recorded and spread, it would still be a blemish in the future. Xun Jiong believed that he was destined for loftier accomplishments, and there was no way he was willing to carry such a humiliation on his record.

However, Lu Yin did not bother answering him. Instead, he gruffly grabbed Xun Jiong's shoulders and exerted some force through his palms. The sounds of breaking bones came out from Xun Jiong's shoulders, and he glared at Lu Yin with vengeance in his eyes as he lashed out with both palms. The star energy within Xu Jiong's hands morphed strangely, forming an abnormal round shape that suddenly exploded. This was the Xun family's Gear Construction Technique, which focused on expanding from a small size to a powerful attack through the assembly of refined star energy.

Xun Jiong's power was pretty decent for a Limiteer, or else he would not have been qualified to participate in the Outerverse's trial in the past. However, the current disparity between him and Lu Yin was too great and his attack could not harm Lu Yin in the slightest. Lu Yin withstood the attack with just his body and his battle force. Then, he squeezed Xun Jiong's shoulders tighter until the Xun family heir was howling in grief as his shoulders broke.

Lu Yin released him with a casual slap, sending Xun Jiong flying across the area and crashing into the ground near the Sea King's Trident.

Lu Yin had thought things through, and he knew that openly killing Xun Jiong would provoke the Xun family. They were powerful, and he was unwilling to create a mortal feud with them. The hatred that he felt for Xun Jiong was not enough to push Lu Yin to kill the young man. However, if this person died from the Sea King's Trident, then it would not be Lu Yin's fault. Although the Xun family would still blame him, he would also have his own justifications to fall back upon.

Xun Jiong felt half of his body go numb, but he could not escape. He could only look on, helpless, as he flew towards the Sea King's Trident, only to be sent flying again after approaching within ten meters of the Sea King's Trident. Xun Jiong spat out a mouthful of blood and crash landed in a distant canal, his status unknown. He fell into one of the Skyfall Cascades, and after the stream carried him along, he would eventually be found at the lower levels of the waterway.

Atop the Sea King's Dome, Xun Tao and the rest glared furiously at Lu Yin before rushing for the lower regions of the mountain to look for Xun Jiong.

"Lu Yin, it's been a long time!" A golden colored Undying Bird soared behind Lu Yin right after he sent Xun Jiong flying. Hart Phoenix had never given up on his desire to challenge Lu Yin, and even in these current circumstances, he wanted to battle and prove his ambition. First, he wanted to satisfy his personal desire to fight Lu Yin, and secondly, the Sea King's daughter might even be fond of people with blazing determination.

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Chapter 452: In Front Of The Sea King's Trident

Lu Yin spun around to suddenly face Hart Phoenix. "You have some balls to challenge me when you haven't even broken through to become a Limiteer."

Hart yelled out, "It'll be more of a challenge this way!"

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes and curtly replied, "You're just asking for a beating."

After saying that, Lu Yin stretched an arm out towards the gold-colored Undying Bird. Hart Phoenix did not expect that Lu Yin would use his bare hands to contest the Undying Bird's flames; that was simply courting death in his eyes. Lu Yin was up against the golden Undying Bird, the top innate gift of the Phoenix clan, and its high temperatures were enough to melt anything in the bird's path. It was clearly a foolish decision to touch it with one's bare skin.

Back during the Astral Combat Tournament, Sha had utilized a combination of his domain and innate gift to freeze the golden Undying Bird. Back then, Hart Phoenix's understanding of his own power had not been as deep, as he was confident of defeating Sha now. As for someone using their bare body to contact the flames of the bird, just the idea was laughable. If the golden Undying Bird was something that could be handled in such a cavalier manner, the Phoenix clan would not have become the terrifying force to be reckoned with that it was.

And yet, Hart was destined to suffer a heavy loss this day. He had first been toyed with by the Sea King, and now, he was facing off against Lu Yin, whose actions managed to upend Hart's entire understanding of the world. That was because he clasped the golden Undying Bird within his hand like a small chick before holding as if he was about to cast it aside like a piece of trash. "Go and play somewhere else."

Hart's mouth dropped down, gaping wide open; why was this happening? Was Lu Yin's physical body really that strong? Hart was unresigned to the fact that Lu Yin could withstand the golden Undying Bird's flame with his body, so he started preparing to launch a counter attack. However, the very next moment, a cold sensation filled his body. The golden Undying Bird had been frozen, and it fell onto the ground with a thud.

Hart was dumbfounded. This time, his golden Undying Bird had been frozen by Che Han. When he saw his innate gift freeze over once again, Hart Phoenix was forced to question his life; why had his golden Undying Bird been frozen so easily?

The frozen golden Undying Bird was reminiscent of an incomparably beautiful art piece as it plummeted into the middle of the Skyfall Cascade. Hart soon followed, being washed away by the water just like Xun Jiong before him.

Everyone fell speechless as they watched the events at the top of the Skyfall Cascade unfold. The sight of a handsome man being washed away by the river would entertain anyone. At the beginning of the selection, Lu Yin and the others had gathered at the middle of the mountain that was the Sea King's Dome and then battled against each other as they slowly made their way up the Skyfall Cascades. This contrasted sharply against those people who had been given preferential treatment and taken straight up to the top level of the Sea King's Dome. But now, they were all being wrung out of the mountain through the flowing waters of the Skyfall Cascades.

It was the complete opposite of before, as the only thing that mattered now was one's personal strength.

Many people were perplexed. What did the Sea King actually want? Had he ever been concerned about how attractive the potential groom was, or did he have some kind of vendetta against those who were too attractive? The entire matter was very strange, but one thing was certain; one's own abilities were still the most fundamental determiner.

At the southwest section of the Skyfall Cascade, beside the water bank, Zhang Dingtian held his broken sword in his hand. As he raised his head and looked at the screens, another person was washed onto the shores of the river. Would Lu Yin be able to defeat Mu Rong? That was the question Zhang Dingtian was pondering.

"Xia Luo is in trouble! He's up against Mu Rong!" Little Pao yelled out with a terrified cry.

Michelle and the others all looked in the same direction. Xia Luo was indeed getting closer to Mu Rong, and they were currently only merely three meters apart.

Mu Rong did not go out of his way to attack Xun Jiong and the others, but he would attack whoever was in his path. And as it turned out, Xia Luo was standing right in front of Mu Rong with his back towards the unequaled Limiteer. Xia Luo was looking at Faceless, his eyes full of contemplation.

Mu Rong raised his wooden flute and struck out, aiming at no particular target. Everyone had witnessed how powerful his wooden flute was, and even a random attack from it struck fear into the hearts of all who saw it.

Xia Luo's expression changed when he sensed that something was amiss as he moved aside to evade it. Right in front of him, the wooden flute reappeared, headed straight for his upper arm. Mu Rong had not put much force behind this attack, and his attack could even be called lazy. Xia Luo responded in kind and dodged it without much effort, narrowly avoiding the wooden flute as he took a step back. He was not hurt in any way, aside from his cloak being slightly ruffled by the passing flute.

Mu Rong was flabbergasted. He immediately turned around and cast a stern look at Xia Luo. His attack had not merely been throwing the wooden flute, as he had also locked down the space around him since it was within the range of his domain. The fact that Xia Luo had been able to dodge it so easily caused Mu Rong to seriously reevaluate Xia Luo.

Xia Luo spoke with a smile on his face. "I am sorry for blocking your path."

Mu Rong scanned the man in front of him with his eyes and then stared cautiously at Xia Luo. His expression became increasingly astonished before he replied, "I made an error in judgment. You are stronger than I had thought."

Xia Luo shrugged his shoulders. "Still not as strong as you, though. Goodbye." And with that, he turned around and left.

Mu Rong did not stop him, but as he watched Xia Luo walk away, he had an irresolute look on his face; could his senses have been wrong? Mu Rong had felt his star energy being diffused earlier, and it had not been from some ordinary lockbreaking ability.

Xia Luo and Mu Rong's brief skirmish had drawn the attention of many others, including Lu Yin. Xia Luo was truly strong if he could force even Mu Rong to take him seriously. Such a look on the unequalled Limiteer's face had only ever appeared when he faced off against Zhang Dingtian. Not even Lan Yu possessed the capability to force Mu Rong to be serious.

Little Pao and the others heaved sighs of relief. It was a good thing that Xia Luo had not been embarrassedly thrown off of the mountain since they all had very good impressions of him. The man was kind to others, and although no one knew what he was ruminating about all the time, he did not give off a dangerous air. These qualities made him an ideal teammate.

Xia Luo's distance from Mu Rong increased, but he did not leave the area within the sluice gates. Instead, he headed straight towards Faceless, the cold glint in his eyes condensing until it was a freezing look as he approached him. This cold glare was directed away from the view of Lu Yin and the others, and only Faceless could see it.

Faceless, with a swift attack from his sword, hacked at a handsome Explorer and forced him to the ground. With fresh blood splashing onto his feet, Faceless looked up as Xia Luo moved closer to him step by step. His ugly facial features were distorted, but his eyes remained calm.

Xia Luo stared at the ugly man, his brows locked together. Although Lu Yin could not see it, Michelle and the others could see his expression on the screen. Xia Luo was showing an expression that they had never seen before.

"Hey, is Xia Luo really going to challenge this man to a fight? Even though that guy's really ugly, he's ranked seventy second in the Top 100 Rankings. That's even higher than Qin Chen's ranking!" Big Pao blurted out in an exaggerated fashion.

Lulu clenched her fists tightly. "Good luck, Xia Luo! Don't be afraid."

Coco was worried. She preemptively took out her giant syringe, obviously ready to heal someone at any given moment. However, her actions were in vain since she was not even allowed into the middle part of the mountain, let alone anywhere near the peak.

At this moment, aside from Xia Luo, all of the other people who had gotten in due to their looks had been eliminated. There were now only six people in the area surrounding the Sea King's Trident, and Xia Luo was an anomaly.

Among the six people, Che Han was the closest to the Sea King's Trident, merely thirteen meters away from it. Cheng Wu was the closest after Che Han while Lu Yin was more than a hundred meters away from both Cheng Wu and Che Han. However, Lu Yin was less than twenty meters away from Mu Rong.

Mu Rong turned around and looked at Lu Yin before quickly redirecting his attention towards the Sea King's Trident. He still did not see Lu Yin as a serious threat. As far as he was concerned, this man was unlike Zhang Dingtian. Mu Rong had felt Zhang Dingtian's resolve and boldness the moment Zhang Dingtian drew his sword, but Mu Rong did not feel the same sort of resolve coming from Lu Yin.

Even though the two Limiteers had very similar reputations, Mu Rong was not the type of person who paid much attention to others' reputations. There were just too many people out there who fought for fame. Having said that, Mu Rong did not take Lu Yin lightly either, and he had to admit that Lu Yin was a worthy opponent. He might possess the same fighting strength as Zhang Dingtian, but he would not gain much from fighting someone at that level as victory would be nearly guaranteed.

Among those with similar reputations, Ye Xingchen was the only one who interested Mu Rong. As a powerful Limiteer who dared to barge into the Cosmos Sea, his resolve and determination could only be that of an extraordinary person's.

"Seventh Bro, I have this nagging feeling that that guy is looking down on you," the monkey said in an angry voice.

Lu Yin had sensed this as well, but he was not too bothered by it. Instead, he focused on the Sea King's Trident and began to slowly make his way towards it.

With a swoosh, the tip of a blade brushed past Lu Yin's side and into the ground. In the distance, Faceless and Xia Luo had begun doing battle.

Lu Yin was puzzled as to why Xia Luo did not retreat. Even more surprising, he had started battling against Faceless. Even though Xia Luo was quite powerful, it was unlikely that he would be able to defeat the 80th ranked individual of the Top 100 Rankings. So, why did he want to fight?

On the other side of the area, Che Han was now within ten meters of the Sea King's Trident. As soon as he reached that distance, he clearly felt a sharp, threatening aura emanate from the weapon. Even though the trident was stabbed into the ground, its aura still gave off attacks that were so threatening that even he was scared of them. Sharp attacks pierced through the void and left a giant tear in his clothes.

This was the innate power of the Sea King's Trident. It's attacking prowess would grow the closer one moved closer to it. It was a good thing that it was still within a range that Che Han could handle. Since this was a part of the tasks for the Sea King's son-in-law selection, the intensity was not that terrifying.

In front of Che Han, his Fireglass Frost froze the air. The white cracks within the layer of ice intensified and widened the closer he drew towards the trident. Each attack from the trident also caused the cracks to deepen.

Everyone watched on nervously. The Sea King's future in-law would be one of these six young men. n-)O𝗏𝗲1𝚋In

All of a sudden, Cheng Wu rushed into the ten meters range of the Sea King's Trident. Without any warning, he threw a punch straight at Che Han.

Che Han had constantly been on guard against Cheng Wu, and he retreated as soon as the large clock touched any part of his body, allowing him to narrowly avoid being trapped by the clock. If he was trapped, he would have ended up in the same situation as Ling Que. As he spun his spear around and entered a horizontal blocking position, Cheng Wu threw another powerful punch at the spear. "Thunder punch!"

A deafening sound rang out that caused the air to implode the void to distort. Visible claps of thunder spread out in all directions as Che Han's spear was bent out of shape by the powerful punch. The impact of the attack forced Che Han to retreat a dozen paces, and he wore a pained look on his face as blood started pouring out of his ears.

It was no surprise that Cheng Wu was the strongest competitor there. He was ranked 69th in the Top 100 Rankings, but he showed no mercy to these weaker opponents. He was also an expert at launching sneak attacks.

Che Han's head was still spinning when the large clock started creeping over towards him again. If he was caught by it and forced to receive one more Thunder Punch, he would suffer a fate no better than Ling Que's.

Che Han hurriedly retreated more than ten meters away from the Sea King's Trident.

Cheng Wu was suddenly all alone in front of the Sea King's Trident. He threw a glance at Che Han before moving his gaze to Mu Rong and Lu Yin. Finally, he looked at Faceless, who was still fighting Xia Luo in the distance. His gaze then moved back to the Sea King's Trident, and he started to make his way closer to the trident, his large clock encasing him within it.

Che Han's eyes turned icy as he threw his spear straight at Cheng Wu, a wreath of five interlocking plum blossoms appeared in a dazzling manner even as the void froze. The Fireglass Frost appeared again, shrouding both the sky and ground. The power of this attack was enough to send Qin Chen running for cover, but it had no effect against Cheng Wu. Che Han's attack was not even enough to pierce through the large clock. Cheng Wu continued inching closer towards the Sea King's Trident, until he was only about three meters away from the trident.

The tip of a huge blade violently swung down onto the large clock, the impact resulting in a resounding twang sound. Cheng Wu was momentarily stunned, and when he raised his head, he saw Faceless; Xia Luo had exited the area and left the battle.

Cheng Wu narrowed his eyes. He exited from the large clock and threw a punch at Che Han, who was the closest to him. Meanwhile, the large clock flew into the air and formed a barrier between him and Faceless. He had unexpectedly chosen to fight against both of them at the same time.

Cheng Wu's goal was to become the Sea King's son-in-law. He had grown up in a poor environment, and if it were not for his innate gift and fortuitous encounters, he would never have made it this far. He had absolutely no background to speak of, and he understood how painful such a thing was. What he needed was a strong backer, something that the Sea King could undoubtedly provide him with. To achieve his goal, he had not concealed his identity when he entered Sea King's Dome. Additionally, he had not hesitated to launch a sneak attack against Ling Que, just to ensure that he would not be hurt in their exchange. He was now literally a step away from his goal, so he was going all out to demonstrate his value before the entire Sea King's Dome.

The ones who threatened his position the most were Faceless and Che Han. The other two, powerful as they may be, were only Limiteers who could not even penetrate the defenses of his large clock. They were not worthy of his consideration; the Sea King's Trident was his to seize!

The three powerful Explorers fought an intense battle merely ten meters away from the Sea King's Trident. In front of them were Lu Yin and Mu Rong, who calmly watched on. They did not join in the battle, but neither did they retreat.

Mu Rong did not have much desire to become the Sea King's son-in-law. Lu Yin, on the other hand, was simply hoping that someone else would grab hold of the Sea King's Trident first.

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Chapter 453: Lu Yin And Faceless

Lu Yin was certain that the Sea King's Trident would not be easily pulled out, or else the competition might be upended by a freak accident. Ever since he had been swallowed by the storm, Lu Yin's cautious nature had returned. He would let the others go first while he stayed back, which meant that he could try after verifying that there was no danger. He was not too interested in pulling out the trident itself; it was merely his curiosity that was driving him to stay.

He truly did not want to become the Sea King's son-in-law; Ming Yan was still waiting for him!

So, under the countless gazes of the Sea King's Dome, a strange scene appeared around the Sea King's Trident. Three participants fought while the other two watched.

"What's going on? Mu Rong, go on and defeat that Lu Yin to become the true unequaled Limiteer!"

"Go on, fight, Lu Yin! Don't be scared!"

"I'll be damned! Bastard, who are you saying is scared?" Big Pao rolled his sleeves up and stared at the nearby man.

The man rolled his eyes. "Of course it's Lu Yin! He doesn't even dare to move! He can't even compare to Ling Que."

Behind them, Ling Que overheard the conversation since he coincidentally happened to be passing by, but he had somehow been implicated in the current situation. However, this Lu Yin really did appear to be scared; he should at least make a move!

"Which of your eyes saw that Lu Yin doesn't dare to act? He's thinking of countermeasures, unlike a stupid bull like yourself who would just recklessly charge ahead. Who knows how many times you would have died by now if you were there!" Big Pao raged.

The man was speechless. "What stupid bull?"

"Alright, don't mind the details," someone urged, who was Lulu.

The man was stumped. "You two must be together."

"Mu Rong, Mu Rong, I love you! Mu Rong, Mu Rong, you're the best!"

"Mu Rong, Mu Rong, I love you! Mu Rong, Mu Rong, you're the best!"

The cheerleaders suddenly burst out with an energetic cry, drowning out all the other people's clamor. Many stared at the cheerleaders blankly. Why had they started shouting again? How professional!

"Lu Yin looks to be quite apprehensive of Mu Rong," Little Pao said gravely. n-)O𝗏𝗲1𝚋In

Michelle's face had a complicated expression. "Mu Rong is very strong. When my sister just graduated from the Astral Combat Academy and became an Explorer, Mu Rong was only a Melder. They fought, but their battle ended halfway with no clear outcome. My sis said that it's very difficult to defeat Mu Rong."

Zora was shocked. "Are you saying that Mu Rong as a Melder was able to compare to an Explorer?"

Michelle nodded.

The crowd was speechless. "Hold on, a Melder fighting against an Explorer? Why does that sound familiar?" Little Pao muttered.

"The border warfront, Lu Yin," Meng Yue replied.

Michelle was taken aback, and she looked at Lu Yin again. She had also forgotten that this person had fought at the border warfront, where he had exchanged blows with an Explorer while still at the Melder realm. Lu Yin had even repelled Zi Tie, an astral beast with a robust defense. Her sister, Mira had mentioned this to her before.

The others also remembered that Lu Yin had accomplished such a feat once it was brought up.

The crowd looked at Lu Yin, as they had all forgotten Lu Yin's past glory after being intimidated by Mu Rong's reputation. Lu Yin's battle results were not inferior to Mu Rong's in the slightest.

When the two were directly compared, it also became clear that the number of years that each had spent cultivating were quite different. These two were true geniuses.

Cheng Wu, Che Han, and Faceless's battle became even more ferocious, and all three had left the ten-meter radius of the Sea King's Trident by now.

The area covered by Che Han's Fireglass Frost widened even more, and it had already reached Mu Rong's feet. This had been done intentionally, as he wanted to drag Mu Rong and Lu Yin into the fray.

Cheng Wu was not concerned about the two he was currently fighting; he was more worried about Mu Rong. That person made him feel uncertain about things.

When he felt the frost creep beneath his feet, Mu Rong stepped forward, approaching within ten meters of the Sea King's Trident, and continued moving forward.

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to him when he neared the Sea King's Trident, but Lu Yin made no sign of moving to stop him.

Countless in the Sea King's Dome had already sworn at Lu Yin, as they believed that Lu Yin was terrified to fight against Mu Rong.

Zhang Dingtian looked at the screen. He knew Lu Yin, and he felt that Lu Yin must have his own misgivings.

"Seventh Bro, that brat's about to touch the Sea King's Trident!" the monkey said.

Lu Yin still remained motionless, but that was because Cheng Wu's clock had appeared and was about to smash into Mu Rong.

Mu Rong was only a meter away from the Sea King's Trident when the clock rammed into him.

There was a loud crash, and Mu Rong was forced to retreat as he turned to look at Cheng Wu.

Cheng Wu had a gloomy expression. "Kid, you should do things in an upright manner. You can only touch the Sea King's Trident after you defeat us."

This sentence infuriated Ling Que who was watching through the screens. "Shameless!"

Mu Rong's eyes flashed, and he casually waved the wooden flute in his hand, tearing the frost in front of him apart. "Alright."

His competitive spirit had been triggered, as defeating any of the three people in front of him would land him firmly within the Top 100 Rankings. Although he was not concerned about his reputation, he should do something for that person, as that person had always been protecting him. Among the Ten Arbiters, that person kept too low a profile, and did not have many geniuses working under them. The reason why Mu Rong had participated in this selection was precisely because of this matter: he wanted to improve that person's reputation.

Mu Rong entered the battle and faced the three Explorers who were each within the Top 100 Rankings. He did not back down in the slightest, especially when his wooden flute tapped against the clock. The impact actually caused Cheng Wu to take a step back. Cheng Wu's view of this person completely changed in that moment; Mu Rong actually possessed the ability to break through his defense.

Since Mu Rong possessed such strength, then what about the other Limiteer still on the sidelines?

Cheng Wu glanced towards Lu Yin, feeling that he was a chaotic wildcard in the current situation.

Lu Yin was watching this battle royale from the distance with no intention of intervening. However, when he saw Cheng Wu gaze over, he knew that something was amiss. Sure enough, the very next moment, the clock was crashing towards him.

"Either fight or scram!" Cheng Wu's voice reverberated throughout the Sea King's Dome.

The monkey's voice rang out in Lu Yin's ear. "Who's this? Seventh Bro, smash him!"

Lu Yin released a breath. Pathetic, I couldn't even manage to escape in the end.

There was a crash as the large clock slammed firmly into the ground, causing the earth to split asunder and the waterway to shatter. Lu Yin kicked out with one leg and sent the clock flying back. The next moment, the tip of a blade flew at Lu Yin as Faceless had also decided to act against him, even going so far as to leave the mayhem to attack Lu Yin.

Lu Yin felt that such a move was strange, but he had no time to ponder it over any further.

The Sea King's Dome was in high spirits at this moment, as the competition had reached its boiling point.

Michelle and the others never imagined that Lu Yin would not end up facing Mu Rong, but rather Faceless.

Amongst the five remaining participants, Faceless' strength was second only to Cheng Wu's, which meant that he was terrifyingly powerful. Could Lu Yin even exchange blows with such an attacker?

Lu Yin himself was uncertain, but he had his Fatesand, so he was confident that he would not be defeated that easily. As he watched Faceless slash out with his blade, Lu Yin didn't dare to be careless, and he released the Fatesand in his heart. However, he did not allow it to appear in front of everyone as instead kept it concealed within his clothes. He hadn't been forced to reveal it quite yet.

Without the Fatesand suppressing his physical body, Lu Yin's power increased significantly and quickly reached the same level where he had shattered the Xun family's Gear Construction Technique. He stepped to the side and evaded the blade before quickly retaliating with a strike, blasting the void in the direction of Faceless with a Spacerender Palm.

Faceless' long blade swept over to defend him from the palm. There was a bang, and an enormous strength forced Faceless to take a step back. He stared at Lu Yin in shock, evidently frightened by his monstrous physical strength.

The Mavis family was famous for their strength, but even before Lu Yin had met Mister Mu, his physical strength had already far surpassed Lulu's. Now, after releasing the Fatesand in his heart, not even Lu Yin was sure how powerful he was.

Lu Yin was someone who was so strong that he could even harm himself if he did not control his strength, which was a bit ridiculous.

Faceless sliced out with his blade again, causing the void to quiver, as if the blade was tearing through it. The tip of the large blade streaked past Lu Yin's head and into the sky, slicing the clouds in two.

Lu Yin did not dare to let himself be struck by this blade, as whatever part of his body that wasn't protected by Fatesand would likely be cut. After all, this person was ranked seventy second on the Top 100 Rankings, which was higher than both Northgate Lie and Qin Chen, and Lu Yin did not want to become a disabled cripple. He lunged forward to directly suppress Faceless with a Thirty Stacks Fortyfold Shockwave Palm.

Faceless' blade spun around and sliced up from below. He did not use the tip this time; instead, he gathered all of his force onto the edge of the blade, which made it feel even more ferocious than before. Lu Yin used his powerful body to forcefully avoid it through the void. He moved his body through pure force, and even though it looked like he had only moved a small distance, the degree of difficulty was so high that even Mu Rong might not even be able to duplicate the feat.

After successfully evading Faceless' blade, Lu Yin's palm directly connected with the ugly Explorer's abdomen at full force. Faceless was about to move again, but his expression became one of shock, and he paused. Then, his body was sent flying, and he was blasted towards where the Sea King's Trident was stuck into the ground.

Countless were stunned at this scene, as Lu Yin had actually repelled Faceless.

Cheng Wu also never expected that Lu Yin could display such strength; his power had wildly surpassed Cheng Wu's imagination.

Mu Rong was even more shocked, as this person's physical body was just too powerful.

Lu Yin remained standing in the same place, also with a confused expression. Faceless' strength should not have been sent flying that easily, and he definitely should not have been injured that severely. However, Lu Yin suddenly thought back to the sensation he had felt when his palm had made contact with his body. Under his palm, Faceless' body had let a familiar power seep out. Although it had only been for a moment, Lu Yin was certain that he had felt that power before. But what exactly was that force?

It felt both familiar and foreign to him. He had experienced it before, but at the same time, he could not recall it at all.

From the moment he had first obtained a formcast model on Earth, Lu Yin had cultivated for about four years. That was not a long time, and so, Lu Yin believed that he should be able to remember everyone who he had fought again as well as all the forces and energies that he had experienced before. This force gave him a familiar feeling, and he had definitely felt it before, but where exactly?

From afar, Faceless crashed towards the Sea King's Trident before flipping around in midair. He redirected the excessive force into the ground, and even after embedding his blade into the ground, he continued sliding in the same direction for another ten meters before finally coming to a stop. He looked up, and a trickle of blood stained his lips as he gazed at Lu Yin in amazement. This gaze was not due to Lu Yin's strength, but because he had encountered something unexpected.

Without any hesitation, Faceless charged towards Lu Yin with extreme speed, raising his blade to slice out in a straightforward manner. However, through the void, Lu Yin could feel that the power of this attack did not even reach a third of the previous, so he did not dodge. His five-lined battle force burst forth, and one of his hands grabbed the back of the blade while the other pressed against Faceless' abdomen. Just as he was about to attack Lu Yin's opponent spoke. "What is the purpose of your presence here? Have you been sent on a new mission?"

This sentence caused Lu Yin to stop the Thirty Stacks that was about to erupt out, and he reduced it to a normal attack to push Faceless away. He kicked out, and Faceless was once again kicked far away.

Many of the onlookers were stunned, as the expert ranked seventy second on the Top 100 Rankings was currently being suppressed by a Limiteer.

Hai Dashao frowned and found the matter strange; the strength that Lu Yin displayed should not be enough to accomplish such a thing.

Starsibyl's eyes also flickered with a trace of puzzlement.

Northgate Lie's eyes were even wider, and he was in disbelief at seeing Lu Yin actually fight against Faceless. Even after enjoying Northgate Taisui's guidance, Northgate Lie could at most rival experts ranked at around eightieth on the list. Faceless definitely surpassed him, so did this mean that Lu Yin was really that strong?

Ling Que was even more incredulous, but the facts were right in front of him. He had been defeated by Cheng Wu, and after Lu Yin defeated Faceless, he would surpass Ling Que's own reputation. This also meant that Ling Que would step onto the Top 100 Rankings after Lu Yin, which was unacceptable. Get it together, Faceless!

Finally, Lu Yin remembered where he had encountered that force before: it was death energy. Lu Yin had once rolled six pips: Possession and then Possessed the body of a member of the Specter Clan, and that experience had familiarized him with death energy. It was no wonder why he had not recalled it until now; it was not his own strength.

Since it was death energy, Faceless' identity was now obvious: he was from the Specter Clan.

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Chapter 454: Probing And Order

The Specter Clan was a branch of the Neohuman Alliance and was very mysterious. However, why was Faceless acting so courteously towards Lu Yin? It had even gone to the point where he was speaking deferentially to him.

Lu Yin could not understand the situation, and he watched as Faceless attacked once again. Lu Yin leaped up, and battle force covered his body as he struck out against the tip of Faceless' blade. An enormous shockwave swept out in all directions, and although it seemed intense, it was actually not that powerful.

Faceless had not used that much strength when he swept his blade out, but Lu Yin's right hand left a mark on his stomach for the third time as the Overlaying Stacks penetrated his body. Lu Yin's face changed, as he felt the strange strength of that death energy again. This time, he also noticed that this energy was being suppressed by his attacks.

Faceless was knocked into the waterway, raising a huge commotion among the audience.

Even Che Han, Cheng Wu, and Mu Rong slowed their battle to look over. Lu Yin's performance was a little too mind-blowing since he was suppressing Faceless.

Lu Yin jumped into the waterway and broke away from the stares of countless people. He pressed one hand against the hilt of Faceless' knife and stared at him. "Quickly get rid of Feng Mo and the Bo Duo."

Since Faceless had acted so deferentially towards him, he had made this gamble to see if Faceless would obey his commands as well. It would be great if this person listened, and it did not matter if he didn't. After all, Lu Yin could just pass his words off as a mistake.

Faceless softly and feebly replied, "We don't have enough manpower for the mission."

"Give up your mission," Lu Yin barked in a voice that demanded deference.

Faceless immediately acknowledged his orders. "Yes."

Lu Yin's heart jumped. Was that it? That had been too simple! Besides, why was this person being so respectful towards him? When he possessed that Specter Clan member in the past, he had not been able to go through that many of the person's memories since he had mostly been preoccupied with watching the event unfold before him, until his host body had died at the hands of that Yōu Elder whose power level was in the hundreds of thousands. Thus, Lu Yin had not gathered that much information from that Possession session.

Lu Yin reviewed his battle with Faceless and realized that there was only one possibility: he was the one who was suppressing the death energy. That energy was the Specter Clan's distinctive trait, and no one else other than them could have it. Lu Yin was very clear on this point. Could the death energy also be what determined one's status within the clan?

Lu Yin had suppressed Faceless, which indicated that he held a higher status, so Faceless had to obey Lu Yin. But now, the question was, how could Lu Yin suppress his death energy in the first place? He did not even understand the energy's principles, and he had not used any special battle techniques, so just how had he suppressed the death energy?

Death energy, death… Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck through Lu Yin's mind. Could it be the Arcane Art—Fatal Revival?

The Fatal Revival Art had a suppressive effect towards a body's self-recovery abilities, and it had even restrained Zhanlong Daynight's Daynight Restoration Technique. Could it also possibly have a similar restraining effect on death energy?

Lu Yin did not have too much time to dwell on the subject. The two young men dashed out of the waterway and clashed again, both of them being knocked back simultaneously this time.

It looked like a draw.

This scene made Cheng Wu raise his brows, as Mu Rong and Lu Yin's powers were proving to be beyond his expectations. This situation was not what he wanted to see, so he immediately turned towards Che Han and Mu Rong. "Let's take care of those two first."

Che Han and Mu Rong did not bother with him, but those words had been heard by Lu Yin. He turned around to stare at Cheng Wu and then looked towards Faceless. "The clock man is the strongest. Get rid of him first." Then, he attacked Cheng Wu himself.

Cheng Wu's brows twitched. Clock man? Was that supposed to be him?

Faceless did not hesitate and moved his blade to hack at Cheng Wu.

Not only did Lu Yin and Faceless attack Cheng Wu, but Mu Rong and Che Han also joined in at the same time.

Cheng Wu felt like he was about to choke on a dead housefly. "Stop!"

But his words were drowned out by four powerful attacks—Che Han's Fireglass Frost, Mu Rong's wooden flute, Lu Yin's Skybeast Claw, and Faceless' knife.

Cheng Wu was strong, and he could overpower everyone else present, especially with the indomitable defense of his large clock. However, no matter how strong his defenses were, it still could not withstand these four powerful attacks at once. Even though he used the clock to block them, Faceless' knife still landed squarely in Cheng Wu's chest, the gaping wound readily visible under the sunlight. Cheng Wu looked infuriated, and he howled angrily.

"Thunder Punch." He then attacked his own large clock.

There was a loud bang, and the sound wave transformed into a thunderclap that pulsed outwards. A visible white shockwave swept out, disturbing the water within the canals and even shattering the surrounding areas. n-)O𝗏𝗲1𝚋In

This was Cheng Wu's strongest strike, and the other four participants felt their brains being jostled against their skulls as they developed splitting headaches.

Cheng Wu hated Lu Yin at this moment, as he had been the one to instigate all four people into ganging up on him. He knew that he was already doomed to lose this contest, but he was determined to at least eliminate this person with him.

As he thought about it, he struck out with a punch again, this time targeting Lu Yin. Lu Yin did not move, but Faceless sliced out with his knife to dispel the intense sound wave, and the giant blade continued on moving towards Cheng Wu.

Cheng Wu's eyes narrowed. He used the large clock to surround his body, and another loud bang sounded out.

Lu Yin was astounded, as this person indeed lived up to his sixty ninth rank on the Top 100 Rankings. The clock's defense was admirable, and its defenses still had not been broken yet. It was almost as strong as Lu Yin's Fatesand.

There were no cracks on the clock, but Cheng Wu was not completely unharmed within it. Beneath him, the Fireglass Frost that looked like frozen flames spread out, and it slowly started to extend onto his legs. Cheng Wu's face was deathly pale, and his star energy vibrated to shatter the layer of ice, but in the next instant, green grass spread out from where the shattered ice had just spread to. This was not an unfamiliar scene, as it was Mu Rong's forcefield: the country boy herding cattle.

Cheng Wu had experienced a powerful forcefield before, and he would not fear such a move if he was at his peak. However, he was currently heavily injured, and this forcefield made him feel like he was mired in a swamp. His entire body felt suppressed as the country boy herding cattle transformed into a very simple wooden flute that tapped against his chest. There was a thump, and Cheng Wu was pushed back, landing onto his own clock. The clock slowly dissipated, as Cheng Wu's strength could no longer sustain it.

Plop!

Cheng Wu spat out a mouthful of blood and gritted his teeth. He looked at the four people in front of him. He knew that his momentum was gone, so he did not hesitate to directly dash towards one of the waterways and retreat with the flow of the current. He was not going to struggle without reason; he knew when to give up.

The strongest in the selection, Cheng Wu, had been defeated. There were only four participants remaining.

Everyone looked at the screens. This event was about to end.

Hai Dashao did not feel any regret or sympathy over Cheng Wu's defeat. He was destined to only find trouble since he had been the strongest of the group. And since the strongest had been Cheng Wu, there was no way he would put up too dazzling of a performance. It could only be said that his ego was too inflated.

Starsibyl also didn't feel surprised at Cheng Wu's defeat, but she looked at the screen with interest as she watched the remaining four. How would they battle it out?

At this moment, everyone looked on curiously. Four could be evenly split into two pairs which should then decide the two finalists. Logically, Che Han should fight Mu Rong while Faceless should be face off against Lu Yin. Mu Rong and Lu Yin would probably be eliminated, and the final winner would most likely be either Che Han or Faceless.

However, the previous battle between Faceless and Lu Yin made the crowd now feel uncertain about that prediction, and it was plain to see that the outcome had yet to be decided. At this point, many people also realized that Mu Rong had not revealed his true abilities yet, as he had only shown a movement technique and his forcefield. He still had not used any attacking battle techniques or his innate gift.

Mu Rong's abilities were just too immeasurable, and he had hidden his strength even deeper than Che Han or Faceless.

Michelle and the others also looked at the screen with complex expressions. They had thought that Lu Yin had just been going through the motions here, so they had never expected him to reach this final stage.

Since he had reached this point, they were hoping that Lu Yin would not fail at the final step. Being friends with the Sea King's son-in-law had a terrific ring to it.

"Speaking of, if junior becomes the Sea King's son-in-law, will we still need to be afraid of Feng Mo and the Bo Duo?" Little Pao asked loudly, fully intending for Bo Junior to hear him.

Bo Junior felt uneasy, and he looked apprehensively at the screen, hoping to see Lu Yin fail.

In another area of the Sea King's Dome, Feng Mo and Bo Senior felt nervous as well. So what if they were Hunters? Against the Sea King, it would be as if they were Lu Yin's group against themselves. No, Lu Yin's group had still been able to escape from them, but the Sea King would definitely not allow the three of them to flee.

At the lower reaches of the Skyfall Cascade, the group of losers were rescued, and Xun Jiong was pulled out of the water as well. He had been beaten rather badly to the point of losing consciousness. Even after being rescued by Xun Tao and the others, he could barely open his eyes. He cast a venomous glare at the screen. "I, Xun Jiong, am not a man if I don't take revenge for this grudge!"

Xun Tao felt helpless. You better pray that Lu Yin doesn't become the Sea King's son-in-law. Otherwise, forget about revenge. You might even have to curry favor with him.

On the other side of the mountain, Hai Qiqi frantically tried to contact Hai Dashao, but he would not accept any of her calls.

The Sea King's Trident emitted a brutal aura, but the four finalists did not act right away. They only glanced around at each other. It appeared that they were mutually restraining each other.

Faceless suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and left without looking back. He had given up.

Many watched on blankly.

Che Han watched Faceless leave, and his eyes then flashed as he looked vigilantly at Lu Yin and Mu Rong. He was afraid of suffering Cheng Wu's fate. He was afraid that Mu Rong and Lu Yin would team up against him.

However, he was overthinking things. The battle had reached its final stages, so Mu Rong did not intend to continue it any further. He did not want to become the Sea King's son-in-law; he only wanted to lift up that person's name. And in this battle royale, he had used one strike of his wooden flute to defeat Cheng Wu and displayed a nearly invincible forcefield, which was enough to satisfy his desires.

Lu Yin did not plan to act either, but he was rather interested in Mu Rong. He wondered if he should fight against Mu Rong to see who was the true unequaled Limiteer.

"Seventh Bro, it's time to show your might! Use your Fatesand and fight with that Mu Rong! Make him regret his own life!" the Ghost Monkey shouted excitedly. He felt as if he was about to become the strongest Academy Master in the Spiritual Academy.

Lu Yin was also a little moved. With his Fatesand, Mu Rong definitely would not be able to break through his defenses, so Lu Yin was sure that he would not lose. Also, Mu Rong's forcefield reminded Lu Yin of the war spirit that he had met in the separate dimension within the storm space, and he really wanted to fight against a forcefield expert.

However, he could not fight for nothing. He thought about the situation and then looked at Che Han. "I'll hold him back for you. You go and pull out that trident."

Che Han was stunned, and he just stared blankly at Lu Yin. He had originally been indifferent, but his expression now became slightly perplexed. "Why?"

Mu Rong also curiously looked at Lu Yin. Was this person really willing to give up on this chance to become the Sea King's son-in-law?

Lu Yin looked at Che Han. "I want you to owe me a favor. Regardless of if you become the Sea King's son-in-law, you must remember to return this favor in the future."

Che Han's eyes narrowed. "You know where I'm from?"

Lu Yin nodded.

Che Han's gaze flickered. "Alright. I, Che Han, owe you a favor."

He then directly charged towards the Sea King's Trident.

Lu Yin turned to Mu Rong and prepared to fight.

Mu Rong made no indication that he was about to move, and he only casually watched on as Che Han rushed towards the Sea King's Trident. "There's no need to guard against me. I have no intention of interfering."

Lu Yin was shocked. "Don't you want to become the Sea King's son-in-law?"

Mu Rong had a calm gaze, but there was a rich sorrow that was hidden in the depths of his eyes.

Only those from the Ten Arbiters Council knew that Mu Rong had been emotionally scarred in the past. That pain rendered him unable to form relationships with females for the rest of his life.

Countless people in the Sea King's Dome were lost as to what had just happened. Cheng Wu had been defeated and Faceless had left. The remaining three had then somehow reconciled, and no one planned to fight anymore. This was just too strange—what had that life and death battle been for? It was an injustice to Cheng Wu and the rest that they had lost in such a manner.

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Chapter 455: Incorrect Posture

Xun Jiong was so furious that he almost spat out blood when he saw the scene. If these two scoundrels did not intend to compete to the end, then why had they felt the need to beat the rest of them?

Cheng Wu stepped out of the Skyfall Cascade, infuriated as well. Those two bastards didn't even want to become the Sea King's son-in-law, but they had still worked together to eliminate him.

The most furious one, however, was Hai Dashao. The space around him even became unstable, and a crack extended in the void that was obviously suppressed. "What are these brats treating this selection as? They're asking for death!"

Only Che Han truly wanted to pull out the Sea King's Trident, and he proceeded to do so.

No one stopped him, and he effortlessly moved beside the Sea King's Trident. He endured the trident's threatening aura and grabbed it. There was a strangely gentle feeling when his hand made contact with it, and it did not feel as if he had clasped a weapon used to kill.

Everyone stared at him; Che Han was now only a single step away from becoming the Sea King's future son-in-law.

Hai Dashao coldly stared at the arena, not at Che Han and instead focusing his gaze onto Mu Rong and Lu Yin. He did not seem to care whether or not Che Han pulled the Sea King's Trident out.

Che Han exerted some force and tried to pull the weapon out, but it did not budge at all. He was stunned. He then looked at the ground and strained both legs, causing cracks to appear in the ground, and even a pit formed, extending outwards in all directions. Despite all his effort, the Sea King's Trident remained embedded in place, and nothing changed within a meter of the weapon. The ground in that area had fully withstood Che Han's strength.

Lu Yin watched on in amazement, as he had already known that the Sea King's Trident would not be easily pulled out.

Che Han exerted his strength again. His physical strength was not weak, or else he would not have wielded a spear as his weapon. However, even after he used all of his strength, the Sea King's Trident did not move a single inch. Furthermore, it didn't even quiver.

Everyone watched Che Han, the same person who had defeated Qin Chen and was now ranked eightieth on the Top 100 Rankings at the minimum. Even this person could not pull out the weapon, which could only mean that this Sea King's Trident was special.

"Rumor has it that the Sea King's Trident is the Sea King's personal weapon. It has traveled throughout the universe, tasting blood, and countless people want to steal it.This trident itself is an invaluable treasure," someone at the middle section of the mountain mentioned.

"I heard that all of the experts under the Sea King have tried to pull out this trident, but not a single one of them has ever succeeded," someone else added.

A bystander was puzzled. "Such a rumor exists? If that's true, then isn't the Sea King just fooling around by telling them to pull it out as the final challenge of this selection? If even his experts can't pull it out, then how could these kids succeed?"

"Hush! Who knows? Look at what happened to that group of pretty boys—they're all covered in dirt now. It's pretty obvious that they were toyed with by the Sea King, so maybe the Sea King enjoys playing such tricks."

"That shouldn't be the case. I've heard that the Sea King stays in seclusion all year round and doesn't play around."

"It's probably precisely because he's in seclusion all year round! He must be bored."

"He can't be that bored."

Big Pao was rendered speechless as he listened to all the discussions taking place around them. "I never thought that the Sea King would be such a person. Lulu, if your Mavis seniors isolate themselves, then will they end up so bored that they'll want to play around by fooling others?"

Lulu rolled her eyes. "Of course not! Our seniors are all very serious."

Big Pao nodded.

"At most, they'll raise the prices and let everyone feel how difficult it is to earn money," Lulu continued.

Big Pao was dumbfounded. "Lulu, those words would absolutely infuriate people if they heard it."

Coco widened her eyes. "So the rise in price for being treated by our Windrift Hall is because of your Mavis family."

Lulu blinked. "Little brat, what do we have to do with you people raising the price? Don't blame the wealthy for everything."

Coco pursed her lips and then looked at the screen in worry. "Will Brother Lu fight against Mu Rong?"

Lulu was excited at such a possibility. "They better! Then we can see who's really the unequaled Limiteer in the universe."

"Mu Rong, Mu Rong, I love you! Mu Rong, Mu Rong, you're the best!"

"Mu Rong, Mu Rong, I love you! Mu Rong, Mu Rong, you're the best!"

In the back, the cheerleaders continued performing their job as they excitedly watched Mu Rong on the screen.

Che Han exploded with his full power, and his Fireglass Frost distorted the void. Both of his hands were firmly placed on the Sea King's Trident as he strained upwards with a growl.

Upon seeing this scene, Lu Yin and Mu Rong exchanged glances, and they felt that something was wrong. If Che Han failed, it would be their turn next, and if they were unlucky, they might actually pull the trident out, which would mean that they would become the Sea King's son-in-law. As Lu Yin continued thinking about it, he fell into a dilemma and began considering whether he should fight against Mu Rong or just retreat.

Mu Rong reacted faster. He took the initiative to rush into the distance, clearly planning on withdrawing from the competition.

Lu Yin cursed under his breath and headed in another direction, as he had to leave the area before Che Han completely failed.

However, even though their thought processes were correct, their goal could not be achieved. There were two loud bangs as both Lu Yin and Mu Rong were sent flying back at the same time. They had been blasted backwards by an attack.

Lu Yin retreated a hundred meters as an intense pain blossomed in both of his arms. The very moment he had tried to leave, a shadow had flitted by, moved in front of him, and then released a ferocious attack. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly and blocked it with battle force reinforced arms. Otherwise, that strike would have directly landed on his face.

Even with the support of his battle force, his physical body had nearly crumbled from that powerful attack. Lu Yin looked up and saw a furious young man.

On the other side of the arena, Mu Rong was in the same predicament as Lu Yin. He had similarly been pushed back by an attack, also by that same youth.

These two unequaled Limiteers who were still a part of the younger generation had been simultaneously sent flying by the same youth, which shocked them both. This person was terrifyingly powerful.

At the middle part of the Sea King's Dome's mountain, someone cried out, "It's Hai Dashao! Hai Dashao made a move!"

No one had expected Hai Dashao to suddenly appear at this critical final juncture.

Michelle and the rest were stunned, as this person was Hai Dashao, someone who had been famous for a long time. He was ranked seventh in the Top 100 Rankings and was one of the youths closest to the Ten Arbiters' strength. It was no wonder why he had been able to easily repulse fling Mu Rong and Lu Yin back, as he was strong enough to casually crush the both of them.

"Who are you?" Lu Yin asked as he looked at the youth.

The youth clasped both of his hands behind his back. He glanced at Lu Yin and Mu Rong before settling his gaze on Che Han.

Che Han was heaving, but he still had not been able to pull out the Sea King's Trident. He grudgingly released both hands, visibly disappointed.

"Give up. If you can't pull it out, you just can't. You can leave now," the youth spoke arrogantly.

Che Han frowned. "Why?"

The youth remained arrogant. "Destiny is determined by the heavens, and this destiny does not belong to you." n-)O𝗏𝗲1𝚋In

Che Han was not satisfied by that answer as he continued to look at the Sea King's Trident, but in the end, he gave up. He had tried his hardest, but just like what this person had said, if he couldn't pull it out, then he couldn't pull it out. There was no use in trying to force things.

The youth watched Che Han leave and then turned to look at Lu Yin and Mu Rong, his gaze gradually turning colder. "You two, what do you take this selection for? A game that you can join and leave when and however you wish?"

Mu Rong calmly asked, "Are you Hai Dashao?"

Lu Yin was shocked. Hai Dashao? The one ranked 7th in the Top 100 Rankings?

Hai Dashao held his head high. "Since you know it's me, then behave yourself and go pull out the trident. Otherwise, you won't need to leave the Sea King's Dome. No one can save you."

"Why can Faceless withdraw, but not us?" Lu Yin couldn't help himself from asking.

Hai Dashao's lips lifted. "My word is the law here. If you're not happy with it, you can just challenge me."

"Seventh Bro, this bastard's too arrogant! But you should also know your limits. It's not that I'm looking down on you, but I really don't think you should fight this guy until after you become an Explorer," the monkey cautioned.

Lu Yin had no choice, as even revealing his Fatesand would not be enough to withstand the seventh in the Top 100 Rankings. Hai Dashao was a Realmbreaker, and he might even be strong enough to defeat Hunters. There was not too much of a difference between facing him and Feng Mo.

Mu Rong did not hesitate. He immediately turned around and started walking towards the Sea King's Trident. He understood Hai Dashao better than Lu Yin, and he knew that there was no point in talking to him. One just had to follow this person's instructions, as Mu Rong would not be able to leave the Sea King's Dome even if that person came.

Che Han could not pull out the Sea King's Trident, so Mu Rong probably couldn't either. He just had to go through the motions.

Lu Yin did not say anything else, and he headed for the trident as well, just to keep up appearances.

Hai Dashao's eyes narrowed, though he did not expect either of these two to be able to pull the trident out. Still, the Sea King was entitled to a certain amount of prestige, and this selection would become a joke if people could just leave whenever they wished to. Even if it was just for appearance's sake, things had to be done properly.

Mu Rong gripped the Sea King's Trident with both hands, and his eyes went wide as he exerted his full strength to pull upwards. Since Hai Dashao was right there, Mu Rong could not pretend and hold back his strength.

Everyone watched on nervously.

Quite quickly, Mu Rong let go of the weapon. "I can't pull it out."

Hai Dashao snorted and looked at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin had no choice. He slowly walked over to the Sea King's Trident. He gripped the shaft of the weapon with his right hand, but unbeknownst to him, the moment he made contact with the trident, the awakened Fatesand that was hidden in his clothes quivered slightly.

As he looked at the Sea King's Trident, Lu Yin felt that even if he could not pull it out, it would still be fine as long as he could get a slight sense of the Sea King's weapon. Just as he was thinking about it, and right before he was about to grab it with his left hand, there was a tearing sound as the Sea King's Trident left the ground.

At this instance, the Sea King's Dome went completely silent. It had never been so quiet before.

At this time, deep within the Sea King's Dome, a pair of eyes opened, and there was profound shock within them.

At this point, Hai Dashao's mind was a mess.

At this moment, Hai Qiqi fell into despair.

At this instance, Lu Yin felt stunned. What was this? What was going on? The Sea King's Trident had been pulled out? He blankly stared at the ground; he had not even used any strength! He must have been in the wrong position when pulling the trident out. As he thought about it, he looked at Hai Dashao. "Could you insert it in again? Then I'll pull it out again."

In that instant, the Sea King's Dome burst into an uproar, the clamor even reaching the clouds.

Feng Mo, the Bo Duo, Xun Jiong, Northgate Lie, and rest were all completely stunned.

Michelle, Big Pao, Little Pao, Lulu, and the rest were similarly speechless.

"Seventh Bro, congratulations," the monkey said.

Lu Yin clenched the Sea King's Trident, feeling like he had been cheated somehow. How could everyone else have failed to pull it out, but then he had succeeded without using any force? This whole thing must be a scam! He truly had not used any strength.

Not far away, Mu Rong and Che Han both stared at Lu Yin, feeling as if he had just taken credit for all of their hard work.

Beside the Skyfall Cascade, Starsibyl stared deeply.

"So about that, could you please put this back, and I'll try to pull it out again?" Lu Yin asked carefully and nervously.

Hai Dashao stared at Lu Yin, the shock evident in his eyes. Others might not know how difficult it was to pull out the Sea King's Trident, but how could he not know? After all, he himself could not pull it out! His father had mentioned that this was unrelated to one's strength, which meant that this kid's body possessed something that others did not.

"Uh, I'm talking to you. Actually, Che Han or Mu Rong was probably the one who pulled it out, but it was just delayed and ended up in my hands." Lu Yin tried to explain what had just happened, but even he could not quite believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.

"You don't want to marry my sister?" Hai Dashao asked coldly, and with a rather nasty attitude.

Lu Yin felt embarrassed. "It's not that. It's just that this is a mistake."

Hai Dashao sneered before waving a hand and causing all the screens in the sky to disperse. He stepped forward and appeared right before Lu Yin. "Come with me to see Qiqi."

And with that, he grabbed Lu Yin.

Lu Yin wanted to resist the young man, but he gave up after hesitating for less than a second. He could not resist even if he wanted to, so he allowed Hai Dashao to grab his shoulders and pierce through the void, the Sea King's Trident still clasped in Lu Yin's hand.

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Chapter 456: The Sea King And Hai Qiqi

Mu Rong watched Hai Dashao take Lu Yin away before calmly turning around and leaving.

Che Han's expression was very complex. Things had actually turned out in such a way that he owed a favor to the victor.

Michelle and the rest retracted their gazes and glanced at one another.

"I feel that we have a rather impressive backer now," Little Pao muttered.

He suddenly thought of Bo Junior, but when he turned around, he found that Bo Junior had vanished.

"There's no need to look. Feng Mo and the Bo Duo have definitely already left the Sea King's Dome. They aren't stupid, so they won't wait for the Sea King to chase them down and kill them," Michelle said as she looked at the peak of the mountain with a complex expression. Once Lu Yin became the Sea King's son-in-law, his status would experience a complete reversal, and he would not be even one bit below Nightqueen Yanqing.

Michelle was right, as Feng Mo and the Bo Duo had already left the Sea King's Dome in a panic, as their world had been overturned. They had been the hunters for so long, but in the blink of an eye, their prey had become the Sea King's son-in-law! It wasn't only them, but not even the Blackbeard Pirates would dare to casually take action against Lu Yin now. The Sea King carried a formidable reputation.

Zhang Dingtian gathered himself, but he thought that it was a pity that Lu Yin had not fought against Mu Rong.

Ling Que also felt that it was a pity that the two had not fought.

Xun Jiong was exasperated, as who would have expected that Lu Yin would ultimately be the one to become the Sea King's son-in-law.

No matter how much of a commotion there was throughout the Sea King's Dome, Lu Yin was dragged through the void by Hai Dashao until they stopped at a pavilion atop a cliff. Lu Yin saw a familiar face with wide eyes staring at him, though clearly unhappy. It was the pretty maid who had represented the Sea King's daughter on the ship that had brought Lu Yin to the Sea King's Dome.

The two exchanged glances.

"Little sis, I brought your future husband here so that you two could have a chat," Hai Dashao said, only to tear through the void and leave the very next moment. He gave off the feeling that he was fleeing, as though he was afraid of being captured.

The maid reached out, but she could only grab the air since Hai Dashao had already left. "Hmph! You run fast, but I don't believe that you'll never come back. I'll be waiting for you."

Lu Yin blankly stared ahead; if he couldn't figure out what was going on by this point, he might as well have resigned himself to stupidity. The pretty maid who had escorted his group was the Sea King's daughter herself, Hai Dashao's little sister, Hai Qiqi.

The Sea King's daughter had personally run to the borders of the Starfall Sea to act as a maid representing herself, which was a little mind-boggling. More importantly, Hai Qiqi was completely different from what he had envisioned.

Rumors had it that the Sea King's daughter was ugly beyond comparison, which was why the Sea King was looking for a handsome husband—to improve the genes of the Sea King's descendants. Of course, Lu Yin had not believed such rumors, as no heir of the various great powers would be ugly. But what was the matter with her vicious tongue? It insulted others incessantly and with great variety, and she even used novel sayings each time.

"Lu Yin, did you know that there's an everlasting truth in the universe?" the pretty maid, no, Hai Qiqi asked as she looked at Lu Yin with a stern gaze.

Lu Yin was stumped. A truth? He looked seriously at Hai Qiqi and wondered if this was related to the Sea King's Dome.

"What truth?" he replied solemnly.

Hai Qiqi looked at the sky with a melancholic face. "A flower can be thrown onto a dung heap… A pile of dung such as you actually managed to grab a hold of me."

Pfft!

Nearby, the four maids could not hold their gentle laughter back.

Lu Yin choked, but he couldn't even think of a retort for a moment.

Hai Qiqi sighed, "What exists between us is not some destined union, but is more what connects beauty and the beast together. A union between us is ill-fated, so…" At that moment, she directed a serious face towards Lu Yin before going on to say, "Just give up. We won't ever be happy together. Even though you used all your strength to pull out the Sea King's Trident, we won't ever be happy together. Maybe I can talk to father and allow you to spend your life with the Sea King's Trident, so just don't bother me, alright?"

Lu Yin was angered, as he had been struck by her poisonous tongue as soon as he arrived. Was there no law in these lands? Also, when had he used all of his strength to pull out the trident? He could swear that he had not used any strength. It would actually be more accurate to say that the trident had leaped up by itself.

"Rumors have it that the Sea King's daughter, Hai Qiqi, is incomparably ugly and can't wait to be married off. However, there's no need to create such a scam either. Let me tell you something—that trident practically jumped out on its own. I didn't use any force at all. This whole thing must have been set up by Hai Dashao so that he could marry you off. Speaking of things, how difficult is it to marry you off? To think that they needed to resort to such petty tricks," Lu Yin retorted without restraint. He rarely verbally attacked anyone, but he had no choice when faced with Hai Qiqi. Otherwise, he would be abused by Hai Qiqi's malicious words until he started doubting his entire life. This brat was capable of generating caustic insults until the end of time.

Hai Qiqi grew furious. "Nonsense! Even my second brother can't pull it out, so how could he have set anything up?"

Lu Yin's eyes flashed. "Even Hai Dashao can't pull it out? In that case, how could I have possibly managed to do such a thing? Think about it—this must have been orchestrated by the Sea King in order to marry you off. What a scam!"

"His Majesty has been in seclusion for such a long time that there's now way he could have set it up! Your intelligence is even inferior to that trident's!" Hai Qiqi shouted.

Lu Yin was about to retort again when a cough suddenly sounded out. The two stopped and turned to look to the side.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." The four maids bowed respectfully.

Nearby, a middle-aged man was silently watching Lu Yin with a gentle smile. He was tall and sturdy, though his appearance did not quite match up to his reputation. Lu Yin thought to himself, This is the Sea King? He doesn't seem that much different from some next door uncle. He doesn't have any of the prestige that's normally associated with a powerhouse! He can't even compare to Northgate Taisui.

When Hai Qiqi saw the Sea King, she ran over and pouted. "Father, brother's gone too far this time! He wants to ruin me by marrying me off to this dung heap!"

Lu Yin's eyelids twitched. You're the cow shit! Your whole family's cow shit!

The Sea King lovingly patted Hai Qiqi's back. "Be a good girl and don't cry. You can't say such things. He isn't a dung heap. Obedient daughter, don't cry. Don't make such remarks, as people are not a pile of dung. That's offensive."

Hai Qiqi wiped the corners of her eyes, even though there were absolutely no tears there. She softly replied, "Alright, he might not be a dung heap, but he barely counts as a person."

"Haha, that's better! One must have manners when speaking." The Sea King was very happy as he looked at Hai Qiqi in a contented manner.

Lu Yin was dumbfounded, but at least he now knew where Hai Qiqi had learned to speak so maliciously. This Sea King was nauseating!

The Sea King comforted Hai Qiqi for a moment, and then he turned to look at Lu Yin with a smile. "Kid, what's your name?"

"Lu Yin."

"Lu?" The Sea King's eyes flashed, but then his lips curled up. "That doesn't sound very good. Change it to Hai Yin."

Lu Yin was speechless, as he felt no desire to speak any further.

"So you're the one who pulled my trident out?" the Sea King asked. As he spoke, the Sea King's Trident automatically flew into his hand, and he stored it away. Beside the Sea King, Hai Qiqi glared at Lu Yin with an intimidating expression.

Lu Yin grudgingly replied, "Junior did not pull it out. Rather, that trident leaped out by itself. How about this, Sea King? Could you reinsert it and let me try to pull it out again? This junior promises that it won't be pulled out this time."

Hai Qiqi's eyes gleamed, and she hurriedly tugged at the Sea King's sleeves. "Yes! Father, look at how malnourished he is! It would be too much for him to even kill a chicken. How could he have possibly been strong enough to pull the Sea King's Trident out? There must have been a mistake somewhere."

Even though Hai Qiqi's words were unpleasant, Lu Yin still accepted them. At the moment, the thing he wanted the most was to get away from this father and daughter duo. In fact, the further away he was, the better!

The Sea King beamed at Hai Qiqi. "You're a good girl, and father understands. Alright, you go on ahead, and I'll think about how to handle this matter."

Hai Qiqi expectantly replied, "Father, you can't throw your daughter to this dung heap! You've said that the universe's truth is something to be destroyed."

The Sea King remained serene. "Relax, father understands."

"Seventh Bro, you really can't shake off the title of being a dung heap." The Ghost Monkey was amused at the situation.

Lu Yin glanced to the side at this weird father-daughter pair. One day, if he was able to, he would definitely bury the entire Sea King's Dome in cow shit.

Hai Qiqi left and took her four maids along with her, leaving only Lu Yin and the Sea King atop the cliff.

"Kid, your surname is Lu, so where are you from?" the Sea King gently asked Lu Yin.

Lu Yin shook his head. "I don't remember. I lost my memory."

The Sea King was amused, and he looked deep into Lu Yin's eyes.

Suddenly, Lu Yin found that he could not shift his gaze away. He was stuck in the same situation again; it was just like when Mister Mu had asked if Lu Yin belonged to "five" or "six" and Lu Yin had answered that he didn't know. At that time, Mister Mu had looked into Lu Yin's eyes, and it was the exact same as this current scene.

The Sea King also caused Lu Yin to be unable to shift his gaze, which showed the strength of a powerhouse. Compared to the two powerhouses, the current Lu Yin was like a small child tottering around.

After a while, the Sea King shifted his gaze away, seemingly paying no heed to what had just happened. "So, what did you feel when you pulled the Sea King's Trident out?"

Lu Yin hurriedly replied, "Sea King, please overlook this matter. Junior truly did not use any force. It was that trident that leaped out on its own."

The Sea King laughed. "So are you saying that I arranged things in order to force you to wed my daughter?"

"Of course not! However, there must be some mistake in this matter. I request that the Sea King look into this matter, and this junior is willing to attempt to pull it out again."

"There's no need. I am the one who understands the situation concerning the Sea King's Trident the clearest. Pulling it out once will cause you to be so weary that it will be impossible to pull it out the second time." The Sea King spoke with certainty.

Lu Yin was speechless, "But senior, it's true. Junior did not even use an ounce of force."

The Sea King seriously sized him up and down. "Don't mind what Qiqi says. That brat is hypocritical, so you don't have to feel inferior. I am selecting a son-in-law today, and whoever is capable of pulling out the Sea King's Trident will become my future son-in-law. Even if they are a dung heap, they will become the universe's most expensive dung heap."

Lu Yin blinked. So the crux of the matter was that he was still shit? Also, which eye did this guy use to see that Lu Yin felt inferior? He also enjoyed his own backing! n-)O𝗏𝗲1𝚋In

He wanted to say something to recover some of his face, but the Sea King waved a hand. "I know, I know. A man must keep up with appearances and needs some dignity. However, pulling out the Sea King's Trident is an honor for you, or do you actually believe that you qualify to become my son-in-law on your own merits? Let me tell you something. I would even dare to say that the direct descendants from the major clans are not qualified."

Lu Yin wanted to speak, but then the Sea King glared at him. "Or, could it be that you do not want to become my son-in-law?"

That one sentence caused the entire Sea King's Dome to change.

The sunlight above them vanished, the Starfall Sea started boiling, and the entire region became spatially unstable. It felt as if the apocalypse had arrived.

Most people stared blankly at the sky, as only the people of the Sea King's Dome understood that the Sea King was furious.

In that instant, Lu Yin felt an unprecedented and terrifying strength envelop him. This strength was different from Northgate Taisui's, and it was even different from the Seven Courts Elder's. The Sea King's strength felt undefiable, as if he were the ruler of the heavens.

This was the strength of an Envoy! Only a few Envoys existed throughout the entire universe. Even the network only contained some scattered pieces of information regarding Envoys, none of which could have prepared Lu Yin for this.

Lu Yin could acutely feel the pressure, as just a glance from such a powerhouse was enough to cause a heaven-toppling scene.

The Sea King's strength appeared quickly, but it disappeared just as fast. After no more than a split second, the Sea King's Dome returned to normal while the Sea King resumed his middle-aged neighboring uncle's appearance that did not match his power.

He smiled at Lu Yin.

This time, Lu Yin felt terror well up in his innermost being. He had forgotten that this person was a super powerhouse who could toy with his life. Perhaps this was the strongest powerhouse he had ever met.

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Chapter 457: Pyrolyte

"What? You don't want to talk?" The Sea King smiled at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin took a deep breath, but the monkey's voice rang out in his brain at that moment. "Seventh Bro, watch the attitude! You've got to watch your attitude! This is the Sea King! The master of the Starfall Sea! Smile! Hurry up and fix your expression!"

Lu Yin immediately screened his right arm off and faced the Sea King with a respectful demeanor. "This junior does not know what to say."

The Sea King clasped his hands behind his back and looked out at the Starfall Sea. "Then you don't need to say anything. Since you have pulled out the Sea King's Trident, then you will become the Sea King's future son-in-law. It's fine if Qiqi doesn't acknowledge you, as you just have to do one thing now." He then paused and solemnly looked at Lu Yin before continuing, saying, "Cultivate well and quickly break through to the Explorer realm so that you won't bring shame to the Sea King's Dome's reputation. Only then can you truly wed Qiqi."

Lu Yin's brows jumped, and he was reminded of Ming Yan. He wanted to reject the Sea King, but he was not some hot-headed youth, and he knew that his own feelings meant nothing to the Sea King. In fact, the Sea King's wrath could completely destroy Shenwu Continent, and mentioning anything related to her could bring disaster to Ming Yan or even the entire Shenwu Continent.

Lu Yin's small amount of status might be enough to cause the Daynight clan to hesitate slightly, and maybe even some other powers as well. However, it was not enough to dissuade the Sea King in any way. The Starfall Sea was a very special area, and the Sea King was an Envoy. Regardless of if it was the Lockbreaker Society or the Ten Arbiters Council, nobody had the nerve to make a move against an Envoy. As for Leon's Armada, Lu Yin wasn't sure, and besides, he still did not want to expose his relationship with Highsage Leon. As for Mister Mu, Lu Yin was uncertain about how much power his master possessed.

The Sea King was a true peak powerhouse who did not care about anything. He was someone who was truly free in this universe.

Lu Yin had no choice in his decision at this time, but there was one detail that seemed very strange to him—just what did the Sea King see in Lu Yin? Lu Yin truly could not understand, as all he had done was pull out the Sea King's Trident. His past battle results shouldn't be able to draw the Sea King's notice, and he might not even care about the Ten Arbiters. So, what was it about Lu Yin that the Sea King saw value in?

It wasn't just Lu Yin who was wondering about this; Hai Dashao and Hai Qiqi could not understand this matter either. Was pulling out the Sea King's Trident really enough to allow someone to become the Sea King's son-in-law? From many people's perspective, it seemed too frivolous.

Lu Yin was basically grounded, as the Sea King had thrown him under a waterfall and said, "Don't even think of going anywhere until you've broken through to the Explorer realm."

Those were the last words that Lu Yin heard from the departing Sea King.

The Sea King's reaction caused Lu Yin to immediately suspect that there truly was no one who wanted to wed Hai Qiqi and that this really was a forced marriage.

However, right now, Lu Yin really just wanted to get in contact with Zhang Dingtian and chat with him.

The nearby waterfall rumbled loudly and beside the cascade was a wooden house that was Lu Yin's temporary personal residence.

He sighed and headed into the house.

In another area of the Sea King's Dome, Hai Dashao sought out the Sea King since he could not understand his father's actions. "Father, Lu Yin clearly does not wish to wed Qiqi. So why are you forcing him to do so?"

The Sea King raised a hand and brought out the Sea King's Trident. He spun it around one time and then impaled it into the ground. "Come and try yourself."

Hai Dashao shook his head and said in an agonized manner, "Your son cannot pull it out."

The Sea King's gaze was complex. "Do you know why?"

Hai Dashao shook his head.

The Sea King slowly answered, "This trident does not belong to this universe."

Hai Dashao was shocked. "What do you mean?"

"You don't need to know the specifics. However, just know that, since Lu Yin can pull this trident out, he will be of immense assistance to our Sea King's Dome in the future. Though, it's also possible that he could become a mortal enemy."

Hai Dashao still could not understand his father's words, but he did not ask any more questions since it was clear that the Sea King would not explain anything. He could only resort to his backup plan and ask his elder brother, as only that person in the entire Sea King's Dome could possibly know more.

"Don't ask anyone else about this. You're not qualified yet. When you achieve the same strength as your brother, I'll tell you everything." The Sea King looked at Hai Dashao. n/-𝕠--𝓋-)𝑬/-𝐿(.𝔟).1-.n

Hai Dashao felt his heart sink, as it seemed like his brother definitely would not tell him anything either. He deferentially replied, "Your son understands. So how should we handle this Lu Yin?"

The Sea King's lips bent upwards. "He's already reached the peak of the Limiteer realm and is just one step away from becoming an Explorer. Allow him to cultivate in peace, and after he breaks through, he can take Qiqi to explore the universe. Qiqi really wants to go out, and that's the entire reason why she agreed to this selection in the first place. She's going to wreak havoc if she's never allowed to go out beyond the Starfall Sea."

Hai Dashao frowned. "Are we really going to have Qiqi marry him? Didn't Father just say that he might become our mortal enemy as well?"

The Sea King's expression became complicated. "Future matters shall be discussed in the future."

"Right. Father, you've been in seclusion for too long, and there's something that I need to report." Hai Dashao activated his gadget, and a star chart appeared on the display. This chart did not depict the Innerverse or Outerverse. Instead, it showed a part of the Astral Wilderness.

The Astral Wilderness had always been a main target of exploratory teams from the three great domains, and the various powers had their own private star charts of the Astral Wilderness' explored areas. Although the Starfall Sea did not intervene in the Human Domain's struggles and other matters concerning the Innerverse or the Outerverse, they had their own ways of acquiring such charts.

"Many years ago, a certain substance was discovered in the Astral Wilderness. It's a naturally occurring substance that's been compressed to the absolute limit. It's known as pyrolyte. This material is extremely volatile, and just one gram of it can cause an explosion with a power level of 10,000," Hai Dashao explained.

The Sea King's eyes went wide. "One gram can cause an explosion that has a power level of 10,000?"

"Yes. Ever since this material was first discovered, various powers from the Innerverse and Outerverse have sent people into the Astral Wilderness. The Sword Sect, Divine Grade Hall, Daynight clan, as well as the Lingling clan, Xun family, Yōu Court, Wen family, and many more. Each group has sent experts into the Astral Wilderness. Should we act as well?" Hai Dashao asked.

At this point, the star chart disappeared from the display, and the image of a strange substance appeared instead—pyrolyte.

The appearance of pyrolyte was far more groundbreaking than what Hai Dashao had indicated. The normal person was not privy to any of the high leveled information that the powers actively exploring the Astral Wilderness had. A single gram of this material could unleash a power level of 10,000. Despite the fact that pyrolyte had a very low density, even a piece the size of one's thumb would cause even a Hunter to be afraid. How many Hunters were there in the universe? They might seem numerous, but there actually very few in the grand scope of the universe. The Great Yu Empire that had almost unified Frostwave Weave only had a handful of such powerhouses, but a thumb-sized piece of this pyrolyte could match such a person's attack.

With the technology that the various powers had access to, the more pyrolyte they got a hold of, the greater the destruction they could cause. It had even reached the point where such a weapon could threaten the old freaks whose power levels were in the hundreds of thousands.

This was pyrolyte's greatest value; there was no upper limit to its destruction. It could be considered a strategic resource.

Of course, this so-called "destruction" did not mean that ten grams would explode with a power level of 100,000 or that a hundred grams was equal to a power level of 1,000,000. Power levels did not increase linearly. Instead, it increased logarithmically, which meant that as the mass increased, the level of destruction increased exponentially.

The Sea King waved a hand to dismiss Hai Dashao before returning to ponder the matter by himself. He did not care about the struggles of the Innerverse or the Outerverse, as there was no one there who dared to provoke the Sea King. However, he needed to obtain that pyrolyte so that he could secure a new path of hope. That path required an incredible amount of destructive power. Something artificial could not accomplish such a thing, but this pyrolyte just happened to be suitable.

The Sea King's Dome needed to act.

Although the Sea King had forbidden Lu Yin from going out, he was not prevented from getting into contact with the outside world.

Beneath the waterfall, Lu Yin called Xia Luo through his gadget.

"Congratulations, Brother Lu," Xia Luo's voice greeted through the connection.

Lu Yin could imagine the group's gloating expressions at his misfortune. He was just supposed to participate in the competition as a mere formality, but he had actually ended up as the victor. This was absurd, and Lu Yin had even become the Sea King's future son-in-law! They were actually going to force him into this marriage.

"Stop spouting crap. I can't leave the Sea King's Dome for now." Lu Yin was helpless.

Big Pao's voice spoke up. "That much? The Sea King's daughter is that impatient?"

"Shut up, senior! This is the Sea King's Dome, and you're done for if the Sea King hears you," Lulu's voice rang.

"Senior Little Pao, please control him a bit."

"Sure thing."

"Hey! You guys can't do this to me."

Lu Yin heard a scuffle take place on the other end, and he sighed. "Alright, I'm just letting you guys know. As for Feng Mo and the other two, I'll try to get the Sea King to take care of them."

"Don't bother. Any powerhouse from the Sea King's Dome would be enough," Xia Luo replied.

"Feng Mo and the rest have already left the Sea King's Dome, but we don't know if they've left the Starfall Sea," Little Pao said.

"I'll try to get the Sea King's Dome's experts to make a move," Lu Yin said, though he was not certain if he could mobilize anyone.

"Since the Feng Mo and the Bo Duo have already been taken care of, we'll leave the Sea King's Dome now. We won't be able to attend your wedding celebrations," Michelle chimed in.

Lulu's voice quickly followed up with, "A friendly reminder to you that you spent so much of their money that you won't be able to leave. Be careful about getting beaten up, hahaha!"

Lu Yin felt a headache when he heard her comment. He had indeed wrongly assumed that he would be able to leave after the Sea King's son-in-law selection, which had resulted in him freely spending 15,000 star essences without fearing for the consequences. But now, he was currently trapped, and he did not know when those expenses would be delivered to the Sea King. Lu Yin didn't believe that the Sea King would be stingy, though. It might be an enormous sum for others, but it shouldn't amount to much for the Sea King.

But at the same time, Lu Yin was rather uncertain, as he had spent 15,000 star essences. He had never had more than 1,000 star essences at any given time, and he had only gotten that much from robbing the Blackbeard Pirates. That incident had resulted in him being chased to the Starfall Sea, but now, he had spent fifteen times the amount that he had stolen. He was starting to feel apprehensive about the entire matter.

"Right, Lulu, how much did you end up spending?" Lu Yin asked curiously.

"Me? Hmph, 30,000!" Lulu was pleased with herself.

Lu Yin's scalp went numb. He was finished if this bill was also pushed onto him! After all, they were members of the same group and had arrived together.

"Alright, don't worry. If the Sea King asks you, just say that it's an investment into you. After all, you're his son-in-law, so investing a little bit of money shouldn't be anything difficult," Lulu said generously.

Lu Yin felt helpless. "No wonder you're from the Mavis family. You can spend money in such a fresh and refined manner."

"Of course!"

They chatted for a bit longer before ending the call when they ran out of things to talk about. Lu Yin thought of looking for the Sea King or Hai Dashao, as he would not be able to rest easy for Xia Luo and the others' sake unless Feng Mo and the Bo Duo were taken care of. Right, there was also Faceless, whom Lu Yin had ordered to destroy Feng Mo and Bo Duo while masquerading as a member of the Specter Clan. He did not know if his orders would be carried out. Speaking of which, if the Sea King's Dome's experts happened to appear when the Neohuman Alliance was in the middle of destroying Feng Mo's group, it would be rather interesting.

If such a scenario occurred, would Lu Yin have a role to play against the Neohuman Alliance? Lu Yin thought about this potential scheme.

For two days, no one in the Sea King's Dome looked for Lu Yin.

Lu Yin steadily cultivated by himself under the waterfall. He wanted to leave, but there was an invisible force trapping him there that he could not break through with his current power. His entire situation made him feel very helpless.

On the third day, Hai Qiqi arrived, and she looked at Lu Yin with a seething expression.

Lu Yin felt a little headache appear when he saw her. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking to see if you're dead," Hai Qiqi replied.

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Chapter 458: Creeping Shadow

Lu Yin carefully looked at Hai Qiqi. "It's easy to accidentally lose your friends if you keep talking like that."

"You're not worth it," Hai Qiqi bluntly replied before walking over to the waterfall. Once there, she played with the water in a vexed manner.

Lu Yin pursed his lips and retorted, "Let me tell you something. Even if the Sea King forces me, you still won't obtain me."

Hai Qiqi rolled her eyes. "Narcissism is an illness that must be treated."

"I have the medicine."

"To treat narcissism?"

"To treat you."

"My illness is that I was too benevolent when I allowed you to board my boat," Hai Qiqi spat out between gritted teeth.

"Alright, I'll give you the medicine to treat your benevolence then." Lu Yin threw a handful of mud at Hai Qiqi. n𝑜𝓋𝖾-𝐥𝔟-In

Hai Qiqi glared at Lu Yin, furious. "Let me tell you something. Even if Father wants me to marry you, I won't agree! Just give up and stop dreaming of hitching a ride on the Sea King's Dome."

Lu Yin replied seriously, "I agree. But how do you think I can get your father to agree to break the marriage contract?"

Hai Qiqi's eyes brightened. "You want to back out?"

Lu Yin nodded with a serious expression.

Hai Qiqi was delighted. "That's great!"

Suddenly, she felt that something was wrong, and her face darkened. "You want to back out? That's got to be a joke! I should be the one who wants to break off this engagement. After all, I came here just to tell you about this."

"Go on," Lu Yin casually replied.

Hai Qiqi moved closer. "It's simple. You just need to make two cuts on your face and ruin your appearance. My father will definitely not allow me to marry an ugly person."

Lu Yin was astounded. "Are you saying that my attractiveness passes your standard?"

"That's besides the point, and to be specific, your appearance does not meet my standards."

Lu Yin sneered. "There's no need to deny it. Your expression already told me everything."

"You—stop your nonsense! You're shameless!" Hai Qiqi was furious.

Lu Yin rolled his eyes. "Fine. Then help me contact Hai Dashao. I'll think of some way to end this absurd marriage arrangement."

"Really?" Hai Qiqi was in disbelief. "That's impossible. You've got to be lying. No one would turn down the chance to become the Sea King's son-in-law."

"You attach too much importance to the Sea King's Dome. I, for one, don't care about it." Lu Yin remained proud.

Hai Qiqi was still in disbelief, but she had no other option. "Alright, but remember what you said." She then walked away after smacking her own butt.

Although this brat was a noble princess, she did not tend to put on airs. Despite her venomous tongue, she was still better than those fake girls with a holier-than-thou attitude. Only the Sea King could produce such a unique daughter.

Not long after, Hai Dashao arrived at Lu Yin's residence with a detached expression that contained a trace of arrogance. This was the attitude that an heir of the Sea King's Dome should possess.

"Why are you looking for me?" Hai Dashao asked coldly, as he did not care much for Lu Yin. His disapproval stemmed from the fact that Lu Yin and Mu Rong had tried to slip away before Che Han had tried to pull out the Sea King's Trident. Hai Dashao felt that their behavior was an affront to the Sea King's Dome.

Lu Yin enquired, "Does the Sea King have to make me his son-in-law?"

Hai Dashao's face sank. "Why? Does the Sea King's Dome's princess not deserve you?"

Lu Yin shook his head. "That's not it at all. Since I'm the Sea King's son-in-law, my personal safety should be guaranteed, correct?"

"You don't say."

"Alright, I was hoping that the Sea King's Dome could help me take care of a few people. I came here precisely because I was evading their pursuit."

Hai Dashao frowned. "You're speaking of Feng Mo and the Bo Duo."

Lu Yin did not find it strange that Hai Dashao already knew this. The moment he had retrieved the Sea King's Trident, all the available information about him had been sent to the top members of the Sea King's Dome. Aside from a few secret matters, nothing about him could be hidden.

"They have already left the Sea King's Dome. Also, you can forget about going anywhere before you break through to the Explorer realm, so they won't be any threat to you at this time. Even if you meet them outside later on, they won't dare touch anyone from the Sea King's Dome."

"But I have friends."

"They don't have anything to do with my Sea King's Dome," Hai Dashao responded coldly. He then turned around to leave. "Remember this—I have not recognized your position, and neither has the Sea King's Dome. Unless you truly become the Sea King's son-in-law, you cannot mobilize any of our resources, not even to protect your friends." And with that, he vanished.

Lu Yin was helpless, as he knew that it wouldn't be that easy. At worst, he could have Big Pao and Little Pao stay with him in the Sea King's Dome while the others left. Even if they ran into Feng Mo and the other two, they would still be fine. After all, each one of them had a powerful background.

Within the Starfall Sea, a radiant-grade Aurora sped away from the Sea King's Dome at top speed, charging towards the entrance of the Starfall Sea. This spacecraft was carrying Feng Mo and the Bo Duo.

The moment Lu Yin pulled out the Sea King's Trident, the trio had immediately fled, not waiting around to see if he would be acknowledged by the Sea King's Dome. They had survived in the universe for a long time, and they would not willingly expose themselves to potential danger.

At this point, the trio's emotions were exceptionally complex, especially Feng Mo's. He had chased Lu Yin's group from the Chaos Flowzone to the Starfall Sea, and he had always thought that he had everything in the bag until the very end. Who could have known that something so unexpected would happen out of nowhere? Lu Yin had actually become the Sea King's future son-in-law! Feng Mo was rather irritated about the entire matter.

The trio had left in a hurry, and they had even left Feng Mo's personal spacecraft behind, instead boarding the Deep Crimson Hall's only radiant-grade Aurora to make their escape.

"If we had gotten rid of these people before they made it to the Starfall Sea, we wouldn't have sunken to such a state," Bo Junior complained sullenly.

Bo Senior glared at him. "Shut up!"

Not far away from the two, Feng Mo had an icy expression as he stared in the direction of the Sea King's Dome, though it could no longer be seen. He clenched both of his fists. This was a complete humiliation for him! He had actually failed to chase down a group of juniors! This didn't only reflect poorly on him, but also on his Relentless Slayers. His mood worsened even further when he recalled that Lu Yin had straight up survived one of his attacks. That freakish innate gift made Feng Mo feel uneasy.

Bo Senior walked over next to Feng Mo. "Mr. Feng, this incident can be considered extraordinary, so don't pay it any mind."

Feng Mo coldly replied, "The fact still remains that I didn't complete the task entrusted to me." He looked at Bo Senior as he continued, saying, "It's not that easy to become the Sea King's son-in-law. During that competition, even those who qualified through their looks were tricked by the Sea King. Given that sort of personality, it's almost impossible for Lu Yin to actually become his son-in-law. So let me ask you once again. Do you want to capture him?"

Bo Senior did not reply, but Bo Junior quickly responded, "Of course! Only by capturing him can we justify ourselves to the Blackbeard Pirates. Otherwise, we won't be able to survive in the Chaos Flowzone any longer. We'll be chased down for the rest of our lives."

Feng Mo's eyes remained cold. "Then we'll wait here in the Starfall Sea."

"But we don't know which direction they'll leave in," Bo Senior countered.

Feng Mo replied, "My Relentless Slayers will assign people to monitor the Sea King's Dome's ports. As soon as they leave, my men will report to me. In the meantime, we'll head towards the center-most route. That way, we can intercept those brats as soon as my men report back. There should be enough time to chase them down."

"Alright, we'll listen to Mr. Feng. Rest assured, as long as you capture Lu Yin, we will immediately give you that item," Bo Senior answered quietly.

Feng Mo's eyes flashed with a hint of excitement. He then simply nodded and did not speak again.

Beneath the small spacecraft, there was a black shadow that crept tightly along against the belly of the vessel. Feng Mo and the Bo Duo had not noticed that there was someone hiding right beneath them.

Two days passed, and during this time, Lu Yin had already informed Michelle and the others that the Sea King's Dome would not provide them with any help. They had no choice but to go with Lu Yin's plan; in the end, Big Pao and Little Pao agreed to remain at the Sea King's Dome while Michelle and the rest of the students decided to leave.

Big Pao could not bear to be separated from Lulu; she was just too rich and generous. With money, everything became simple. Why had he not built up his relationship with Lulu more while they were still in the academy? This was Big Pao's greatest regret.

Xia Luo reminded Lu Yin about their agreement to travel the Cosmic Sea together again.

However, the youths weren't able to leave that easily. They had arrived here on the Sea King's ship, so the only way they could leave was by boarding a merchant ship headed towards the Starfall Sea's entrance. Their only other option was to buy a boat that had the special seaweed coating.

Lulu was wealthy and did not care about money, but that did not mean that she enjoyed wasting it. They already had a small radiant-grade Aurora, so buying another one would be too wasteful, even for her. They decided to wait and find a merchant ship heading towards the Starfall Sea's entrance. There was no fixed schedule, but one headed out every few days.

At this time, news of Lu Yin becoming the Sea King's future son-in-law started to spread throughout the universe.

In the Starfall Sea, seawater filled its entirety, and spacecraft could either travel within the sea or atop its surface.

Feng Mo and the Bo Duo quickly arrived at the middle section of the Starfall Sea. Now, when Lu Yin and the rest left the Sea King's Dome, the three would have enough time to intercept them no matter which direction they headed in.

Three Hunters were working together to capture one Limiteer; as long as the Sea King's Dome did not intervene, no one could save the youths.

The Bo Duo could not think of any other options; the Blackbeard Pirates were like a blade hanging over their heads.

Within the small spacecraft, which was large enough to hold at least a dozen people, Bo Junior stared at the sky and silently cultivated as boundless amounts of star energy was absorbed into his body. He was holding some star essences in his hand.

His power level was 110,000, and for each cycle of his star energy, he had to absorb more than 6,000 star essences to maintain his vitality. Otherwise, he would fall into a period of exhaustion. Given his normal star energy absorption rate, it was impossible for him to absorb enough star energy in a cycle with just his cultivation method, so he needed to use star essence.

This was the same path chosen by many space-exploring powerhouses, because the ambient star energy in the universe was insufficient for them to maintain their vitality.

Fortunately, it took decades for one cycle to take place. Things would be fine for Bo Junior as long as he managed to absorb enough star energy during this period, which was not too difficult for him.

Only certain powerhouses with extraordinary innate gifts would have cycles that passed by quickly and run the risk of not having enough time to complete a cycle. It was easy for such geniuses to fall into a period of exhaustion, so they generally had to work hard and earn money. Feng Mo's innate gift was much more powerful than the Bo Duo's, and he also had a power level of over 150,000. Each one of his energy cycles was only slightly longer than a decade, so he had to earn enough star essences to stay alive.

Sometimes, having a weaker innate gift was a good thing. For those who didn't possess any background, but did have a powerful innate gift, it was easy for them to die after becoming a space-exploring powerhouse.

It should be known that entering this period of decline would cause one's entire person to change, and no one wished to enter such a state.

Bo Junior collected his thoughts and tried to maintain his sense of calm. Not too far away from him, beneath the spacecraft, the shadow suddenly opened its eyes. Black gas poured into the spacecraft through its cracks, gradually appearing inside Bo Junior's room.

The next moment, the spacecraft's alarm sounded. Feng Mo, Bo Senior, and Bo Junior all stood up and looked around, bewildered. This alarm signified that a strong enemy had boarded them.

Suddenly, Bo Junior's pupils constricted when he saw a cloud of black gas pass through the metal wall just behind him. It had the color of death, and Bo Junior instinctively froze as his legs became tangled and he broke out into a cold sweat. A pale, white face had appeared in front of him. The face contained no color and the eyes were deathly white. It made for a very bizarre scene.

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Chapter 459: An Unusual Mirror

When Bo Junior saw these two pale eyes, his heart nearly stopped, and the blood retreated from his face like the tide. His expression seemed lost and his eyes went slack.

Whoosh! A head flew up and crashed against the metal wall of the room while fresh blood sprayed out from the open wound and splattered the room.

There was a bang as the door to Bo Junior's room was shattered by Bo Senior, who was standing outside the room.

Bo Junior's quarters seemed like a scene from the underworld. A pale, faceless figure slowly turned around even as a pool of scarlet blood flowed out from beneath him. Behind him stood a headless corpse.

"JUNIOR!" Bo Senior roared as he recklessly charged at the decapitated figure. The entire spacecraft began splitting apart, as it was unable to withstand the might of a Hunter's full strength. Even the void around the spacecraft started warping.

The pale figure did not move. Instead, a black gush of air rushed out towards Bo Senior. His attack was swallowed by the black cloud without creating any disturbances.

The sight of this shocked Bo Senior. His scalp turned numb as he immediately retreated at top speed. At the same moment, Feng Mo arrived to see the black flow of air. His pupils rapidly shrank; what was this thing?

The figure moved away from the carnage, and the pure white eyes continued stared at Feng Mo. Feng Mo instantly turned around, facing his back towards the silhouette as he barked out, "Specter Clan! You're from the Specter Clan!"

The Relentless Slayers were a part of the universe's dark underbelly and was the Chaos Flowzone's top assassination group, perhaps even within the entire Innerverse. They were privy to a lot of hidden information, and since Feng Mo had barely stepped into the higher echelons of the Relentless Slayers, he had learned some of these secrets. One of which was information on the Specter Clan.

The Relentless Slayers had crossed paths with the Specter Clan and the Neohuman Alliance on more than one occasion, and they had also suffered heavy casualties from them.

If Chaos Flowzone was said to be a gathering of the Innerverse's dark side and the Relentless Slayers were the darkness within the darkness, then the Specter Clan was the deepest darkness. Even the most fearless Relentless Slayers did not dare to provoke this darkness.

Each of the Three Dark Hands was powerful enough to topple the Human Domain on their own; they were truly powerful behemoths. However, countless aspects of the universe had excluded the Three Dark Hands, such as the Ten Arbiters Council and the Top 100 Rankings.

Faced with an expert from the Specter Clan, Feng Mo wanted to escape at the first possible opportunity. He did not even dare to glance at him, let alone make eye contact.

Bo Senior did not know anything about the Specter Clan, and he actually hadn't even heard of them before. The only thing on his mind was taking revenge for Bo Junior. "Mr. Feng, help me kill him! He's also a Hunter, so he can't block both of us. As long as you kill him, I'll give you that item immediately!"

Feng Mo's eyes flashed. "The risk will be too great unless you hand it over first."

Hatred had already consumed Bo Senior, so he did not hesitate to take out an item from his cosmic ring and quickly hand it over to Feng Mo.

By then, the Specter Clan member had already started approaching the two men. The black cloud continued to spread through the area, and the spacecraft was falling apart, unable to continue moving any further. n.-0𝗏𝐞𝐥𝔅1n

"Mr. Feng, attack!" Bo Senior shouted as he charged at the Specter Clan member. He burst out with all of his strength as a Hunter, destroying what was left of the spacecraft. His strength even created a vortex that sucked in the surrounding seawater.

Although the spacecraft had been destroyed, the black gas surrounding them still did not dissipate. Feng Mo watched Bo Senior attack the pale man before raising a hand to target the black has surrounding them.

The white eyes of the Specter Clan member looked directly into Bo Senior's, and the charging Hunter's consciousness was instantly thrown into chaos, a repeat of what had happened to Bo Junior. However, Bo Senior was much more cautious than Bo Junior since Feng Mo's erratic behavior upon seeing this Specter Clan member had served as an advance warning. At the exact moment before his consciousness was completely dazed, Bo Senior tore off a chunk of flesh from his thigh, and the intense pain allowed him to regain a bit of clarity. However, that moment was still enough for the Specter Clan member to move forward and place a palm against Bo Senior's chest.

Bo Senior spat out a mouthful of blood and appeared to be shocked. The difference in power level between him and his opponent wasn't that great, but he had been thoroughly suppressed. He had never heard of this Specter Clan before.

He turned to look at Feng Mo, but he found that Feng Mo was still attacking the black gas.

"Mr. Feng, are you breaking your promise?" Bo Senior shouted vehemently.

Feng Mo did not bother responding, and he only barely managed to open up a hold after using all of his strength. He was going to escape. Bo Senior bellowed fiercely and tore through the void to chase after Feng Mo, but the Specter Clan member simply waved a hand and caused the black cloud of gas to vanish for just an instant before reappearing even further away. When it did so, it had grown to an even larger size, forming a sphere that had sealed both Feng Mo and Bo Senior within.

Feng Mo's face was deathly white by now, and he looked at the Specter Clan member with unconcealed terror on his face.

"Join hands with me to kill him," Bo Senior snarled at Feng Mo.

Feng Mo trembled; a powerhouse with a power level of over 150,000 was actually terrified. Bo Senior had never seen Feng Mo like this before, but he had no time to dwell on its significance since the Specter Clan member was already approaching them. The pale figure raised his hand and caused the black gas to condense into a sickle. It sliced down at an extremely slow speed, but Bo Senior could not dodge it; there was nowhere for him to go, so he could only take it head-on.

The scent of fresh blood filled the air as Bo Senior was sliced in half by the blade. Right before his death, his eyes still showed signs of his malevolence and ignorance, as he could not understand why such a freak had appeared to kill him. Bo Senior did not know who he had offended, but if he had stayed at the Sea King's Dome, such an abomination would not have dared to appear.

Nearby, Feng Mo's scalp itched as he recalled the scene of his senior in the Relentless Slayers being killed. His terror returned in droves, and he gradually backed up until he had reached the boundary of the encircling black gas.

The Specter Clan member slowly approached him, reminiscent of the Grim Reaper. He raised his giant sickle and ruthlessly sliced it down, just like he had against Bo Senior a moment ago.

Feng Mo suddenly took out a mirror and raised it up, using it to clash against the sickle. That mirror was exactly what Bo Senior had passed over to him before.

The black sickle firmly struck the mirror, but a strange scene occurred soon after. From the mirror sprang forth another sickle, an exact copy of the first, and it sliced towards the Specter Clan member. For the first time, the pale figure showed shock, and he immediately retreated.

Feng Mo changed the direction of his sickle attack, causing it to slice towards the surrounding flow of black gas. The barrier was cut apart, and another gap appeared. Feng Mo jumped through it without turning back.

The Specter Clan member did not give chase because there was a planet up ahead. In the Starfall Sea, any planet would house an old freak whose power level was in the hundreds of thousands, and this pale figure also could not handle any sunlight.

Feng Mo let out a great sigh of relief when he saw the planet ahead of him, and he looked fervently at the mirror in his hand. Bo Senior, that idiot, had not understood how powerful this mirror was. Of course, Feng Mo himself did not either, but he understood a bit of the mirror's history. How could something that had fallen from that place possibly be simple? He had gambled when he had used this mirror to block that sickle attack, but it had actually paid off, which had given him a second chance at life.

Without the mirror, that sickle would have bisected him just like it had with Bo Senior. Even if Feng Mo had a power level of 150,000, he could not withstand such an attack from a Specter Clan member.

With the mirror in his hand, Feng Mo was incomparably excited since this item meant that his strength was no longer as simple as his power level of 150,000. He had helped the Bo Duo to chase Lu Yin's group precisely for this mirror. Now that he had it, and since the Bo Duo was also dead, he no longer planned to entangle himself with Lu Yin and the others any further.

He had not forgotten about the youths' powerful backgrounds, especially Lu Yin, who was the Sea King's future son-in-law. Feng Mo felt that his life still had more to give. He had no time to bother with the youths, so they would just have to consider themselves lucky on this matter.

But why had that Specter Clan member attacked them? This incident made Feng Mo very puzzled and uneasy, as he was afraid that he would run into another Specter Clan expert in the future. There was bound to be an upper limit to the mirror's reflective strength, and once he ran into a Specter Clan expert whose attack surpassed what the mirror could withstand, he would certainly be finished.

This wouldn't do. He would have to go into hiding for a period of time.

Lu Yin did not know that the Bo Duo had already died and that the mission he had given to the Faceless Man had already achieved some results, but the Faceless Man was fated to not be able to report back to Lu Yin.

Beneath the waterfall, Lu Yin was stuck in a difficult position. The Sea King wanted him to break through to the Explorer realm before he could leave, but Lu Yin knew that he wasn't anywhere close to breaking through. Even with his five-stage formcast model, it was useless unless he was both confident and had that unique breakthrough feeling. Additionally, the cost of failing was very severe.

Lu Yin did not know when he would break through, so did that mean that he would be trapped here indefinitely?

Also, he still had not forgotten about what had happened when he broke through to the Melder realm. Even though the incident was a bit hazy due to him fainting from the anguish, he still had some impressions of the event. His breakthrough had not been as easy as the others', even though he had also had that feeling of breaking through. This was the reason why he had gone to the Rain Observatory when he had broken through to the Limiteer realm.

Lu Yin was certain that his breakthroughs needed to be overseen by a nearby powerhouse, especially when he tried to reach the Explorer realm. The Sea King was strong enough, but the problem was that Lu Yin could not afford to be trapped here for a few years!

The grains of Fatesand that had fused with his left arm and right leg had awakened, and just like Mister Mu had said, they both took the form of a clump of soil. The three grains of Fatesand could be combined together to form a larger clump.

Lu Yin was speechless when he first saw that sight, but the defensive ability of this soil was simply astounding. Even if Lu Yin went against Cheng Wu one on one, he could guarantee that he would not be defeated since Cheng Wu would be completely at a loss against his defense.

Of course, it would not be easy for Lu Yin to pry Cheng Wu's clock open either.

Lu Yin really wanted to test his current strength, and he also wondered how many times his Shockwave Palm had been improved by. When the grain of Fatesand around his heart had first lifted, unsealing his physical strength, he had been able to unleash a fiftyfold Shockwave Palm. When all three grains of Fatesand were unsealed, he might be able to hit sixty, seventy, or perhaps even eightyfold.

Unfortunately, he could not conduct such experiments in this place, as such a large disturbance would undoubtedly be noticed by the Sea King. Lu Yin did not naively believe that the Sea King would take him as his son-in-law just from one look. There were likely other reasons for his current situation, and Lu Yin still did not know if he had benefited or lost out.

As he looked through the items in his cosmic ring, his expression suddenly changed. He looked up as a beautiful woman tore through the void and appeared gradually before him.

Was it Hai Qiqi again? No, Lu Yin's gaze shivered, and he looked carefully at the girl in front of him. Her clothing was similar to the Astral Combat Academy's Starsibyl's. Was she another Starsibyl?

"Are you shocked? Do you know who I am? Ah, that's right. You should be familiar with the other people who have the same title as me." The new Starsibyl slowly walked over as her bright eyes latched onto Lu Yin.

Lu Yin never expected to run into Starsibyl here. Of course, this woman wasn't the Astral Combat Academy's Starsibyl. Instead, she was the universally-famous, space-exploring powerhouse, Starsibyl. The first time he had heard of Starsibyl's name, he had still been on Earth. Zhou Shan had described Bai Xue as a goddess, and Jeraldine had mentioned Starsibyl in response.

That had been the first time Lu Yin had heard this title, and Jeraldine should have been referring to the Starsibly presently standing before him back then.

Of course, after he had left the Great Yu Empire, Lu Yin had realized that Jeraldine had been lying. Given her status, it was impossible for her to have met Starsibyl. It was just the rumors floating around that caused her to worship Starsibyl. However, for an insignificant being in the remote Frostwave Weave to have heard of her name showed just how widespread the reputation of Starsibyl's name was throughout the universe. And now, Lu Yin had finally met her.

"You are wondering why I've come looking for you." Starsibyl's eyes held a glint of a smile as she looked at Lu Yin.

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n.-0𝗏𝐞𝐥𝔅1n

Chapter 460: Lu Yin's Answer

Lu Yin leaped up and walked over to Starsibyl. When the two were less than two meters apart, he spoke. "That's what anyone would be thinking. Or did you divine that?"

"You are rejecting me," Starsibyl said with a smile.

Lu Yin's eyes flashed, as he had always been doubtful of the idea of divination, and he did not believe in such a thing either. Thus, his disbelief had involuntarily surfaced. "No, I'm just asking."

Starsibyl stared deep into Lu Yin's eyes. "I came here to ask you a question."

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed in response. He had indeed heard that the space-exploring Starsibyl roamed the universe with an invitation letter, asking various young elites of the universe a question. He had never expected that today would be the day when Starsibyl came to direct her question towards him. "What question?"

Starsibyl was about to speak, but Lu Yin suddenly interrupted her. "Hold on, isn't there supposed to be an invitation letter as well?"

The smile in Starsibyl's eyes became even more apparent. "Although you dismiss divination, it's not that you cannot accept it. That makes me very happy." She then pulled out a very simple invitation letter and handed it to Lu Yin. Graceful letters adorned it, only spelling out "Starsibyl." The calligraphy was beautiful. It had clearly been written by a female, but it contained a simple and boundless charm to it, revealing an indescribable boldness.

Lu Yin carefully studied the invitation letter. This was the famous invitation letter from Starsibyl, and it was something that was rumored to only be given to young geniuses who had reached a certain level. In the past, only a few students of the entire Astral Combat Academy had been able to receive this letter, and it was possible that not even all of the student leaders had received one.

After staring at it for a while, Lu Yin passed the invitation back to Starsibyl.

Starsibyl told him, "Keep it, as you might have a use for it in future. With this, you can receive a certain amount of help from the Starsibyl Sect."

Lu Yin did not reject the letter. As long as such free items were harmless, he generally did not reject them. Regardless, such a letter did not take up much space, but he was not too expectant towards the Starsibyl Sect's help either.

"You can ask your question now," Lu Yin said.

Starsibyl's eyes became deep as she gazed at Lu Yin again. He suddenly felt as if an area of the universe had been drawn into her gaze. "How does one become strong?"

Lu Yin was stumped, as he thought that he had misheard her. "What did you say?"

Starsibyl's face grew serious, and she repeated herself. "How does one become strong?"

Lu Yin blinked. "Why would you ask me that? It seems that you are much stronger than me."

Starsibyl was a part of the same generation as the Ten Arbiters, but she was not included within the Top 100 Rankings. This was not because her battle prowess was not sufficient, but rather because no one knew Starsibyl's true battle strength. Thus, her ranking could not be determined. Many believed that her strength was in no way inferior to the top ten, and Lu Yin was confident that he could not compare to her.

"You just have to answer my question. How can one become strong?" Starsibyl spoke serenely, but she looked very serious.

Lu Yin muttered to himself for a bit, and the Ghost Monkey's voice appeared in his brain, saying, "Seventh Bro, don't spout something ridiculous! This woman is trying to determine the direction of your cultivation and measure your spirit so that she can use it to calculate your future accomplishments. These sort of divination folks are very scary! Just a word or two from you can be used by them."

Lu Yin frowned, because the monkey's words caused his hair to stand on end. Her question couldn't possibly be that mystical. After all, his reply would just be a single sentence, and he could even lie if he wanted to. Besides, he truly did not believe in divination.

Of course, disbelief was one thing, but that did not mean that he would fully confide his thoughts to Starsibyl, as only a fool would truly speak their mind.

He glanced at Starsibyl and thought about her question a bit. Before he answered, Starsibyl suddenly made a suggestion. "Brother Lu, think before you speak. This question is not something that I wish to ask, but rather is something that comes from my Starsibyl Sect's Sect Master. My Starsibyl Sect will adopt various attitudes towards you based on your answer."

Lu Yin's brows rose up. "So if I answer badly, will the Starsibyl Sect kill me?"

Starsibyl's face remained calm. "Of course not. However, you are familiar with the Ten Arbiters' Scholar, Wen Sansi. His answer pleased the Sect Master, and so, the Starsibyl Sect opened up to him, and he can now borrow our divination abilities. You are clever, so you should know what it means for someone to have access to the Starsibyl Sect."

Lu Yin's face grew solemn. The Starsibyl Sect was very mysterious, and no one knew how strong that group was. The sect had existed since ancient times, and everyone always seemed to trust in their divination ability. Even though many assumed that the Astral Combat Academy was the one behind the Top 100 Rankings, there were rumors that the actual people behind it was the Starsibyl Sect. Only that sect had the ability to divine the entire universe, including the hundred strongest youths.

A sect that everyone trusted. One that could divine the future, but also one whose power was not coveted by other enormous powers such as the Daynight Clan and the Sword Sect. Just this matter alone showed how frightening the sect was.

If Lu Yin could truly enlist their help, then the resulting influence they could grant him would be even greater than what he would receive from becoming the Sea King's son-in-law. The Sea King was strong and the master of the Starfall Sea. Neither the Innerverse nor the Outerverse dared to provoke him, but that was merely from apprehension. On the other hand, the Starsibyl Sect had the ability to influence the entire universe.

It did not matter whether or not Lu Yin believed in their power and their supposed divination; their power existed so long as others did believe in it.

It had to be said that Starsibyl's words had moved Lu Yin. He looked at her seriously and contemplated the question.

"Seventh Bro, if we can truly get the Starsibyl Sect's backing, you will be very lucky. The Starsibyl Sect is just as famous as the Astral Beast Domain's Skymender! That sort of existence causes other people to feel practically helpless. However, your reply could also become the key that allows the sect to divine your future, so consider your next words carefully," the monkey said.

Lu Yin's eyes flickered, and he turned to stare at the waterfall.

Starsibyl did not rush him. Aside from a select few, most people would think things over carefully before answering this question. Some would even mull it over for a long time, as the Starsibyl Sect's influence was far too strong. There were even some individuals who fantasized about winning over Starsibyl herself.

Whoever could woo Starsibyl would obtain the future. Nobody knew who had started this rumor, but many people believed it. Thus, those people were always trying to think of ways to speak in an astounding manner in a desperate attempt to steal her heart.

The crashing of the waterfall was very noisy, and as the water splashed upon the rocks, it sprayed onto Lu Yin's face, making for a rather refreshing sensation.

He looked up and stared at the sky. Strong—it was a word that covered the entire heavens. After all, everyone wanted to become strong. But how? Some people had unlimited resources from birth while others did not but gained them through continuous fortuitous opportunities. Others still cultivated painstakingly, but without exception, countless throughout the universe strove to become strong.

Lu Yin thought of that Explorer who had knelt to Gu Er on the Astral River Ark. The man had not minded sacrificing his very dignity for the chance to head into the Innerverse and pursue his desire to become strong.

He thought of the Explorers who had died within the centipede's body, risking their very lives to become strong.

He also thought of his seniors, Big Pao and Little Pao. They had desired revenge, and so, they had sought to become strong in the Astral Combat Academy.

Memories of many people flitted through his mind. On Lu Yin's journey to reach his present strength, although the time that he had cultivated was not very long, he had encountered many people and situations. In conclusion, everyone who he had met had sacrificed something to become strong, and Lu Yin himself was no exception.

Before cultivating, he had not really valued money. But now, he had thought up all kinds of plots and schemes to earn money. All of these things were different forms of sacrifice, but then, how did that relate to becoming strong? Through sacrifices? Lu Yin himself felt lost.

The monkey had said that Starsibyl might be able to use the answer to this question to divine someone's spirit and future. However, one's spirit was not destined. When ancient dynasties fell and new ones rose, the final victor might not have been someone who was born to inherit the throne, as they might have even been a beggar. It was impossible for just one answer to determine one's future.

But if he thought about things another way, if Starsibyl could truly divine Lu Yin's future based on a single answer, then he was actually feeling some anticipation since his answer was relatively unconventional.

After thinking for a long time, Lu Yin turned to Starsibyl. "Could you tell me how others have answered?"

"Whose would you wish to know?" Starsibyl did not decline his request. Answers from different people could be identical, but they could also be different. If one's answer was modelled on someone else's, then their future would forever be under the first person's shadow.

"Wen Sansi," Lu Yin answered.

Starsibyl smiled faintly. "'One can become strong through studying more.'"

Lu Yin was not surprised, as this was the answer that he had expected from Wen Sansi.

"How about Nightking Zhenwu?" Lu Yin asked.

Starsibyl's eyes flashed. "He said that he does not need to become strong, because everyone else is destined to be weaker than him."

Lu Yin squinted. "Those were his exact words?"

Starsibyl nodded.

Lu Yin frowned. What a bold spirit. Should Lu Yin also say that those words were worthy of Arbiter Zhenwu?

"How about Lan Si?" Lu Yin asked again.

Starsibyl replied, "'One step at a time.'"

It was another typical response, and it was unexceptional as well. However, it also reflected Lan Si's inner strength since he had never thought about how one could become strong. He just had to walk forward step by step, and he would naturally become the strongest.

All along, Lu Yin had been asking about the Ten Arbiters, but he only knew the names of these three Arbiters. Finally, he focused his attention on Starsibyl. "I wish to know your answer."

Starsibyl smiled faintly, and her deep eyes became unfathomable. "I have no need to answer, as I don't intend on becoming strong."

Lu Yin collected his gaze and looked up at the sky above the Sea King's Dome. Finally, he solemnly looked at Starsibyl. "Alright, listen up, my answer is…"

At that moment, Hai Dashao appeared nearby and stared at Lu Yin. The Sea King was also watching from an unknown area in the void to witness Lu Yin's response. Starsibyl had asked this question to too many people, but it had to be said that one's answer truly could embody their spirit, and their spirit could determine their future, and their circumstances.

"My answer is… one can become strong by earning more money," Lu Yin answered seriously and thoughtfully. His answer evidently caused Starsibyl to be taken aback. Were strength and money intertwined? One was related to cultivation and the ideal peak of the universe while the other was just materialistic wealth.

Cultivation required resources, but no one would admit that they cultivated for resources. Such a person would be seen as vulgar.

Hai Dashao casually waved his hand. "Peasant." He then left with an ugly expression.

The Sea King recollected his gaze, but he did not express his opinion.

Starsibyl smiled. "Brother Lu's answer is indeed unexpected. Is your answer serious?"

"Extremely," Lu Yin answered. He had never been as serious as this moment, and he had actually shown his dedication to money to Starsibyl. His words were actually his truth, as the more money Lu Yin possessed, the stronger he would become. To him, such a statement was the truth. If he was given the Mavis family's wealth, Lu Yin dared to say that, with his die's Enhance ability, he could upgrade certain things to such an extreme that it would cause even the Sea King himself to doubt his existence. That was true strength.

With enough money, Lu Yin could even upgrade his formcast model. With enough money, he could create all sorts of natural treasures. With enough money, Lu Yin could even consider whether or not he could throw himself on the light screen and upgrade himself.

In short, money provided Lu Yin with endless possibilities. He was serious, and this was his true answer.

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Chapter 461: Fake

"I can see that you want to use money to buy the entire universe, Seventh Bro. Work hard, and who knows? Perhaps one day, you'll be able to go to the Starsibyl Clan and buy this Starsibyl to take home as your maid." The Ghost Monkey snickered. He wasn't actually trying to mock Lu Yin since he could tell that Lu Yin was being honest.

Everyone had their own pursuits. Starsibyl had heard all sorts of answers before, but Lu Yin's answer truly confused her. Those who qualified for her to ask this question were all freaks of the universe. Rich kids did not qualify to even meet her, but because of who she asked this question to, there had never been anyone who had answered that their dream was to become rich. Lu Yin was the first.

She was slightly confused at this moment. She had the feeling that this man had given her the most pathetic answer, but at the same time, it might also possibly be the most daring one.

"Is my answer very strange?" Lu Yin asked while appearing curious.

Starsibyl gazed at him and could only respond, "Every person has a different pursuit."

Lu Yin made a sound of acknowledgement. "How does my answer compare to Wen Sansi's?"

Starsibyl was shocked, not having expected Lu Yin to ask such a question. Could the two answers even be compared? One was about learning and studying while the other was about making money, something even a fool could do! She had no idea where Lu Yin found the confidence to assume that he was on par with Wen Sansi.

Starsibyl did not answer his question. Instead, she merely said, "There is something that I need to do, so I need to leave now. Goodbye."

Lu Yin nodded. "Okay."

Just as she was about to leave, Lu Yin suddenly remembered something and yelled to her, "By the way, I met Grandpa Jiu."

Starsibyl paused and turned around, her face suddenly ashen. "Be careful of what you say, Lu Yin."

Lu Yin asked, "Isn't Xuan Jiu your Grandpa Jiu? He carries around a huge banner that says that he's Starsibyl's Grandpa Jiu."

Starsibyl frowned. She rarely showed such an expression to people, as she almost always had that enigmatic smile on her face. "That person has nothing to do with me. Please do not bring him up again."

She then tore through the void and left.

Lu Yin sighed. He hadn't intended on purposefully angering Starsibyl, as he had merely been trying to discover how much truth there was to Xuan Jiu's words. That man had once told Lu Yin that he had stared into the eyes of the dead. In the past, Lu Yin had no idea what those words were supposed to mean. But now, after having run into the Specter Clan and merged into one of the clan member's bodies through his die's Possession, could it be that the Specter Clan represented "the dead" since they possessed death energy? If that was the case, then Xuan Jiu had not been telling him about the past, but rather about the future. That would truly be divination.

Lu Yin wanted to know if Xuan Jiu truly had the ability to divine the future. Based on Starsibyl's reaction, Xuan Jiu was more than he seemed to be. She clearly wanted nothing to do with that man and had tried to evade the matter.

Also, Lu Yin felt like he had caught a glimpse of Hai Dashao, who probably had heard his answer. Hopefully, that guy had been so disappointed by Lu Yin's answer that he would try to get the Sea King to call off the engagement.

"I've got a question that I've been wanting to ask you," the monkey suddenly said.

"Are you going to ask why I'm so eager to earn money?" Lu Yin replied.

The monkey answered, "No. I want to know where the money you've earned has gone."

Lu Yin pursed his lips. That was a question that was very difficult for him to answer. "That's private, so don't ask again."

The monkey was speechless. "By the way, why have you been blocking me every time you spend money? If you need to block me… Wait, have you been going to that kind of place?"

Lu Yin froze. "What kind of place?"

"I've heard that humans really like that kind of place, and I mean, they really like it, so you should be the same. But is it really that expensive?" the monkey muttered to himself.

Lu Yin frowned. "What kind of place are you talking about?"

"It's where humans give in to their most primal urges! The place that's considered the most stimulating and exciting!"

Lu Yin finally understood what the stupid monkey was getting at. "I haven't gone to those places! Stop making wild guesses."

"You haven't gone there? That's impossible. What else could you be spending your money on? Could it be that you spent it all on games and equipment?" The monkey felt absolutely certain in his guess this time.

Lu Yin looked confused. "Games? Equipment?"

"Yeah! You humans have created a bunch of different kinds of battle-games. A lot of young people are addicted to these games. You must have spent all your money on buying new techniques!" the monkey exclaimed.

Lu Yin didn't even want to respond anymore.

"You shouldn't get addicted to games, Seventh Bro. Those techniques are all fake, so you won't be able to use them in real life," he sagaciously advised Lu Yin. n--𝗼((𝚟/-𝗲)-𝓁/(𝑩-.I-.n

Lu Yin blocked off the star energy to his right arm. That monkey was being a nuisance.

As time passed, the news that Lu Yin was set to become the Sea King's son-in-law spread through the universe like wildfire. It was talked about everywhere within the Chaos Flowzone and Daynight Flowzone. This was one of the benefits of having a universal network connect the Human Domain.

When Nightqueen Yanqing found out about this matter, she was absolutely devastated. She'd been patiently waiting for her clan to stop bothering with Lu Yin so that she could thoroughly crush him, but then, all of a sudden, he'd become entangled with such a powerful person. The Sea King no less! He was a person whom even the Daynight clan had no wish to provoke without good reason.

There was a bang as she punched the ground. Ruining Lu Yin had become her foremost priority by now, something that she absolutely had to accomplish no matter what! She'd never been defeated so thoroughly before. Not only had Lu Yin personally defeated her in front of an audience, but she also couldn't do anything to him even with the help from her clan. She had the power to imprison someone like Zhanlong Daynight with her influence as a Nightqueen, but such power was useless against Lu Yin.

She knew his weakness, but there was nothing she could do about it at all, and it was driving her mad.

Such a thing had already happened multiple times in the past; whenever she wanted to make a move against him, she had been stopped by something. Lu Yin had already become her inner demon.

At this moment, her gadget sounded out with a notification. She answered it and was met with a face she had come to hate. "Become an Explorer as soon as possible. The clan is going to send you into the Astral Wilderness to gather a certain substance."

The person on the screen was Nightking Yuanjing. This was the person who was always preventing her from destroying Lu Yin, and this was honestly killing her inside. However, there was nothing that could be done.

"Yes, sir," she answered in a low voice.

Nightking Yuanjing stared at her intensely. "I'm warning you once again: don't lay a hand on Lu Yin. He is not someone who you have the right to touch. The clan has its own plans for him."

Nightqueen Yanqing's eyes flashed with a cold glint as she ended the connection. She looked up and clenched her fists. She would wait. As long as her brother was still set to become the leader of the Nightking Clan, she would continue to reign above the others. Her day would come soon enough.

After contacting Nightqueen Yanqing, Nightking Yuanjing called Lu Yin right away. He was eager to talk to Lu Yin since the Sea King could become a strong ally of the Daynight clan. The moment Lu Yin truly became the Sea King's son-in-law, the Daynight clan could make use of him to more easily enter the Starfall Sea and explore that area that numerous people wanted to know more about.

Soon enough, the call connected, and Lu Yin appeared on the screen.

Lu Yin had been reciting the Stonewall Scriptures since he had nothing else to do. It was quite surprising that Nightking Yuanjing would take the initiative to contact him.

"Hi there, Grandpa Yuanjing!" Lu Yin greeted the old man with an enthusiastic smile, as if he'd forgotten about the scheming that had been gone on back on the spacecraft.

Nightking Yuanjing's wrinkles creased as he smiled kindly at the youth. "I'm so glad you're fine, Lu Yin. I heard that you took part in the Sea King's son-in-law selection. Such an event will create a lot of enemies, so make sure that you don't overdo things."

Lu Yin looked touched, and he hastily replied, "Thank you for the concern, Grandpa Yuanjing, but I'm doing fine."

Nightking Yuanjing looked happy at his answer. "That's good. By the way, I've translated the text that you showed me before. Would you like to know what those words mean?"

Lu Yin's heart skipped a beat, and he stared at Nightking Yuanjing in shock. The old man was actually willing to share such sensitive information with him? It appeared that the Sea King had a reputation that was far beyond what Lu Yin had initially imagined! This meant that he no longer needed to worry about the safety of Frostwave Weave. It would be for the best if he could maintain his position as the Sea King's publicly announced son-in-law until he was able to become more powerful himself.

However, if Nightking Yuanjing was willing to share the translation of that text with Lu Yin, then that also indicated that it wasn't all that important.

"That should be a top secret of the Daynight clan, Grandpa Yuanjing. It's best if I don't know," Lu Yin said, putting on an expression as if he was caught in a difficult position even though he really wanted to know.

Nightking Yuanjing chuckled. "Since you call me Grandpa, then the Nightking clan can be considered as your home. Family members naturally have the right to this knowledge!"

Lu Yin was about to vomit. The old man was so fake! Of course, Lu Yin was just as bad since he made sure to appear delighted. "Thank you, Grandpa Yuanjing!"

Nightking Yuanjing made a sound of acknowledgement, obviously pleased with such a response. "It roughly translates to: 'Hate cannot protect you! Await the end of rain. Hate! Hate! Hate!'"

Lu Yin was confused; what did that even mean? It sounded incredibly sinister.

Nightking Yuanjing noticed Lu Yin's perplexed expression and explained, "It probably has something to do with a grudge between some ancient powerhouses. We don't know much either. If you're lucky, you might be able to find out in the future."

Lu Yin could only smile. "If even the Daynight clan doesn't know, then there's no way I'll be able to find out. Regardless, thank you for being so kind to me, Grandpa Yuanjing."

"Hahaha, you're no outsider. By the way, are you currently at the dome?" Nightking Yuanjing inquired. This was what he was truly interested in discovering.

Lu Yin nodded and sadly answered, "The Sea King locked me up and said that I can't leave until I become an Explorer. I'm in a bit of a sticky situation."

Nightking Yuanjing solemnly answered, "He's trying to help you. You will have to do something for him in thanks in the future."

Lu Yin adjusted his expression. "I understand. Don't worry, Grandpa Yuanjing."

Nightking Yuanjing grunted. "You don't need to worry about your Frostwave Weave. As long as the Daynight clan is around, nobody will be able to meddle in its affairs."

"Thank you so much, Grandpa Yuanjing!" Lu Yin exclaimed gratefully.

Not much more time passed before Lu Yin ended the call. His face became contemplative. So it turned out that the Sea King's influence was actually this powerful, which meant that Lu Yin could rest easy. This was something that he had not expected at all. Even an elder from the Nightking clan had called to butter up to him. This indicated that Lu Yin's status as the Sea King's future son-in-law was definitely something worth having.

Also, it was quite a surprise that the Daynight clan had been able to translate that bit of text. The amount of time that had passed since it had been first written down was enough for even brick walls to erode into powder, but the Daynight clan had already successfully translated it. Such an achievement showed just how terrifying the clan truly was. It was far beyond Lu Yin's imagination. Was he destined to forever be the underdog and perpetually keep pretending with Yuanjing?

To be honest, everything would be fine as long as Lu Yin became the Sea King's son-in-law. However, that was not taking Hai Qiqi's terrible personality into consideration. After all, what would become of Ming Yan? The reason why Lu Yin had been training this hard all along had been because he detested being restricted by others. If he gave up on what he loved just because he wanted to forge a connection with the Sea King, then what was the point of training this far?

A person should decide what was important to them and then follow through on that. Lu Yin didn't mind being humiliated if it allowed him to achieve what he wanted. However, he could never give up on what he truly wanted, not even if it meant death.

Of course, it wouldn't be easy for him to become the Sea King's son-in-law either. It might seem like Lu Yin had received the Sea King's acknowledgement, but Lu Yin couldn't be certain what that man actually thought of him. Lu Yin wasn't so narcissistic that he believed that the Sea King would force him into this marriage. The future was completely unknown to Lu Yin right now, as everything was in the Sea King's control. It was a terrible feeling.

At this point, Lu Yin's biggest headache was how he could leave this place. It felt like it would take him ages to break through and become an Explorer.

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Chapter 462: Northcastle Weave

The current universe was divided into four simple divisions that consisted of the Human Domain, the Astral Beast Domain, the Technocracy, and the Astral Wilderness.

No one knew how large the Astral Wilderness was, or whether there were any other civilizations that were more advanced than the currently known ones. Of course, the civilizations from the three established domains were actively searching the Astral Wilderness for other civilizations.

The Astral Wilderness was like a black fog that covered the entire universe, and all forms of intelligent life wanted to remove this layer of fog, but they did not know how big it was or what dangers it might contain. There was even a possibility that the three large domains combined only amounted to a hundredth, a thousandth, or even less of the Astral Wilderness.

The universe followed the law of the jungle. Every intelligent civilizations could be seen as a hunter, and they preyed upon other civilizations in the darkness of the jungle

In the Astral Wilderness, humans were at a disadvantage. They could only explore a small portion of the wilderness, but they had already made countless astounding discoveries. One example was the substance called pyrolyte. It was a rare substance, but when found, there would be a substantial amount of it in each location. It was incredibly destructive, and just one gram had a destruction potential that rivaled an attack with a power level of 10,000. Once a large amount of pyrolyte was set off, the unleashed destruction was inestimable. This was a strategic military resource, and also something that all powers would fight over once they learned about it.

However, the amount of pyrolyte that had been discovered was too little. Even though humans had come up with various methods to find more, there was a limit to how much area they could cover. No power would give up on any pyrolyte, and they were certain that, in some region of the Astral Wilderness, there should be an extremely large amount of pyrolyte. Additionally, this substance seemed to only be found in a specific area of the Astral Wilderness which lay close to the Outerverse's Northcastle Weave.

Northcastle Weave was not famous in the Human Domain, but that did not mean that it was unknown. It was one of the seventy two weaves of the Outerverse and it bordered the Astral Wilderness and lay to the north of Frostwave Weave.

In the dark sky, two enormous astral beasts calmly moved through it. One looked like a praying mantis and the other a python. Atop the head of each beast stood a person, and they were both wearing uniforms that did not belong to Frostwave Weave. They proudly looked ahead at a sorry figure that was attempting to escape.

"There's no need to struggle. Your entire empire will be destroyed, so there's no reason to leave just you alone alive. On account of your power level of 60,000, Commander Anfield can make an exception and allow you to join my Second Grade Hall. Why are you still not showing some gratitude?" The man atop the mantis beast head shouted, the sound waves from his voice spreading across the universe.

Ahead of them, the pathetic escaping figure had a venomous gaze. "Second Grade Hall, I, Ding Xing, will one day avenge the hateful act of destroying my empire!"

"What a joke! You wouldn't be able to deal with my Second Grade Hall even if your entire Northcastle Weave united together, let alone you by yourself, a puny Cruiser of Northcastle Weave. Since you can't appreciate our kindness, then just die!" The man exerted some strength through his leg, unleashing a strange ripple. At the same time, beneath him, the giant mantis beast raised its sickle-shaped forelegs and sliced out. This attack caused sharp winds to tear through this area of outer space. Its might surpassed a power level of 50,000 and was enough to even tear apart a planet, which caused an eruption of light and an enormous shockwave.

A planetary eruption was a significant event, and Ding Xing borrowed the power of the explosion to charge forward with renewed determination, even as he spat out blood.

The sickles of the mantis beast danced about and tore through all of the ripples coming from the explosion. Then, the beast charged towards Ding Xing as it raised its forelegs and sliced down.

Ding Xing's eyes narrowed, as he finally realized that this Second Grade Hall's expert had been toying with him all along. With the speed of this mantis, there was no way for him to dodge its attacks. "I can't accept this! My Greatsword Dynasty cannot be destroyed like this!"

The Second Grade Hall male merely sneered in response. "Insignificant creatures!"

The sickles sliced downwards and were right about to land on Ding Xing's head. However, at an unknown point in time, grains of sand had appeared in the heavens, floating in front of Ding Xing's eyes. His face was ashen; was he dead? Was this a hallucination? Was there sand in the underworld?

Bang!

An enormous impact sent both the mantis and Ding Xing flying backwards. Fine grains of sand were now floating between the two parties.

Ding Xing had survived this desperate situation, though he was still dazed at what was happening. Meanwhile, the Second Grade Hall expert who had attacked fell sullen and looked to his right. In that direction, there was a floating silent figure with a single hand raised. The sand had come from this person, as it was his innate gift.

"Who are you? How dare you meddle in the affairs of the Second Grade Hall!" the expert atop the mantis coldly questioned. In the next moment, the giant python beast appeared, and the man standing atop its head also stared coldly towards the right.

The sand separated and then gradually shrank to merge back into the figure's body. The newly arrived person looked up. "Great Yu Empire, Eighth Captain of the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons, Shalosh."

Ding Xing was ecstatic since the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons had appeared. Right, he was already in Frostwave Weave.

The two experts from the Second Grade Hall exchanged glances, though they remained arrogant. "Someone from Frostwave Weave? Let me give you a word of advice: scram! We are from the Innerverse's Beast Tamers Flowzone's Second Grade Hall, and you are not qualified to interfere in our affairs."

Shalosh's face sank. "This region belongs to the Great Yu Empire, not the Beast Tamers Flowzone."

The man atop the python sneered. "You still dare to talk back, huh? It looks like the Innerverse has not shown its might to the Outerverse in a long time since even these fringe natives dare to oppose us! Fine, I'll just slaughter you, bring your head to your so-called 'Great Yu Empire,' and show it to the person in power. We'll see if they have the gall to take revenge for you!" Then, he gave an order to the python, which snarled at Shalosh.

Shalosh's hand spun and the sand particles split from one into two, then into four, until it grew into a sandstorm that enveloped the entire area and swallowed the expert from the Second Grade Hall.

This was no ordinary sandstorm, but rather one that contained Shalosh's star energy. Every grain of sand in it was powerful enough to pierce through an Explorer's body. This technique had been developed when Undying Yushan personally coached Shalosh, and it had become the captain's trump card.

The man atop the python's expression dramatically changed when he sensed the terror of this sandstorm, and he hurriedly retreated. However, the mantis beast charged forward and lashed out with its sickles in an attempt to cut through the sandstorm. However, when the sickles moved through the sandstorm, they raised sparks that tore through the void, but they could not slice through the sand.

Such a result astounded the two beast tamers; when had Cruisers in the Outerverse become strong enough that they could face off against the two of them by themselves?

No one was able to understand the power of the captains of the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons. They had inherited Undying Yushan's dominating determination and ambition to conquer the surrounding weaves. Their power levels were not that impressive, but each captain had been personally chosen by Undying Yushan. He had roamed the Innerverse in years long gone and had even reached the top thirty of the Top 100 Rankings. Such a person's insight could not be measured by the Outerverse standards. Also, Undying Yushan had passed down battle techniques inherited from his Yu family down to the captains.

It could be said that the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons captains had transcended the common standards for the Outerverse's powerhouses and were capable of rivaling the Innerverse's elites. Of course, if not for the Neohuman Alliance's intervention in the past, then Jue Lang, Di Ou, Bertson, Felut, captains of the Third, Fourth, Seventh and Tenth Squadrons, respectively, would not have died.

The blind monk had been able to suppress the Ross Empire's Hunters all by himself, and just this single occurrence illustrated the terror of these captains.

The Second Grade Hall sat on the lowest rung of the Beast Tamers Flowzone, as there was the First Grade Hall and the most powerful Divine Grade Hall above them. Cruisers from the Second Grade Hall could only be at the general standard of the Innerverse, not the standard of the Innerverse's elites.

The two Second Grade Hall experts glanced at each other and then split up to attack Shalosh from two different directions. He remained indifferent; one hand spun as the sandstorm split from one into two, one of which then enveloped himself and Ding Xing within it. The other then swept outwards in all directions to encompass a larger area, confronting both the mantis and the python.

The two astral beasts simultaneously howled in anguish before backing away and staring at Shalosh in fear.

"This is the territory of the Frostwave Weave's Great Yu Empire. Leave immediately." Shalosh's tone was cold, and there was killing intent radiating from his eyes. The giant sandstorm made for an intimidating image that was exceptionally terrifying.

At this point, Shalosh alone was enough to cause the nearby planets to tremble.

The two Second Grade Hall experts could not accept such results, and they looked at each other before looking at Shalosh. "Great Yu Empire, our Second Grade Hall will remember the name!"

With that, they both turned to leave. n--𝗼((𝚟/-𝗲)-𝓁/(𝑩-.I-.n

Ding Xing relaxed. There was a trickle of blood flowing down from the corner of his mouth. However, he disregarded his own injuries and instead hurriedly moved in front of Shalosh to respectfully bow to the captain. "Ding Xing of the Greatsword Dynasty pleads for an audience with the Great Yu Empire's emperor, Undying Yushan."

Shalosh frowned. "His Imperial Majesty has already passed away. He has been replaced by the Fifth Princess, Wendy Yushan as well as the Royal Regent, Lu Yin."

Ding Xing was shocked. "His Imperial Majesty has passed away?"

Shalosh nodded.

Ding Xing was shocked as he began reminiscing about that assertive emperor. When he had coincidentally crossed paths with the emperor in the past, those eyes definitely had not only held Frostwave Weave within them, but they had also included his Northcastle Weave in their sights. It had precisely been because of that that Northcastle Weave's powers had never established friendly relationships with Frostwave Weave; they had been afraid of Undying Yushan. They had never imagined that on the day they came seeking help from that overbearing emperor, he would have already died.

Since Northcastle Weave was located quite close to the Astral Wilderness, and since the weave's central powers were located in the northern section of the weave, they had ended up developing a bustling network connected to the Astral Wilderness. However, this had also led them to gradually neglect the nearby weaves' situation. It had reached the point where they no longer sought to discover what was happening in the universe. To a certain degree, they had been sealed, as they had not even heard about Undying Yushan's death in a nearby weave. If not for this unexpected encounter, the weave would have continued to seal itself off.

"I wish to seek an audience with the Fifth Princess, Wendy Yushan," Ding Xing said.

Shalosh replied, "Her Highness is in Adonis Weave's East San Dios, though I can try to help you contact her."

He immediately activated his gadget.

Lu Yin was still in the distant Starfall Sea and was completely unaware of the developments in the Great Yu Empire. From the moment he left that separate dimension with the golden ocean, Lu Yin had instructed Huo Qingshan and the others to not contact him unless there was something vitally important.

To them, the developments in Northcastle Weave were still considered "nothing important," or at least, not as important as the matter of the Great Yu Empire unifying Frostwave Weave.

However, nobody knew that the current Northcastle Weave had already undergone a complete change. On the surface, the same powers still were in place and maintained control, and the Greatsword Dynasty was still there on the star charts. However, in reality, all of these native powers had already vanished. All of these changes stemmed from… pyrolyte.

A few days passed, but Michelle and the others still had not left the Sea King's dome. There had been a delay in the cycle of merchant ships going back and forth between the entrance of the Starfall Sea and the Sea King's Dome due to an order by the Sea King's Dome. This was a regulation and not related to wealth, so for once, Lulu could not pay her way out of this situation and leave early.

Fortunately, before they could leave, an astounding battle rocked both the Sea King's Dome and the universe: Mu Rong vs. Ling Que.

The Sea King's Dome forbade fighting, but not in all areas. Some spaces had been specifically reinforced so that even Hunters who could tear through the void could not cause too much damage. Such areas permitted fighting.

Mu Rong and Ling Que stood beneath a cliff and faced each other. From a distance, countless people from the Sea King's Dome surrounded the area as they watched on in excitement. Some people in the audience even started recording the confrontation.

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Chapter 463: Soulsplitting Technique

This was a battle between universally famous Limiteers. Two of the four unequaled Limiteers in the younger generation were finally clashed.

Michelle and the rest were also present and watching, and Lulu in particular was very excited.

Big Pao's face was positively radiant since this battle was wholly unrelated to him.

During the Sea King's son-in-law selection that had taken place a few days before, he had urged Lulu to splurge and poach Ling Que's cheerleaders. In the end, the girls had cheered for Mu Rong. After the selection, the entire matter should have ended.

Ling Que, however, seemed to have some screws loose in his head, and he was determined to retrieve his cheerleaders. According to him, when no one cheered for him, he was unable to get into the right mental state.

The problem was that the cheerleaders had become captivated by Mu Rong. Although they had been bought over by the allure of Ling Que's money, they had coincidentally walked past Mu Rong and involuntary screams had sounded from the group that had startled both Mu Rong and Ling Que. What had added oil to the fire were the rumors that Ling Que could not compare to Mu Rong, so the current battle had been arranged in fury.

In the distance, the cheerleaders were caught in a dilemma. They liked both Ling Que and Mu Rong, so they were at a loss for who they should cheer on.

"I'm not interested in battling you," Mu Rong calmly replied. It almost felt like he did not take any matter seriously.

Ling Que snorted before replying, "So what? Are you trying to have your cake and eat it too? Don't even bother thinking about it! During the selection, you secretly stole away my cheering squad, and I still haven't settled that matter with you. If you hadn't snatched them away, my mood wouldn't have been as poor, and my mind wouldn't have been in such a miserable state. I definitely wouldn't have been ambushed by Cheng Wu otherwise. Everything's because of you!"

Mu Rong frowned. "That's ridiculous."

Ling Que was furious as well. "You're still pretending! Today, my state is great, so I'll show you the results of your pretending!"

Then, Ling Que lifted his hand and raised it a few times.

"Ling Que, Ling Que, I love you! Ling Que, Ling Que, you're the best!"

"Ling Que, Ling Que, I love you! Ling Que, Ling Que, you're the best!"

The cheerleaders maintained their professional conduct; they had accepted Ling Que's money, so they would only cheer for him.

The surrounding people were shocked and hurriedly moved away from the group of lunatics.

Ling Que basked in the cheers as star energy erupted from his body and crushed the ground beneath him. Even the void shuddered as the surging energy was so strong that it pushed the air away, eventually blowing past the clouds in the sky.

It looked like a smoke signal ascending to the heavens, and it attracted even more attention.

Northgate Lie, Che Han, the still undeparted Cheng Wu, Qin Chen, and the rest all came to watch. Even Lan Yu and Zhang Dingtian were present.

This was Ling Que erupting with all of his strength, and he was demonstrating the full terror of an unequaled Limiteer. Many felt that Cheng Wu's ambush on Ling Que during the selection had been unfortunate, as Ling Que hadn't even been able to display the Lingling clan's inherited battle technique—the Soulsplitting Technique. They had been waiting for this moment to finally arrive.

The battle prowess that Mu Rong had displayed in the selection was astounding, and even Cheng Wu had believed that it would be difficult for him to defeat Mu Rong. This peerless Limiteer still had hidden trump cards, and he was unfathomable to the extreme. Unfortunately, he had not clashed against Lu Yin, but many believed that Lu Yin was not Mu Rong's opponent.

As a fellow user of Thirty Stacks who was even an Explorer, Lan Yu had been easily defeated by Mu Rong. Their battle seemed to prove that the Overlaying Stacks method was ineffective against Mu Rong, which insinuated that Lu Yin's chances of victory were very low.

Amongst the four unparalleled Limiteers, Mu Rong was believed to be the strongest since he had been publicly recognized by the Ten Arbiters.

With a whoosh, Ling Que dashed through the void with extreme speed as his Que's Mighty Slash appeared in his hand. He sliced out, and his movements were accompanied by a deafening crash.

A sudden clap of thunder rang out, and the air shattered as the thunder transformed into a visible shockwave that swept out across the flat ground.

Mu Rong's gaze was stern, as he could not be careless against Ling Que. The thunder and the shockwave swept forward together as one while Que's Mighty Slash closed in on Mu Rong. The wooden flute spun around in his hand as he stepped to the side, easily dodging the Que's Mighty Slash. Then, he simply sidestepped once again to dodge the explosion of the thunder and the shockwave.

The Lingling clan members were able to absorb others' innate gifts and form their own everlasting innate gift. Ling Que's Que's Mighty Slash possessed the strength of both thunder and sound, and it was rather terrifying.

Ling Que sneered when he saw that not a single one of his strikes had landed. "Mu Rong, don't assume that your Floating Stride that allows you to avoid and dissolve your opponent's attacks, almost like a lockbreaking technique, is a secret or something. Additionally, even your Floating Stride has its limits!"

Ling Que's eyes flickered, and his entire body froze for a split second. The next moment, everyone stared at the battlefield as their faces turned to expressions of disbelief.

Ling Que had split in two.

This was the Soulsplitting Technique, the Lingling clan's ancient inherited battle technique. No one knew whether the clan had existed for 100,000 years or a million years aside from the clan itself. During this time, numerous civilizations had risen and fallen in the universe, and multiple generations had passed. It was impossible to know if this clan had existed since ancient times, or if it had been established upon the ruins of a past great civilization.

However, the Soulsplitting Technique had always been the Lingling clan's most terrifying battle technique, and it intimidated outsiders the greatest. No one else could learn it aside from the Lingling clan's own members.

This Soulsplitting Technique literally split the body into two, which meant that one could split themselves into two doppelgangers that each had the strength of the original body.

This was the reason why Ling Que had been declared as an unequaled Limiteer.

Two Que's Mighty Slashes appeared and then vanished simultaneously, as regardless of how solid the void was here, it could not stop the Que's Mighty Slash from shuttling through it. This was just one of it's terrifying aspects.

During the selection, if Cheng Wu hadn't taken the initiative to ambush Ling Que, heavily injuring him before he could retaliate in the process, then Ling Que may not have been so easily defeated.

In the universe, there were always these genius freaks that defied comprehension, and Ling Que ranked at the top among these freaks.

His Que's Mighty Slash was sufficiently powerful to cause countless people to feel numb, and most people would not even be able to react as both blades chopped down simultaneously. Everyone stared at the field, their breathing about to halt.

Michelle and the rest were also shocked. They were fellow Limiteers, but the disparity between them was too great.

Mu Rong suddenly moved; he took one step forward with his right leg. There was obviously nothing in front of him, but then he suddenly shifted to the right, and in the next instant, Que's Mighty Slash appeared, streaking past along his neck and causing a trace of blood to appear. Mu Rong retreated right after that, and the second Que's Mighty Slash streaked past his forehead, leaving a similar thin line of blood there.

The two Que's Mighty Slashes had given Mu Rong two wounds.

Ling Que was astounded; his dual Que's Mighty Slashes had always successfully injured his enemies before. If he had not been injured by Cheng Wu's ambush, then he was confident that even Cheng Wu would fall to this attack. However, it had only given Mu Rong a superficial injury.

Mu Rong was slightly injured, but this was the first time he had been hit since arriving at the Sea King's Dome to participate in the selection. It could be said that this was also his first time being injured during a battle against someone from the same generation as him.

He touched his wound and felt its shallowness, but his expression turned serious nonetheless.

Beneath Mu Rong, dark green grass appeared, exuding an overflowing vitality, and in the surrounding void, the farmer boy riding on a cow appeared with a leisurely expression. This was Mu Rong's personal forcefield, a vision of the farmer boy herding cattle.

The moment the forcefield appeared, the two Que's Mighty Slashes were expelled from the void, and they moved back to revolve around the two Ling Ques. They could easily shuttle through the void, but they could not pass through Mu Rong's forcefield, which meant that his Que's Mighty Slash's strongest aspect had been nullified now that this forcefield had appeared.

Ling Que did not think that Mu Rong's forcefield would have such a large restraining effect on him. If Cheng Wu had tried to control Ling Que through that invulnerable clock, then Mu Rong's method was to cut off his blades' greatest advantage.

It wasn't just Ling Que, as the entire audience had been enveloped by Mu Rong's forcefield as well.

Michelle felt the forcefield oppress her entire body, and she even found it hard to circulate her star energy. The moment she was enveloped by the forcefield, her power had dropped by two-thirds, leaving her dumbstruck. This powerful forcefield had shattered her previous understanding of domains.

Lulu clenched her fists; her physical strength was still there, but it was also being suppressed.

Xia Luo had a look of amazement, and he looked up to see the famer boy herding cattle through the void.

Darkvoid raised a hand, only to discover that his innate gift was useless as it had been completely suppressed.

Hui Daynight felt his scalp turn numb, as the feeling this forcefield gave him was too scary.

Everyone could sense the terror of Mu Rong's forcefield, as experiencing it for themselves was completely different from merely seeing it. At this moment, they truly understood the reason why Zhang Dingtian had been defeated. This was an irresistible strength, and even Northgate Lie and Qin Chen had to admit that they would be defeated without question if they were suppressed within this forcefield.

Cheng Wu had exchanged blows with Mu Rong and experienced this forcefield before, but he was still shocked. Once Mu Rong broke through and became an Explorer, a great number of the experts in the Top 100 Rankings would have to take a step back. This was a true unequaled Limiteer; he was not just unequaled in his generation, but rather invincible among all the Limiteers in the universe.

The shock that Ling Que had given the onlookers simply crumbled away after Mu Rong's forcefield enveloped them.

Mu Rong raised a hand and pressed downwards, prompting the farmer boy who was originally wandering around to directly rush towards Ling Que. The farmer boy represented the entire forcefield, and Ling Que felt as if the heavens themselves were collapsing upon him. Even the surrounding void was no longer stable, as distortions had appeared everywhere. Ling Que's star energy was completely suppressed.

Ling Que growled, and his doppelgangers vanished as they merged back into one body. Then, his body momentarily stopped moving once again. Under the alarmed gazes of everyone present, he split into—three bodies. Three Ling Ques appeared with three Que's Mighty Slashes revolving around them, and they all clashed with the farmer boy.

Boom!

Everyone felt their minds being thrown into chaos, and many seemed to have been struck by an invisible attack and were forced to spit out blood. Many audience members even started bleeding from their seven orifices before fainting on the spot.

This collision between the two Limiteers even caused the void to start rumbling. This was because Mu Rong's suppressive forcefield had already enveloped the void while Ling Que was displaying his Soulsplitting Technique to its extreme, and he was using the combined force of all three bodies to withstand Mu Rong's forcefield. n𝐎𝒱𝞮-𝑙𝑏.In

The ground flaked apart in layers as a terrifying aftershock rippled outwards. The avalanche of crushed rocks injured countless people.

Xia Luo and the rest were also within the scope of this aftershock. The youths all worked together, but Michelle and the others were still blown back by just an aftershock from the battle from Mu Rong and Ling Que.

The surrounding void was suppressed, and unless someone with a power level that surpassed a Hunter's attacked, the void would forever remain solid here. Even so, the ripples distorted the nearby space, causing all objects within a radius of 10,000 meters to disintegrate, including the nearby cliff.

In the sky, Hai Dashao and Starsibyl stood far above everything as they looked down, watching the fight.

And high above the entire Sea King's Dome, even the Sea King was observing.

This battle between Limiteers could even attract the Sea King's attention; this was something that even a Top 100 Rankings expert might not be able to accomplish.

When the dust settled, the onlookers who were still conscious all looked over in shock. Mu Rong was standing in his original place with a calm look while the three Ling Ques were panting heavily. They had managed to withstand a single strike from Mu Rong.

The cheerleaders had all fainted by now, but Ling Que could not be bothered with them at this moment. The three Ling Ques howled with laughter, in sync. "Mu Rong, you're indeed powerful, but so what? No matter how powerful your forcefield may be, it cannot last forever! That strike should be your peak strength. Now, it's my turn!"

Then, the three Ling Ques stood in a triangular formation that surrounded Mu Rong. The three Que's Mighty Slashes released a sharp aura that warped the void. Not all ten of the innate gifts that made up Que's Mighty Slash had been used by Ling Que in his fight. He felt that this was the right moment, and he merged all three blades into one. No one could withstand this attack, as he had once used this blade to defeat a Cruiser whose power level surpassed 70,000.

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Chapter 464: The Farmer Boy And Rankings

The area was completely silent. Everyone was focused on the three gigantic blades that had merged together, which caused its power to increase exponentially.

Even Cheng Wu had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to withstand this attack now that Ling Que's three swords had merged into one. Thankfully, he had successfully sneak attacked Ling Que during the Sea King's son-in-law selection, so Ling Que had not been at his peak state in that battle. Otherwise, Cheng Wu would have gone through a difficult battle.

Ling Que had lost to Cheng Wu while trying to make his way up the Skyfall Cascades. The fact that he had given up without a fight had severely damaged his reputation. However, this battle against Mu Rong was reversing that impression. He was a true monster. Those who had managed to climb up Skyfall Cascades had all been monsters in their own right. If Cheng Wu hadn't managed to ambush Ling Que, then nobody knew how their battle might have gone. Even if Cheng Wu had been able to win, he would not have been able to keep fighting at peak condition in the subsequent battles.

Ling Que became incredibly excited. If he managed to defeat Mu Rong at this moment, then he would be widely acknowledged as the most powerful Limiteer. By then, would he even need to hire a squad of cheerleaders? Of course not! There would surely be crowds of hot chicks waiting to become his cheerleaders. The Souldream Tribe, the Umbral Butterfly Tribe, the famous Kind Tribe, and… And even those talented genius girls from the Charming Space would worship him! Ye Xingchen? Lu Yin? They were just trash.

Ling Que became more and more excited as he thought about his potential future, and the three merged Que's Mighty Slashes shone even brighter.

"It's over, Mu Rong!" Ling Que shouted when his merged blade was about to land. Mu Rong definitely would not be able to dodge this attack. Even if he tried to tear through the void to escape, his Que's Mighty Slash would simply crush the void.

A sweet tune suddenly came out of nowhere, and it gradually filled the ears of the audience. It felt like the music had just begun, but also felt if it had always been there.

Mu Rong gently blew on his wooden flute, and a renewed aura appeared in the void. A boy was herding some cattle while chuckling to himself. Verdant green grass grew from the earth, and lush fields could be seen extending far into the distance, past the battle field and into the void.

When the song came out, Mu Rong himself transformed. He himself became the farmer boy, seemingly forgetting about all his worries.

The song of a farmer boy while relaxing within the pasture!

Nobody could destroy this vision.

Ling Que's merged attack never managed to land, as Ling Que immediately became immersed in the song. He had lost. The moment Mu Rong started playing his song, Ling Que had lost.

Mu Rong was someone whom the Ten Arbiters had acknowledged as truly invincible among all Limiteers. So what if someone could merge ten innate gifts together? So what if someone could split their soul? They'd still lose to Mu Rong.

This battle had brought too many surprises to the audience. Nobody had expected that a fight between two Limiteers could be so amazing. Experts at the bottom of the Top 100 Rankings would definitely lose to either one of them. They were definitely strong enough to be on par with Cheng Wu.

Hai Dashao eyed Mu Rong with disappointment. Although he didn't like how this guy always had a miserable look about him, his personality was still much better than Lu Yin's, and he was even stronger than Lu Yin. Hai Dashao felt an urge to try to convince his father to let this Mu Rong try pulling out the Sea King's Trident again. Unless… Was it possible that Mu Rong had been the one to actually pull out the trident, but then decided that he didn't want to marry Qiqi, and so let Lu Yin take it out? That kid, Lu Yin, had been repeating the fact that he hadn't used any strength at all; could his words actually be true? The more Hai Dashao thought about it, the more likely his suspicions seemed to be real.

Starsibyl gazed at Mu Rong's figure as he left, recalling his answer to her question. "Why should I become strong? It's enough if I can live every day happily." That had been Mu Rong's answer. Unfortunately, such a dream would never happen. The more that kind of person wished to be happy, the more unhappy they would end up becoming.

The Sea King looked away with a wistful expression. These two Limiteers were both geniuses. That kid was supposed to be on par with them, so why hadn't he come to watch this huge event? n𝔒𝑽𝓮)𝑙𝓑)In

Everyone left soon after, leaving Ling Que standing in the open arena by himself with his head hanging down, looking incredibly unwilling to accept his defeat.

He'd been completely and thoroughly beaten. He was from the Lingling clan and therefore stood above all others, but he had just been defeated. Just the thought of it left him incredibly annoyed. Mu Rong really was the number one Limiteer—there was no doubt about it.

Michelle and the rest left as well, and Coco anxiously looked at the peak of the Sea King's Dome. "Mu Rong is so strong! I hope that Lu Yin won't have to fight him."

Big Pao held the same sentiment and sighed. "If I had known that this would happen, I wouldn't have participated in the first place. Knowing always hurts more than not knowing. After news of this battle spreads, Mu Rong will definitely be regarded as the strongest Limiteer. Hopefully, Lu Yin won't take this matter to heart and won't try to challenge him."

Xia Luo had his ever-present smile on his face. I wonder how far you'll be able to go, Lu Yin. You've defeated so many people that nobody ever thought you had a chance of beating. Will Mu Rong become one of them? He grew very excited at such a thought and had a feeling that Mu Rong and Lu Yin would most likely have a duel at some point. Additionally, Xia Luo even felt like their duel was not far off.

Mu Rong had defeated Ling Que, and their battle had brought even more attention to the Sea King's Dome. However, people were paying the most attention to the rankings of the four unequalled Limiteers. The most secretive one was actually Ye Xingchen. He had been staying in the Cosmic Sea all this time, and nobody knew how strong he actually was. However, everyone still ranked Mu Rong as number one, and almost nobody objected to such a ranking.

In second place was either Ling Que or Ye Xingchen. Even though Lu Yin had attracted a lot of attention during the recent competition by having a close fight against the Faceless Man, many people still believed that Lu Yin would lose to Mu Rong. Their judgement was mostly based on the fact that Lu Yin primarily used stacked attacks.

If Lu Yin were to fight against Ling Que with his stacked attacks, Ling Que would merely need to split his soul in two. One could defend while the other attacked, and thus, Lu Yin's loss seemed assured. Ling Que wouldn't even need to split into three copies to accomplish such a thing.

That was why Lu Yin indisputably held the fourth place in the public's eye. Even though he was the Sea King's soon-to-be son-in-law, he could only be placed fourth when among such monsters. This was readily acknowledged.

Before much more time passed, Big Pao contacted Lu Yin and described the fight between Mu Rong and Ling Que in great detail during their call.

Lu Yin was still training under the waterfall and had no idea that such a battle had taken place. The dome was huge, and only battles between Hunters would be able to shake the entirety of the mountain. Battles between anyone beneath the Hunter realm wouldn't be enough to cause enough of a commotion. The reason why Mu Rong and Ling Que's battle had been able to attract so many people's attention was mainly due to their reputations.

Lu Yin set his gadget down. He never expected that the rankings of the four strongest Limiteers would become such a hot topic at this time. Even back when he first learned that the four of them were considered the strongest Limiteers, he already knew that the day would come where they would be ranked. He just hadn't expected it to happen so suddenly.

Brains and brawn were equally important in such rankings. Cultivators were generally hot-headed and would refuse to admit that they were any inferior to anyone else. The stronger they were, the truer this tendency, especially for the younger generation.

Lu Yin stood up and stared into the distance. To be honest, he was actually looking forward to fighting against Mu Rong and Ling Que. Out of everyone in his generation, only they were qualified to fight against him.

His enemies included the Ten Arbiters, and the entity that posed the biggest threat to him at this moment was the Daynight clan. However, there were plenty of other people who were his enemies as well. In the plans that Lu Yin had laid out for his revenge, reputation was extremely important.

He had no idea if Leon's Armada would help his Big Sis avenge the seventy two lives that had been lost, but Lu Yin would not place his hopes on someone else; this was his fight!

By truly becoming an unequaled Limiteer, he would gain an amazing reputation. However, Mu Rong wasn't somebody who he could easily deal with. His battle techniques, talent, domain, and power were all things that only Ling Que actually understood. Lu Yin felt confident that he'd be able to block powerful physical attacks with his Fatesand, but the move that had defeated Ling Que definitely possessed certain aspects that Lu Yin could not defend against with just his strong body.

He didn't know if he'd be able to win against Mu Rong for sure, so if he was going to fight, it would only happen after Lu Yin was confident in achieving victory. He wouldn't behave like Ling Que and rashly charge into battle. Ever since Lu Yin had been swallowed by that storm in the Tempest Flowzone, he'd returned to being extremely cautious.

While Lu Yin was busy calculating Mu Rong's strength, the Sea King had somehow caught wind of a rumor that Lu Yin and Mu Rong were going to have a duel. The moment such news broke out, the Sea King had been immediately alerted.

"Lu Yin really has the guts to challenge Mu Rong? He's not scared of losing badly even when he's right under the Sea King's nose."

"He's too ignorant if he thinks that he's really invincible after pulling out the Sea King's Trident! Apparently, that trident was actually pulled out by Mu Rong, but because he wasn't willing to become the Sea King's son-in-law, he didn't pull it out completely. Thus, Lu Yin was able to get lucky."

"If I were him, I would definitely keep my mouth shut and wait until Mu Rong leaves. Why embarrass yourself?"

"Whatever the situation may be, Lu Yin will be the Sea King's son-in-law soon, which means that he's pretty much already a part of the family. We still want him to win, even though it probably won't happen."

"Somebody analyzed that Lu Yin's chances of winning are less than 1%. He relies on stacked attacks, speed, and his physical prowess. All of that's useless against Mu Rong! One could say that Mu Rong overpowers him in every aspect. Even Ling Que must be stronger than him."

"What a pity. He's really too arrogant." Somebody sighed as they clasped their hands behind their back, looking like some kind of sophisticated person.

All of a sudden, someone said, "He's much better than you."

Everyone immediately looked over. The guy with his hands behind his back was stunned at being called out. After seeing that a young person with red lips and white teeth had said those words, he asked in confusion, "Have I offended you in some way?"

The youth hummed. "You didn't offend me. If you had, you'd already be dead." And with that, the young woman left. She was Hai Qiqi, and she had changed her appearance to go out on a stroll. But after hearing all these people discussing Lu Yin's challenge towards Mu Rong, she'd become annoyed with them. While she didn't like Lu Yin and enjoyed mocking him, hearing others ridicule him was irritating. And if she was annoyed, she had to speak up. Such was Hai Qiqi's way of life.

Michelle and the rest immediately contacted Lu Yin upon hearing the rumors. Upon hearing it from them, Lu Yin was utterly confused. "When did I ever say that I was going to challenge Mu Rong?"

"It wasn't you? Then who spread the news? They're clearly trying to cause trouble for you," Michelle stated gravely.

Everyone's first guess was Feng Mo and the others, but that didn't seem very likely since such a battle would not further their interests at all.

The first person that came to Lu Yin's mind was none other than Hai Qiqi, who treated him with derision. He had a feeling that the girl was willing to do anything and was more than just the sharp tongue she was known for.

"News of your upcoming battle with Mu Rong has spread, and the location has even been set. It'll be in the middle of the mountain, here at Halfwillow Lakeside in two days. Do you think that you can win?" Xia Luo asked, sounding slightly excited, as if he found the entire matter rather hilarious.

Lu Yin couldn't really reply. It wasn't about whether he could win, but rather whether or not he could go there at all.

Without wasting any more time with them, he shouted towards the sky, "I would like to request an audience with you, Sir Sea King."

The entire area was under the Sea King's control, and while he might not have his eye on every single person at every single moment, Lu Yin was certain that the man was watching him every second.

Sure enough, the scenery before Lu Yin distorted, and the Sea King's unremarkable face appeared in front of him. "What is it?"

Lu Yin respectfully asked, "May I know who spread the news that I am going to fight with Mu Rong?"

The Sea King grunted in understanding. "Me."

Lu Yin had thought that Hai Qiqi would be the one to spread the rumors. He had never dreamed that the Sea King himself could be responsible.

He froze. "Why?"

Chapter 465: Let Me Give You A Lightbulb

The Sea King lifted his head high as he asked Lu Yin, "Did you know that you are ranked last out of the four?"

This was something that Lu Yin did not know. Big Pao and the others were probably afraid that Lu Yin would decline Mu Rong's challenge, which was why they had not told him. n/O𝐯𝞮𝓁𝑏1n

"How can my son-in-law be ranked last? If anything, he should be first. That being said, I want you to go ahead and fight. Losing is not an option," Sea King spoke pridefully.

Lu Yin was taken aback. "Are you not afraid that I'll lose?"

The Sea King stared at Lu Yin. "Just challenge him again if you lose. I'll force Mu Rong to stay here at the Sea King's Dome and will even make sure that he does not break through. I will see to it that you obtain victory before he leaves."

Lu Yin was speechless. What this man was proposing was completely unreasonable!

The Ghost Monkey exclaimed, "It's no wonder why those old guys warned us not to provoke the Starfall Sea's master. This old man is really a rascal!"

The corner of the Sea King's mouth rose up, and he clasped his hands as he said, "Kid, let me teach you something today. The universe is too big, so nobody cares how things happened anymore—all they care about are the results. Even if you decide to cheat to beat Mu Rong, the only thing the public will remember is that Mu Rong was defeated by you. That's all there is to it. This is the victor's prestige.

"You even have me backing you up, so even if you do cheat to win, no one will dare to say anything. On the other hand, if you didn't have me here you decided to cheat, then all the people backing him would drag you out and punish you. They would then ruin your public opinion. This is how power works."

The Sea King's gaze turned stern, and he raised both hands and balled them into fists. "Power and truth lies in the hands of a select few. Those select few people control public opinion and can even change the course of history. That is real power."

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. This brief monologue revealed the Sea King's core principles, as well as the truth about power. Even though it sounded like a scandalous action to take, this was the way the universe operated. History was written by the victors, and no one cared nor even dared to question how the victors had fought their way to the top.

"However, after having said all of that, cheating is not ethical, so I won't allow it. If you want to win, you'll have to depend on yourself." The Sea King suddenly changed his tone when he made this remark. He then looked at Lu Yin and continued on, saying, "In two days, I will send you to Halfwillow Lakeside. I hope that you won't disappoint me."

Lu Yin knitted his brows. "I did not agree to battle him."

Sea King was unhappy with such a reply. "I wasn't asking you. I am telling you that you will fight him in two days."

When he saw the reluctant look in Lu Yin's eye, he burst out laughing. "If you become stronger than me one day, I'll have no qualms if you treat me the same way I'm currently treating you! Hahahaha." Just as the Sea King was about to leave, something seemed to suddenly cross his mind. His face turned solemn, and he looked at Lu Yin with a face that seemed full of maliciousness. "Kid, did you enjoy spending the money?"

Lu Yin's heart skipped a beat, and he acted confused. "Money? What money?"

Sea King snorted. "You spent thirty-five thousand of my star essence. As a Limiteer, that's very extravagant of you."

Lu Yin's eyes went wide. "Senior, I only spent fifteen thousand star essence. Where is the other twenty thousand you mentioned?"

"Is the young lady from the Mavis family not a member of your party?"

"Yes, she is in my party, but how can I be accountable for her expenditures?"

"All of you came to the Sea King's Dome to avoid being captured. Those in your party regard you as their leader. As such, who else would I hold accountable for their actions? Here's the bottom line. Lu Yin, we can have civil negotiations after you win this battle. However, if you lose, you will have let me down. If that happens, you'd better come up with a way to settle this debt." As soon as he was done speaking, the Sea King left.

Lu Yin remained frozen in place as he felt like he was about to break down in tears. He had no way to reason with this powerful rascal. Lu Yin's previous worries had just come to fruition; the old rascal was really going to hold Lu Yin accountable for Lulu's debt.

"Seventh Bro, your father-in-law's a real character, and that Hai Qiqi is even worse! I foresee some exciting days ahead of you in the future." The monkey laughed mockingly.

It was not that Lu Yin did not want to fight, but rather that he wanted to have some practical assurance before committing to a battle. He hated forcing his way through the battle. Even though Lu Yin had a strong body, Mu Rong's style of fighting did not depend on brute force. Under such circumstances, if Lu Yin did not have a good strategy to counter Mu Rong's methods, he would not be able to win even if he did not lose. There would be no point in fighting under such circumstances.

However, the Sea King's insistence that Lu Yin fight left him with no choice.

As for the other main character in this battle, Mu Rong did not wish for this battle either. He had no interest in the rankings nor in doing battle with Lu Yin. Alas, he was left with no choice since he had been told that he could not leave the Sea King's Dome unless he fought with Lu Yin. This information also made him label the Sea King as a rascal.

After news was released that the fight had been confirmed by the Sea King's Dome, a countless number of people in the Sea King's Dome flocked to Halfwillow Lakeside. Although the majority felt that Lu Yin was destined to lose in an even worse manner than Ling Que, Lu Yin was still the strongest of the four unparalleled Limiteers in terms of physical strength. This reputation alone was enough to entice countless people to watch the battle.

One day later, Halfwillow Lakeside, which was situated half-way up the mountain, was already packed full of people. Many peddlers had even set up shop there.

Michelle and the others had also arrived.

Halfwillow Lakeside was a humongous area that was much larger than the place where Mu Rong and Ling Que had fought. After experiencing the previous battle, many people had learned the hard way that it was best to keep their distance from the battlefield. Of course, there were also quite a number who did not care to keep their distance since they felt that Lu Yin's limited abilities meant that he would not be able to cause too much damage. They felt that Mu Rong could achieve an easy victory.

"Lu Yin's just asking to be humiliated. I wonder if the Sea King will still recognize Lu Yin's status as his son-in-law after he loses," someone commented.

"He'll probably disown him. The Sea King has been unequaled for his entire life, so he probably doesn't want any blemishes in his reputation."

"Actually, given Lu Yin's capabilities, he is a good match for the princess. It's just a pity that his light is being overshadowed by Mu Rong."

This sentence triggered Big Pao, who shoved the person who had just spoken. "Brother, let me give you a lightbulb."

"What for?" The person was bewildered.

Big Pao responded, "You're very dim when compared to me, so you can use it to illuminate yourself."

That person was stunned for a moment; the insult had rendered him speechless. He then snatched the lightbulb and tossed it away before angrily walking to the other side.

Coco looked at Big Pao rather adoringly. "I never noticed that Senior had such sharp remarks."

Lulu nodded her head, she shot a glance at Little Pao. "Even though they are brothers, they are quite different. Senior Little Pao is more serious and reliable."

When Little Pao heard this, he stood up, walked over to Big Pao, and said, "Let me give you a lightbulb."

"Scram!" Big Pao said, not knowing what else to say.

On the other side of Halfwillow Lakeside, Northgate Lie arrived. Since he had started training under Northgate Taisui, his confidence and ambition had soared dramatically. His initial plan had been to challenge Qin Chen and enter the top ninety before planning his next move. However, the battles he had witnessed at the Sea King's Dome had toppled the very foundation of his previous understanding. Even the Limiteers in this place had a battle strength comparable to the top eighty. He did not even dare to show his face after seeing such things.

"Hey, that's Northgate Lie! He's ranked ninety third in the Top 100 Rankings," someone exclaimed in the distance. Northgate Lie had instantly become the focus of many people's attention.

"No, he's ranked ninety fourth now. Che Han defeated Qin Chen, so the new rankings will have him lowered by one."

"It won't just stop at ninety fourth place. Given Mu Rong, Ling Que, and Lu Yin's capabilities, he'll drop to ninety seventh as soon as he faces the more powerful people in the Top 100."

"If there are even two more individuals who've concealed their abilities like Che Han, he'll drop right off the Top 100 Rankings."

Northgate Lie was enraged when he overheard these discussions. He had not fallen off the leaderboard yet, but these scumbags were already making snide remarks about him! However, he did not lower himself to argue with them, and instead walked to another place and continued watching. Someone walked over towards him; it was Qin Chen. Even though he had maintained a much lower profile than Northgate Lie with a covered face, Northgate Lie still recognized him.

"Qin Chen, I challenge you to battle," Northgate Lie solemnly proposed.

Qin Chen rejected the challenge right away and left.

Northgate Lie chased after him. He was concerned about falling off the Top 100 Rankings, and so he had decided that raising his rank and joining the top ninety quicker would be a good plan.

Most of the various experts who had taken part in the Sea King's selection had also arrived to watch the coming battle. Amongst them was Xun Jiong, whose hatred towards Lu Yin had now surpassed even Nightqueen Yanqing's. When news of this battle spread, Xun Jiong had even sought out Mu Rong, intending to give him a weapon of the Xun family. It was the same weapon that the short Explorer had used to attack Lu Yin, and since Xun Jiong had had no chance to use it himself, he wanted to give it to Mu Rong so that he could deliver a crushing defeat to Lu Yin.

However, Mu Rong had rejected Xun Jiong without even saying a single word in response. This made Xun Jiong despise Mu Rong as well. However, he was still rooting for Mu Rong to decisively defeat Lu Yin.

Multiple grand occasions had been held at the Sea King's Dome in quick succession. This caused many people in the Sea King's Dome to become incredibly excited, and they felt as though they were celebrating a festival.

At this moment, Lu Yin appeared with a dignified expression on his face. There was already a video of Mu Rong's battle against Ling Que on the network, but it was not a video that could be accessed by ordinary folk. Lu Yin was only able to view it because of his Honor Points.

Mu Rong's skills, counter attacks, adroit usage of his domain, and his finishing moves were all astonishing. Ling Que's innate gift, his Soulsplitting Technique, and his defensive strategies were all astonishing as well. They had been equally matched, and it was hard to tell who would win from watching the video.

What caught Lu Yin's attention the most was Mu Rong's finishing move, which was when he had played the song of the farmer boy. Whether it was a spiritual attack or a physical attack, Ling Que had been unable to utilize his three blades that had merged as one as soon as he heard that song. This was something that could only be experienced in person and could not be replicated by a video.

Lu Yin's gaze twinkled; if the farmer boy's song was really that strong, then it was likely a spiritual attack that could directly damage one's spiritual force. If that was the case, then it might not necessarily be effective against Lu Yin. Considering how well versed he was with the Stonewall Scriptures after reciting it for so long, he had developed a strong resistance when it came to spiritual force attacks.

The battle was still one day away, so Lu Yin used his Honor Points to search the network for videos on how to counter unique innate gifts. He wanted to view as many as possible.

One day later, at the middle section of the mountain that was the Sea King's Dome, Halfwillow Lakeside was completely packed with people. There were even some who could not see what was going on since the Sea King's Dome was not broadcasting this battle on any screens as it was just a battle between two members of the younger generation, not some grand affair hosted by the Sea King's Dome itself.

Despite that, everyone of significance was present, and even the Faceless Man had hidden himself among the crowd. Likewise, Lan Yu and Zhang Dingtian were also present.

Zhang Dingtian, unsurprisingly, was very excited to watch this battle. He was curious to see how powerful Lu Yin had become. After having battled against Mu Rong, Zhang Dingtian understood very well how powerful the unequalled Limiteer was. The only question he had now was how well Lu Yin would perform.

Ling Que hid in the corner, watching Mu Rong with a sullen expression. He wanted another chance to battle him, and to have a chance to defend against the farmer boy's song.

When a ray of sunshine hit the lake, a gleaming reflection bounced off the lakeside. On the west side of the lake, Mu Rong appeared. His face was calm, and he appeared to be completely unconcerned about the upcoming battle.

On the east side of the lake, the void split open as Lu Yin walked out.

Everyone was astonished at the manner Lu Yin chose to appear in. Halfwillow Lakeside was also a place where space had been suppressed and where battles were allowed. Tearing the void apart in such an area was something only a powerful individual with a power level of over 100,000 could accomplish. It was clear that Lu Yin himself was not capable of such a feat, so the only possible explanation was that the Sea King had transported him here. Apart from the Sea King, there was no one else who would dare damage the void in this place, even if one was an Enlighter.

In other words, it meant that the Sea King had allowed and even supported Lu Yin's decision to do battle.

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Chapter 466: Lu Yin vs Mu Rong

Many people from the Sea King's Dome had complex looks in their eyes. Many of them really wanted to support Lu Yin since he was, in a way, one of them. However, it was also a fact that he had almost no chances of winning.

Xun Jiong looked at Lu Yin with jealous eyes. Under normal circumstances, he should have been the one to receive such treatment. If he had become the Sea King's son-in-law, he would have been the one tearing through the void and traveling about the dome with ease. However, this was a privilege that now belonged solely to Lu Yin.

Halfwillow Lakeside was huge. From the east end to the western most part, the entire area stretched for dozens of kilometers. Regular people wouldn't even be able to see the other side from one side—only cultivators could.

Upon seeing Mu Rong's calm expression, Lu Yin had no idea if it was because the man thought nothing of him, or if it was because Mu Rong simply didn't care about the duel at all. n𝗼𝗏𝑒/𝔩𝑏.In

Lu Yin's eyes twinkled, and as countless people watched on, he charged towards the middle of the lake. Across from him, Mu Rong did the same.

The two of them approached each other with extreme speed. Soon enough, their star energy began interacting and affecting the other, even more so once the two of them met. The lake water was also affected by the clashing star energy, and it sprayed in all directions. Lu Yin lifted a hand and attacked with the Skybeast Claw. Mu Rong easily dodged the attack before using a delicate set of footwork to instantly appear in front of Lu Yin with his wooden flute aimed straight at Lu Yin's chest.

Lu Yin grabbed at Mu Rong, confident in his physical strength. The moment he managed to grasp the flute, Mu Rong would find it difficult to retrieve. However, Mu Rong seemed to sense the danger. He was completely aware of how terrifyingly strong Lu Yin's physical body was. But despite this, Mu Rong still dared to take the initiative and engage in close combat. Such a decision showed how confident Mu Rong was in his own battle abilities.

Mu Rong managed to easily dodge Lu Yin's attack once again, and he appeared behind his opponent this time. The wooden flute twirled about before heavily striking Lu Yin's back. However, Lu Yin wasn't slow either. He merged his Flash and Invisible Aura techniques, which allowed him to move without making a sound or even releasing any star energy, which was quite a surprise to Mu Rong.

In the middle of the lake, the two of them attacked and dodged each other's attacks at extreme speed. Numerous afterimages appeared and faded away over Halfwillow Lakeside, and as more and more afterimages appeared, the speed of the two even started to distort the area and heat up the entire lake.

Even after quite a while, neither of them had actually managed to hurt the other.

Many people gaped, unable to even tell what was going on.

During the previous battles against Zhang Dingtian and Ling Que, Mu Rong had held the upper hand in terms of movement techniques, and he had managed to deal with his opponent's attacks without much trouble. Ling Que had once said that Mu Rong's movement technique was called Floating Stride and that it was comparable to a Lockbreaking technique. It was first-rate when it came to dodging and dispersing an opponent's attacks. Meanwhile, Lu Yin had his domain and Flash Step, both of which he was incredibly confident in.

The two of them started moving faster and faster, and a hint of surprise appeared in Mu Rong's eyes. He was aware that Lu Yin was a Lockbreaker, but even a Lockbreaker rarely possessed such great physical techniques. Mu Rong could understand why Lu Yin had been able to disperse his star energy attacks since Lu Yin was renowned as a genius Lockbreaker. However, he was also able to keep up with his speed? That was a surprise.

However, Mu Rong's Floating Stride had not reached its limit yet. Mu Rong increased his speed another notch, intrigued. Even with Lu Yin's eyes, there was a moment where he lost sight of Mu Rong.

It wasn't just Lu Yin. Northgate Lie, Qin Chen, Cheng Wu, and the rest of the elites spectating could not see through Mu Rong's current speed either. He was moving at a speed that was far above what they had ever seen before. He was finally displaying the full power of his Floating Stride.

Ling Que felt bitter. Even during the battle with him, Mu Rong hadn't gone all-out, though he had never needed to reach such a speed. No matter how fast Mu Rong could move, he couldn't move faster than Ling Que's Que's Mighty Slash since the blades could travel through the void. Such a thought gave Ling Que a small amount of comfort.

Above the lake, Mu Rong had already disappeared, as he was just too fast.

Everyone gasped. Lu Yin was in danger.

Lu Yin's eyes revealed shock and surprise. Mu Rong is still able to go even faster? How interesting. Without any hesitation, he moved the grain of Fatesand from his heart to the inner layer of his clothes. This allowed him to keep the Fatesand concealed while still unlocking the true power of his physical body. The moment the wooden flute was about to strike him, a powerful shockwave appeared that spread out in all directions and pushed Mu Rong away. The powerful shockwave caused numerous onlookers around the lake to stop breathing for a moment, nearly suffocating.

Huge waves erupted across the lake as the water swirled into the sky. Even the surrounding void became unstable.

This was the level of physical strength that Lu Yin had reached after releasing the first grain of Fatesand. When climbing the Skyfall Cascades, this strength was what allowed him to get past the Xun Clan's Machinery Art and even defeat the Faceless Man. And now, it was what he was relying on in this battle. Lu Yin still maintained an advantage in terms of speed.

His Flash Step was a basic movement technique that utilized one's physical body. The stronger the body, the faster Flash Step was. For the first time ever, Lu Yin fully understood this concept that the Sandmaster had introduced to him from the beginning. In theory, as long as the body kept growing stronger, there was no limit to Flash Step's speed. Lu Yin even started fantasizing about the day when his speed would even surpass time.

Lu Yin and Mu Rong couldn't even be seen above Halfwillow Lakeside anymore. The two of them were too fast, and it had reached the point where even Explorers couldn't see all of their movements. In terms of just pure speed, these two were far and beyond their peers.

Everyone held their tongues. They'd all thought that Lu Yin wouldn't be able to hold out for long. Never in their wildest dreams had they expected the two Limiteers to demonstrate such extreme speed. Also, these two were just too fast; how were they supposed to watch the fight? This made no sense.

Michelle and the others were just as shocked. They had no idea that Lu Yin could move so fast, and the two of them fighting above the lake were giving off such immense pressure that it was difficult for the rest of them to even breathe. When had the difference between them and Lu Yin grown so large?

Xia Luo's eyes lit up as his gaze revealed his admiration.

Lulu was quite envious. If she possessed this kind of speed, then she'd be able to beat Grandini with ease.

Far in the distance, Hai Dashao watched on with interest. The fact that Lu Yin, while still in the Limiteer realm, had managed to achieve such speed showed that he wasn't half bad after all. Within this entire universe, there were only a few people who could do the same. It was no wonder why Starsibyl had asked Lu Yin that question; he really did qualify.

A boom suddenly erupted out, surprising the crowd. Everybody looked at the lake to see water spraying out from the center, where Lu Yin and Mu Rong were now facing each other. Beneath their feet was a gigantic hole surrounded by cracks that reached out into the distance. The lake water was flowing into the still-growing cracks, trickling off somewhere.

This was the first time that the two had actually made contact while fighting at close range. Based on the marks, Lu Yin hadn't retreated at all, but Mu Rong had taken five steps back. The victor here was obvious.

Many weren't very surprised by the results. In terms of physical strength, it was a given that Mu Rong wasn't as strong as Lu Yin. Lu Yin could use Thirty Stacks, and that demanded a great deal from one's body. Few Explorers, and even fewer Limiteers could satisfy those demanding requirements. Lan Yu's ability to use Thirty Stacks had made him the top of the younger generation in Grayweed Continent, showing just how difficult it was.

Where Mu Rong truly excelled was his domain, his forcefield, and also that mysterious farmer boy's song.

Mu Rong no longer appeared as calm as he had before the battle. He looked at Lu Yin in shock. "Your body is incredibly powerful."

Lu Yin smiled. "Thanks for the compliment. Let's go again."

Mu Rong shook his head. "There's no need for that. I don't like to attack someone else's weakness, and while I don't really care about the results of this battle, it's still a duel. I need to give it my all. You are strong enough for me to do just that."

Right after speaking, the lake water flowed back towards Mu Rong, and green grass sprouted at the bottom of the lake and spread across Halfwillow Lakeside.

At that moment, Lu Yin's domain collapsed. It was much too weak compared to Mu Rong's domain, and it had been crushed apart.

This was not the first time Lu Yin had experienced such an overwhelming difference in domains. He clearly remembered the separate dimension with the golden sea where he had fought against the battle soul that had kept its eyes closed. From the very start of that fight, Lu Yin's domain had been crushed, and it had felt as if the sky had collapsed. Right now, that same feeling had appeared once more.

Without his domain, his perception of his surroundings became much weaker. Even worse, he had succumbed to Mu Rong's domain. Above him was an image of a farmer boy herding cows.

Everyone held their breaths. It had appeared. Now that Mu Rong was using his forcefield, it meant that Mu Rong was taking this fight seriously.

Zhang Dingtian grew incredibly serious. He'd lost to Mu Rong's domain. It had felt as if space itself had been expelled from the area and as if the forcefield could affect even the heavens and earth. That unstoppable strength was something that Zhang Dingtian would never be able to forget.

Ling Que, too, looked serious. He had split his soul to the maximum degree and created three doppelgangers, which had allowed him to block one attack from Mu Rong's forcefield. He knew full well how terrifying that one attack had been. For a Limiteer, it was like facing the end of the world.

And now, Lu Yin was experiencing what the end of the world felt like. The farmer boy was trying to crush him from within Mu Rong's forcefield. No matter how quickly Lu Yin moved, at this moment, it felt like he was mired in a swamp and was being forced to face the attack head on no matter what. There was no way for him to dodge.

However, was there a need to dodge it? Lu Yin looked up. Concerning this battle, he'd never considered how he could dodge or block Mu Rong's attacks because there had never been a need for such a thing; he could just face it directly, that was how confident he was in his body. No Limiteer could do anything to Lu Yin's body. Not even Ye Xingchen, who was said to have an innate gift to make stars fall, could do so.

Boom!

The heavens and the earth collided, and the air was torn asunder, releasing thunderous shockwaves everywhere. Halfwillow Lakeside was destroyed, and water splashed everywhere. Right after that, there was a tremendous pressure wave that caused the nearby audience members to cough up blood. Powerful Limiteers were no exception, and even some Explorers could not help themselves from retreating in order to handle the pressure.

Michelle and the others weren't that close, but they weren't far either, so they also felt the pressure.

Was this a feeling that a battle between Limiteers could give off? While they'd already experienced something similar just two days prior, it was still an incredible sight to behold.

Space had been compressed into a ball of volatile energy that, once it reached the limit, exploded and released a shockwave that could be seen with the naked eye. The scene was even more spectacular than the one from two days before.

Hai Dashao narrowed his eyes. Next to him stood Hai Qiqi, who had just arrived in time to see this scene. She covered her mouth in shock and wondered to herself, Is this really a battle between Limiteers?

Since the two had been fighting right above the lake, the collision of star energy caused all of the water to evaporate and turn into steam.

After the steam dissipated, everybody intently stared at the lake. They first saw Mu Rong, and many saw that he appeared to be both shocked and shaken. Could it be…?

Everyone turned to look at where Lu Yin had been standing before that had now become an enormous pit. Nobody knew for sure how deep it was, and it might even go deep inside the mountain. However, there was a palm-sized area that still stood tall like a stick. It was an area that had been protected by Lu Yin's abilities and that had not been destroyed. The man himself was standing atop that pillar and calmly looking at Mu Rong.

Everyone sucked in a cold breath. Two days ago, Ling Que had not been able to face this attack with such ease. Everyone remembered that most of Ling Que's clothes had been torn apart, but what about Lu Yin? There wasn't even a speck of dust to be seen on him!

Ling Que took one step forward and glared at Lu Yin in disbelief. How could this person's body be this powerful? Ling Que's body was still hurting from that attack. Was there really such a huge difference between them?

Ling Que wasn't the only one who was stunned, as Mu Rong himself was utterly shocked.

Lu Yin slowly flew into the sky and dispersed his battle force. He had not used his Fatesand and had actually taken that attack on with just his body and battle force. Mu Rong's attack had been very powerful and had even surpassed an ordinary Cruiser's attack. In terms of power level, it had perhaps reached 70,000. However, that wasn't enough to penetrate Lu Yin's body's defenses.

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Chapter 467: Extreme Shock

Lu Yin's current physical state was similar to that war spirit with closed eyes. The moment that war spirit opened its eyes, heaven and earth would dim, and the sun and moon would fade. Lu Yin's physical strength was constantly being suppressed, so once it was unsealed, his strength would reach an extreme. At this moment, he had only released the first grain of Fatesand.

Lu Yin did not know how strong Lan Si had been as a Limiteer, but he dared to guarantee that the Arbiter's strength back then could not surpass his current limit. Lan Si's public record was Thirty Stacks, and Lu Yin felt like it wouldn't matter even if the true record was Fifty Stacks. He believed that, when he completely unsealed all three grains of Fatesand, he would be able to handle unleashing more than Fifty Stacks.

The Overlaying Stacks Path became more difficult the further one progressed, and Fifty Stacks was not as simple as just adding another Twenty Stacks on top of thirty. During the Astral Combat Tournament, Lu Yin had used merely Nine Stacks to defeat Nightqueen Yanqing.

"Your physical strength has surpassed my imagination." Mu Rong was shocked.

Lu Yin smiled. "Just so long as you're not disappointed. Now, it's my turn to attack."

Many thought it strange as this exchange was nearly identical to Ling Que's battle with Mu Rong—both young men wanted to retaliate as soon as they successfully blocked an attack from Mu Rong. However, Ling Que had been defeated by the farmer boy's song. Would Lu Yin face a similar outcome?

Mu Rong shook his head. "I won't wait for you to attack, and there's no need to think about resisting my blow; it's unavoidable."

Lu Yin nodded firmly. "That's right, but I don't like to take a beating for nothing. You can think of this as my way of defending. Let's go!"

Lu Yin then charged at Mu Rong with full speed, the Giant Emperor's third eye gripped in his hand as he took advantage of the fact that Mu Rong's forcefield had not recovered yet. His eyes filled with star energy, and in that instance, he reached the point where he could use Secret Sidestep.

When Mu Rong played the farmer boy's song, it brought forth the full strength of his forcefield, but it required time to play. Although it was very quick, Lu Yin had calculated the windup time through videos and determined that Mu Rong needed roughly three seconds to pull off his attack. This brief window of time was his best opportunity to attack.

To reach the level where he could display Secret Sidestep, Lu Yin needed to meet three of these four conditions: activate his Cosmic Art, his domain, have his eyes filled with star energy, or use a lockbreaking tool. Due to the Sea King's constant surveillance, he did not dare to display the Cosmic Art, and if he filled his eyes with star energy, he would be assaulted by so many rune lines that he would start bleeding from his seven orifices. However, as long as he didn't overdo it, he could still give it a shot.

The moment his eyes filled with star energy, the terrifyingly enormous amount of rune lines entered his eyes, and scarlet blood began flowing out. At this moment, he had already arrived in front of Mu Rong, where he struck out with Thirty Stacks Fiftyfold Shockwave Palm.

Mu Rong shifted his body back and stared curiously at Lu Yin; this person should know that he could not land an attack on him if he just relied on just speed. However, Lu Yin had still made the attempt, and his eyes were even bleeding.

Suddenly, Mu Rong felt his back turn cold. The Lu Yin in front of his eyes had vanished only to reappear behind him. This was not just speed, but was instead a high-level movement technique. He had seen it before, as it was the supreme technique revered by all Lockbreakers: Secret Sidestep. Shit! He can use Secret Sidestep!

The sound of an explosion rang out when Lu Yin's palm firmly connected with Mu Rong, sending him tunneling through the ground. At the same time, Thirty Stacks erupted, causing consecutive shockwaves to burst forth and unleash visible white ripples that spread through the air. Mu Rong spat out a mouthful of blood, and his entire body was forced beneath the lake.

Lu Yin hurriedly retracted his star energy from his eyes and wiped them clean since they were indeed bleeding. Being able to see rune lines was not always a good thing, as he was susceptible to being injured from seeing them.

At this moment, Halfwillow Lakeside had fallen silent while everyone stared dumbfoundedly at Lu Yin. He had actually struck Mu Rong, which should be the first time Mu Rong had been hit squarely, and it had been with Thirty Stacks at that.

Wasn't it said that Mu Rong would counter Lu Yin? What was going on?

Most people could not understand what had happened, as only a few had clearly seen the sequence of events. Those rare few people had an indescribable look of shock in their eyes.

"Secret Sidestep—it's actually Secret Sidestep!" Ling Que was astounded. Secret Sidestep was not just about speed; rather, it was a supreme evasion technique. It was something that any Lockbreaker could use to avoid crises during lockbreaking. It was the ultimate technique that they all wished to comprehend since it would allow them to evade the many dangers that occurred during Lockbreaking. It's highly sought after quality was a clear indication of Secret Sidestep's value, and Lu Yin actually could use it.

Northgate Lie, Qin Chen, Cheng Wu, and the others were all stunned as well. The current generations of Limiteers were too freakish!

Michelle and the others had not expected Lu Yin to have comprehended Secret Sidestep, as the only ones who knew were those who had participated in the Outerverse trial in the Shenwu Continent and those who had gone to the Savage Ape Planet to unlock the tree-looking sourcebox. Even if they had publicized the information, it would not have spread across the entire universe since most people did not have access to such privileged information. Hence, when Lu Yin used Secret Sidestep here, it caused a great stir among everyone.

Hai Dashao was also shocked. Even within the entire Lockbreaker Society, there were extremely few Lockbreakers who could use Secret Sidestep. n/O𝐯𝞮𝓁𝑏1n

The Sea King's Dome had their own Lockbreakers as well, and the value that Secret Sidestep represented to ordinary people could not compare with what it represented in the eyes of Lockbreakers. At this moment, Lu Yin's position had leaped to new heights in every Lockbreaker's eyes, and they were all certain that he would become someone of great value to the Lockbreaker Society in the future.

The majority of people could not recognize Secret Sidestep, so they were more concerned with what had happened to Mu Rong.

Since arriving at the Sea King's Dome, Mu Rong had never been directly hit. Even the blades of Que's Mighty Slash had only given him a minor injury, so no one actually knew about Mu Rong's endurance.

Lu Yin looked down as the lake water gradually filled in the place where Mu Rong had landed. He wanted to fill his eyes with star energy and see how many rune lines Mu Rong had left, but he didn't. That knowledge would not make much of a difference because Lu Yin did not believe that Mu Rong would be defeated that easily. This battle would continue on, but being hit squarely meant that, even if Mu Rong had not been severely injured, he would not be very well off.

At this point in the battle, Lu Yin had already surpassed Ling Que's performance. After all, Ling Que had never actually harmed Mu Rong. At most, he had been able to break his skin. Lu Yin, on the other hand, had landed a direct attack on Mu Rong.

Of course, this did not necessarily mean that Ling Que was weaker than Lu Yin, as their battle styles were different. Naturally, their results would not be the same.

The lake water gradually returned to its previous state, until it eventually completely filled the area where Mu Rong had crashed.

The crowd watched on with bated breath; Mu Rong still had not appeared. Were his defenses really that poor? Right, not everyone could easily withstand a strike of Thirty Stacks, which was Lu Yin's most powerful attack. Even a normal Cruiser would not be able to ignore it.

Many had neglected the power of Lu Yin's Thirty Stacks, because even if the Overlaying Stacks Path was even more ferocious, it meant nothing if an attack missed. However, the reality was completely different if the attack landed.

Lan Yu's eyes flickered. "Mu Rong lost. The might of Thirty Stacks is not something that can be taken by someone with a weak body like him."

Beside him, Zhang Dingtian held a different point of view. He had been thrown out of the Skyfall Cascades by Mu Rong's wooden flute, and in that instant, he had made an extraordinary discovery. Mu Rong was definitely not physically weak, even if his strength was not comparable to Lu Yin or Lan Yu's.

In the next moment, atop the lake water of Halfwillow Lakeside, long grass began to grow. A similar scene to before reappeared, and Mu Rong's forcefield once again revealed itself. What followed was not just the image of a farmer boy herding cattle, but also that melodious song.

The melodious song of a farmer boy floated through the long grass. It was an unbreakable illusion.

Everyone who was entranced by this farmer boy's song experienced a different feeling.

Ling Que was experiencing the song for the second time now, but he was still shocked to the core when he heard it. His three blades as one had been defeated by this melody.

Lu Yin inhaled deeply, as the fight had indeed not ended yet. The farmer boy's song had finally made an appearance. This song was what Lu Yin feared most about Mu Rong, as he was completely confident in being able to defeat Mu Rong so long as this song didn't make an appearance. Lu Yin's body was just too powerful. However, Mu Rong's attack method through this song was just too mysterious. It was his only path to victory against Lu Yin, and hence, it was the only thing that remained as a point of uncertainty for Lu Yin.

But even though he was not certain, he still had to face it head-on.

From beneath the lake, Mu Rong slowly walked out, the lake water parting automatically before him. When Mu Rong came into everyone's view, it was plain to see that his clothes were tattered while fresh red blood trickled down from the corners of his lips. His face was pale, but he continued to play his wooden flute. There was even a palm imprint embedded into his chest, and his injuries were clearly not minor.

Lu Yin landed upon the surface of the lake and listened to the farmer boy's song that floated into his ears. His star energy was suppressed, and his body was paralyzed. The farmer boy's song was not a spiritual force attack; instead, it directly took control of one's body. This was Mu Rong's innate gift, and it was an utterly terrifying one.

This was the reason why the Ten Arbiters had acknowledged Mu Rong as an unequaled Limiteer. Others could only break free of his innate gift's control if they had an innate gift that greatly surpassed Mu Rong's. Within the same realm, there were virtually none who surpassed Mu Rong. In other words, once he started playing this song, he would be victorious.

Others had not experienced it for themselves, and Ling Que had not said anything about it, so none of the spectators understood the terror of this song. At this moment, only Lu Yin was directly experiencing it.

Lu Yin stared at Mu Rong in shock; to his shock, an innate gift that could directly control someone else's body actually existed. That was too scary.

Gradually, Lu Yin's star energy dissipated as it was dispersed by the farmer boy's song, leaving him as a tragic cultivator with depleted star energy. At this moment, Lu Yin had nothing he could use aside from his physical strength since he had no star energy left.

Ling Que's eyelids twitched. Sure enough, Lu Yin could not withstand the farmer boy's song either. This sort of innate gift was the most terrifying.

During Mu Rong's battle against Ling Que, at the final section of the video, the Que's Mighty Slash had vanished first, followed by Ling Que's doppelgangers. At that moment, Ling Que had decisively lost. However, this time, Mu Rong did not act immediately since he wanted to give Lu Yin the opportunity to admit defeat, which was why he had not sealed Lu Yin's ability to speak.

"What a terrifying innate gift. It's no wonder why you're an unequaled Limiteer," Lu Yin sighed in admiration.

Mu Rong continued playing the wooden flute as he looked at Lu Yin.

"You want me to admit defeat?" Lu Yin asked before shaking his head. "However, I want to try and see if I can break through this unstoppable strength."

After he spoke, the song strengthened, and Lu Yin's left hand suddenly slammed into his own head.

Everyone was dazed; was he committing suicide?

Lu Yin's eyes went wide, and he released the grain of Fatesand from his left arm and merged it together with the grain of Fatesand from his heart. The next moment, his physical strength suddenly erupted once more, and it jolted the void as a visible aura of strength rippled out. Even though they were quite some distance away, the crowd could sense Lu Yin's raw physical power. Halfwillow Lakeside could not withstand the tremendous force, and it began to split in half.

This void in this area was also suppressed, and only powerhouses whose power level surpassed 100,000 could destroy the void and cause cracks to appear. But at this time, Lu Yin's physical strength was actually enough to distort and destabilize the void.

At this point, not only was Hai Dashao astounded by what he saw, but even the Sea King became shocked. A tiny Limiteer could actually erupt with such powerful physical strength.

When Lu Yin had faced off against that war spirit with closed eyes, the moment it opened its eyes, it had unleashed a suppression that could not be resisted. At this moment, Lu Yin's power was in no way inferior to Mu Rong's; he merely lacked an innate gift similar to the farmer boy's song. This also meant that when that war spirit opened its eyes, it could similarly crush Mu Rong, which meant that there was still an extreme disparity between them.

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Chapter 468: The Strongest Limiteer

Lu Yin could do the same since, at this point, his battle strength already rivaled that war spirit's. With Mister Mu's help, the limits of Lu Yin's physical strength had been upgraded to an extreme, where Lu Yin needed to pay a price in order to suppress and control his strength, just like the war spirit with closed eyes.

Lu Yin had already reached that war spirit's level, as he had reached the pinnacle in one specific aspect. However, Mu Rong had not attained such a level yet.

The farmer boy's song abruptly stopped while Lu Yin's left arm halted a centimeter away from Mu Rong's head. He had used his powerful physical strength to directly overcome the controlling power of the farmer boy's song.

Lu Yin looked up at Mu Rong. He saw a confused look on his face, which was the first time Mu Rong had ever shown such an expression.

The surprise in Mu Rong's heart could not be hidden at all. When Lu Yin forcefully broke through the farmer boy's song, Mu Rong knew that he had lost. Lu Yin's move had brought him too intense a shock, and he had only felt this once before when he had met the Ten Arbiters in the past.

Many had compared Mu Rong to the Ten Arbiters and the strength they had displayed when they were Limiteers, but Mu Rong could not be bothered with such a comparison precisely because he understood how terrifying those people were. Those ten freaks could not be understood with common sense, as their strength simply defied any attempt made to understand them. Even with his farmer boy's song, Mu Rong still did not dare to compare himself to them.

This was the reason why he had looked down upon Lu Yin; Lu Yin was too flamboyant. He had only become a Ten Arbiters' candidate after the Astral Combat Tournament, and he seemed to reach his peak after the Tournament of the Strongest. Being able to use Thirty Stacks had made Lu Yin the most dazzling of the various Ten Arbiters candidates, but from Mu Rong's perspective, this person did not understand their strength at all. He had seen Lu Yin as nothing more than a clown.

However, Mu Rong now understood that Lu Yin was no clown; rather, he was a rare true super powerhouse who could rival the Ten Arbiters. He was genuinely unequaled within the same realm, and Mu Rong was certain that even Ye Xingchen would be no match for Lu Yin. This person was so powerful while still in the Limiteer realm that it had reached the levels of incomprehensible.

Lu Yin had allowed Mu Rong to witness the birth of a new monster. Mu Rong had been declared as an unequaled Limiteer by the Ten Arbiters and represented their vision, but Lu Yin had surpassed that. He had risen to the same level that the Ten Arbiters had as Limiteers.

Lu Yin lowered his left arm, relieved that he had broken free from the farmer boy's controlling song. If he had encountered Mu Rong before entering that separate space with the golden ocean, he would have lost without question. The universe was indeed vast and contained all kinds of geniuses. After defeating Mu Rong, Lu Yin could be considered as one who stood at the pinnacle of all Limiteers. However, he secretly cautioned himself to not be careless, as he was still being compared with just Limiteers. His true opponents were the Ten Arbiters themselves, those immeasurable freaks.

Everyone stared dumbfoundedly, and all of Halfwillow Lakeside fell completely silent. Before too much time passed, a voice called out, "I admit defeat."

It was Mu Rong's voice. His wooden flute split apart after he finished speaking before completely vanishing.

The countless people watching were stunned, but then the crowd erupted in cheers. No one had favored Lu Yin's victory before the battle started, and so when he achieved victory, the cheers they gave him were even more resounding. Moreover, Lu Yin was the Sea King Dome's future son-in-law, so it made the audience feel glorious, as he was already partially one of them. The Sea King's Dome was the strongest.

Lu Yin quietly let the Fatesand merge back into his left arm and heart, causing his physical strength to rapidly decline.

The only variable during this battle had been the farmer boy's song. As soon as it had proven ineffective against Lu Yin, Mu Rong had no longer been able to retaliate.

Lu Yin had not even used his Fatesand during this battle. Of course, the difference that would have been made would be relatively minor since even the Fatesand could not withstand Mu Rong's innate gift of the farmer boy's song.

Ling Que sighed in the distance, rather disappointed. He had thought that everything would end the moment the farmer boy's song appeared, but he had expected that Lu Yin would be such a freak. How had he cultivated his physical strength to those levels? It was just too absurd.

Cheng Wu, Northgate Lie, and the rest all left. They were afraid of being seen by Lu Yin and being challenged. That would be bad, as being defeated by a Limiteer would be absolutely humiliating.

Michelle and the others had complicated expressions as they watched Lu Yin. Was the difference between him and them really that vast? They had thought that they could still see his back, but after this battle, they felt like he was so far ahead of them that he was basically out of sight.

Xia Luo smiled, and he looked at Lu Yin with a bit of excitement and competitiveness.

In the distance, Hai Dashao gathered his gaze, seemingly having fallen into deep thought. This Lu Yin had cultivated his physical body to an extraordinary degree, and as soon as he broke through to the Explorer realm, he would definitely rank within the top fifty on the Top 100 Rankings, or perhaps even higher. This person was truly a Ten Arbiters' candidate, which Hai Dashao himself had to admit. He could see that Lu Yin had the potential to eventually challenge the top ten on the Top 100 Rankings.

"Brother, let me ask you a serious question." Hai Qiqi looked solemnly at Hai Dashao.

Hai Dashao nodded, as he knew that Hai Qiqi must be experiencing various conflicting emotions after watching the fight. "Shoot."

"Have you guys ever considered the possibility of domestic abuse?"

This one sentence threw Hai Dashao's mind into disarray. He waved his hand and tore through the void to leave, not even knowing how to reply to Hai Qiqi.

Hai Qiqi gritted her teeth in frustration. "Isn't that a valid question? If I'm really married to such a violent maniac, then what will I do if he beats me?" She then chased after Hai Dashao.

Halfwillow Lakeside had been ruined by this battle.

Mu Rong left, though he was not as disappointed as Ling Que by losing. Although Lu Yin's strength had shocked him, he quickly calmed down. To him, the outcome of the battle wasn't that important. Since his strength had already been revealed a few days ago, it was already enough to satisfy his goals.

Lu Yin stretched lazily; he had won. This time, even that old fellow, the Sea King, should be happy, which meant that Lu Yin would not need to take responsibility for the bill of 30,000 star essence, which was a relief.

Zhang Dingtian slowly walked over from where he had been watching.

Lu Yin turned around and looked at Zhang Dingtian. "You-"

After uttering just one single word, the scene before Lu Yin's eyes changed. He returned to the area beneath the waterfall once again.

Lu Yin was speechless. "Senior Sea King, please allow this junior to chat with that person."

"Reflect well on this battle. If not for your extreme physical strength, how else could you have won?" the Sea King's voice sounded.

Lu Yin's heart moved, and he sighed. His talk with Zhang Dingtian could only wait till later.

Beside Halfwillow Lakeside, Zhang Dingtian stared at the empty space in front of him for a moment and then turned around to silently leave.

The entire Sea King's Dome was discussing Lu Yin's battle with Mu Rong. As for the ranking of the four strongest Limiteers, Lu Yin was now placed firmly at the top while Ling Que had been moved down to number four, which left him very upset.. He could only concede that he had no chances of beating Lu Yin or Mu Rong, but why was even Ye Xingchen ranked above him? He could not accept such a thing.

Ye Xingchen had roamed the Cosmic Sea as a Limiteer, which was indeed admirable. However, no one believed that he had used his own strength to survive there, as that was impossible. It wasn't even realistic for a Hunter to roam the Cosmic Sea by themselves, which meant that Ye Xingchen's time there had to have something more to it. As for his true strength, Ling Que really wanted to have a fight with Ye Xingchen.

News of the battle quickly spread out from the Sea King's Dome, and more people learned of it as time passed. However, it still took some time for it to spread to the rest of the universe since the battle had not been broadcast like the Astral Combat Tournament.

However, the Ten Arbiters were among the first to learn about the details of this battle.

In the Innerverse, in a certain area, Wen Sansi looked at the information he had received from the Starfall Sea, and he laughed heartily. He had always maintained a certain elegance, and he hardly ever revealed such a joyous appearance, but Lu Yin's victory over Mu Rong had truly delighted him.

Mu Rong was that guy's underling. The Ten Arbiters often recruited powerhouses with powerful innate gifts to work under them, but no Limiteer could avoid being compared to Mu Rong. Within the Limiteer realm, the other nine's recruits were all inferior to that bugger, Mu Rong. This was why Wen Sansi had previously had Mira release some information about Mu Rong to Lu Yin, in hopes that Lu Yin would be able to defeat him.

It didn't matter if Lu Yin was on Wen Sansi's side or not. As long as he defeated Mu Rong, the rest of them would be able to breathe easier as they would no longer need to bear that guy's suppression.

Of course, everything was just a struggle in name, and it would not affect the overall situation. However, anyone who had been suppressed for so many years would think of resisting, and Mu Rong had finally been defeated.

"Mira, report this piece of good news to the Ten Arbiters Council." Wen Sansi was very happy.

On a screen, Mira nodded and gave a slight smile. "Yes, Arbiter Wen."

It didn't take long for the video of Lu Yin's victory over Mu Rong to appear on the Ten Arbiters Council network, which caused quite a commotion. Through the Ten Arbiters Council's interface, it directly reached the ears of powerful groups such as the Daynight clan and the Lingling clan.

Nightqueen Yanqing was stumped as she stared blankly at the video. All the air seemed to have been sucked out of her. "Why is it like this? The disparity is actually that great?"

She was currently in the ancestral region of the Daynight clan, and there was a Nightking elder before her. Nearby, there was a figure who stood tall like an iron tower. If Lu Yin was present, he would be stupefied upon realizing that this figure was none other than Zhanlong Daynight, who should have still been trapped in the Shenwu Continent.

In the Erudite Flowzone, the Wen family also saw the video. The younger generation only saw the fight as a struggle for the title of the most powerful Limiteer, but the large clans saw a different picture—another form of struggle. When the Ten Arbiters inevitably left the scene, a new batch of people would wield power over the younger generation. Lu Yin's battle with Mu Rong was a sign for this second phase of struggling to rule the younger generation.

"Qian'er, you must now realize that there's always someone stronger, right?"

"Uncle, Qian'er wants to experience the strength of the strongest Limiteer. Then I will break through as an Explorer. Otherwise, I won't be satisfied."

"That isn't very easy. Why don't you get your cousin to take you to the Ten Arbiters Council? Then, you can battle with Mu Rong."

"No, I must experience the most powerful. I want to fight against Lu Yin."

On a certain planet, countless broken swords were stabbed into the ground, and off in the distance there was a towering sword peak. Liu Shaoqiu stood at the top as he watched the video, his gaze revealing his shock. Lu Yin had already surpassed him by a great margin.

As Liu Shaoqiu reflected on this, he closed the screen and looked up, his gaze firm. He would not forget his promise with Lu Yin to challenge the Top 100 Rankings together. He refused to be inferior to Lu Yin, so he would climb this sword mountain that his female senior had once trained on, and he would transform once again. The Sword Sect would always be the strongest.

In a certain area of the Outerverse, Xi Yue also watched the video. When she finished, she looked up with a complex gaze. Perhaps this person would be able to help them.

In a certain area in the Innerverse, a man closed his eyes. "It's getting closer."

Barely a few days after the battle at Halfwillow Lakeside, Michelle and the rest left the Sea King's Dome, leaving only Big Pao and Little Pao behind. The two brothers could only patiently wait in the Sea King's Dome until they verified that the Bo Duo and Feng Mo would not cause them any more trouble, though that did not seem likely to happen anytime soon.

Faceless also left the Sea King's Dome, and after witnessing the battle at Halfwillow Lakeside, he felt that he had underestimated Lu Yin previously. This person's status in the clan might be even higher than what he had previously imagined, as he had defeated Mu Rong without using any death energy. That was no simple strength, and perhaps only that person from the Neohuman Alliance could rival him! n𝗼𝗏𝑒/𝔩𝑏.In

However, he could not talk to Lu Yin any longer, so he could neither report the news concerning the Bo Duo's deaths nor Feng Mo's escape.

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Chapter 469: War

The Explorer Starsibyl had seen the battle as well. Lu Yin's answer kept returning to her mind. She didn't know what to make of his answer, but she felt it was necessary to return to the sect and report it. Lu Yin, Mu Rong, and the others all represented the younger generation to a certain degree. When the Ten Arbiters inevitably left the younger generation, it would be time for the top ten of the Top 100 Rankings to take their place. Lu Yin and his peers would likely take the places of the Ten Arbiters, and Lu Yin was obviously one of the very top ones, which meant that his answer was very important.

Hai Qiqi kept to herself for a few days, but in the end, she decided to visit Lu Yin. "Hey, how does that cowherd's song work?" That was the bit that she was the most curious about.

Lu Yin's eyes went wide, and he looked at her. "It controls people."

"That's amazing! So why didn't you get controlled?" Hai Qiqi's eyes were huge, and she blinked slowly.

Lu Yin pursed his lips. "Because I'm strong."

Hai Qiqi looked like she was deep in thought as she focused on Lu Yin. After a long period of silence, she asked, "Do you think cultivators are more likely to become perpetrators of domestic abuse?"

Lu Yin was left speechless.

The Ghost Monkey sighed. "I suddenly feel like Ming Yan suits you better, Seventh Bro. I know that you want more influence, but there's no need to sacrifice so much for it! Find somebody else. With your talent, I'm sure that there'll be someone who's blind enough to want you."

At that moment, Lu Yin's gadget beeped with a notification. He tapped the screen and found that Lily Anne was calling him.

"Congratulations on properly becoming the most powerful Limiteer!" She grinned as she spoke.

Lu Yin gave a short, modest response.

Hai Qiqi poked her head over. "Who's that?"

"It's got nothing to do with you," Lu Yin retorted in annoyance.

Hai Qiqi snorted. "I'll tell father that you have a mistress."

Lu Yin was stunned, and so was Lily Anne.

Hai Qiqi burst out laughing. "I didn't mean it! I never planned on marrying you anyways. It works out better for me if you already have someone who you like. I'll have father allow you two to be together." After that, she waved at Lily Anne and happily left.

It was only after Hai Qiqi had gone far away that Lily Anne regained her wits. This was the first time she had ever met such a person, and she had obviously not been able to keep her composure. Just one sentence had completely changed the atmosphere.

"My apologies, Ms. An-er. That girl is a little… a little…" Lu Yin didn't even know what to say. Regardless of all else, Hai Qiqi's thought process was all over the place, her mind was not at all normal, and she also had a very sharp tongue. However, Lu Yin didn't dare to say any of this since he was sure that the Sea King was watching him.

Lily Anne chuckled. "That must have been the Sea King's daughter."

Lu Yin nodded, clearly at a loss for what to say.

Lily Anne smiled. "She's very direct, and she's a good kid. You need to make sure that you hang onto her, Lu Yin. Being able to marry the Sea King's daughter is many people's dream. Not to mention that she's very pretty!"

Lu Yin had no idea where Lily Anne had gotten the idea that Hai Qiqi was a good person. Was she pretty? This woman must be trying to suck up to him. However, Lily Anne possessed an intellectual beauty, and didn't seem like the type to do any bootlicking. Lu Yin still had not forgotten what had happened on their way to Northline Flowzone. That woman had sucked up to somebody without anybody realizing it. This time, she must be trying to suck up to the Sea King.

"Is there anything you need from me, Ms. An-er?" Lu Yin inquired.

Lily Anne's expression suddenly turned grim. "Do you know what's happened in Frostwave Weave?"

Lu Yin was startled. "Frostwave Weave? What happened?"

Lily Anne frowned. "You haven't heard? The Beast Tamers Flowzone's Second Grade Hall has declared war on Frostwave Weave, and their target is the Great Yu Empire. Apparently, quite a few captains from the Great Yu Empire's Imperial Thirteen Squadrons have already headed towards the border, including that Hunter realm blind monk."

Lu Yin's expression changed, because he honestly had no idea that such a development had taken place. "How did you find out about this?"

"It seems like you truly didn't know. Alright, I'll tell you. This is no longer a secret known only to the great clans of the universe." She paused for a moment and then seriously said, "Within the Astral Wilderness, somebody discovered an extremely dense substance called pyrolyte that is incredibly destructive. Just one gram of it can release a destructive power that matches an attack with a power level of over 10,000, which means that it is a strategic war resource. Securing a large amount of this substance could possibly be enough to alter the courses of certain circumstances in the universe, which is why many organizations have sent their people to explore the Astral Wilderness.

"At this time, the place where we've found the most pyrolyte is close to Northcastle Weave, which is coincidentally one of the places in the Outerverse that's close to the Astral Wilderness. It also happens to lie directly north of Frostwave Weave. I hope that this makes sense to you, Lu Yin."

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. "So you're saying that a number of organizations have sent people into Northcastle Weave and that the Second Grade Hall is trying to lay their hands on Frostwave Weave?"

"I'm not exactly sure what's happening behind the scenes, but I know that the Second Grade Hall has launched an attack against Frostwave Weave for sure. After finding out, I immediately contacted you," Lily Anne explained.

Lu Yin took a deep breath. "Thanks for letting me know, Ms. An-er."

Lily Anne knew that Lu Yin needed to immediately contact his people in the Great Yu Empire, so she did not drag the conversation out any further and quickly hung up.

Lu Yin's eyes flashed, and he immediately called Huo Qingshan. Soon enough, the man appeared on Lu Yin's screen.

"Is there something that you haven't told me?" Lu Yin asked while holding in his rage.

Huo Qingshan was confused. "What? Nothing is happening."

"The Second Grade Hall is attacking Frostwave Weave, and you're trying to keep it from me? Or are you trying to say that I am no longer the regent of the Great Yu Empire?" Lu Yin demanded. He was now truly furious, feeling like he'd been cheated.

Huo Qingshan answered, "Where did you hear these rumors, your highness?"

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. "Rumors?"

Huo Qingshan nodded. "Some time ago, some experts from the Second Grade Hall pursued and tried to kill a survivor of Northcastle Weave's Greatsword Dynasty. They fought Captain Shalosh, but they were all defeated. So, they sent some more men to take revenge, but that's all that happened. There hasn't been any attack against Frostwave Weave."

"What about the Blind Monk? Why'd he go to the border?" Lu Yin asked.

Huo Qingshan chuckled. "That's because we were afraid that one of the Second Grade Hall's commanders might personally come. A Hunter isn't someone who Captain Shalosh or the others can deal with. Please do not worry, your highness. The Great Yu Empire isn't weak, and this matter has already been reported to the Fifth Princess, Wendy Yushan. She told us not to bother you."

Lu Yin sighed. It seemed that Huo Qingshan and the rest had not intentionally hidden things from him. They had only done so because they did not realize just how serious the situation was. A while back, Lu Yin had told Huo Qingshan that they shouldn't contact him unless it was something very important. And Huo Qingshan saw this matter as an act of revenge, not war, which explained why he hadn't reported any of it to Lu Yin. But in actuality, this really was war.

The Great Yu Empire definitely knew nothing about pyrolyte and thought that the Second Grade Hall appearing in Northcastle Weave was just a random coincidental matter. Those large organizations had managed to completely seal off all relevant information from the rest of the universe. It was likely that even that survivor from the Greatsword Dynasty had no idea about why his dynasty had fallen. Most of the organizations in the Outerverse knew nothing about the current situation, and only those in the Innerverse would have knowledge of the discovery of pyrolyte.

Thankfully Lu Yin had managed to find out. Otherwise, the moment the Second Grade Hall started coveting Frostwave Weave's geographic location and attacked, the Great Yu Empire would have found itself waist deep in grave danger.

"This is an order: the Great Yu Empire is to cease all attacks. Gather all of our warships in the north. The captains of the Ninth Imperial Squadron, Rocky Auna, the Thirteenth Imperial Squadron, Liuying Yushan, and all the new recruits who are at or above the Explorer realm are to gather at the border between Frostwave Weave and Northcastle Weave. The moment enemies are discovered, make sure to intimidate them, but do not declare war on them. In addition, please have Xueshan Auna head over to the border to take charge," Lu Yin stated sternly.

Huo Qingshan was shocked, but when he studied Lu Yin's expression more, he realized that things were bad. "Has something happened, your highness?"

Lu Yin sighed for a moment before telling the man about pyrolyte. Huo Qingshan immediately realized where the issue lay. Frostwave Weave was just south of Northcastle Weave, and they even directly bordered it. Their geographical location was very important, and the Second Grade Hall clearly wanted to take control of Frostwave Weave. That meant that Northcastle Weave was already done for.

Reality didn't match that survivor's description, as he had said that only the Greatsword Dynasty had been destroyed. It might seem like many of the large organizations in Northcastle Weave still existed, but in actuality, the Innerverse had taken control of every major organization.

The Second and First Grade Halls were both subservient to the Divine Grade Hall. And the Divine Grade Hall represented the entire Beast Tamers Flowzone.

"Understood. Please do not worry, your highness," Huo Qingshan stated grimly.

Lu Yin nodded, but just as he was about to hang up, a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Did you say that Captain Shalosh fought against some experts from the Second Grade Hall in order to protect a survivor from the Greatsword Dynasty? Where is that survivor?"

"On his way to Zenyu Star," Huo Qingshan answered.

Lu Yin stated, "Keep him safe."

"Yes, sir."

Many of the large organizations from the Innerverse had gathered in Northcastle Weave, making that weave very lively. Even the Lily Clan had gone there, and they were just a small family who weren't even from one of the Eight Great Flowzones. Thus, why shouldn't Lu Yin participate as well?

Lu Yin was not actually expecting to actually get anything, but it would be nice if he managed to achieve something of note. Even if it was just a tiny bit, he would be able to upgrade any rare or unusual items he acquired with his die's Enhance. There was even a chance that he might strike it rich. At the thought of how much money he'd made from those items he acquired inside the centipede's body, his eyes gleamed.

However, handling the crisis in Frostwave Weave was of the utmost importance right now.

With this in mind, Lu Yin contacted Wendy Yushan, but unfortunately, he did not manage to reach her. He thought about calling Mira but ultimately decided against it. The Ten Arbiters Council would not be able to exert any influence upon the competition in the Northcastle Weave and the Astral Wilderness. Additionally, they would not be able to protect Frostwave Weave either.

While standing beneath the waterfall, Lu Yin pondered over the matter for a long time before finally bowing towards the sky. "I would like to request an audience with you, sir."

Soon enough, the Sea King appeared in front of Lu Yin. "You haven't thought of a way to defeat Mu Rong without brute force?" n𝗼𝔳𝗲-𝐥𝐛(1n

Lu Yin shook his head. "No, I have not."

"It's very simple. Just steal his flute," the Sea King chided.

Lu Yin froze. "Steal- steal his flute?"

"His innate gift is that flute, and that farmer boy's song can only be performed if he plays the flute. Thus, so long as you steal it, you'll be able to stop him from playing the song! Since you managed to hit him once, that means that you should be able to hit him twice, though you might have to pay a price for it. However, compared to such a feat as defeating him, it would be worth it," the Sea King explained.

Lu Yin blinked. "But since that flute is his innate gift, it should disappear even if I do manage to steal it."

"You're so stupid! Just steal it and then destroy it. An innate gift is something that places a huge burden on the body if it's used enough. Nobody's innate gift can be used indefinitely. So naturally, if you destroy it, it will affect him greatly. It isn't that easy to perform that farmer boy's song. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given Ling Que the chance to combine those three blades into one. Perhaps if he had taken that attack, he wouldn't have been able to use the farmer boy's song," the Sea King explained.

Lu Yin recalled what had happened with Mu Rong in their battle and realized that the Sea King's words were true. Mu Rong had not given Lu Yin the chance to attack a second time and had hurriedly used the farmer boy's song. It was indeed possible that the attack took a lot out of him and that once he was injured enough, he wouldn't be able to use it anymore. Destroying Mu Rong's flute would actually be able to hurt him at that point.

Having thought things through, Lu Yin looked at the Sea King in awe. "Thank you for the guidance, sir."

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Chapter 470: Betrothal Gift

The Sea King held his head high and shook his head. "It's normal that you can't think of such a tactic. How many people in the universe are capable of such nimble thinking like myself? Qiqi has inherited my first-rate genes, so I hope that you won't ruin that inheritance."

Lu Yin pursed his lips, as this father and daughter pair were very similar; they each had a venomous mouth and a favorable impression of themselves. "Senior Sea King, this junior has two things to report."

The Sea King nodded. "Go on."

"First of all, it's about the betrothal gift. If this junior wishes to wed Qiqi, the gift must be presentable. Not only is this a matter of respect towards the Sea King's Dome, but it is also an accounting of my hometown," Lu Yin explained respectfully.

The Sea King cast a sideways glance at Lu Yin. "What sort of betrothal gift can you prepare? Why don't we just call it quits after you return those star essence you spent?"

Lu Yin felt awkward. "This junior's not that wealthy."

"Then what are you talking about? If you don't even have that much money, what sort of gift can you possibly prepare?" The Sea King was disgruntled.

Lu Yin quickly replied, "Although I'm broke, I will try my best to prepare a gift that matches Qiqi so long as senior allows me to return to Frostwave Weave."

The Sea King sneered. "Are you trying to leave? We'll talk about this after you become an Explorer."

Lu Yin deferentially replied, "Senior may not know that junior's home has encountered danger, so I must return."

The Sea King disdainfully answered, "What can you do as a Limiteer?"

"Even if I was a Seeker, so long as my home is in trouble, I cannot shirk my responsibilities. If I may ask, if the Sea King's Dome were to face trouble, would the residents from here return to help? Even if it's useless, they would still be willing to bear the burden all together."

The Sea King's eyes showed that he was moved by Lu Yin's words, and he looked up at the sky. He thought for a moment before saying, "Alright, you may go, but take Qiqi with you."

Lu Yin was alarmed. "Senior, this return trip will be fraught with danger. How can Qiqi be put in such a position?"

The Sea King remained arrogant. "Qiqi does not need your protection since no one dares to touch my daughter. Just take her along with you and don't worry about it. It may even turn out to be the case where she is the one to protect you instead."

Lu Yin wanted to retort, but he was interrupted by the Sea King. "Alright, I'm not going to negotiate with you. Either take Qiqi with you or wait until you become an Explorer."

Lu Yin was helpless, so he could only agree. "Junior understands, and I will try my best to ensure Qiqi's safety."

"I've already said this, but Qiqi does not need your protection. Tomorrow, meet Qiqi at the port." The Sea King then tore through the void and left.

"Seventh Bro, you can't seem to get rid of that woman! I have a feeling that you might accidentally lose your mind if you spend too much time with her." The monkey's schadenfreude at Lu Yin's misfortune was readily apparent.

Lu Yin had no time to think about such things, and he quickly pulled up a star chart showing Frostwave Weave and its surroundings as he thought about how he could resolve this crisis. He could not just charge in recklessly, as the other side could effortlessly send out waves of Hunters. The best plan would be to make use of the various powers and establish an equilibrium. After all, he had spent some time in the Innerverse, so his current social circles could not be measured with the Outerverse's standards.

Moreover, he had Honor Points, so he could gather more information about the tangled relationship between these powers than anyone else, which he could then use to his advantage.

The one eyeing Frostwave Weave was the Beast Tamers Flowzone's Second Grade Hall, so his first step was to research this power more thoroughly. Maybe he could use Kuang Wang.

In another area, at the highest point of the Sea King's Dome, the Sea King stood as he stared out at the Starfall Sea. Behind him, Hai Dashao appeared and spoke in a low voice. "Father, I've checked it. Frostwave Weave is being targeted by the Second Grade Hall, and Northcastle Weave has practically already fallen into the hands of the various powers."

The Sea King nodded, but he had a peaceful look on his face.

"The Second Grade Hall will not be the only foe Lu Yin faces when he returns. With the lure of pyrolyte tempting the various powers there, it will be difficult for him to preserve Frostwave Weave's autonomy, and at best, he'll be able to maintain the Great Yu Empire's territory. This is also after taking the various powers' reservations with the Sea King's Dome into consideration. With his strength as a puny Limiteer, it's completely impossible for him to reverse the situation." Hai Dashao made his report with a contemptuous tone for Lu Yin.

The Sea King smiled. "Did you think that he's going there alone?"

"Why? Does he have helpers?" Hai Dashao was astonished.

"We are his helpers."

Hai Dashao was stunned. "Does Father intend to personally intervene? This will attract the attention of the Hall of Honor. To start-"

The Sea King raised his hand to stop Hai Dashao. "I didn't say that I was going to intervene, but this kid's not an idiot either. From his previous deeds, this kid has shown that he's adept at socializing, and that he's even better at borrowing power. Why do you think he mentioned preparing a betrothal gift? I dare guarantee that, as soon as he can't withstand the situation, this kid will definitely prepare a betrothal gift for the Sea King's Dome as a means to intimidate the various powers. He already has all sorts of ways to save Frostwave Weave. It's even possible that he might offer Frostwave Weave to our Sea King's Dome as his betrothal gift."

Hai Dashao grew furious. "Would that brat really be so bold? Father, we can't let him act so willfully! We have an agreement with the Hall of Honor."

The Sea King did not mind that matter. "So what if we have an agreement? No one in the universe can stop me."

Hai Dashao knitted his brows. As he stared at the Sea King's figure, he suddenly seemed to think of something. "Father, is having Qiqi follow him to indicate our Sea King's Dome's position?"

The Sea King smiled, but he did not reply.

"Father, do you want to obtain the pyrolyte?" Hai Dashao probed.

The Sea King's gaze trembled. "Whether or not it can be obtained depends on how that kid behaves. I hope that he won't disappoint me, or else I may have to act personally."

Hai Dashao was overwhelmed; if the Sea King took action, then those old freaks from the various powers would also appear, potentially snowballing into a disaster that would sweep across the universe. Was this pyrolyte really that important? Hai Dashao did not understand. Even if pyrolyte was a strategic military resource, no one in the universe dared to provoke the Starfall Sea or the Sea King's Dome. Would he need to leave the Starfall Sea to obtain this material?

If the Sea King moved out, then the Neoverse wouldn't remain silent either, and the entire universe would be thrown into chaos.

Hai Dashao suddenly realized that Lu Yin's trip was actually very important, as he would have to obtain a sufficient amount of pyrolyte to satisfy the Sea King. Otherwise, a disaster would occur, and no one knew about this possible outcome other than Hai Dashao and the Sea King himself.

Lu Yin naturally did not know that the Sea King required pyrolyte, as it would already be an amazing outcome if he could preserve Frostwave Weave with his return.

Hold on. Hai Dashao suddenly thought of another possibility. Perhaps Father is allowing Lu Yin to leave in order to allow his future son-in-law to be bullied after leaving the Starfall Sea. As soon as Lu Yin was unable to save Frostwave Weave, the Sea King would have enough justification to act, and no one would be able to argue against him.

The Hall of Honor could not stop the Sea King from helping his own future son-in-law.

And if after helping his future son-in-law he snatched some pyrolyte, no one would dare to say anything.

As he watched the Sea King's smile, Hai Dashao was shocked. He reckoned that even the various powers who had taken over Northcastle Weave did not know that they were already being watched by the Sea King and that everything was going according to his plan.

Hai Dashao left, still pondering some matters, though he knew that he could not stop anything.

"Father, it's time to tell Second Bro." A screen rose up from a gadget beside the Sea King. The display showed a man who looked very similar to Hai Dashao. He was the Sea King's eldest son.

The Sea King's gaze grew complicated. "Wait for him to become a Hunter."

"Father, it's too radical an idea to use pyrolyte to blast that path open. Nobody knows what will happen once that path is cleared, and the original tragedy might even repeat itself."

The Sea King's expression grew heavy. "So what? This universe is merely a pretense! Nothing can be worse than this outcome. That path could be a dead end, but it may also be a source of hope. And so what if it's a dead end? At worst, everyone can die together without anyone escaping."

"The Hall of Honor will not let you succeed."

"They are too conservative. They have no idea that, the longer the delay, the more we'll be suppressed. It's been too long since this universe has been devoid of a Progenitor."

"Second Brother has probably gone looking for Lu Yin. Aren't you worried that he'll let something leak?"

The Sea King clasped his hands behind his back. "It doesn't matter. The kid can't even decide his own future. So what if he knows, and so what if he doesn't. Ignorance is bliss, after all."

"Then, what about Qiqi? Do you truly plan to marry Qiqi off to him?"

"If he's not an enemy, sure. If he is, he'll be killed immediately." The Sea King's tone grew cold. As he uttered those words, the atmosphere of the entire Sea King's Dome changed, and the even Starfall Sea grew more despondent.

Hai Dashao's emotions were complicated. He did not understand why they needed pyrolyte. Given the power of the entire Sea King's Dome, they should have no need for pyrolyte at all.

The Sea King's Dome enjoyed an exceptional status in the universe, partly because the Starfall Sea did not interfere in the struggles of the other powers. However, as soon as the Sea King's Dome acted, there would be a backlash from the various powers of the universe, which would then restrict the Sea King's Dome status. This was not what Hai Dashao wished to see.

He unwittingly walked to the waterfall where Lu Yin was, and saw that the Limiteer was deep in thought. n𝓸𝔳𝓮-𝑙𝒷-1n

Lu Yin was studying a star chart and considering what might help him as he contemplated his future moves when he returned to Frostwave Weave. He gathered himself when he saw Hai Dashao approach.

"Are you leaving tomorrow?" Hai Dashao asked softly.

Lu Yin nodded.

Hai Dashao looked at Lu Yin and hesitated. "Your reply to Starsibyl was rather disappointing to me."

Lu Yin casually smiled. "My apologies. It probably wasn't just you who was disappointed—even the Sea King should be very disappointed. Still, that is my reply, and it will not change."

Hai Dashao frowned, but he did not reply.

"Did you come here just to tell me this?"

Hai Dashao stared into Lu Yin's eyes. "You should have heard about… pyrolyte."

Lu Yin nodded. "I've heard of it."

"Father wishes for your betrothal gift to be pyrolyte," Hai Dashao said. He could not reveal everything, so he had to leave his words vague.

Lu Yin was astounded. "The Sea King needs pyrolyte?"

"Whether he needs it or not is none of your business. In any case, your gift can only be pyrolyte, or else-" At this point, Hai Dashao paused since he did not know how to continue. Or else what? We won't let him marry Qiqi? This kid would actually be eager for such an outcome, as Hai Dashao had not forgotten what had happened during the selection competition and was well aware that Lu Yin did not wish to marry Qiqi.

Lu Yin replied, "The various great powers of the universe are all focused on pyrolyte. It'll be very difficult for me to get any of it. I'm just a Limiteer, and although I may have some statuses and titles that will cause some to hesitate, it's not to the extent where they will concede this resource to me."

Hai Dashao turned to leave. "That's your problem. Anyway, the Sea King's Dome's required betrothal gift is pyrolyte. If you can't obtain it, then you know what price you'll have to pay."

And with that, Hai Dashao left.

Lu Yin suddenly felt that pyrolyte was far more important than what he had previously believed. Even the Sea King's Dome, a power that did not involve itself in the universe's disputes, wanted it. Since the Sea King's Dome wanted it, and since he had even used such a reason, then it was even more justifiable for him to borrow their influence, though that was still his last resort.

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Chapter 471: Collapsible Spacecraft

The Sea King's guess had been dead on. From the very beginning, Lu Yin had expected Frostwave Weave to be in the worst-case scenario. He was not arrogant enough to believe that he alone could save Frostwave Weave. The Sea King's reputation was his trump card, and if things really took a turn for the worst, then he would hand the entire Great Yu Empire over to the Sea King. He was certain that nobody would want to go up against the Sea King just for a tiny Great Yu Empire.

However, that would also mean that he'd have nothing left. Then again, that would be better than having the empire be divided up between the other organizations.

With no news about Feng Mo and the Bo Duo, Big Pao and Little Pao still had no choice but to remain at the Sea King's Dome. Given Lu Yin's current status, Feng Mo and the others wouldn't dare to attack him. Even if they did, he had plenty of ways of getting away. Thus, Lu Yin was not worried at all. Hai Qiqi, on the other hand… The Sea King's confident tone had not left Lu Yin with much of a choice.

The next day, at the port, Hai Qiqi arrived even earlier than Lu Yin. She stood aboard a huge ship, looking incredibly excited as she stared towards the Starfall Sea's entrance with sparkling eyes.

She only noticed Lu Yin after he walked up behind her, causing her to roll her eyes. "You didn't make any sound."

"How does nobody recognize you? Aren't you the Sea King's daughter?" Lu Yin was very curious about this. Hai Qiqi was standing at the ship's bow. Logically speaking, there should be a lot of people staring at her, but the area below them was completely empty.

Hai Qiqi's gaze dimmed, and she haughtily replied, "Precisely. I'm the Sea King's daughter. Not just anyone can meet me."

Lu Yin thought nothing of her statement.

At this point, a voice rang out from behind the two of them. "The spacecraft is ready, Princess Qiqi."

The voice was unexpected and startled Lu Yin, because that person had spoken from right next to him.

He unconsciously shifted a few steps away and looked over to see an old man who had suspiciously appeared out of nowhere.

The old man looked at Lu Yin and gave him a kind smile.

"Okay. Got it," Hai Qiqi answered before excitedly running into the ship.

The old man watched on as she left before turning to look at Lu Yin. He smiled again. "Take care of Qiqi, kid. While the words she speaks aren't very nice, she's very innocent and kind."

Lu Yin nodded.

The old man kept smiling. "I saw your fight. Not bad at all! Keep working hard, and hopefully someday, we'll be able to go against the current."

After saying that, the old man left.

Lu Yin watched the old man's figure move away, not understanding what he had just said. At that moment, Hai Qiqi yelled out, "Hey, what are you two doing? Let's go!"

The spacecraft that the Sea King had provided them was a very unique one. The manufacturer was Aurora Enterprises. It was a collapsible small spacecraft that could carry three people, but when not in use, the vessel could be collapsed into a form small enough to be stored in a cosmic ring.

The moment he saw the spacecraft, Lu Yin told himself that he was definitely getting himself one later. He'd already lost quite a number of spacecraft and had even left an Aurora back on Deep Crimson Planet.

However, the cost of a collapsible spacecraft was, in Hai Qiqi's words, "something Lu Yin would never be able to afford." However, Lu Yin did not agree with her opinion at all. Over the course of his entire cultivation journey, he'd spent nearly twenty thousand star essence. This was just a spacecraft, and an ordinary radiant-grade spacecraft only cost ten star essence.

However, when Hai Qiqi told Lu Yin the price, he realized that he might have been a bit too arrogant. It was indeed a fact that he couldn't afford such a spacecraft. This collapsible, radiant-grade Aurora carried a preposterous price of twenty thousand star essence.

"Why is this thing so expensive?" Lu Yin asked in shock.

Hai Qiqi rolled her eyes at him. "Calling you ignorant would be a compliment at this point. Have you ever heard of a collapsible spacecraft being sold? This is cutting-edge technique. The features of a collapsible spacecraft isn't just limited to its ability to be stored—it also has to meet certain standards in terms of speed, defenses, completeness, and so on. That alone is incredibly valuable. Besides, do you really think that twenty thousand is too much for a radiant-grade spacecraft that you can take out at any moment and use to flee?"

Lu Yin was speechless; that wasn't considered expensive? It was way too expensive! It suddenly made sense why he'd never heard of anyone using such a thing before. Even the rich young masters from large organizations whom he knew couldn't afford such an expense, and only those who were comparable to Hai Qiqi could disregard such a cost. However, what she had said also made sense. If Lu Yin had possessed such a spacecraft back then, then he wouldn't have been stuck and could have fled at any moment. It very well could have saved his life.

Even then, such a spacecraft wasn't worth such a price, and it was mostly this expensive because it was rare. What was being sold was not just the product, but also a status that most people could only aspire towards.

"I'll tell you one more thing. There aren't a lot of spacecraft like this one in the Outerverse. Every year, Aurora Enterprises builds a limited number of such products. Just having money doesn't qualify you to buy one," Hai Qiqi stated arrogantly.

"Are you saying that even the Mavis family can't buy one?" Lu Yin joked.

Hai Qiqi's expression changed. "What's this got to do with the Mavis family?"

"Their name is synonymous with money."

"Don't get confused. I never said anything about the Mavis family—I'm talking about you. Someone like you wouldn't be able to buy one even if you had the money for it."

"How would you know if I have the means to buy one? We'll be splitting all of our individual assets properly before we get married."

Hai Qiqi gritted her teeth. "Pfft, I don't care about the tiny bit of money that you might have, you poor fool. Wait—who said I'm going to marry you?"

Lu Yin pretended to sigh. "That's great. I'm actually very rich, and I'll be even richer in the future."

Hai Qiqi snorted and promptly ignored him.

The radiant grade Aurora was very fast, but even so, it would still take it more than two months to travel from the Sea King's Dome to the Outerverse's Frostwave Weave. The Starfall Sea was located at the westernmost part of the Innerverse, quite close to Endless Weave, while Frostwave Weave was located in the eastern quadrant of the Outervese and was close to the Astral Beast Domain. In terms of the Human Domain, one was in the southwest while the other was in the northeast. The two were just too far apart. If they had to change routes halfway through their journey, then they might not be able to arrive even after three or four months.

However, they had pretty good luck and did not run into any trouble along the way, nor were they washed away by the waves. The things that they had been worried about, such as Feng Mo and Undying Yushan's enemies trying to take revenge, did not occur, though that was possibly because of the Sea King's emblem on the side of the spacecraft.

This was basically a game of intimidation. Lu Yin believed that in Soulseal, Daynight, and Chaos Flowzones, nobody would dare attack a spacecraft that belonged to the Sea King. These three flowzones were close to the Starfall Sea, and the people there would naturally recognize the Sea King's emblem. Outside of the Innerverse, though, the situation would be different.

Lu Yin and Hai Qiqi did not make any stops anywhere, and they quickly passed through the entrance of Starfall Sea and Chaos Flowzone before reaching the Astral River. After crossing it, they would be in the Outerverse. Then, they would need to pass through dozens of more weaves to finally reach Frostwave Weave. Just the thought of it made it apparent to Lu Yin how far away his destination was.

Lu Yin sometimes wondered how powerful Mister Mu was. The man had been able to instantly move Lu Yin from Tempest Flowzone to Zhengyang Flowzone, and such a distance was comparable to the distance between the Astral River and Frostwave Weave. Such a thing was simply terrifying, because this distance covered half of the entire Human Domain.

The moment they left the Starfall Sea, Hai Qiqi's excitement reached a peak. She had never left the Starfall Sea before, and she nearly scared the Ghost Monkey out of Lu Yin's arm when she screamed in exhilaration. This prompted the monkey to let loose a string of curses for the next ten minutes, but unfortunately, only Lu Yin could hear his ranting.

As they travelled further into the darkness of space, Hai Qiqi's excitement began to fade away. "Hey, look! That planet's so colorful! It looks interesting. Can we go and take a look?"

"No. We're in a hurry."

"Hey, look! There's a monster over there!"

Lu Yin was startled and took a look—it was an Explorer level astral beast. Astral beasts did not only live in the Beast Astral Domain, and there were many of them in the Human Domain as well, though they were usually culled by the nearby organizations. They were rarely ever dangerous to humans, and so, such creatures could be spotted every once in a while.

That Explorer beast merely glanced at the spacecraft before flying away.

"Chase it down! I want it to be my mount!" Hai Qiqi was exhilarated.

"No. We're in a hurry."

"Hey look, there's a fleet over there. It looks so big. Let's go and say hi!"

"No. We're in a hurry."

Hai Qiqi finally exploded and glared venomously at Lu Yin. "What's up with you? I'm the daughter of the Sea King! You should be listening to me!"

Lu Yin rolled his eyes. "Didn't the Sea King tell you that you needed to listen to me before we left?"

"No," she answered, still furious.

Lu Yin could only explain, "There's a war in my hometown, so there's no time to waste."

"Then let's part ways," Hai Qiqi answered. n𝓸𝔳𝓮-𝑙𝒷-1n

The suggestion sounded pretty strange, and Lu Yin frowned. "No, you need to come with me, or else I'll send you back to your father's place."

Hai Qiqi grew frustrated and even started grinding her teeth, looking like she was about to bite Lu Yin.

Lu Yin eyed her warily, "Don't bite me. You'll break your teeth."

"Duh, of course that'll break my teeth! You might be ugly, but you're clearly very thick-skinned. There's no way I'll be able to bite through that!" Hai Qiqi retorted viciously before turning away to look at the viewing port and ignore Lu Yin.

Lu Yin heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Everything would be fine so long as she didn't create a fuss. He really was in a hurry to return to Frostwave Weave and if it were anyone else trying to delay his return, he'd have rendered them unconscious long ago. However, he couldn't do such a thing to Hai Qiqi.

The Astral River had a scenery that was completely different from what one could see in the Starfall Sea. While it was called a river, it was far larger and expansive than the Starfall Sea. One of the most unique characteristics of the Starfall Sea was that it truly was a sea with water, whereas the Astral River was formed from all kinds of liquefied energies.

In the past, Lu Yin had assumed that there was only one Astral River Ark in existence, but it turned out that there were actually three. They were located to the east, west, and center of the barrier that separated the Innerverse and the Outerverse. This actually made a lot of sense; otherwise, it would be nearly impossible for anyone from the Outerverse to enter the Innerverse.

Hai Qiqi sighed in praise as she gazed upon the Astral River. She'd only seen it on the network before, so this was her first time seeing it in person.

"Hey, I want to go fishing," Hai Qiqi suddenly stated, staring up at Lu Yin in anticipation as she blinked innocently.

Lu Yin pursed his lips. "No."

Hai Qiqi blustered, "How dare you! It's going to take some time for the ark to reach the other side. You're not to poke your nose into my business during this time, or else I'll get mad!"

Lu Yin nodded. "Okay."

Hai Qiqi froze and tried her luck again. "Really? You can't meddle in my affairs."

Lu Yin seriously answered, "Okay."

Hai Qiqi was in disbelief.

Lu Yin used the status he enjoyed with his Honor Points to quickly board the Astral River Ark, not bothering to join the line as he had in the past. They could board early with special treatment, though the emblem of the Sea King on the hull of their spacecraft startled even the Astral River Envoy.

Their spacecraft was quickly allowed onto the track where it rested in line like the other spacecraft. Just as Lu Yin was wondering why they hadn't been placed on a private, VIP track, somebody appeared outside of their spacecraft. It was a Cruiser.

The Cruiser was there to ask Lu Yin whether or not they wished to switch to a VIP track. This passage was isolated from the rest of the spacecraft and still offered all the necessary facilities inside of it. There was everything they could need as well as servants to wait on them.

Lu Yin decided against it, but he still made sure to inform the Cruiser that Hai Qiqi was an important person from the Sea King's Dome.

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Chapter 472: A Unique Planet

The Cruiser's expression quickly changed, and he became exceedingly humble.

And with that, Hai Qiqi's fishing dream was crushed.

Not just anyone was allowed to fish in the Astral River. Even with Lu Yin's strength, Old Gu De had felt that Lu Yin had a relatively high chance of being dragged off and dying. Without becoming a Cruiser, the chances of one dying while fishing were very high. Even after becoming a Cruiser, one could only persist for less than ten hours. This showed just how dangerous the Astral River was.

Upon knowing that Hai Qiqi was somebody important from the Sea King's Dome, there was no way the envoy on the ark would allow her to fish. What she would be fishing for would not be fish, but rather his life. This was why Hai Qiqi had no chance of being allowed to fish.

However, that was not the only thing. All of her movements on the ship started being monitored at all times so that she could be constantly protected.

This was why Lu Yin had been so lenient and accepted her request. The Astral River Envoy would be more worried about her safety than anyone else.

Lu Yin spent all of his time on the situation in Frostwave Weave. Huo Qingshan reported to him practically every day. During this time, the Second Grade Hall had surprisingly stopped their acts of aggression, sending no more experts to Frostwave Weave, and they'd even withdrawn the experts they had sent before.

Such a move made no sense to Lu Yin.

In the Outerverse, at the border between Northcastle Weave and Frostwave Weave, there were dozens of gigantic beasts flying about. Each beast was an Explorer level creature, and every single one of them carried an expert from the Second Grade Hall. Even further away, there was a fortress-looking warship floating through space, carrying a whole group of people from the Second Grade Hall.

In order to secure a cache of pyrolyte, the Second Grade Hall had sent out quite a few powerhouses. The person who had been ordered to attack Frostwave Weave was a Hunter known as Anfield. Powerhouses like him were referred to as commanders within the Second Grade Hall.

Anfield somberly studied the star chart. He never would have imagined that a tiny place like Frostwave Weave would be able to defend against his attacks. It was only when he skimmed through the history of Frostwave Weave that he discovered that the Great Yu Empire, which covered most of Frostwave Weave, had previously managed to fend off an attack from the Ross Empire. It was then that he realized that the Great Yu Empire was more than it appeared to be.

He had fought against a strange-looking Hunter, and to his shock, he had been at a disadvantage. Such a situation caused him to order the assault on Frostwave Weave to halt, especially since it had seemed like that Hunter hadn't even gone all out during their battle.

While the Second Grade Hall was an organization from the Innerverse, it was ranked at the bottom within the Beast Tamers Flowzone, and they could not afford to squander their strength on needlessly attacking Frostwave Weave.

Just the day before, Anfield had received word that the Great Yu Empire's Royal Regent, Lu Yin, might become the Sea King's son-in-law. Such news had been shocking to him and had made him even more reluctant to lay hands on Frostwave Weave.

However, as long as Lu Yin did not truly become the Sea King's son-in-law, they could not give up on Frostwave Weave. They also weren't the only ones with such thoughts. After all, it was not easy for someone to truly become the Sea King's son-in-law.

Currently, it was not in any of the many organizations' best interests to reveal themselves. Hence, they'd chosen a method that many organizations often used: they had recruited a batch of mercenaries and paid them to attack Frostwave Weave. At this moment, numerous mercenaries from across the Innerverse were heading to the weave.

At this moment, the chaos in Northcastle Weave had become very dangerous. Many large organizations in Northcastle Weave had already disappeared or were now under the control of organizations from the Innerverse. Wars were a constant occurrence and powerhouses could be seen everywhere. There were no less than ten Hunters who had been deployed, and Northcastle Weave was currently knee-deep in strife.

After one passed through Northcastle Weave, they would come to the Astral Wilderness. The Astral Wilderness was a place with no network connected and had no wormholes that could be used to expedite travel. It was filled with danger and beasts. Even if there were catastrophic natural disasters, there would be no way for someone to avoid them. This was the true universe where the threat of death was everywhere.

Since no wormholes had been built in this region, traveling through the Astral Wilderness was an extremely lengthy journey, and it would take one several times longer to travel the same distance compared to the Human Domain.

Only the speed of a Radiant-grade Aurora, at the least, would allow one to somewhat be able to explore the Astral Wilderness. Otherwise, a great amount of time would be wasted on just traveling.

There were nearly ten Hunters fighting in Northcastle Weave, but there were even more in the Astral Wilderness. Just the Souldream Tribe alone had sent three Hunters.

Most of these experts were not trying to fight against others, as they were actually exploring the Astral WIlderness. It was incredibly dangerous there, and every year, at least ten Hunters died there. This was a terrifying number, because a single weave in the Outerverse might not even have that many Hunters.

Of course, the profits that they gained were also sizable. As the explored area of the Astral Wilderness increased, the Outerverse itself expanded. After a while, the region to the north of Northcastle Weave would become a new weave, and the seventy two weaves of the Outerverse would become seventy three.

As techniques to find pyrolyte became increasingly sophisticated, the various organizations had finally found a large amount of pyrolyte on a gigantic planet in the Astral Wilderness. The planet was a dull red color, and there would occasionally be loud explosions on the planet, which might very well be caused by pyrolyte.

Above the planet, battleships hovered in space as many people closely observed the planet. The Daynight clan, Souldream tribe, Sword Sect, and other large organizations in the Innerverse had all appeared, but none of them had descended onto the planet yet.

Far in the distance, powerful undulations swept out every once in a while. These were caused by battles between Hunters, though they quickly died down after appearing.

At this moment, a personal spacecraft rocketed out from the planet and charged towards a battleship. Halfway to the battleship, however, the tiny spacecraft was halted, and it soon exploded, revealing the frightened pilot.

Dozens of people suddenly appeared in outer space, and every single one of them was a Hunter.

"This is a disciple from my sect. Please do not hurt him." An elder stood in front of the boy and spoke in a long-suffering tone. The elder was a Hunter as well, but he was only an elder from an ordinary organization in the Innerverse. Surrounding him were the people of the Daynight clan, Sword Sect, and Wen family, and none of them were people whom he dared to confront.

A Hunter from the Daynight clan moved forward and said with a cold look in his eyes, "There's no need to be afraid. We just want to know what's happening down on that planet."

The elder heaved a sigh of relief and then gestured towards the youth.

The boy answered in terror, "After- after I entered the planet, my star energy was completely suppressed, and I couldn't sense any ambient star energy on the planet."

"We already know about that. Tell us something that we don't," the powerhouse from the Daynight clan ordered in an icy voice, sounding annoyed.

The boy became even more terrified. "I was lucky enough to arrive not too far away from some pyrolyte ore when I landed. I didn't go too far from my landing site and left right after I retrieved it." After saying that, he produced an ore the size of a fist from his cosmic ring and passed it to the elder.

The Hunters around him looked incredibly disappointed. It was no wonder why the kid had left the planet so quickly.

"But I did see an Explorer who landed not too long ago self-destruct," the boy whispered.

The surrounding Hunters' eyes went wide like saucers. "What did you say? They self-destructed?!"

"Yes," the youth answered in a small voice as he ducked his head.

It didn't take long for all of the large organizations to receive the news that any cultivator who was an Explorer or above would self-destruct upon landing on the planet; there were no exceptions.

After discovering this planet, Hunters from different organizations had tried to investigate the planet themselves, but they had soon discovered that the moment they passed through the atmosphere, there would be violent explosions on the planet. This planet contained a large amount of pyrolyte, which any Hunter's power would set off. That was why all of the Hunters were unable to enter; they were afraid of destroying the entire planet with their mere presence, and if that happened, everybody present would be done for.

It was, however, a large surprise to everyone that even Explorers were unable to explore this planet.

After many days of research, the organizations finally came to the realization that there was a large amount of aerosolized pyrolyte suspended in the planet's atmosphere. Not only did it repel star energy, but it also entered the bodies of breathing creatures. Those who had not yet become Explorers were fine, but anyone who was at the Explorer realm or higher had a body that was intrinsically connected to the universe, so once the pyrolyte entered their body, it would start circulating through their body just like their star energy.

Pyrolyte was incredibly unstable, so once a certain amount of it built up in one's body, it would explode. Just one gram could detonate with a power level of over 10,000. If an Explorer stayed on the planet for a while and ended up accumulating more than a gram of pyrolyte inside their body, then they would suffer from an internal explosion. Even a Cruiser would not be able to handle such an event.

In other words, only cultivators who were not Explorers yet could safely explore this planet. And of them, the best choice was Limiteers.

This theory was tested rigorously and confirmed by the cultivators who left the planet periodically. They each stayed on the planet for a few days, and all of the Limiteers had their bodies examined. Although they'd all inhaled quite a lot of pyrolyte, it had naturally been discharged from their body and did not accumulate.

"It has been confirmed that only Limiteers can explore the planet. Contact the clan and have them send over a large number of Limiteers."

"Inform the sect to send Limiteers over."

The exploration of the Astral Wilderness typically had nothing to do with Limiteers, but right now, thanks to this planet's unique environment, Limiteers had turned into the main force of this particular expedition. n𝐎𝑣𝑒.𝓵𝑏)In

From far above the planet, numerous spacecraft dropped down. These ships carried troops of mostly Limiteers from various large organizations, though they were primarily freelancers or mercenaries who weren't actually affiliated with anyone. However, by having such people explore the planet first, the organizations would gain a basic understanding of the planet's various regions.

For several days, Hai Qiqi was incredibly depressed. Wherever she went, there would be people following her. It seemed that coming outside with Lu Yin was nowhere near as fun as she had expected it to be. She couldn't use violence to get her way since she wouldn't be able to beat Lu Yin. Thus, with no other choice, Hai Qiqi decided to change her attitude.

"For some reason, you seem really handsome today, Lu Yin!" Hai Qiqi beamed at Lu Yin, looked delighted and adoring.

Lu Yin immediately became cautious. "I don't have any money."

Hai Qiqi grew furious. "You said that you were rich before—no, I'm not asking for money! Besides, I'm richer than you."

Lu Yin sighed. "Great, then go outside and play. Didn't you want to go fishing?"

Upon hearing his words, Hai Qiqi's fury returned in full force. "What kind of stupid place is this? There isn't even a fishing rod! I said that I'd do it myself, but those guys told me that they want to protect the environment, and so, fishing isn't allowed. They even put up a sign that reads 'Protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility.' This place is killing me!"

Lu Yin was speechless. This Astral River Envoy was a lot more entertaining than Old Gude had been.

Hai Qiqi's eyes shifted. "Hey, do you wanna fish, Lu Yin?"

"Nope."

"Boring. Annoying. Irritating." Hai Qiqi tapped her gadget to call someone.

Soon enough, a voice replied from the gadget, "You've left the Starfall Sea already, Qiqi?"

Lu Yin glanced towards the girl. The person she had called had a nice voice.

Hai Qiqi looked glum. "Baobao, I need to tell you something. There's a rotten guy here. His looks are barely average. On top of that, he has a terrible personality, a potty mouth, and a bad attitude…"

Lu Yin was struck speechless. He couldn't believe the nonsense she had suddenly started spouting.

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Chapter 473: Conspiracy

The person at the other end of the call quietly listened to all of Hai Qiqi's complaints. Then, they responded, "Don't be so willful, Qiqi. The fact that the Sea King let you go out with him proves that he's not a bad person. Be nice, and he'll treat you well."

Hai Qiqi glared at Lu Yin and snorted. She mumbled something into the gadget and then ran off while still muttering under her breath.

Lu Yin found the whole thing absolutely hilarious. Although Qiqi had a sharp tongue, she was indeed kind at heart. She had never attempted to use her status as the Sea King's daughter to pressure anyone, unlike the successors of some large organizations whose noses were perpetually stuck in the air. Compared to those people, she was actually pretty adorable. However, just who had she been talking to? The other person sounded quite sensible and gentle—the exact opposite of this girl.

Lu Yin thought that he'd finally be able to have some peace to himself, but Hai Qiqi soon returned with a sneaky expression on her face. She stared at Lu Yin, seemingly quite pleased with herself.

Lu Yin raised his eyebrows. "I won't sell my body no matter how much you pay me."

Hai Qiqi didn't get mad. She knew full well that Lu Yin enjoyed riling her, as he wanted to upset her so that she would leave him alone. But this time, she took control of the situation. "I remember that your hometown is in Frostwave Weave and is called the Great Yu Empire, correct?"

Lu Yin nodded. "Yes. That's also where you're headed to."

Hai Qiqi looked up. "Promise me something, and I'll tell you something about your hometown."

"No thanks. Be good and go out to play," Lu Yin quipped back.

Hai Qiqi grinned. "I just heard someone discussing your hometown. They've been hired to start a war with the Great Yu Empire."

Lu Yin's expression changed, and his head snapped around to stare straight at Hai Qiqi. "That's a joke you can't afford to make."

Hai Qiqi crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. "It's up to you to decide whether or not you treat it as a joke."

Lu Yin stared at her for a while as he spread his domain to cover the entire VIP track and even a bit further. He heard a lot of people talking, and one particular conversation on a spacecraft a kilometer away attracted his interest.

"Are you sure that we'll be paid? There's so many of us. Can they afford to hire all of us?"

"Of course. It's a large organization from the Innerverse. Money isn't an issue."

"Who exactly is it that's hiring us?"

"Shh! I can't tell you, but since they're hiring mercenaries in this area, they should be from the east of the Innerverse and not too far away from here."

"That could be the Tempest Flowzone, Beast Tamers Flowzone, Number One Flowzone…"

"Alright, stop guessing. Who said that they're from one of the eight Great Flowzones? Whatever it is, make sure that you protect yourselves. You'll only get paid if you survive."

"Got it."

"Hey, what do you think? Promise me something, and I'll tell you what I know." Hai Qiqi said in a pleased tone.

Lu Yin looked at Hai Qiqi with a strange expression. These people had been talking in a spacecraft with sound-proofing equipment, so how had she managed to overhear their conversation? Those people must have been either so careless that they had talked outside their spacecraft, or Hai Qiqi must have comprehended a domain as well. Lu Yin thought that the latter was more likely. After all, she was the Sea King's daughter.

Come to think of it, Lu Yin didn't know what Hai Qiqi's cultivation was, but from the looks of things, he might have underestimated her. She might not be as powerful as Lu Yin, but she was definitely not weak as she had apparently comprehended her own domain. From the Astral Combat Academy's standards, she might have reached the level of an Area Master or even a Realm Master.

"Why are you staring at me?" Hai Qiqi eyed him suspiciously and shyly tugged her clothes down. "I'm warning you, I'm strong. Don't you dare try anything!"

Lu Yin looked away. "If I manage to protect my hometown, I'll take you out to have some fun."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up.

Lu Yin nodded. "Yes, but you'll need to be good and not cause trouble."

Hai Qiqi snorted. "You sound just like my brother. I'll have you know that I only agreed to the son-in-law selection thing because I wanted to leave the Starfall Sea. I was going to get a hot guy to keep me company as eye candy while I traveled the universe, but it's just my luck that I ended up with you. You look like you were made in a rush, and you also seem like the anxious type."

She continued on, saying, "I'll have you know that, on a silver spacecraft a kilometer away, there's a bunch of people talking about how they're going to attack your hometown." n)-O𝑣𝗲𝐥𝒃1n

"Do you want to do something exciting?" Lu Yin smiled.

Just the sound of doing something was exciting to Hai Qiqi. "What is it?"

Lu Yin laughed in a crafty way.

In the Astral Wilderness, on a huge planet, there was a bit of dark red earth. The dry soil here had a pungent smell, and there were a dozen Limiteer cultivators cautiously advancing over the ground with detectors in their hands. These machines were able to detect pyrolyte.

These cultivators were from the Dire Barbarian Clan of Soulseal Flowzone, which was also the clan that Avery was from. He had once defeated Lu Yin during a teleportation battle.

At that moment, a spacecraft smashed into the ground not too far away from the group.

About a dozen Dire Barbarian Clan members suspiciously looked at the massive crater. The steam generated by the friction between the spacecraft and the atmosphere slowly dissipated as the hatch opened to reveal a beautiful pair of hands; it was a girl.

The Dire Barbarian Clan members looked excited. As long as this person wasn't a disciple from a powerful sect, they could kidnap her and have their way with her. They'd been on this stupid planet for over ten days, and it had been incredibly boring.

The members of the Dire Barbarian Clan had terrible personalities and never considered the consequences of their actions, which perfectly fit the name of their clan.

As the hatch opened, a beautiful woman walked out and stepped onto the dark red ground.

This woman was stunning, and she had long, dark blue hair that hung down to her waist. She seemed like a celestial who was superior to mortals, the kind of woman that men would go crazy over. However, the moment these Dire Barbarian Clan members saw her, they went pale before immediately fleeing.

The girl looked up and leaped out, charging after the fleeing clan members. While still in midair, she began to sing a beautiful song. This was the Enticing Soul Song—this girl was Xi Yue of the Souldream Tribe.

Since ancient times, the Souldream Tribe and the Dire Barbarian Clan had been mortal enemies. The Souldream Tribe took pride in slaughtering members of the Dire Barbarian Clan, and the latter prided itself in taking girls from the Souldream Tribe. Neither side had ever conceded to the other.

Coincidentally, Xi Yue had been in the Outerverse and quite close to the Northcastle Weave when the battle for pyrolyte on this planet started. Hence, she had managed to arrive here quickly before the elite disciples of the other sects could arrive. At this moment, she was invincible on this planet.

The reason why she'd chosen to land in this particular location was specifically to kill off all of the Dire Barbarian Clan's members.

The dozen or so Limiteers here had no way to fight back. They were the most ordinary sort of troops, and they had only barely received enough training to pass a test and become Limiteers. This was their limit, and they were no match for Xi Yue.

She stood atop the dark red ground and crushed a stray detector to dust. She then raised her head and carefully felt the energy in the air. "There isn't any star energy. Looks like I'll only be able to recover through using star crystals."

She then soared into the air and headed towards the region that the Souldream Tribe had staked out.

The various large organizations had encircled the planet and marked out different territories. Only the strong had the courage to step into the zones that didn't belong to their faction. It was already amazing enough for the weak to explore the area that they had been assigned. At this point, Xi Yue was practically invincible compared to all of the Limiteers who were currently on the planet.

However, her advantage would only last until the successors of the other organizations arrived.

At that moment, a spacecraft was flying in the direction of Frostwave Weave. It was the same silver vessel that carried all of the mercenaries that had recently been hired. There were hundreds of cultivators inside, among which were even five Explorers and two Cruisers.

It had been a few days since the Astral River Ark had arrived in the Outerverse. While still on the ark, Lu Yin and Hai Qiqi had eliminated two of the mercenaries and impersonated them, using their identities to sneak aboard the silver spacecraft in order to learn more about who was targeting the Great Yu Empire.

These mercenaries weren't properly organized, so nobody had noticed the two of them.

In a hallway, there was a man and a woman meeting in secret. "Hey, this is pretty exciting! Did you know that I was nearly discovered by that Cruiser cultivator just now?"

The man was startled. "Don't do anything out of line! I need to find out who hired them as well as how they're planning to attack Frostwave Weave."

"This is so stupid. Just capture everyone and then interrogate them. Those two Cruisers definitely know who hired them."

The man was left at a loss. "How would you know whether or not they're lying? Anyways, all we need to do is to eavesdrop on them with our domains. We'll talk about what we'll do after we learn all of the important information."

The girl was caught off guard. "How'd you know that I have a domain?"

"I'm not stupid."

"Pfft, but you're not smart either. Instead of waiting, why don't you just pretend that you're the one paying them? You already know that their goal is to attack the Great Yu Empire."

The man's face lit up. That makes sense! If I use my domain, then I can grab their gadget's number, and even if they realize that something is up, no one will know that we're on this spacecraft. Besides, I can just kill them all if things go south. He gazed at the girl in admiration. "You're actually pretty smart."

"You're just stupid. You're in a hurry to get home, but you want to keep waiting. With this spacecraft's speed, it'll take at least another two months to arrive," she complained.

The guy pursed his lips. "You're just doing this so that you can head out and play sooner."

"Whatever. I'm going to go play. You deal with this yourself." The girl then ran off.

The man was naturally Lu Yin. He returned to his quarters and used his gadget to contact one of the Cruisers and sent a message. "We don't have enough manpower. Get more."

It didn't take long for the Cruiser to reply. "Who are you?"

"You don't need to know. Get more people."

The Cruiser sighed. "The mission you gave us was to destroy three inhabited planets in the Great Yu Empire. The Second Grade Hall is also recruiting some mercenaries to attack the Great Yu Empire. This will cause the Great Yu Empire to start a war with the Second Grade Hall. We've already recruited enough people right now, but if we add more, we risk being exposed."

Lu Yin's eyes grew cold. They're planning on destroying the planets? A planet has at least a billion people living on it! How ruthless! By the look of things, these people were planning on pushing the blame onto the Second Grade Hall. Many of the people attacking the Great Yu Empire should have been hired by Second Grade Hall, but it turned out that a number of them had been hired by another organization as well. Another organization must have also set their sights on Frostwave Weave.

As expected, the geographical location of Frostwave Weave had attracted the attention of more than just the Second Grade Hall. Though, the other organizations had not revealed themselves yet.

It appeared that there were at least two organizations in play at the moment; one in the shadows, and one out in the open. The biggest question now was, who in the world was the hidden organization?

Lu Yin looked at his gadget, unable to bring himself to put it down. These cultivators were very smart and would never reveal who their mysterious employer was. With his own limited experience, Lu Yin knew that he wouldn't be able to see through these mercenaries' lies and that there was even a chance that they might not know who their employer was.

If they were put under too much pressure, then they might start lying, and that would be a total disaster.

Besides, he wasn't sure how accurate the information he'd been sent was. Who even knew if this was real—it might be completely false.

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Chapter 474: Cruel Side

Lu Yin's head hurt, as he had already confirmed that quite a number of independent cultivators had been hired to invade the Great Yu Empire.

He could not ascertain just how many there were, but the ones on this vessel were just a portion of them.

He opened a star chart and looked at the areas around the Great Yu Empire that might have already been invaded.

When Lu Yin had learned that there were cultivators about to attack the Great Yu Empire on the Astral River Ark, he had informed Huo Qingshan so that the Great Yu Empire could prepare themselves in advance. However, the number of cultivators that the empire could mobilize was limited, and it was very possible that they wouldn't be able to defend against all of the attackers.

Since that was the case, then Lu Yin could not be blamed if he made a ruthless move. His gaze trembled, and he contacted Huo Qingshan once again to tell him a few things.

Huo Qingshan was shocked when he heard Lu Yin's words. "Got it."

Lu Yin disconnected and looked at the dark space passing them by. The universe could sometimes be very cruel, but it was just as cruel to others as it was to Lu Yin.

He had ordered Huo Qingshan to have a bunch of people disguise themselves as unaffiliated cultivators and then launch surprise attacks on Woori, Grandtop and Russell Weaves since all three of them lay close to Frostwave Weave. Lu Yin had also leaked information that the various great powers of the Innerverse were preparing to carve a path from the Innerverse straight to the Astral Wilderness in order to more easily gather pyrolyte.

Not only did Lu Yin reveal the existence of pyrolyte, but he also leaked news that the Second Grade Hall had hired independent cultivators to surreptitiously attack some of the surrounding weaves in order to drag them into the mess.

This would cause the various mercenary groups to be targeted by the surrounding weaves, even if their sole target was Frostwave Weave. If there were cultivators targeting the nearby weaves, then it didn't matter what their true target was.

Only by muddying the waters could Lu Yin gain an advantage in this crisis.

Someone wanted to hide in the darkness and let the Second Grade Hall struggle with the Great Yu Empire before getting the greatest catch. Thus, Lu Yin had responded by dragging them all down together; not a single one of them could expect to escape now. Due to the incoming targeted attacks against the surrounding weaves, the independent cultivators might not even be able to even approach Frostwave Weave.

Even if his plans were ruined, and even if Frostwave Weave faced everyone's wrath, Lu Yin still held a final trump card: the Sea King's Dome. And if the Sea King's Dome didn't want to take action, then he could also rely on Leon's Armada, as that was a power that even the Daynight clan was afraid of. The various great powers would not provoke such powerful organizations for just a mere Great Yu Empire.

The pirate king's monstrous reputation wasn't just because of his strength, but also because of how he handled his matters. He represented the universe's dark side.

Right now, Lu Yin wanted to take care of this spacecraft full of mercenaries. He did not need to know who employed them, and he might not even be able to uncover that piece of information from them, so there was no need to worry about it.

The two Cruisers were in a lounge on the top level of the spacecraft, as that room was restricted to only the two of them.

Lu Yin donned his universal armor that had been upgraded five times and retrieved the gun that he had bought at the auction before slowly making his way towards the top level.

Along the way, everyone he encountered was easily dispatched. It wasn't disgraceful that these cultivators were unaffiliated with any organization, as not everyone could obtain backing in the cultivation world. However, accepting employment with the sole purpose of inciting war was more in line with a mercenary's job. It was also clearly not the first time these people had accepted such a job, or else they would not have gathered together so quickly.

Every person here had bloodstained hands, and Lu Yin did not show them any mercy while dispatching them.

At the top level, within the captain's room, more than ten operating crew members stared at a screen in terror. The display showed an image of Lu Yin crushing an Explorer against the wall with a single palm. A jolting pulse of energy shot through his hand and crushed all of the Explorer's internal organs, and even the metal wall behind the man cracked.

"Hurry up and immediately report that there's an intruder onboard!" The next moment, an ear-piercing alarm reverberated through the spacecraft.

The ranks of those within the spacecraft were obvious. Lu Yin watched as the life slowly bled out of the Explorer in front of him. This man had been the last Explorer on the vessel, and now, of the space-exploring powerhouses originally onboard, there were only the two Cruisers left.

The ear-piercing alarm startled everyone, and one of the Cruisers quickly went to the captain's room and took a look at the screen. However, his first reaction was to frown. "This person is using universal armor and isn't even an Explorer. How bold."

The man then tore through the void, headed straight for Lu Yin.

Lu Yin had not walked far from where he had killed the last Explorer when the Cruiser appeared in front of him, the man's eyes gleaming with a cold killing intent. "I don't know who you're trying to make trouble for, but since you're here, just die!"

The Cruiser slapped out at Lu Yin. As far as he was concerned, even if Lu Yin was a Realmbreaker, he still wouldn't be able to defend against a Cruiser's attack. Such a person would have to be one of those universally renowned freaks, and those people found it below themselves to make life difficult for mercenaries such as them.

However, this Cruiser had forgotten that Lu Yin came from the Great Yu Empire.

The Cruiser's hand slapped against the universal armor, but there was no damage whatsoever. The man's eyes immediately went wide with disbelief; he had never seen a set of universal armor that could withstand an attack with a power level of 50,000.

The universal armor was originally intended to help those who were not yet Explorers survive in outer space. Many people wanted to explore secret areas, but they did not want to brave the dangers themselves. Hence, they would give their subordinates or slaves a set of universal armor and have them brave the dangers in their stead. Generally, universal armor did not have very sturdy defenses and was only used to survive in outer space. n𝓸𝔳𝓮-𝑙𝒷-1n

However, Lu Yin's universal armor had originally been merged with metal from the Cosmic Sea and was so sturdy that it could withstand a Hunter's attacks. After buying it, Lu Yin had even Enhanced it five times. At this point, not even Lu Yin himself knew how strong of an attack the armor could withstand, but at the very least, a Cruiser whose power level hadn't even reached 100,000 could only dream about penetrating this armor's defenses.

With this universal armor, Lu Yin even dared to tussle with a Hunter.

Lu Yin raised his gun and aimed it at the Cruiser. "Poverty has limited your imagination."

With those words, he pulled the trigger. An ancient physical bullet struck the Cruiser's chest, and a terrifying strength distorted the void before exploding within the Cruiser's body. It pierced through his body, pulverizing a good half of it in the process.

Lu Yin stared at the scene in shock. Even though he already knew that this gun could fire bullets that were equivalent to an attack with a power level of 80,000, he still had not expected them to instantly kill a Cruiser. When did Cruisers become so weak?

The universal armor complemented the gun perfectly, and the current Lu Yin was almost ready to challenge the Cruisers on the Top 100 Rankings. These tools had been bought by large amounts of money, and this realization caused Lu Yin to suddenly feel truly fearful of those wealthy powers. Perhaps they used similar methods, as this was different from cultivation; this was a method that purely focused on killing.

The Mavis family was the wealthiest power in the universe, and Lu Yin could not even imagine how many similar methods they had.

There was an explosion as one side of the spacecraft exploded; the final Cruiser had just escaped into outer space. When he saw this exchange between Lu Yin and his comrade, he had realized that he was not Lu Yin's opponent, and so, he had immediately fled. But so what if he was a Cruiser? He was still just an independent cultivator whose access to cultivation techniques was extremely limited. When Lu Yin noticed that the man was about to escape, he released the grain of Fatesand around his heart, causing his full physical strength to erupt. He then used Flash Step to its limit, causing a giant spatial crack to extend out from the spacecraft.

Lu Yin appeared in front of the fleeing Cruiser, coldly looking down on the man as they both stood in the vacuum of space.

With his current physical strength, the speed behind his Flash Step was not something that could be contested by some random Cruiser.

"Wh- who are you?" the Cruiser asked in a trembling voice.

Lu Yin coldly replied, "Haven't you guessed yet?"

The Cruiser's eyes shrank. "Not an Explorer, but able to easily kill a Cruiser. You must be Lu Yin!"

"If I'm the first person that pops into your head, then it seems that your target really is the Great Yu Empire."

The Cruiser begged with his eyes. "Please, let me go! I promise I will never accept such a job again."

"Sure, but then you'll need to tell me who hired you."

Without any hesitation, the Cruiser answered, "The Second Grade Hall. The Beast Tamers Flowzone's Second Grade Hall."

"Is that so? What's your mission?"

"To attack the Great Yu Empire and destroy an inhabited planet to cause the Great Yu Empire and the Second Grade Hall to start an all-out war."

Lu Yin's eyes flashed. "That simple?"

"That simple," the Cruiser spoke with certainty, though he continued to look at Lu Yin with pleading eyes. "Stu- student Lu, I'm actually from the Outerverse as well. You can't imagine how difficult it is for us to enter the Innerverse and cultivate! And we had no choice in this either. Please, let me go! I promise that, in the future, if I hear of any independent cultivator who has designs on the Great Yu Empire, I'll be the first to act."

Lu Yin sneered, but then he sighed. "Though I knew that you wouldn't be honest, I still carried a glimmer of hope. However, it looks like you're really not honest. In that case, just die."

Lu Yin raised his gun, and the Cruiser's pupils shrank as he bolted off in another direction. A knife appeared in his hand as he fled while slicing out behind himself. However, Lu Yin's figure had already disappeared, reappearing past the various knife slashes.

The barrel of the gun lightly pressed against the Cruiser's back.

Bang!

Lu Yin looked at the vague image of the Cruiser's body's remaining half that slowly disappeared as he put the gun away. He had used his own gadget to contact the first Cruiser before, and he had already found out that there was a mysterious employer behind this group. This second Cruiser had not mentioned such a detail, but there was no reason to pursue the matter any further since the mysterious employer had definitely hidden their identity. Otherwise, this Cruiser would have instantly revealed any possible information out of desperation.

No matter who that mysterious employer was, Lu Yin no longer cared since he had enemies throughout the entire universe.

He returned to the spacecraft, where there were more than a hundred cultivators looking at him in fear. The fresh blood had already scattered throughout the top level of the spacecraft. They had discovered the Cruiser's corpse, and did not know what fate awaited them.

Lu Yin found Hai Qiqi, who had a pale face, though she did not say anything as she stared blankly at him.

He probed her, "Have you never seen anyone being killed before?"

Hai Qiqi pursed her lips and gritted her teeth before answering, "No."

Lu Yin sighed. The Sea King had protected his daughter well, too well, as she had never witnessed such matters before. But despite that innocence, the Sea King had allowed Qiqi to travel through the universe with Lu Yin at this time. It must have been in part to expose the girl to the cruelty of the universe.

As he thought of this, Lu Yin retrieved the collapsible spacecraft from his cosmic ring and let Hai Qiqi board it. They soon appeared in outer space before turning to face that universal spacecraft. "You must grow accustomed to such scenes sooner or later. I'll treat this as helping the Sea King educate his daughter."

Lu Yin then put his universal armor back on, exited the vessel, and flew back towards the silver spacecraft. He placed a hand against the hull. "Thirty Stacks Fiftyfold Shockwave Palm."

Boom!

The next moment, the spacecraft exploded and disappeared from the universe. There was not even a single survivor. Everyone onboard had been an independent cultivator, even the ship's crew. Their objective had been to go to the Great Yu Empire and instigate a war, unleashing great harm upon the people of the empire. A war would not just bring about the deaths of the soldiers, but also that of numerous civilians. Lu Yin did not know how many people on this spacecraft had accepted their secret employer's mission to destroy a planet, but he would not take any risks.

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Chapter 475: Lu Yin's Methods

As Hai Qiqi stared at the fading fireball in outer space, her face grew even paler; she had just been on that spacecraft a few moments ago.

Before she stepped out of the Starfall Sea, she had already known that this journey would not be dangerous, because no one would dare to harm the Sea King's daughter. However, when she saw a scene of life and death for the first time in her life, she felt a little panicked, and was scared as well. This was also the first time she appeared to be completely lost. Did these people truly deserve to die? What about their families? The moment they faced death must have been agonizing for them! Many thoughts flew through her mind.

Lu Yin did not speak with her. Instead, he set a course for Frostwave Weave, and they soon started speeding towards their destination.

One day later, Hai Qiqi looked at Lu Yin seriously. "You don't have even a single ounce of hesitation?"

Lu Yin looked out at outer space. "Once, yes. Now, no."

"Why? Did you become numb to it?" Hai Qiqi could not help herself from asking.

Lu Yin looked at her. "Once you've experienced death, you'll become the same. Can you imagine being seen as white meat by others?"

"White meat?" Hai Qiqi was lost.

Lu Yin's lips curled up disdainfully. "Food, for human consumption."

Hai Qiqi's gaze changed, and she looked at Lu Yin in shock. She had never imagined that the universally famous Lu Yin had lived through such an experience, and she had never expected such a dark matter to exist in the universe.

"You've spent your entire life in the Sea King's Dome and have the protection of the Sea King, so no one in the entire universe will dare to provoke you. You've never seen death, so you have no worries, and you're even so innocent as to assume that most people in the universe live similar lives. In reality, the universe is cruel. Do you think that those people never thought that they could die? The moment they left their homes, they had already mentally prepared themselves to die. Each one of them had hands stained with the blood of countless people…"

Hai Qiqi silently listened on, as she had never heard Lu Yin speak so seriously before, and she had seen the true side of the universe for the first time.

If not for the Sea King, Lu Yin would have no interest in teaching this girl about such things. He hoped that he would not corrupt her with his personal perspective. However, his perspective was quite normal, and he did not wantonly kill others either. He had his own bottom line and righteousness; he was just slightly addicted to money.

After he had spoken on the subject for a while, Hai Qiqi leaned on her seat and looked at the heavens with a deep look.

"Seventh Bro, congratulations. You've dragged a girl onto the wrong path," the Ghost Monkey said with a snigger.

Lu Yin let out a pent up breath. He did not know what impact this conversation would have on Hai Qiqi, but she was an adult with her own thoughts. She should not be someone whose thoughts would be easily influenced by others. This was the reason why the Sea King only allowed her out at this point in time, as he wanted her to mature a bit.

"Lu Yin, I'm going to ask you a very serious question, and you must answer me honestly," Hai Qiqi suddenly solemnly said as she turned around.

Lu Yin nodded, and seriously replied, "Ask away."

"When we get to the Great Yu Empire, have you thought of which places you'll take me to sightsee?" Hai Qiqi asked earnestly.

Lu Yin was stumped. "You've already come to terms with things?"

"With what?" Hai Qiqi blinked.

"You just saw someone die for the first time, and it was a lot of people at that," Lu Yin reminded her.

Hai Qiqi proudly replied, "I'm the Sea King's daughter! I was born as an elite among elites, so I'm different from a commoner like you. Do I need to come to terms?"

"Weren't you just thinking about everything I told you?"

"Yes, I'm also thinking about who has such poor eyesight as to treat you as white meat. Food is chosen for its smell, looks, and taste. You don't pass a single bit of that criteria."

Lu Yin was speechless. "Actually, there're many cruel facts about the universe. Let me share them with you one by one."

"There's no need, as nothing is crueler than being forced to deal with you. Hurry up and think about where you'll take me to play. Otherwise, I'll tell Father that you have a mistress," Hai Qiqi threatened.

Lu Yin realized that he was losing control of this brat. He had assumed that committing homicide in front of her would subdue her and cause her to behave better. But now, he had a suspicion that the event had actually intensified her mischievousness.

Days later, in Grandtop Weave, an important heir of the Nine Stacks Sect was killed by an independent cultivator when the sect was sneak attacked by a group of them.

Another power's headquarters in Woori Weave suffered at the hands of a similar group as well.

In Russel Weave, a transport spacecraft was destroyed, and all the supplies that it had been carrying vanished. The culprits were similarly proven to be independent cultivators.

Not long after, the Great Yu Empire released a public announcement that independent cultivators had invaded them, and then they sealed the space at the borders.

Quickly, news of independent cultivators being employed by the various great powers of the Innerverse spread, as well as their goal of clearing out the surrounding weaves. Initially, the surrounding weaves did not believe this information, especially the Nine Stacks Sect. However, as information concerning pyrolyte became more widespread, they began to act more cautiously and employed all sorts of measures. For one, they sent people to visit the Northcastle Weave to join the competition for pyrolyte, and at the same time, they also sealed their borders in order to prevent any independent cultivators from entering their territory.

When the Second Grade Hall learned of this, their first reaction was to stop it, but it was already too late. It tried to explain the situation to powers like the Nine Stacks Sect, but there was nothing they could argue about since the Nine Stacks Sect had indeed been attacked by independent cultivators. Even the Second Grade Hall was uncertain if they had been the one to hire that group. It was particularly so because the cultivators they had employed were no saints, and it would be perfectly reasonable for them to have taken advantage of a convenient situation to ambush the Nine Stacks Sect.

As such, the surrounding weaves were all sealed almost simultaneously, and the independent cultivators employed by the Second Grade Hall were not able to approach Frostwave Weave. Powers like the Nine Stacks Sect headed towards Northcastle Weave, passing through the region of space where the Second Grade Hall had temporarily taken over, and a conflict between the two parties broke out. The Second Grade Hall's plot against Frostwave Weave had failed, and the failure even managed to drag them down.

The Great Yu Empire followed Lu Yin's orders and did not participate in the struggle for pyrolyte. Instead, they pulled their forces back and watched the proceedings take place.

The Innerverse definitely would not allow the Outerverse to participate in the contest for pyrolyte; Lu Yin was certain of that. It was not a matter of which method the Outerverse powers used, but rather the disparity in their strengths. If the Great Yu Empire participated, then they might even be directly crushed. Powers like the Nine Stacks Sect had been momentarily dazzled by the allure of pyrolyte, but they would run out of luck sooner or later.

However, the crisis was larger than what Lu Yin could imagine. Someone had purchased pyrolyte in the dark at exorbitant prices, which made the various weaves unable to resist this opportunity. More Outerverse powers charged towards Northcastle Weave to participate in the contest.

The Second Grade Hall could no longer control the situation. They were forced to request help from the Beast Tamers Flowzone, asking the other powers to send experts over to fight for pyrolyte.

The highest level of combat suddenly jumped from Hunters to Enlighters.

The first Enlighter who appeared was a senior commander from the Second Grade Hall, Karthika. His appearance intimidated the Outerverse forces, temporarily managing to bring the situation under control. For this reason, the powers from the surrounding weaves such as the Nine Stacks Sect had to pay a blood price with multiple fleets being destroyed. The Outerverse powers' casualties increased greatly.

There were too few Enlighters in the Outerverse. Although the contest for pyrolyte was important, it had not reached the extent where the supervising Enlighters would leave their bases. Only the great powers of the Innerverse could send out such powerhouses for this occasion, simply because they had more than one Enlighter among their ranks.

With Karthika's appearance, the Nine Stacks Sect became more docile.

But this was just temporary. Once the output of pyrolyte increased to the point where it made others envious, even the Outerverse's Enlighters would not remain still. A disastrous war that would sweep up the entire universe was brewing on the horizon.

In the Astral Wilderness, the planet where large amounts of pyrolyte had been found was officially named the Planet Pyrolyte. At present, the strongest person on Planet Pyrolyte was undoubtedly Xi Yue. She was the top disciple of the Souldream Tribe and was the only direct disciple who had appeared so far. Thus, she was able to suppress all the other Limiteers from the other great powers.

This was especially so for the Dire Barbarian Clan, which had already lost more than ten of its scouting teams. This angered their Hunter, but he was helpless since it would still take some time for their clan's Limiteer experts to arrive. Their top disciple, Avery, was a Cruiser, so he could not descend onto the planet even if he arrived.

"Slut, you just wait and see! Lord Avery will personally capture you and torment you to death just like what happened to your ancestors," the Dire Barbarian Clan's Limiteers cursed as they perished under Xi Yue's Three-Note Eruption.

Xi Yue's face showed her determination as she looked at the surrounding corpses; the more people she killed from this clan, the merrier.

In another month, the Dire Barbarian Clan's expert would arrive. The powerhouse currently closest to Planet Pyrolyte should be the Blazing Mist Flowzone's expert. It was time to move the extracted pyrolyte out.

Not long after, a spacecraft dashed towards the Souldream Tribe's battleship. Xi Yue was in the ascending spacecraft, and she had brought out the pyrolyte that had been mined by the Souldream Tribe.

However, before she could arrive at the Souldream Tribe's battleship, the ugly Hunter from the Dire Barbarian Clan personally acted and destroyed her small spacecraft. Fortunately, the Souldream Tribe's Hunter acted in time and was able to rescue Xi Yue.

But the Dire Barbarian Clan did not just let the matter drop there. The other powers were all focused on extracting pyrolyte, but only his clan's members had been cleanly wiped out by Xi Yue.

The Souldream Tribe was at a slight disadvantage for the battle in outer space. However, when Xi Yue used the extracted pyrolyte as a weapon and threw it at the Hunter from the Dire Barbarian Clan, the momentum of the battle suddenly shifted. The various powers recalled that pyrolyte was a strategic military resource that could be used to threaten any powerhouse, even those old freaks with power levels in the hundreds of thousands. It just required enough pyrolyte.

In theory, pyrolyte's destruction potential could be stacked infinitely, as one gram was roughly equivalent to 10,000 power levels. However, even if fifty grams of pyrolyte was used at once, it would not be able to threaten a powerhouse whose power level had reached 500,000. This was because the destruction waves would partially cancel themselves out. At best, fifty grams could threaten an Enlighter, but even so, it was still extremely terrifying. Once the amount of pyrolyte reached one kilogram, ten kilograms, or even a ton, how fearsome would that explosion be? Such an event could truly threaten a powerhouse with a power level of 500,000.

Xi Yue was carrying the pyrolyte, which meant that the Souldream Tribe now had the ability to resist the Dire Barbarian Clan. Although it was impossible for her to have brought out too much, no one was willing to bear the risk.

Finally, the expert from the Dire Barbarian Clan retreated.

Only then did Xi Yue relax. The Souldream Tribe had only mined about ten tons of pyrolyte, but that was not pure pyrolyte. The ore still needed to be refined. Ten tons of pyrolyte ore would at best produce a few grams of pure pyrolyte, as this was an extremely light substance.

Fortunately, the Dire Barbarian Clan powerhouse was not sure how much pyrolyte the Souldream Tribe had mined. Otherwise, he would have acted without any reservations. After all, ten tons of pyrolyte ore exploding at once would, at best, be equivalent to an attack with a power level in the tens of thousands. There was actually nothing for a Hunter to worry about.

The Souldream Tribe had mined so much, and the other powers had naturally managed to mine some as well. However, most had not been able to extract as much as the Souldream Tribe, as Xi Yue had raided quite a few pyrolyte mines.

After news spread that Xi Yue had threatened the Dire Barbarian Clan with pyrolyte, the various great powers gathered to discuss the situation. Soon after, they laid down a new rule: they could not attack the juniors leaving Planet Pyrolyte. Otherwise, the fighting would drag the gathered powerhouses in and might even possibly result in the destruction of Planet Pyrolyte itself.n-(𝑂((𝒱-/𝐄--𝓁.(𝑏).1-(n

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Chapter 476: Intractable Feelings

This rule was first proposed by the Souldream Tribe, but the Sword Sect, Daynight clan, and other powers soon agreed in succession. Finally, it became a general rule that all the different powers recognized and followed. No one wanted to work hard only to receive no reward, especially the weaker powers whose higher level cultivators could not compare to the Sword Sect and the others'. Such groups were afraid that their disciples would luckily chance upon a pyrolyte mine only to have their profits stolen in the final stretch.

As for whether or not the disciples on the planet needed to refrain from using the pyrolyte ore there, no one made any suggestions. When faced with a crisis, no one would be foolish enough to not use a potential weapon that was in their hands. Even if a rule was implemented, it would have been of no use. Also, impure pyrolyte ore had a greatly reduced destructive strength compared to refined ore.

Just this one Planet Pyrolyte had attracted many powers from the Innerverse, and Northcastle Weave that lay closest to Planet Pyrolyte had also attracted quite a few powers from the surrounding weaves. At this moment, attention from the entire universe had converged on this place.

Finally, the reinforcements from the Blaze Realm arrived. Xi Yue was no longer the strongest Limiteer on Planet Pyrolyte since the Blaze Realm had mobilized elite Limiteers like Jared and Craynor and sent them all to Planet Pyrolyte.

All of the powers were currently focused on transferring their strongest Limiteer disciples to this planet, and the various Limiteers were being forced to put down whatever they were doing and head towards Planet Pyrolyte, even those who had been cultivating within the Astral Combat Academy like Kuang Wang and Liu Xiaoyun. Naturally, experts from the Ten Arbiters Council were sent in as well.

Mira's spacecraft raced through space towards Planet Pyrolyte. She looked at her gadget and was deep in thought while within the vessel. She then raised her hand to tap on her gadget and contact Lu Yin. At this time, the entire universe had been forced to admit that Lu Yin was the strongest Limiteer. After his battle against Mu Rong, his status as the strongest had been cemented in place. Even the Cosmic Sea's Ye Xingchen was not thought to be his opponent, as countless experts had voiced their opinion, confirming that Lu Yin would win if the two ever came face to face.

Also, many experts still held reservations concerning whether or not Lu Yin had used his full strength against Mu Rong. This uncertainty made Lu Yin appear even more mysterious, and many wished to know what the true limits of his strength were.

If he decided to participate in this contest on Planet Pyrolyte, it would be nothing less than the arrival of a boss monster.

While traveling through outer space, Lu Yin and Hai Qiqi frequently bickered back and forth. Since becoming acquainted with her, Lu Yin had realized that his tongue had also become sharper. It was almost as if he had gained the power to shoot his mouth off. When he realized that Mira was calling him, he activated his gadget and picked up. "Long time no see, Miss Mira."

"Who is it? Mistress number three or four?" Hai Qiqi came over.

Lu Yin felt helpless. "Can you not use such terms? Besides, we don't even have a relationship."

Hai Qiqi rolled her eyes and then returned to staring out at the passing space.

On the other end of the call, Mira was sitting on her chair with her long, snow-white hair flowing behind her and her long legs folded in an alluring manner. "Unless my guess is completely wrong, the one with you must be the Sea King's daughter, Hai Qiqi."

"How did you know?" Lu Yin was surprised. Am I being monitored?

"Michelle told me. She said that the Sea King's daughter has a very fiery personality. Brother Lu, are you still at the Sea King's Dome, or have you come out?"

"I left."

"Headed back to Frostwave Weave?"

Lu Yin acknowledged with a nod of his head. "With such a big matter affecting my home, I can't not go back."

"Will you be of any help if you do go back? Or are you bringing the Sea King's influence along with you?" Mira smiled and lifted a foot, showing off her exceptionally beautiful freshly painted red nails.

Lu Yin directly asked the woman, "Miss Mira, did you contact me just to ask about this? Is there no other matter? Or rather, does Arbiter Wen have something for me?"

Mira muttered to herself for a moment before standing up and walking towards the transparent metal viewport. She gazed at the black scenery passing by outside her vessel, and her expression turned solemn. "Do you know about Planet Pyrolyte?"

Lu Yin was lost. "What's Planet Pyrolyte?"

He had only learned about pyrolyte's existence and that the various powers were gathering in Northcastle Weave since it had been reported that a large amount of pyrolyte was discovered nearby in the Astral Wilderness. Could it be that this cache of pyrolye was on this so-called Planet Pyrolyte?

Mira briefly described the current situation at Planet Pyrolyte to Lu Yin, while Hai Qiqi's eyes lit up next to him. "That sounds like fun! And only Limiteers can enter! I want to go, I want to go! Lu Yin, let's go there and play!"

Lu Yin's back was facing her, and he only responded to Mira. "You want me to go?"

"With your strength, it'll be a waste if you don't."

"Are you representing the Ten Arbiters Council, Arbiter Wen, or the Erudite Flowzone behind Arbiter Wen?"

"Is there a difference?"

"I'm just asking. However, I probably won't go." Lu Yin quickly declined.

"Because of the Great Yu Empire?" Mira asked.

Lu Yin fell silent, taking a moment before finally replying, "To you people, Frostwave Weave is an insignificant ant. As soon as I take part in the contest for pyrolyte and provoke certain people, the Great Yu Empire will be in mortal danger, and I can't protect it with my current power. You should know that there are already people who have acted against Frostwave Weave. I can't be in two places at once."

Mira sighed, as her charming eyes flickered. "What if Arbiter Wen promises to protect the Great Yu Empire?"

Lu Yin did not reply right away.

"Give it some thought." And with that, Mira ended the call.

"Eh, why not go? Are you worried about your home? I'll get Father to speak up; I can promise no one will dare touch that place," Hai Qiqi spoke expectantly.

Lu Yin shook his head with a bitter smile. It was not that simple; although it was true that the Sea King could protect the Great Yu Empire, the weave would become the Sea King's property if that happened. Unless the situation devolved to where he had no other option, Lu Yin was not willing to do such a thing. It was like how an ant entering a great storm was asking for a narrow brush with death.

Given Lu Yin's sense of caution, he would avoid participating in the scuffle for pyrolyte as far as he could. As for Hai Dashao telling him that the betrothal gift had to be pyrolyte, Lu Yin would just act as if he had not heard anything, as he could not afford to take such a gamble.

Before much more time passed, an alarm sounded out within the spacecraft. Lu Yin and Hai Qiqi looked in front of them and saw that a battle had broken out in their path. Countless battleships littered the region, and there were still quite a few space-exploring powerhouses fighting against each other.

An aftershock from their fight rippled out, causing their spacecraft to shudder from top to bottom.

Lu Yin's face changed. "If this is the aftermath of a Hunters' battle, then we'll have to reroute."

Hai Qiqi stared at the clamor in front of them. This was interstellar warfare, and it was her first time witnessing such an event. The entire area was constantly being bombarded with all sorts of attacks, causing the occasional stray spacecraft to explode and even stars were destroyed every once in a while. When that happened, a blackhole would form that then swallowed everything nearby.

A war and a battle were fundamentally different; as the saying went, all was fair in love and war. When Hai Qiqi saw a Cruiser casually destroy a planet and then borrow the energy from the collapsing planet to annihilate a fleet, she suddenly felt like she had comprehended a deeper meaning of that particular saying.

There were corpses floating about in space, but they were quickly burned up by the remnant energy from various stray attacks. The constant explosions of the astral bodies also shocked her. How many people lived on a habitable planet? She felt like she could hear the screams of countless humans being extinguished.

Hai Qiqi suddenly thought of the Sea King's Dome. If one day warfare erupted there, would it also look like this? She turned to Lu Yin. Is such a war taking place in his home?

Lu Yin looked at their route, which had suddenly become five days longer than originally projected. Their estimated time of arrival had been twenty days, but now, it was twenty five.

As expected, there were too many variables when traveling through the universe. Just a delay of five days was actually acceptable.

"Has such a war happened in your home?" Hai Qiqi could not help herself from asking.

Lu Yin nodded, and replied with complex emotions, "It's actually more troublesome than this, as this is just a small battle within an Outerverse weave, whereas my home is being coveted by many great powers of the Innerverse. As soon as a war breaks out, the scale will greatly surpass this battle, and the outcome will be much more bitter."

Hai Qiqi fell silent. It was not that she was insensitive, but rather that she had never been directly exposed to war before, only now experiencing what true warfare was. "I'll ask Father to come and protect your home."

Lu Yin looked at Hai Qiqi with astonishment. This was the second time she had said this, but the first time had merely been because she wanted to play. Right now, Lu Yin could feel the sincerity in her offer.

He smiled. "There's no need. The universe is much more complicated than what you think it is. If the Sea King intervenes, then it would make the situation even messier. That's the final resort, so we don't have to rush straight to that point."

Hai Qiqi nodded, and gave Lu Yin a serious look. "Since you look so ordinary, I couldn't tell that you have some wisdom after all."

Lu Yin turned around so that his back was facing Hai Qiqi. Was this brat complimenting or criticizing him? He couldn't tell.

After they circled around the battle zone, the spacecraft continued on peacefully. Hai Qiqi fell asleep, and Lu Yin received a communication request from Lily Anne. Naturally, since Mira had contacted him, Lily Anne would not go down easily. It was also possible that more people would contact him; Lily Anne was not the first, nor would she be the last.

Compared to Mira, who represented the Wen family, Lily Anne represented Northline Flowzone, which was a much weaker power.

"Brother Lu, have you left the Sea King's Dome yet?" Lily Anne asked.

Lu Yin replied, "Yes, I'm rushing back to Frostwave Weave."

"Frostwave Weave's situation has already stabilized. The Second Grade Hall enlisted various independent cultivators to attack the various weaves south of Northcastle Weave, which incited a great deal of anger. The independent cultivators can no longer enter these weaves, and since Frostwave Weave has not participated in gathering any pyrolyte, it's very stable at the current moment. Brother Lu, you can rest assured of this," Lily Anne informed him with a smile.

Lu Yin smiled, "Miss Anna, thank you for telling me about pyrolyte and Frostwave Weave's situation. However, I must make things clear in advance: I won't be participating in the contest on Planet Pyrolyte."

Lily Anne fell silent for a moment. "It sounds like someone has already sought out Brother Lu's aid before us."

Lu Yin did not conceal it. "It's a friend, but I've already rejected her. The Great Yu Empire is too small, and my participation would immediately spark conflict and leave me as a condemned criminal in my home's history annals. Miss Anna, you should understand this point."

Lily Anne sighed, "It's the tragedy of the weak, I get it. Alright, but I still have to tell you Northline Flowzone's conditions for Brother Lu to help us. First, Northline Flowzone's younger generation will recognize Brother Lu's position on the Ten Arbiters Council, which means acknowledging Brother Lu's authority to supervise and judge the younger generation. Second, Northline Flowzone is willing to establish interstellar trade relations with Frostwave Weave, and the Barthe Jacques family is also willing to give financial aid to the Great Yu Empire to help restore its economy. Third, as long as it's within reasonable limits and does not infringe upon Northline Flowzone's benefits, Granny Chan is willing to help act on behalf of the Great Yu Empire a single time."

Lu Yin was amazed, Northline Flowzone's proposition was extremely generous. The first condition was nothing much, as even if Northline Flowzone did not acknowledge his authority, he could openly defeat Northgate Lie and force them to recognize him. However, the weight of the second and third conditions were on another level, especially the second one. The Great Yu Empire urgently required economic aid, or else they would not be able to finish unifying Frostwave Weave.

Lu Yin already knew that he could trust the economic prowess of the Barthe Jacques family, which could easily satisfy the Great Yu Empire's most urgent need.

The third condition represented the attitude of the Lily family. Although the so-called "reasonable limits" had not been clearly laid out so as to not place any binding constraints on Granny Chan, since Lily Anne had proposed such a thing, it showed the Lily family's sincerity. If there was such a need in the future, then Granny Chan would help our the Great Yu Empire. After all, she was an Enlighter.

These three conditions made it very hard for Lu Yin to decline her offer.

"I know that Brother Lu has a high chance of becoming the Sea King's son-in-law, and so, you might not really care for my Northline Flowzone. However, even external relatives may find that they are required to borrow strength. As long as Brother Lu is willing to help out, my Northline Flowzone will become your friend," Lily Anne intoned with an expectant gaze.

Lu Yin breathed deeply and ultimately resisted the temptation. "Miss Anna, your proposed conditions are very sincere. However, I must give my apologies. Under the premise that I cannot sacrifice the Great Yu Empire, I'm unable to make such a deal with you. Otherwise, if the Great Yu Empire were to be eliminated, those conditions would just be for show." n.)𝑂(.𝒱)/𝓔-(𝑙(.𝒷)-I--n

His status was fake, but his feelings for the Great Yu Empire were genuine. Earth, Undying Yushan, the Zishan family—his relationship to all of them could not be so easily dismissed.

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Chapter 477: Fierce Battle On Planet Pyrolyte

Lily Anne was not surprised by Lu Yin's response, and she could only reluctantly reply, "Then, I'm sorry to have disturbed you, Brother Lu. After this battle, the Barthe Jacques family will still head to Frostwave Weave to observe the situation and will try to help the Great Yu Empire's economy recover in the process. This is how my Northline Flowzone will demonstrate its care for the Great Yu Empire."

Lu Yin expressed his gratitude once again and then ended the call.

Mira had also promised that Arbiter Wen would protect the Great Yu Empire, but the credibility of her promise was still uncertain. Also, Lu Yin dared not guarantee just how far Arbiter Wen would go for the Great Yu Empire. Just like how the Second Grade Hall had been able to enlist independent cultivators to deal with the Great Yu Empire, other powers could employ all sorts of tactics to undermine the Great Yu Empire. Even something as straightforward as hiring the Relentless Slayers to assassinate the Great Yu Empire's strongest cultivators would be enough to destabilize the empire.

Lu Yin felt powerless; even an empire that had nearly unified an entire weave was still so helpless.

He fell sullen once again, feeling helpless, just like how he had felt when he was in danger of becoming white meat. Such a feeling made him resentful and furious; he was about to explode.

There were two sides to every matter. Lu Yin could gain many statuses and titles that would cause his enemies to be apprehensive, and his enemies could also use the Great Yu Empire to restrain him, which were the two sides of the same coin.

If the Great Yu Empire was more powerful, then things would be better. For example, it could then unify not just one weave, but two, three, or even four or five. It would be just like Endless Weave, the strongest out of all seventy two weaves. At that point, he would no longer need to be so heavily involved in its protection.

Lu Yin's eyes gleamed, as something seemed to ignite in his heart once again.

Not long after Lu Yin disconnected from his call with Lily Anne, another communications request came through. This time, it was through the internal system of the Astral Combat Academy, and the caller was Xi Yue.

Lu Yin was shocked, as he had once teased this brat by calling her a washboard, and they had never interacted again since then. He never thought that she would contact him now, but he seemed to recall that she was from the Souldream Tribe.

Lu Yin accepted the request, and an elegant voice came from the other side, "Is this Student Lu?"

Lu Yin's eyes flashed. "Aren't you Xi Yue?"

"I'm Lan Yue, from the Souldream Tribe. Xi Yue has gone down to Planet Pyrolyte and is currently unable to contact the outside world for now. Thus, I'm contacting Student Lu in Xi Yue's place."

Lu Yin acknowledged the explanation and then asked, "Is Miss Lan Yue looking for something?"

"I'll get straight to the point. The Souldream Tribe wishes to enlist the help of Student Lu to compete for pyrolyte mines."

Lu Yin directly declined. "I'm sorry, but I won't help you."

"Student Lu can listen to my Souldream Tribe's conditions first," Lan Yue said, and then she immediately continued without waiting for Lu Yin to reply. "My tribe is willing to establish marital connections with the Great Yu Empire, and we will also go all-out to help the Great Yu Empire join the Innerverse."

Lu Yin was amazed, as this proposal was extremely attractive. Countless powers in the universe wished to marry a member of the Souldream Tribe since they were all beauties. Also, their tribe was offering to help the Great Yu Empire enter the Innerverse. This was not just hot air, as this was something that even Northline Flowzone could not attempt.

"Miss Lan Yue, are you saying that you represent the Souldream Tribe?" Lu Yin asked.

Lan Yue smiled. "Of course. These are my Souldream Tribe's most sincere conditions. Does Student Lu still need to hesitate?"

Lu Yin frowned. "When will the marriage occur? Can it be with anyone from the Great Yu Empire?"

"Of course, as long as it's someone designated by Student Lu."

"When?"

"Our tribe has many regulations, and the timing could be delayed further, but the initial preparations can be made at any time." Lan Yue did not elaborate any further.

Beside him, the originally sleeping Hai Qiqi suddenly reached out to disconnect Lu Yin's call.

Lu Yin was startled. "What are you doing?"

Hai Qiqi pursed her lips. "This woman is obviously just stalling. She wants a marital connection not to the Great Yu Empire, but to my Sea King's Dome."

Lu Yin laughed. "I can't see how you came to such a conclusion."

Hai Qiqi rolled her eyes. "I'm superior to you in both looks and intelligence. Something like this is nothing for me."

Hai Qiqi was right; Lan Yue's objective was simple. The Souldream Tribe would delay any possible marriage until Lu Yin became the Sea King's son-in-law, and only then would they be willing to marry one of their members with the Great Yu Empire and form a relationship with the Sea King's Dome. Otherwise, the Souldream Tribe would not be willing to pay such an extravagant price to establish marital relationships with just the Great Yu Empire; such a relationship would not be worthwhile even with the gains they would achieve from the pyrolyte mining.

It should be known that bringing a power into the Innerverse was not simple.

Of course, the Souldream Tribe knew that Lu Yin could guess as much as well, but it was still a win-win situation. If the Great Yu Empire became connected to the Souldream Tribe, then Lu Yin's power would increase once again, making this deal personally beneficial for Lu Yin as well. They were not worried that Lu Yin would decline their offer.

Of course, even if Lu Yin didn't become the Sea King's son-in-law in the end, the Souldream Tribe still would not be at a disadvantage. Their main objective was to have Lu Yin help them fight for the pyrolyte mines. After that, they would have all sorts of reasons to delay the proposed marriage.

Lu Yin activated his gadget and contacted Lan Yue once again. "My apologies, Miss Lan Yue. There was a Hunters' battle just now, and it disrupted the signal."

"No worries, Student Lu. How do you find my Souldream Tribe's offer?" Lan Yue said with a confident expression. No one in the Outerverse would be able to decline such conditions, as entering the Innerverse was the dream of countless Outerverse powers. Lu Yin would not decline either, because this would be something that would also bolster his personal power.

Unfortunately for her, Lu Yin still declined.

Lan Yue was shocked. "Student Lu, you disapprove of these conditions?"

"Miss Lan Yue, the premise of your conditions should be for me to become the Sea King's son-in-law, and for the Sea King to appear and protect the Great Yu Empire. However, I'm sorry to disappoint you, as the Sea King will not appear. If I act, then the odds of the Great Yu Empire being destroyed will be just too high, and I cannot take such a risk."

Lan Yue was unconvinced. "The Sea King isn't willing to appear to protect the Great Yu Empire? But you're the Sea King's future son-in-law."

Lu Yin apologized again before ending the call.

The Souldream Tribe longed for the Sea King to appear. It was none of their business who the Great Yu Empire ultimately belonged to, as they merely wished to build a relationship with the Sea King's Dome and to have Lu Yin help them compete for the pyrolyte mines. As for Lu Yin, he wanted freedom. If the Great Yu Empire fell under the Sea King's Dome's influence, then he would no longer have a home. This was because he had never planned to become the Sea King's son-in-law, and he was constantly searching for a way to break away.

Intimidating his enemies under the guise of other's banners was his main plan. He would not forget that, on Shenwu Continent, there was still a girl waiting for him, as that lock of hair was still in his cosmic ring.

He did not know why, but Lu Yin suddenly thought of Zhuo Daynight and her grieving and helpless expression.

He subconsciously looked at Hai Qiqi's eyes: mischievous, crafty, and full of annoyance.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you seen a beauty before? Your looks cannot match up to Miss Qi's."

Lu Yin turned back around as he had learned that he just had to ignore her no matter what she said. He could not allow her venomous tongue to have any effect on him.

Three powers had already sought his aid, and he was rather looking forward to finding out who would call him next.

Defeating Mu Rong had crowned him as the pinnacle of all Limiteers. Perhaps to other Limiteers, he was a monster.

Five days later, Huo Qingshan contacted Lu Yin on his own accord in order to inform Lu Yin that Enlighters had appeared one after another. The Blaze Realm's Huo Houye, Northline Flowzone's Granny Chan, Souldream Tribe's Elder Qing Han, and Second Grade Hall's Karthika had all come. There were already quite a few Enlighters who had entered the Astral Wilderness.

As more and more Enlighters joined the fray, the Outerverse powers such as the Nine Stacks Sect were forced to back away, no longer daring to approach Northcastle Weave anymore. However, they still secretly wanted to unite, and they were planning on inviting the Enlighters overseeing the various Outerverse powers to act together and charge into the Astral Wilderness. Of course, they also asked the Great Yu Empire to join in, but their proposal was rejected by Lu Yin.

Against the enormous powers of the Innerverse, it was useless even if the Outerverse powers invited one or two Enlighters. It should be known that the top elites of the strongest powers, like the Sword Sect, the Daynight clan, and the Wen family, had not even appeared yet. Their Enlighters greatly outclassed the Outerverse's, and it was not just as simple as how a cultivator in a higher realm could restrict the power level of those beneath them. It was more like the difference between Xi Yue and Lu Yin; they were both Limiteers, but the difference between them was wider than the heavens.

When Northline Flowzone's Granny Chan arrived in the Astral Wilderness, she brought her flowzone's Limiteers along with her, like Northgate Gang as well as some Limiteers from the older generation whose battle power surpassed even Northgate Gang's. Ah Fan, who had initially reported to San Dios, had also been brought along since Northline Flowzone had gathered all of its strength to compete for the pyrolyte mines.

Lily Anne was already an Explorer, so she was unable to enter Planet Pyrolyte. She could only accompany Granny Chan and the rest as they waited above the planet.

Northgate Lie was also rushing over.

The other powers were investigating methods to see if they could somehow safely send their Explorers down to the planet. Even if they did not know whether or not their research would bear fruit, the various powers were still assembling their Explorers in preparation.

The Wen family arrived soon after Northline Flowzone, and they brought hundreds of Limiteers of all ages with them, and they had even prepared personal spacecrafts for all of them to quickly dash down to the planet. Wen Qian'er was also among those gathered, and she was very excited, as she had long wanted to cross paths with the other powerhouses of the universe. This was her best opportunity to do so, and she was hoping for the ones known as the unequaled Limiteers to come so that she could experience their strength as well.

In another area, the Second Grade Hall's Limiteers also rushed down onto the planet. It was no longer just the Second Grade Hall's experts, as people from the First Grade Hall and even the Divine Grade Hall had come along, Kuan Wang included. He had a helpless look, as he had been pulled out from the Astral Combat Academy in order to participate in this contest for the pyrolyte mines.

He actually did not want to participate, but the Divine Grade Hall's orders had been simple: fight.

Although Kuang Wang was arrogant, he readily admitted that he had principles and a bottom line, so he could not quite bring himself to do such things. He was planning on keeping a low-profile and being a bit less brazen.

"Don't be so arrogant! We obviously discovered this place first, so why should we give it to you?"

Kuang Wang had just landed on Planet Pyrolyte when he overheard this. He looked over unhappily at the group of Limiteers arguing, and when he heard the term "arrogant" being thrown about, he frowned, rose into the skies, and looked down on the groups. "You guys can argue, but don't mention my name!"

"Who's that, being so arrogant?" n/.O𝑽𝑬𝗅𝓫1n

"Scram!"

Kuang Wang was furious, and he raised an arm, allowing his azure dragon to snarl at the world and shake the sky. Before many terrified faces, Cang Long shook its tail and sent everyone flying away. Some were even directly crushed underground, and they were all as miserable as could be.

Kuang Wang proudly stood tall. Just a bunch of trash!

A dozen cultivators behind him wanted to cry. "Lord Kuang Wang, our own people are also in that group!"

Kuang Wang rolled his eyes.

More descendants from the various powers appeared, but the most dazzling were still those from the Eight Great Flowzones, particularly the Wen family's Wen Qian'er, the Blaze Realm's Jared, and the Divine Grade Hall's Kuang Wang and Hui Chuan. These few people used their overwhelming strength to dominate and take over pyrolyte mines that had previously been occupied by others.

Under these circumstances, Xi Yue unfortunately ran into Jared.

Just a reminder, but "Kuang Shuang" sounds the same as "arrogant."

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Chapter 478: Pyrolyte Mountain

Xi Yue's strength was not that much inferior to Jared's, but there was still a slight disparity. Xi Yue was currently about as strong as Michelle, but Jared had already been an Area Master when Michelle first joined the Astral Combat Academy. For this contest on Planet Pyrolyte, the Blaze Realm had given him a portion of the karmic flames that were already low in quantity. This meant that he could now use the Blaze Realm's inherited battle technique: the Karmic Flame Sword.

However, Jared did not use the Karmic Flame Sword against Xi Yue, as there was no need for him to do so. Instead, he used an illusionary battle technique that he had obtained from the trial zones, easily defeating Xi Yue since her musical technique could not react in time. Fortunately, her cosmic ring was filled with gathered pyrolyte ore, so Xi Yue simply detonated all of it, which made Jared apprehensive enough for her to make her escape.

Xi Yue's time of being the strongest Limiteer on Planet Pyrolyte had come to a complete end once the heirs from the other great powers demonstrated their power.

Seven days passed, though Lu Yin and Hai Qiqi were still traversing through the heavens. The situation in the Northcastle Weave had stabilized with the arrival of numerous Outerverse Enlighters, but the contest on Planet Pyrolyte only intensified further, with the casualties continuing to mount.

The various great powers' battleships were like monsters that were constantly monitoring every little thing that happened on Planet Pyrolyte. Those on the vessels could watch every single battle from start to finish, such as when Wen Qian'er led the Wen family to defeat a certain flowzone's power, when Jared showed his dominance by massacring all the disciples from another power, or when Kuang Wang followed the Second Grade Hall's troops and kept a low profile, not even acting once. All of these scenes were displayed to everybody.

Planet Pyrolyte was rather barren, and not many plants grew on the planet. Those that did exist resembled cacti and were very tenacious at clinging onto life. There were not many indigenous animals, and most remained burrowed underground, only emerging to look for water on rare occasions.

The strong winds were filled with dark-red sand and constantly streaked across the skies. On one part of the planet, multiple tornadoes suddenly formed in the distance, headed towards a group of people.

They were draped in cloaks, and each one was holding a pyrolyte detector. From time to time, they would draw close to each other to discuss something.

When the group of tornadoes arrived, one member of the group casually raised their hand, causing powerful star energy to burst out and transform into an invisible hand that directly swept the tornadoes aside. In an instant, the area turned to a peaceful state.

The others in the group were not surprised. If given enough time, a Limiteer was strong enough to destroy an entire planet, let alone suppress meteorological phenomena on a planet's surface.

Suddenly, one member of the group cried out, and the others immediately ran over.

"That's right, there's a reaction indicating massive amounts of pyrolyte ore. There should be a huge aggregation ahead."

"Can you tell how far?"

"Probably about a hundred kilometers away."

On Planet Pyrolyte, a hundred kilometers was a minuscule distance, but it was still very far for ordinary humans. Most cultivators could not see that far, and only those with more extraordinary innate gifts could. Fortunately, one of the members of the group had sharp eyes, and he gazed into the distance. "There's a mountain about a hundred kilometers in front of us."

"Miss, that mountain should be where the pyrolyte ore is located. The reaction is rather strong, so there should be quite a lot there," someone spoke excitedly.

"Let's go. We'll talk after we occupy that place." The group then charged straight towards the mountain.

Coincidentally, on the opposite side of the mountain, also about a hundred kilometers away, another group also discovered the existence of this pyrolyte vein. This group appeared to be more complex than the first, mostly because there was a strange-looking beast next to almost every single cultivator. This group was from the Second Grade Hall.

Gadgets could not be used on Planet Pyrolyte, so neither side was aware of the other's existence. Only when they arrived at the base of the mountain did they discover traces of the other party, and a battle soon started without any reservations.

The Second Grade Hall quickly fell behind, because the girl in the opposing group was Wen Qian'er. Her star energy was abundant. and it filled the area with a feminine aura; this was her domain.

Han Chong could draw a picturesque scenery of sea and mountains with his star energy while Wen Qian'er drew out a female skeleton.

That was just a description; those who came in contact with Wen Qian'er's star energy while she was supported by her domain would notice their determination being rapidly sapped away. Almost half of the Second Grade Hall's men lost their will to fight in an instant, and they were then crushed by the Wen family's Limiteers.

Erudite Flowzone and Beast Tamers Flowzone were neighbors, and they did not hold much animosity towards each other. Thus, there were no fatalities in this clash.

Wen Qian'er waved a hand and ordered her people to go investigate how much pyrolyte ore was present. Then, they sent out a signal to the Wen family's battleships above the planet to have them send some people down to the mountain to mine it all.

If the Wen family could see it, then so could the other powers. However, there were not many who were able to compete with them.

They smoothly prepared all the equipment needed to extract the pyrolyte ore.

Suddenly, Wen Qian'er's face changed, and she dodged to the side. In the place where she had just been standing, there was now a fierce and strange-looking snake with antlers on its head that was lunging at her.

Wen Qian'er turned around and flicked a finger, wanting to use a gale to eliminate this strange snake. However, the beast easily resisted the gale and then opened its mouth, unleashing a peculiar sound that resonated through the sky and took the form of a grey hurricane as it swept out. The storm was not destructive to the air or to the earth, and not even the mining equipment was harmed. However, the strange tempest caused all the people from the Wen family to feel nauseous.

Wen Qian'er's face paled, and she saw the strange snake lunge at her once again. Her gaze shivered, and she raised her left index finger. "Literary Prison, sixteen characters." As soon as these words left her mouth, lines of characters dropped down from the void and trapped the strange snake within their formation. No matter how the creature pounded against the characters, it could not shake the Literary Prison.

The Literary Prison was the Wen family's ancient inherited battle technique, and only those who had grasped at least sixteen characters could form it. Wen Qian'er had just recently comprehended that number.

At that moment, another figure attacked her from behind. She did not move, and someone else from the Wen family acted. It was a middle-aged man, and he raised a hand to fend off the figure as he moved to stand behind Wen Qian'er.

There were many people in the Wen family who had reached the Limiteer realm but were unable to break past it. Although they were not as outstanding as Lu Yin and many others, they had ample battle experience. This person had pretended to be powerless when the strange snake first attacked, but he had suddenly acted at this moment, which caused the assailant to be severely injured since he had been left with no time to defend himself.

Wen Qian'er slowly turned around and looked at the man lying on the ground with a deathly white face. She said, "You must be Hui Chuan."

The man spat out a mouthful of blood. "I never thought that the Wen family's mistress would actually recognize little old me."

Her lips curled up. "You aren't unknown. In the younger generation of the Divine Grade Hall, you're one of the top few, but unfortunately, you can't compare to that elite, Kuang Wang, and the others. Aren't they also here?"

"You want to meet them?" Hui Chuan spoke with great difficulty as he raised a hand and pointed into the distance. Suddenly Wen Qian'er looked down, and her face changed. A blade of grass had unknowingly started waving in the wind. It looked very gentle, almost as if it could be blown away at any moment. However, Wen Qian'er's expression was as if she was facing a great enemy; she had recognized this fleeting blade of grass as emperor butterfly topgrass, a tyrannical plant that could dispel star energy. This plant was one of Kuang Wang's tamed beasts.

Kuang Wang had finally arrived.

The Astral Combat Tournament had shown countless people throughout the Human Domain the power of a Realm Master. Although Kuang Wang had ultimately lost under Liu Shaoqiu's blade, his power was undeniable. Even though he was not on the level of the generation's greatest elites, he was still quite terrifying, and was at least qualified to force Wen Qian'er to be on guard.

When the emperor butterfly topgrass revealed itself, regardless of whether it was Wen Qian'er or the others from the Wen family, they all found that their star energy had been dispelled in a tyrannical fashion.

Originally, there was no star energy on Planet Pyrolyte, and it could only be absorbed through star crystals or star essences. And in this battle, the Wen family members' star energy had been dispelled so quickly that they simply had no time to absorb any more; this was simply a fatal blow.

To Kuang Wang, Planet Pyrolyte could be treated as his home ground. Anyone who battled against him would be thrown into a situation where they had insufficient star energy. The sole exception was if someone at Liu Shaoqiu's level appeared. Those whose power level was close to Kuang Wang's would not be able to match up to him at all, and Wen Qian'er was no exception.

If she was still in her peak state, then she was confident in being able to use her Literary Prison to trap Kuang Wang and then defeat him from there on out. However, she could not do that now, as she did not have enough star energy to form another Literary Prison. In fact, the one around the strange snake had already started dissipating.

As the emperor butterfly topgrass dispelled star energy, it created a true vacuum of star energy. This was the terror of this grass, and this was also the reason why Kuang Wang was so formidable on Planet Pyrolyte.

Kuang Wang appeared from under the sandstorm as he made his way over to the group, step by step. The giant azure dragon snarled when it appeared from his left arm, and it soon covered the sky.

No one dared to drop their guard against Kuang Wang, especially given the current circumstances.

"You guys should back off. I don't want to harm you," Kuang Wang said as he calmly looked at Wen Qian'er.

Not too far away from Wen Qian'er, two of the Wen family's Limiteers suddenly took action, battle force bursting forth from their bodies. These two powerhouses who had mastered three-lined battle force moved to surround Kuang Wang, intending to use physical strength to break through Kuang Wang's emperor butterfly topgrass. n𝓸𝗏𝑬-𝓁𝕓)In

The azure dragon was still flying around in the sky when Kuang Wang suddenly looked up, causing pure purple battle force to envelop his body. This was four-lined battle force! He had only displayed three-lined battle force during the Astral Combat Tournament, but now, he had broken through and comprehended four-lined battle force.

Every additional line represented a new level of strength, and the two three-lined battle force powerhouses from the Wen family were easily defeated by Kuang Wang.

Wen Qian'er was unresigned to their loss. She raised a hand and formed a sixteen-character Literary Prison around Kuang Wang. However, since her star energy was insufficient, the Literary Prison was too frail, and the azure dragon smashed it apart with a whip of its tail.

Kuang Wang proudly proclaimed, "I'll say it one last time: back away now! This mountain belongs to me."

Hui Chuan, who was lying on the ground, wiped his lips. The Literary Prison that had entrapped his strange snake had vanished by now, and the serpent landed on Hui Chuan's shoulder since it was his tamed beast.

There was no use in resisting anymore even if Wen Qian'er was unwilling. She could only helplessly raise her hand, commanding the entire Wen family to retreat.

The Wen family, the steward family of Erudite Flowzone, one of the eight great Flowzones, had been forced out. This event made Wen Qian'er feel humiliated, and she glared at Kuang Wang. "Just wait and see."

Kuang Wang could not care less about her threat, as Planet Pyrolyte was his playing field. Anyone who battled him here would be weakened by one level, and he was even confident about challenging Liu Shaoqiu on this planet. Even if Liu Shaoqiu had once defeated him within the the emperor butterfly topgrass's star energy vacuum, that had been some time ago. Kuang Wang's battle force had reached the four-lined level, so he felt confident in being able to block Liu Shaoqiu's sword. As long as he could withstand that sword, he would be able to retaliate.

After all, the foundation of cultivation was star energy. Without it, cultivators were nothing.

Of course, a freak like Lu Yin could not be seen as a normal cultivator, and Kuang Wang's ego was not so inflated that he dared to challenge Lu Yin. Regardless of if he was in the wider universe or on Planet Pyrolyte, that freak was simply a monster.

The Wen family retreated, but their mining equipment had been forcefully seized by Kuang Wang. Based on the Wen family's investigation, this mountain most likely contained a large amount of pyrolyte ore. Based on his calculations, they would be able to obtain at least five hundred grams of refined ore, or possibly even more.

In other areas of the Astral Wilderness, the amount of unrefined pyrolyte ore in one place would not even amount to five hundred grams. In many cases, even after a planet was completely extracted of all ore, the net sum would be no more than tens of grams of refined pyrolyte ore. However, this mountain contained so much more, which excited the Second Grade Hall. They immediately maneuvered all of their manpower to ensure total control of the mountain. Kuang Wang did not retrieve the emperor butterfly topgrass back into his body, and instead left it out to perpetually maintain the energy vacuum around the mountain.

Also, Kuang Wang personally named the mountain Pyrolyte Mountain.

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Chapter 479: An Enlighter's Threat

The discovery of Pyrolyte Mountain caused the Second Grade Hall to be targeted by all sides. Wen Qian'er did not announce how deep the pyrolyte reserves that Pyrolyte Mountain held ran, but the various great powers had their own ways of probing the place, and they also had their own spies in each other's organizations. It didn't take long for the amount of pyrolyte ore within Pyrolyte Mountain to shock those observing the planet from space, and all the great powers became alarmed.

What would an explosion of five hundred grams of pure pyrolyte be like? No one knew, but based on the theoretical power level, it would be enough to ruin a region of the universe. Even the powerhouses whose power levels had eclipsed 500,000 might be injured or even killed outright by such a powerful explosion. Of course, that was the outcome of directly confronting such an explosion, and those powerhouses would never allow such a destructive material to directly explode on them; they could simply tear through the void to redirect the damage.

But even when disregarding the apex powerhouses, the destructive potential of this much pyrolyte was indeed terrifying.

And this was only the preliminary estimation; it was entirely possible that there was even more pyrolyte than initially thought.

In an instant, Pyrolyte Mountain had become the focal point for all the great powers. Each and every one of them wanted to take over the mountain, but no one dared to act against Kuang Wang.

Quite a few organizations began to unite, and from that day on, Pyrolyte Mountain became a battleground that was raided by many powerhouses every day, including those from the great powers.

The Second Grade Hall felt the pressure intensify, and even Kuang Wang would not be able to withstand the assault if all the other organizations became hostile to them. Also, the truly top-notch Limiteers had not even arrived on the planet yet.

Under such circumstances, naturally, there were also organizations that wanted to join forces with the Second Grade Hall. Among the stronger ones of these powers, the Daynight clan was the first to look for the Second Grade Hall.

There was a habitable planet in Northcastle Weave that was close to Frostwave Weave. The technology of that civilization was still in a developmental stage, as their instruments of war were still ancient firearms. The planet that should have been peaceful had suddenly turned to chaos due to the Second Grade Hall's interference, and that civilization was annihilated overnight. The Second Grade Hall was like a monster that suddenly descended, suppressing the entire civilization in an instant.

This planet became the Second Grade Hall's outpost where they planned their battles against Frostwave Weave.

The Enlighter Karthika was stationed on this planet.

When Pyrolyte Mountain was discovered, Karthika grew restless. He knew that all the other powers were envious of Pyrolyte Mountain, and so, he wanted to head to the Astral Wilderness to oversee the situation.

But he had not gotten permission to leave yet when the entire planet began to rain. This was a rain that extended across the entire planet.

This rain made Karthika feel grave and even a little apprehensive.

It was a very light rain, but the Second Grade Hall's cultivators all felt strange. They wanted to look into why such an enormous rain had suddenly started, but they were all stopped by Karthika. He walked into the rain and looked up. "It's been quite a while. It must not have been more than a thousand years."

The rain curtain opened up, revealing an experienced-looking old woman with black-and-white hair who slowly walked out. Under the gaze of many Second Grade Hall's cultivators, she walked over to Karthika. "About that long."

Karthika gestured for her to follow him.

The old woman nodded and followed Karthika into the Second Grade Hall's headquarters on the planet. The two appeared in a meeting room, and appeared to be just like two ordinary people. They then sat down a short distance apart from each other.

Many apex powerhouses were not as imposing as some people might expect them to be; such people had their own philosophy, style of living, and many even maintained the habits of commoners. Before they revealed their power level, many were indistinguishable from commoners. It was entirely possible that someone walking beside a Seeker could be an Envoy whose power level was over 500,000.

"I thought that you wouldn't leave the Nightking Planet for the rest of your life, Nightqueen Qiuyu," Karthika said as he sighed emotionally while looking at the old woman in front of him.

Her voice was cold when she responded, "I thought that I wouldn't either during this life. But since the clan required it, I was left with no choice."

"That matter that year-" But Karthika was interrupted by Nightqueen Qiuyu before he could finish.

"You don't need to mention the matter from back then. Someone will pay off that debt. You should be clear about why I've come looking for you."

Karthika's face was solemn. "Is this about Pyrolyte Mountain?"

Nightqueen Qiuyu looked at him seriously. "You're very smart. You must know that, with just your force's manpower, you won't be able to hold Pyrolyte Mountain. All parties involved are looking for allies, and you guys should be no exception."

"I'm definitely aware. However, I have many choices, especially the closeby Wen family or the Sword Sect."

"Stop speaking nonsense. Neither party is possible, precisely because they are too close to you. There will be a conflict of interest with either of those two parties, which prevents you from forming any possible alliance with them. Our Daynight clan is the most suitable one for your current needs, as we both have the power and are a suitable distance away. Thus, there won't be any conflict of interest." Nightqueen Qiuyu once again interrupted Karthika in a dominant fashion.

Karthika grimaced. "So many years have passed, but you still haven't changed."

Nightqueen Qiuyu's gaze was firm. "If we cooperate, we'll evenly share the pyrolyte from Pyrolyte Mountain. This is the most generous condition that our Daynight clan can offer, so give me your answer soon."

Karthika had no choice. "There's no need to think any further. We'll cooperate."

For the Beast Tamers Flowzone, the Wen Family, and the Sword Sect were indeed poor parties to cooperate with, as the three of them lay too close to one another. Each wanted pyrolyte to increase their power, which would naturally cause their neighboring flowzones to weaken correspondingly. Thus, organizations that lay close to each other were forced into a competitive relationship, unable to cooperate. This was also the reason why the Wen Family and Sword Sect had not come to talk with Karthika. As for the other flowzones, they were either too far away or too weak. This included even the Blazing Mist Flowzone, which was also not a very good candidate in Karthika's eyes. Only the Daynight clan was worthy.

Karthika did not doubt the Daynight clan's strength, especially since it had been recently revealed that the Daynight clan had found traces of the Third Nightking. Even though this information could not be verified, if the Third Nightking had truly been found, then the situation of the universe was about to change. Hence, it was of great importance to maintain a good relationship with the Daynight clan.

Nightqueen Qiuyu gazed appreciatively at Karthika. "Wise choice. Our Daynight Limiteer will not disappoint you."

Karthika nodded. "With Kuang Wang's emperor butterfly topgrass and the Daynight clan's Limiteers, we have a surefire victory."

"It's not confirmed yet. Don't forget that there's someone else rushing over, and they even have a grudge with you."

Karthika was lost. "Who?"

"The Sea King's future son-in-law." She beamed as she said this.

Karthika's eyes went wide. "Lu Yin?"

"If that kid is not taken care of, then as soon as he enters the fray at Planet Pyrolyte, no one will be his opponent. Whoever he helps will be the final party to hold Pyrolyte Mountain," she spoke calmly.

Karthika felt embarrassed. "He's the Sea King's future son-in-law, and he also has relations with many different powers. He can't be killed."

"I know. Elder Yuanjing has also mentioned that the kid cannot be touched. However, we need some kind of guarantee that he will not participate in this contest, or else he will become the largest variable. You should know how much influence someone wields when they are truly invincible in their realm." Nightqueen Qiuyu's tone was cold, and this was evidently reminding her of something.

Karthika's face changed, and he paused before looking at her. "I'll hand over Planet Pyrolyte's matters to you while I personally head over to oversee the Great Yu Empire to ensure that he cannot act."

Nightqueen Qiuyu nodded. "Although sending out an Enlighter for a Limiteer junior is not worth it, the contest at Planet Pyrolyte is just far too important. Go on. I'll handle the matters on Planet Pyrolyte."

"Alright, let's work well together."

"Let's work well together."

As he flew through space, Lu Yin continuously updated himself on news regarding Northcastle Weave, as he wanted to check on the news concerning the situation on Planet Pyrolyte. However, the network did not have any news about it, and even searching the word "pyrolyte" yielded no results.

Although the net connected many people, it was no different from reality; too much information had been blocked off. Even if Lu Yin released news about pyrolyte, the network would continue to reveal nothing, as only the various great powers were allowed to have access to such information.

Beside him, Hai Qiqi was playing a game. She had recently discovered that the Outerverse had many more fun games than the Innerverse. In her words, the Outerverse was weak because these games whittled away at people's attention span, though Lu Yin could not be bothered to argue against such reasoning.

His gadget beeped, and Lu Yin glanced at it. Suddenly, his expression changed, and his face grew incredibly cold.

'Enlighter Karthika has appeared at Zenyu Star.'

Enlighters could move through space at a speed faster than an Aurora. There were about ten filaments separating Zenyu Star from the border between Frostwave Weave and Northcastle Weave, but this distance was a short walk for Karthika.

The Great Yu Empire had no Enlighters, so Karthika's appearance meant that the entire Great Yu Empire was now under his control—even the lives of those like Huo Qingshan, Ban Jiu, and Liuying Zishan.

Lu Yin clenched both fists, as Karthika's objective was obvious. This move completely prevented Lu Yin from participating in the contest at Planet Pyrolyte. He was simply unstoppable to all Limiteers, so if he acted, the biggest winner on Planet Pyrolyte would become obvious: whoever won Lu Yin's help would get the most pyrolyte.

Pyrolyte was considered a strategic military resource. This situation could be considered as war, just one that had not spread out yet, though it had already engulfed both the Innerverse and the Outerverse.

Lu Yin knew he was very important, but he had never expected his value to be so high as to merit an Enlighter personally moving to restrain him. He estimated that such a thing was unprecedented, as he could very well be the first and only Limiteer who had to be personally restricted by an Enlighter.

News that Karthika had arrived at Zenyu Star had been sent to Lu Yin by Huo Qingshan, and Karthika had then immediately suppressed the news. Fortunately, he had not killed anyone, and Huo Qingshan and the rest were not foolish enough to act against an Enlighter.

Zenyu Star was still stable for now, but this was completely dependent on Lu Yin obediently returning to Zenyu Star and not participating in the scuffle on Planet Pyrolyte. Otherwise, things would become unpredictable.

Karthika might not dare to kill Lu Yin, but the same leniency could not be guaranteed to extend to Huo Qingshan and the rest.

Lu Yin glanced at Hai Qiqi. He could contact the Sea King and serve the Great Yu Empire up on a platter to the Sea King's Dome. No matter if the Sea King accepted it or not, Karthika would have misgivings about making a move in that case. But if Lu Yin did such a thing, then he would no longer have any freedom. The Yushan family would no longer control the Great Yu Empire, and Lu Yin's status as Royal Regent would be nothing more than a joke.

Lu Yin did have the option of ignoring the plight of the Great Yu Empire, as he himself was not a descendant of King Zishan, as everything had been fabricated by Big Sis. However, he had lived on Earth for a long time, and he truly cherished those memories and feelings. He genuinely identified as an Earthling, and he did not want to let that part of him go. Undying Yushan had also treated Lu Yin very kindly and had given him the Yu Secret Art, which he was still unable to repay.

It was impossible for Lu Yin to abandon the Great Yu Empire, as he could not retract those feelings.

He turned to face outside of the spacecraft. Sometimes, standing too tall was not a good thing since it would attract more attention, especially when the one standing out was someone like him without any obvious powers backing him.

"Uncle Huo, tell Karthika that I will not act. Until the events at Planet Pyrolyte end, I will stay in the Great Yu Empire."

"Understood," Huo Qingshan's voice was not very happy either. As a Hunter, he was being used to threaten a Limiteer, and he was probably the first in history to have to endure such a humiliating experience.n/.O𝑽𝑬𝗅𝓫1n

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Chapter 480: Alliance

On Zenyu Star, Karthika was standing in the main hall of the Imperial Palace when Huo Qingshan appeared behind him. "The Royal Regent guarantees that he will not become involved in the events concerned."

Karthika spun around. He had no interest in what Huo Qingshan had to say since it was what he had expected. This was, of course, under the presumption that no one with an even stronger background than Karthika's was willing to stand up for Lu Yin. Otherwise, things would definitely stay under his control. For now, he was more interested in the person in front of him. "For cultivators from the Outerverse, reaching the level of Hunter is no easy feat. I can recommend you for a position in the Second Grade Hall. Are you interested?"

Huo Qingshan politely declined the offer, "My apologies, but I do not have any wish to leave my homeland."

Karthika was unsatisfied with such an answer. "While trapped in an insignificant place like Frostwave Weave, it was nothing more than a stroke of luck for you to cultivate to the level of Hunter." Once he was done speaking, he stepped forward and completely vanished. He could actually leave now if he wished since Zenyu Star was not going anywhere. Lu Yin would not dare to renege on his agreement, since the price he would have to pay for doing so would be more than what he could bear. However, Karthika also wanted to stay around to check out Lu Yin.

There had been many unparalleled individuals in his generation as well, and those individuals who were unsurpassed within their respective realms had left a rather deep impression on him. Lu Yin was similarly unsurpassed within his own realm, which was why Karthika wanted to meet him and see if there were any similarities between Lu Yin and that person from his generation.

There was also another issue to be addressed. The commotion at Planet Pyrolyte would only grow more intense as time went on. Since he had the option to stay in the background, he would naturally choose to not come out on his own. Instead, he would let Nightqueen Qiuyu do all the dirty work. The Daynight clan was known for being tyrannical, and the more enemies the clan made, the more relaxed others would feel, and it was the same even for Karthika. At this moment in time, the Daynight clan indeed seemed to be the Second Grade Hall's best partner, but who knew what the future held.

Zenyu Star had a beautiful scenery.

In the Astral Wilderness, there was a huge battleship blazing with flames. It was not being destroyed, rather was on fire of its own accord. This was a spacecraft from the Blaze Realm.

In the Blaze Realm's battleship, there was a figure silently looking down at Planet Pyrolyte. The surroundings' high temperatures were enough to even distort the void. This figure seemed to be blazing like a star, but strangely enough, he did not damage any of the objects around him. This man was Master Huo Houye, a powerful Enlighter from the Blaze Realm. He was an almighty cultivator with a power level of 240,000.

Not too far away from where Huo Houye was standing, the void distorted as a strong but ugly looking man stepped out. He faced Huo Houye and spoke with a dull voice. "I am Lei Long of the Dire Barbarian Clan."

Huo Houye turned around and stared at the middle-aged man, focusing on the man's face. His eyes flickered; those from the Dire Barbarian Clan all had peculiar appearances, and ugly was not quite enough to describe their appearances. Sinister was a better word. These people were the complete opposite of those from the Souldream Tribe.

The Souldream Tribe were known for producing beautiful women, whereas it would be a stretch to find even a decent looking person within the Dire Barbarian Clan. Perhaps this was why the Souldream Tribe and Dire Barbarian Clan had been enemies for so long. The Dire Barbarian Clan wanted to make use of the Souldream Tribe to improve their future generations' genes and allow their descendants to be more attractive. However, the Souldream Tribe carried a natural hatred for the Dire Barbarian Clan, as they especially loathed the way they handled things.

Regardless, at this time, it was easy to recognize someone from the Dire Barbarian Clan just by their appearance.

Those of the Dire Barbarian Clan had become used to this, which was why Lei Long did not mind Master Huo Houye scrutinizing his appearance.

"Brother Lei, what is the purpose of this visit?" Huo Houye asked.

Lei Long solemnly replied, "To form an alliance."

Huo Houye pondered over this information.

Lei Long continued, saying, "Recently, many powers have formed alliances, so pillaging pyrolyte ore using just one's own strength is now impossible. As far as I am aware, even the Second Grade Hall has now formed an alliance with the Daynight clan. Brother Huo, you should be well aware that the strongest power on Planet Pyrolyte is currently the Second Grade Hall."

Huo Houye looked at Lei Long. "We are open to entering an alliance, but how would we split the pyrolyte ore?"

"This goes without saying. We would each take half," Lei Long replied.

Huo Houye broke out in laughter. "Brother Lei, you must be dreaming! In terms of distance, my Blaze Realm is the closest to this place, so I can deploy skilled warriors at any moment. On the other hand, your Dire Barbarian Clan is located very far away. Besides, you don't even have any powerful Limiteers who would be of any use on the planet's surface. Brother Lei, do you really believe that you deserve half a share?"

Lei Long knitted his brows. "What you said is not entirely accurate as we have many Limiteer cultivators within the Dire Barbarian Clan. Also, there are many powers researching a way to let Explorers enter Planet Pyrolyte. The Dire Barbarian Clan has Explorers who are worthy of stepping on to the Top 100 Rankings as well."

Huo Houye was not bothered about such claims; the Blaze Realm had everything the Dire Barbarian Clan possessed. Everyone had their own hidden trump cards, but there was a singular someone in the Dire Barbarian Clan whom he actually paid attention to: Avery. Avery was a powerful individual who was ranked fourth within the Top 100 Rankings. If Cruisers were allowed to enter Planet Pyrolyte, then that man would be of great use. It would be as good as having a decisive player on their team.

However, dividing the pyrolyte ore equally on the grounds of an unknown possibility was too big of a risk to take, and it was also a risk that Master Huo Houye was unwilling to take. However, he did not immediately reject the proposal. "I'll tell you what, Brother Lei. Why won't we decide how to split the pyrolyte ore after we get ahold of it. Is that alright with you?"

Lei Long squinted his eyes and pondered for a moment before agreeing. Even though the Blaze Realm was strong, his Dire Barbarian Clan was not lacking in any way. If the Blaze Realm dared to go back on its word, then Lei Long felt certain that he would be able to make them pay dearly for such transgressions.

The premise for forming an alliance was that both parties had similar levels of strength. Those in the Eight Great Flowzones would only seek out alliances from others within the Eight Great Flowzones. As for the smaller flowzones, such as Northline Flowzone, they could only seek out the smaller flowzones for assistance.

Northline Flowzone was really down on its luck. Northgate Gang, Ah Fan, and the others had been matched against Jared from the Blaze Realm. Just one battle alone was enough to leave Northline Flowzone with heavy casualties and ten people dead. To add insult to injury, even the pyrolyte ore that Northline Flowzone's team had extracted was snatched away.

Even though Planet Pyrolyte was huge, everyone had a pyrolyte ore detector, so there was a high chance of finding it. In short, the team from Northline Flowzone was simply unlucky to have run into powerful experts from the Eight Great Flowzones.

Currently, on Planet Pyrolyte, less than a third of the cultivators were from the Eight Great Flowzones, and the majority of the others were Limiteers from the smaller flowzones. Alas, numbers did not mean everything; in the end, the only ones who could act brazenly and steal pyrolyte were those from the Eight Great Flowzones.

The bitter defeat of Northgate Gang and the others caused those from Northline Flowzone to become extremely anxious. Lily Anne wanted to contact Lu Yin several times, and Granny Chan was even willing to add more onto their offer. However, any action on Lu Yin's part would put the Great Yu Empire at great risk, and Lily Anne felt that there was nothing she could do to move Lu Yin unless Granny Chan promised to oversee and protect the Great Yu Empire. That was one of the few things that could ensure the safety of the Great Yu Empire.

However, that was an impossible condition. Granny Chan's departure would mean a loss of prestige for the Lily Clan. Granny Chan was more important to the clan than pyrolyte.

Another three days passed. When Lu Yin looked at the projected route, the calculated arrival time was in another ten days.

On this day, there was a violent change above Planet Pyrolyte; the Limiteer cultivators from the Sword Sect had arrived.

The various powers were all stunned by their arrival, and the newcomers all headed to a personal spacecraft before descending into Planet Pyrolyte's atmosphere. Everyone sensed that the power structure of Planet Pyrolyte was about to shift.

The most worried parties were definitely the Second Grade Hall and the Daynight clan. Currently, Planet Pyrolyte was almost entirely controlled by the Second Grade Hall and the Daynight clan. They had more than a hundred Limiteer cultivators guarding Planet Pyrolyte, and most of them were from the Second Grade Hall while a minority were from the Daynight clan. The striking features of the black and white hair was impossible to miss, and it also provided a good reminder for the other powers that the two had formed an alliance.

The minute the Sword Sect's spacecraft rushed over to Planet Pyrolyte, Nightqueen Qiuyu's brows bunched up. She stepped forward, tearing through the void even faster than the Sword Sect's battleship. It was a spacecraft shaped like a sword, and it looked rather strange. It did however, have an extremely sharp tip that caused the void around it to become unstable.

"Liu Sanjian, come out!" Nightqueen Qiuyu yelled. As far as her eyes could see, all of the Sword Sect's disciples had been overwhelmed with shock by her cry, and they didn't even dare to raise their heads. A curtain of rain sprinkled down from the sky, creating an amazing sight.

A middle aged man stepped out from the sword-shaped battleship with a resolute look on his face. As he towered high in the sky, he directly faced Nightqueen Qiuyu. This man was Liu Sanjian. It was rumored that, from the moment he began cultivating, he had only ever used three strikes in all his battles, regardless of the final result. He was a powerful Hunter who boasted a power level of 190,000.

"Senior Qiuyu, is something the matter?" Liu Sanjian asked in a calm manner as he looked at Nightqueen Qiuyu.

Nightqueen Qiuyu pointed towards Planet Pyrolyte and icily replied, "The Sword Sect has entered Planet Pyrolyte in the direction of Pyrolyte Mountain. What is the meaning of this? The universe is so vast, and yet you chose this place to land. Are you trying to challenge the Daynight clan?"

Liu Sanjian indifferently replied, "Planet Pyrolyte has not been claimed by anyone, and neither has Pyrolyte Mountain. It does not belong to the Daynight clan, and so, it is open for all to contest."

Nightqueen Qiuyu's gaze turned icy. "Planet Pyrolyte is vast, and Pyrolyte Mountain is not the only place where pyrolyte ore can be mined. Go find another place. I can guarantee you that the Daynight clan will not bother you in any fashion."

"I cannot do that." Liu Sanjian's words were curt. He held absolutely no regard for the Nightqueen, even though he was merely a Hunter.

In his younger days, he had been the cream of the crop in the Sword Sect and feared no one. It seemed like his former courage was still present at this time.

Nightqueen Qiuyu's anger soon condensed into a dry, sarcastic laughter. "Very well then, a worthless individual dares to challenge me. It seems like my years spent hiding on Nightking Planet has caused the outside world to forget about the might of Nightqueen Qiuyu! I will force all of you to remember my power today!" As soon as she finished speaking, she prepared to strike. n(-O𝑽𝓮𝐥𝒷In

Liu Sanjian's gaze became increasingly piercing as he grabbed the hilt of his sword.

At that moment, the space between the two distorted, and a figure stepped out. Sighing deeply, the figure said, "Qiuyu, you are still as tyrannical as ever."

When she heard this voice, Nightqueen Qiuyu's body shook. She stared in astonishment at the old person in front of her, and her voice quivered. "Vile- big brother Viletree?"

Liu Sanjian looked at the old man and bowed respectfully. "Elder Viletree."

This old man's name was Elder Viletree, and he was an elder from the Sword Sect. He was also the person in charge of the Sword Sect's pyrolyte gathering expedition. He was an Enlighter with a power level of 270,000.

"Big Brother Chou, I never expected that the Sword Sect would send you here," Nightqueen Qiuyu commented, bewildered.

Elder Viletree looked at Nightqueen Qiuyu and musingly replied, "It has been a thousand years since we last met, and now, we're both old. It is about time for us to keep our tempers in check."

The rain in the sky was now pouring down even heavier than before, and Nightqueen Qiuyu turned to face Planet Pyrolyte. "This is the first time in a thousand years I have come out on a mission, so I do not wish to fail."

Viletree revealed a bitter smile. "It was this terrible temper of yours that made him leave back then. Do you still not see that?"

Nightqueen Qiuyu's gaze abruptly snapped back to Viletree. "My temper? How laughable! It was the clan's rules that drove that coward away. I was willing to turn my back on the clan to leave with him, but he still ran away. Big brother Chou, can I really be blamed for that?"

Elder Viletree sighed deeply. "It happened such a long time ago, but you are still unable to accept it. Forget it, let's not bring up the past."

Nightqueen Qiuyu's emotions became increasingly unstable, causing the rainfall's intensity to fluctuate as a moment of silence passed.

Liu Sanjian took advantage of the pause to leave.

Viletree looked at Nightqueen Qiuyu and continued, asking, "How have you been these long years?"

Nightqueen Qiuyu's body trembled once more as she turned around to leave. "Big brother Viletree, our personal relationships aside, this battle on Planet Pyrolyte is something where I will show absolutely no mercy."

As he looked at the empty sky, Viletree sighed once more. He never would have dreamed that he would meet this old friend of his in such a place. Besides, this was an old friend whom he both wished to see and wished to avoid.

Boom boom boom!

Thunderous booms spread across all of Pyrolyte Mountain, and Kuang Wang looked into the distance with a grave expression. These sounds were of a large spacecraft landing directly atop Pyrolyte Mountain. The newcomers had obviously come here to take control of Pyrolyte Mountain. For a faction to make such a brazen landing at this time meant that it was highly likely for the vessels to belong to the Sword Sect.

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