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Chapter 1313: Peerless Battle Technique

Qiu Shi let out a long breath. She had killed the Xia family's scion. This would create a powerful enmity between her Cosmic Sect and the Xia family, but there was no other way. The Cosmic Sect had long since coveted the Xia family's inheritance.

Lu Yin stared at Xia Jiuyou from the distance, watching as his runes disappeared. Was Xia Jiuyou really dead? The Nine Clones Secret Technique had been Progenitor Chen's invincible battle technique, so was it really possible that it did nothing else aside from raising the user's cultivation realm?

Suddenly, Xia Jiuyou, who had been lying dead on the ground, opened his eyes. His rune lines instantly recovered as he stood up and slapped at Qiu Shi with a palm.

Qiu Shi was completely unable to react, and the palm attack squarely hit her in the back, sending her flying. After that, another Yōu Reinforced Palm fell down from above, but at the last moment, Qiu Shi used Star Transference. However, this time, it did not succeed. Xia Jiuyou had used the Xia Secret Art: Nullify once again. Qiu Shi twisted her body, and her shoulder was struck by the Yōu Reinforced Palm. It smashed her to the ground and froze her.

This sudden reverse shocked everyone once again.

Xia Jiuyou's throat had been pierced through by a sword, and the Celestial Sword's sword qi must have ravaged his body. So, how could he still be alive? He even looked as if he had never been injured—even the paleness present on his face earlier had disappeared. What the hell had happened?

Lu Yin frowned—this had to be related to the Nine Clones Secret Technique. This was too freakish.

Shang Qing's expression grew serious; was this the true power of the Nine Clones Secret Technique?

Xia Jiuyou wiggled his fingers and glanced around. The true power of his Nine Clones Secret Technique had finally been exposed. There were nine clones, and each clone that he merged with provided him with an extra life. When he died, one of those lives would be consumed, but he would not truly die.

Successfully cultivating the Nine Clones Secret Technique allowed one's cultivation realm to rise much faster, and it also allowed one to master a wide variety of battle techniques, as the techniques and skills of every clone could be used by him after merging. Still, the greatest benefit was having nine lives.

The Nine Clones Secret Technique did not improve one's talent or make them invincible. But then, how could having nine lives be enough to guarantee victory?

The reason why Progenitor Chen's Nine Clones Secret Technique had been heralded as invincible was because all of Progenitor Chen's clones had been unbelievably powerful. Xia Jiuyou's clones could not compare at all, as his strongest clones were Xia Tian and Xia Jiuyou himself.

Still, the technique was already terrifying to other people.

A while ago, Mu En and the others had mentioned that the Nine Clones Secret Technique became more terrifying as one progressed further. This was because each clone encountered their own opportunities and practiced their own techniques. After merging together, their overall quality would rise sharply—this was the true power of the technique.

There was a bang as the ice shattered. Qiu Shi emerged in a panic, gasping for air as she stared at Xia Jiuyou while blood dripped down the corner of her mouth.

Xia Jiuyou's mouth curled into a smile. He had revealed his Nine Clones Secret Technique's ability, and just like Shang Qing, Xia Jiuyou had become everyone's enemy. It was a pity that he had not merged with Xia Luo as well, as he would have improved even further. What a pity.

"Can't accept it?" Xia Jiuyou said.

Qiu Shi felt helpless. She had been thoroughly defeated, but she could not accept it as she was still in a state of shock at witnessing the horror of the Nine Clones Secret Technique. This technique was truly worthy of being one of Progenitor Chen's invincible skills. It was quite possible that no one aside from Shang Qing was capable of defeating Xia Jiuyou.

As he looked at Xia Jiuyou, Lu Yin remembered Nightking Zhenwu. Lu Yin had already fought against an opponent with multiple lives.

Outside Zenith Mountain, Xia Meng was stunned to discover that not even she had been privy to the true secrets of the Nine Clones Secret Technique.

The Chief Justice, however, was not surprised. The Hall of Honor was the master of the entire Fifth Mainland, and all of them knew cryptic secrets far beyond the Xia family's ken, even if the Nine Clones Secret Technique was passed down in the Xia family.

Qiu Shi had been defeated, but she was still one of the top ten.

The next match was Yao Xuan versus Wu Taibai.

Yao Xuan had expended too much energy during the battle royale, and he had also been severely injured by both Wang Yi and Shang Qing, causing his entire body to turn somewhat transparent. In contrast, Wu Taibai had managed to physically overpower even Yuhua Mavis, which meant that Yao Xuan's only chance of victory was his spiritual force. He could only hope that Wu Taibai did not also have the means to overcome his spiritual force.

Yao Xuan faced Wu Taibai and raised a hand. The void visibly twisted as a sphere of spiritual force appeared right in front of Wu Taibai's eyes. "Force Explosion."

Bang!

Earlier, during the chaotic free-for-all, Yao Xuan had unleashed a powerful spiritual energy explosion that had affected everyone. It had even caused many people further down the mountain to faint and collapse—very few people could endure this attack.

Wu Taibai did not react, and he allowed the Force Explosion to explode right in front of him without making any moves.

However, the other nearby cultivators were affected, and even Shang Qing was shocked. Yao Xuan had the greatest spiritual force out of everyone in ZENITH, and no one could compare to him in this aspect.

Because of his severe injuries and desire to not drag this fight out, Yao Xuan had not held back in the slightest. This was the most powerful attack that he was capable of unleashing at the moment. Even Lu Yin had to rely on his Inception Array to stabilize his spiritual force while the others, like Yuhua Mavis, Liquor Hero, Xia Jiuyou, and the rest, went pale—they had only been affected by the aftershocks.

As for Wu Taibai, who had taken the attack head on and up close, nothing happened to him at all. The complete lack of reaction left Yao Xuan dumbfounded.

How could this be?

Lu Yin was similarly shocked; how could this be? How had Wu Taibai ignored Yao Xuan's attack?! This should not be possible. Lu Yin had already known that Wu Taibai was powerful, but Yao Xuan was a powerhouse who had reached the finals of ZENITH, so the gap between them should not be this large!

Elsewhere, Wang Yi was staring intently at Wu Taibai. He had never heard of people from that place who could ignore spiritual force attacks. This spiritual force attack had not been weak, so could Wu Taibai have possibly already reached that level?

Wu Taibai lifted a hand. "Unfortunately, you're facing me."

After he spoke, a strange energy rolled out from his body. All five fingers moved, and the Mountains and Rivers Imprint was unleashed.

There was a bang as his attack smashed Yao Xuan down to the foot of the mountain. The same sensation struck Yao Xuan once again; it was just like when Wang Yi had stabbed him through and inflicted his worst injury yet. But Wu Taibai's secret technique struck Yao Xuan even harder. He spat out blood, and his body transformed into countless tiny bats that flew out.

One by one, the bats flew back to the top of the mountain. Wu Taibai looked at the swarm of bats, specifically staring at one of them. He curled his fingers and then flicked them out.

A small but powerful wind blasted out. Its rune lines were enough to even make Lu Yin feel fear, and the attack shot through the void, leaving behind a black channel in its wake as it shuttled towards the bat.

All of the other bats disappeared, and the one that Wu Taibai had targeted had fearful eyes as it suddenly transformed into a human figure that looked exactly like Yao Xuan. However, this Yao Xuan was no longer made of materialized spiritual force. This was his true body.

Yao Xuan attacked with a technique that Lu Yin was very familiar with—Skybeast Claw.

The sound of an ancient beast's roar echoed through time and space, and a massive, illusory claw descended. It swept aside the strange energy emanating from Wu Taibai's body as the claw fell.

Wu Taibai smiled casually. "That's right, spiritual force is useless against me."

With that, he raised a leg and kicked out at the descending image of the claw.

Lu Yin was stunned as he watched the fight nearby; wasn't that the Skybeast Claw? How had Yao Xuan learned this technique? Not to mention, this attack was far more powerful than what Lu Yin was capable of using.

Everyone in the universe believed that the Celestial Demons' bodies were formed from spiritual force, but in reality, they also had physical bodies. Their usual state was merely a form of external protection that essentially rendered them immune to physical attacks, but once their body of spiritual force armor had been broken, they had to fight with their physical bodies.

Yao Xuan had been severely injured by the clone of Progenitor Chen that Shang Qing had summoned along with Wang Yi's attack.

Wu Taibai had simply ignored Yao Xuan's spiritual force. Thus, the crown prince could only fight with his body.

Wu Taibai was the first opponent who had managed to force Yao Xuan to bring out his physical body.

Up till now, the fighting had been extremely fierce, but Yao Xuan had never once been forced to reveal his physical form to fight.

Lu Yin had not expected that the opponent he had been fighting against all this time had only been using half of his strength. Yao Xuan deserved his title as crown prince of the Celestial Beast Empire.

Yao Xuan and Wu Taibai rushed towards each other at the same time, and the resulting impact created a shockwave that tore the ground apart. Yao Xuan's true body was that of a bat, but his physical strength was not lacking in the least, and he stopped several of Wu Taibai's attacks. However, the member of the Daosource Three Skies possessed a physical strength that had even suppressed Yuhua Mavis, and Yao Xuan vomited blood after being struck by Wu Taibai's strange energy. In the end, the crown prince could not endure the punishment, and he retreated.

Yao Xuan gasped for air, but then he suddenly turned his head to stare at Star Devourer, who had fallen down to the first layer below the stairs. The massive astral beast seemed to be unconscious, but Star Devourer's back suddenly went cold. Something was staring at him, but there was clearly nothing. What was going on?

"Secret Technique: Assimilation," Yao Xuan growled, and Wu Taibai suddenly appeared before him.

"It's over," Wu Taibai said as he raised his hand. The mountains and rivers fell, but Yao Xuan suddenly let out a tremendous roar as he raised his right fist to throw a punch.

At this moment, the void shook, and twilight drummed the morning bell1 as Zenith Mountain trembled. Lu Yin's pupils shrank; how was this possible? Yao Xuan's punch contained an unfathomable power unlike anything before. Wu Taibai's Mountains and Rivers Imprint was shattered by Yao Xuan's one punch, and Wu Taibai's entire body was thrown back a thousand meters. If not for his secret technique taking the brunt of the blow, this punch would have left Wu Taibai in terrible shape.

Wu Taibai was shocked. Where had this strength come from?

Yao Xuan stepped forward with his right foot before rushing forward to punch Wu Taibai again. Wu Taibai frowned, and he also took a step forward. This time, he spun to dissipate the force of Yao Xuan's punch while also lifting his right arm to strike at Yao Xuan with an elbow. The punch barely missed Wu Taibai's head by a centimeter, as Wu Taibai had shifted Yao Xuan's extended arm with his elbow and thrown the punch off course. Wu Taibai followed up with a kick, and a martial print could be seen on the bottom of the foot that he used to attack. The kick sent the Celestial Demon flying.

Yao Xuan was not kicked far away, and he spun his body around to charge at Wu Taibai once again.

No one had thought that Yao Xuan could erupt with such a formidable physical strength. He was clearly no weaker than Lu Yin, Yuhua Mavis, Wang Yi, or any of the others. If anything, he had somewhat surpassed them—otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to shatter Wu Taibai's secret technique with a single punch. This level of physical power had only been shown by Star Devourer throughout all of ZENITH.

Star Devourers were the most physically gifted of all unique lifeforms.

No one could understand just what Yao Xuan had just done.

In the Neoverse, Arch-Elder Zen looked serious. As the master of the Hall of Honor, he had experienced things beyond the imagination of ordinary people. At this moment, his gadget beeped with an alert, and the Highsage Grandmaster appeared on the display with a solemn expression on his face.

Arch-Elder Zen calmly looked at his gadget.

Highsage Grandmaster solemnly asked, "Did you see it?".

Arch-Elder Zen sighed. "Progenitor Wushang's legendary secret technique. If one can successfully cultivate it, then they can transform into any astral beast with full control over its innate abilities."

"Yao Xuan assimilated the physical power of that Star Devourer in order to overpower Wu Taibai. I did not expect Progenitor Wushang's secret technique to reappear here. I thought that his entire inheritance had already disappeared," Highsage Grandmaster commented. n)(O𝑣𝔢𝓵𝐁In

Arch-Elder Zen stared in the direction of the Astral Beast Domain. Disappeared? He had never thought that that rumor was true. After all, there was a certain individual in the Astral Beast Domain, and nothing could be hidden from him.

At the top of Zenith Mountain, Wu Taibai launched a fierce assault on Yao Xuan with his martial print and strange energy. There were many people who could no longer even understand the battle.

[1] Another Chinese expression. A daily call to religious life with the morning bells and evening drums; timely exhortations to virtue and purity. A evelation/keenly aware of something. In this particular case the vibrations shook everyone to their core. ?

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Chapter 1314: Completely Suppressed

Yao Xuan felt incredibly grateful towards Skymender. The crown prince had not originally known this secret technique, but after ZENITH's announcement, Skymender had helped Yao Xuan comprehend this secret technique. Mastering this secret technique had made Yao Xuan even more arrogant because of its power.

However, Skymender's words still resounded in Yao Xuan's mind: "During ZENITH, you are guaranteed to encounter an opponent who you will be unable to defeat no matter how hard you fight. Don't push yourself too hard. Rather, focus on bringing back Lu Yin's tamed beast if at all possible. This is the most important thing. Also, yes, you will enter the top ten."

Yao Xuan did not dare to forget the mission that Skymender had given him. Unless he was able to fight against Lu Yin, Yao Xuan had no desire to go all out against any other opponent. However, Wu Taibai was too tough of an opponent, and without winning, Yao Xuan would not be able to encounter Lu Yin again.

It was a pity that ZENITH's rules had changed. Otherwise, Yao Xuan definitely would have stayed focused on Lu Yin throughout the battle royale. Instead, the crown prince had to first overcome Wu Taibai before he could face Lu Yin.

Yao Xuan had assimilated Star Devourer's physical strength through a secret technique, which meant that his physical strength had risen to a level comparable to Yuhua Mavis's. If Yao Xuan was fighting against anyone else, then he could rely on the combination of his physical strength and spiritual force to deliver an impossible to dodge attack, but Wu Taibai was somehow able to simply ignore spiritual force. What's more, his physical strength was not much different than Yuhua Mavis's either.

Star Devourer was physically powerful, but he struggled to fully utilize his amazing strength. Yao Xuan, on the other hand, was able to use this strength, so he could compare to Yuhua Mavis. However, Wu Taibai had been able to suppress even Yuhua Mavis.

Yao Xuan had not forgotten about this detail. When the strange energy reappeared on Wu Taibai's body, Yao Xuan's expression changed greatly, as he had remembered how Wu Taibai had used this bizarre power to smash Yuhua Mavis into the ground during the massive brawl. Yao Xuan could not be reckless here. His eyes danced about and then landed on Xu Ling, who was down on the first layer. "Secret Technique: Assimilation."

With a howl, Yao Xuan stepped into the void and traveled through it in the exact same manner as Xu Ling.

Countless people watching the broadcast were dumbfounded. They did not know that Yao Xuan had just used a secret technique. Rather, all they could tell was that, in this fight, Yao Xuan had revealed an incredible physical strength as well as a bizarre ability, and this sudden change terrified people.

The others on top of the mountain all frowned. This Yao Xuan was a very difficult opponent. He deserved to be one of the top ten finalists in ZENITH, and he truly stood out.

The surface of Wu Taibai's body looked like it was boiling now. He stared at Yao Xuan's illusory figure and then laughed. "That's useless!"

He then raised his hand, "Mountains and Rivers Imprint."

He then used the Progenitor of Combat's secret technique, as well as the strange energy covering his body. Earlier, the strange energy, the Divine Martial Armor, had overpowered Yao Xuan's spiritual force and forced him to reveal his physical body. And now, that same technique had once again blasted Yao Xuan back into the physical realm.

Yao Xuan was hit by the Mountains and Rivers Imprint. The impact caused him to cough up blood as his body flew out of the void and he fell down a staircase.

Yao Xuan had thought that by assimilating Xu Ling's innate ability, he would be able to simply ignore Wu Taibai's attack, but Mountains and Rivers Imprint had still struck him true without any issue. Whether it was the secret technique or the strange energy, Yao Xuan had been seriously injured.

Almost no one understood the current battle, not even Lu Yin.

Even now, Lu Yin did not understand how Xu Ling traveled through the void, and when Lu Yin had fought against Yōu Qi, he had only managed to attack him by relying on the Ghost Monkey's shadow. Without that, Lu Yin would have never been able to land a single attack on Yōu Qi.

Xu Ling's innate ability seemed to be almost exactly the same as Yōu Qi's. Their ability to phase into the void had nothing to do with strength, as it was actually another form of existence. No matter how strong Lu Yin became, without the proper means, he would never be able to strike an opponent in that state. However, Wu Taibai was able to easily attack them.

Even when Wu Taibai's attack had wounded Yao Xuan in his pure spiritual force form, Lu Yin knew that it had to have something to do with the strange energy surrounding Wu Taibai's body. Just what kind of battle technique was he using?

Wang Yi looked at Wu Taibai with cold eyes, but he did not seem the slightest bit surprised.

Yao Xuan was actually frighteningly powerful. He had unmatched spiritual force, Star Devourer's physical strength, and Xu Ling's ability to travel through the void. Any one of these abilities would be a huge obstacle on their own, and they allowed Yao Xuan to fight against any one of the top ten. Unfortunately, he had been matched up against Wu Taibai, and Yao Xuan felt as though he was being overpowered through brute force.

At the bottom of the stairs, Yao Xuan clutched at his chest. The skin there was burning. He had been too careless. Mountains and Rivers Imprint was actually still able to attack him, though not even Yao Xuan really understood what was happening.

The fights between the top ten did not disappoint the audience. Regardless of if it was the match between Qiu Shi and Xia Jiuyou or the one between Yao Xuan and Wu Taibai. All four fighters had revealed a terrifying strength that far surpassed that of anyone else in ZENITH.

The third match started right away.

It was Lu Yin's turn, and as he walked out, so too did Bu Kong.

Countless people throughout the universe became excited. One of the next contestants was Lu Yin. He was the leader of the Great Eastern Alliance, the Hall of Honor's fourth Honor Chosen, and one of the five gatekeepers during the first portion of ZENITH. His first battle had garnered everyone's attention.

On the other side, Bu Kong was one of the Daosource Three Skies, which meant that he was being groomed to become one of the Sixth Mainland's future leaders. He had always looked down upon the Fifth Mainland, but since ZENITH had started, one powerhouse after another had appeared. Their unique strengths had forcefully suppressed Bu Kong's arrogance, especially Shang Qing. His strands of ancestral qi were actually able to transform into copies of Progenitor Chen, and the knife-wielding copy had made Bu Kong feel true terror. He was actually willing to work with others to take Shang Qing down.

Shang Qing had already been acknowledged as the most powerful person in ZENITH.

In addition to Shang Qing, Qiu Shi, Yuhua Mavis, Liquor Hero, and Xia Jiuyou were all exceptionally powerful, and they had hidden themselves deeply. There was also Lu Yin, who had fought many eye catching battles. Everyone had revealed their hidden power, and Bu Kong was well aware of their strengths. However, knowledge was one thing—being able to handle such opponents was something else entirely.

Earlier, Bu Kong had been caught up in the battle between Lu Yin, Yao Xuan, and Star Devourer, and he had clearly sensed Lu Yin's terrifying strength. This would not be an easy fight.

ZENITH had tempered the arrogance of the Daosource Three Skies.

In the Upper Realm, countless Sixth Mainland cultivators were just as nervous as Bu Kong. If it were before the start of ZENITH, none of them would have been nervous, but ZENITH had revealed too many monsters. Lu Yin was a freak even among monsters, and everyone had to acknowledge his strength.

The two youths stepped onto the plaza without saying a word. Bu Kong instantly summoned his imprint of the Progenitor of Secret Arts, and a terrifying aura arrogantly swept through the sky and spread beyond Zenith Mountain.

In response, Lu Yin raised a hand and threw out a Vacuum Palm.

This attack was already within Bu Kong's expectations. Vacuum Palm had become Lu Yin's signature attack. It looked like a simple attack, but it was very difficult to track. This was why Bu Kong had instantly brought out his imprint of the Progenitor of Secret Arts.

The Vacuum Palm shot out, and Bu Kong raised his own hand: "Decompose."

The Vacuum Palm tore through the void, but it quickly disintegrated in front of Bu Kong. The first stack of the Overlaying Stacks Path erupted, only to disappear. It vanished faster than ever.

Lu Yin then raised his head: Daynight Praises.

The cultivators from the Sixth Mainland tended to have very strong spiritual forces because of their imprints, but despite that, Bu Kong was still dragged into an illusion. This was something that not even Yao Xuan had been able to avoid.

Bu Kong looked out to see endless cultivators kneeling down before him throughout space. He held his head high, and his heart began surging. He was master of all those before him, and directly in front, he saw both Zhi Yi and Wu Taibai kneeling. Yes, this was the feeling. This was what one of the Daosource Three Skies deserved. Who else besides Bu Kong could become a god? He was the sky above all else in the Sixth Mainland and the future master of the Daosource Sect. He was a future Progenitor.

Suddenly, an incomparably massive figure appeared in space. Their figure practically filled Bu Kong's entire vision, and this person looked down at him from high above. It was Lu Yin.

Upon seeing Lu Yin, Bu Kong's pupils shrank, and he suddenly came to his senses. No, this was an illusion.

In the illusion, the towering Lu Yin lowered his head to look at Bu Kong before raising a hand and slashing out with his hand as a blade. Skybreaker tore the sky open.

Behind Bu Kong, the Progenitor of Secret Arts' imprint could be seen. "A little trick like this isn't enough to deal with me!"

There was a bang, and Bu Kong was blasted through outer space. He shattered an entire planet after being blasted through its core. Lu Yin's hand rose up once more. Skybreaker fell down again.

As the hand descended and the attack shot towards Bu Kong's body, his face grew pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He gritted his teeth and roared, "Power Transfer!"

As his voice fell, a grand and awe-inspiring aura entered the universe. It originated from the Progenitor of Secret Arts, and when it appeared, the illusion was broken.

At the peak of Zenith Mountain, Bu Kong spat out a mouthful of blood as he almost collapsed. The Progenitor of Secret Arts' imprint was still behind him, and he burned his blood to activate Power Transfer again. He gritted his teeth and glared at Lu Yin, growling, "You must want to die." n𝗼𝐯𝚎)𝗅𝓑(In

After speaking, Bu Kong waved out his hand and pressed down.

Lu Yin raised his hand as well, still using Vacuum Palm. Everyone was familiar with this technique, but not everyone could deal with it. Even if they were able to block it, they still had to pay a steep price.

Bu Kong was struck head on by Lu Yin's Vacuum Palm, and a palm print pressed deep into his body. He coughed up blood once more, but by taking a Vacuum Palm, Bu Kong's star energy had surrounded Lu Yin.

Lu Yin's expression instantly changed. He could feel that something malicious had infiltrated the star energy within his body. This was a sourcebox array. Bu Kong had used this method to slip his star energy into Lei Nü's body and then use a sourcebox array to forcefully disperse her star energy. At this moment, Bu Kong wanted to use the same method to deal with Lu Yin.

Lu Yin stepped forward, and an astral chessboard appeared beneath his feet. He, Bu Kong, the air, and even all star energy became chess pieces. Everything that could be seen or felt had become a chess piece, which naturally included Bu Kong's sourcebox array.

When Lu Yin moved, this time, it was not his body that shifted, but rather the star energy that had invaded his body. He removed the sourcebox array from his body.

Bu Kong waved a hand, and the sourcebox array unleashed its power, but it was only able to dispel the star energy around Lu Yin's body. Bu Kong could not believe this. What had just happened?

Lu Yin raised a hand yet again, still the Vacuum Palm.

There was a bang as Bu Kong shot back a thousand meters and crumpled to his knees.

Everyone stared on blankly. The ever-arrogant Bu Kong, one of the Daosource Three Skies, was being completely destroyed by Lu Yin without any ability to resist.

In the Upper Realm, the Sixth Mainland cultivators were barely able to breathe. They felt the agony of some sort of suppressed pain.

Beyond the barrier formed by the black hole that had cut through the Starfall Sea, the Progenitor of Secret Arts shook his head. Bu Kong's advantages were very clear; he had mastered a variety of secret techniques and was a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker. However, he also lacked any sort of competitiveness. He had not trained his physical strength, and neither had he tried to improve his spiritual force. His speed was not very impressive either, and he did not even have a strong defense. Bu Kong had always looked invincible, but that was simply because no one had ever been able to reveal his weaknesses. In this battle, all of those weaknesses were being pulled out into the open.

In truth, Bu Kong should have realized this when Xiao Qing had knocked him down the mountain, but there was no way for him to fix these shortcomings in this brief amount of time.

Bu Kong had been deceived by his title as one of the Daosource Three Skies. He had pursued things that he felt would give him god-like abilities, such as Reversal Cycle, Power Transfer, and comprehending a sourcebox array. These abilities were what most people could never overcome, but unfortunately for Bu Kong, the moment someone was able to overcome his skills, he would instantly be at a disadvantage.

He was the youngest, though also the most talented, of the Daosource Three Skies. However, he was also the one of the Daosource Three Skies who had the most visible weaknesses.

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Chapter 1315: Top Five

Lu Yin looked at Bu Kong kneeling on the ground before him and grew quite emotional. Lu Yin remembered the battle in the Cosmic Sea when he had first seen Bu Kong. The man had personally defeated many powerhouses all alone, and his arrogance had astonished all who saw him. At the present moment, that same person was feeling humiliated for being beaten like a dog.

The Sixth Mainlander was speechless, and he could only stare off into space in disappointment with himself.

Zhi Yi had already been eliminated from ZENITH without even qualifying for the top ten. Was it Bu Kong's turn to fail? At least he had entered the top ten.

Bu Kong dropped his head. He saw the palm print on his body from Lu Yin's Vacuum Palm, but the mark quickly disappeared. The Secret Technique of Resurrection allowed him to physically recover in an instant.

Bu Kong breathed heavily as he stared at the ground, dazed. Sweat dripped down from his forehead.

Why was this happening? Despite everything at Bu Kong's disposal, he could not handle Lu Yin. Reversal Cycle was not able to touch Lu Yin, the sourcebox array had failed, imprints did not suppress him, while Bu Kong's innate gift of decomposition was not able to even touch Lu Yin.

Why? When Bu Kong had first seen Lu Yin, he had been a piece of trash who had not even been able to step onto the Champions' Stage to fight, yet Bu Kong was not even able to fight back anymore.

Why? Why?

Bu Kong's eyes grew bloodshot, and blue veins erupted across his body. A bit of blood leaked out from this skin, dyeing his whole body red.

Across from him, Lu Yin arched a brow and reflexively threw out a Vacuum Palm.

The blood covering Bu Kong's body suddenly disappeared. He was using the secret technique Power Transfer once again, but while the last time he had used it it had merely shattered the illusion of Daynight Praises, this time the power of the Progenitor of Secret Arts was clearly displayed, and it enveloped all of Zenith Mountain in its splendor. This was not much different from when the Progenitor of Combat had visited. Bu Kong was desperate. Even if this would leave him unable to continue any further in the competition, he was determined to defeat Lu Yin.

The Vacuum Palm struck Bu Kong's chest and knocked him back a few steps. Just like before, the attack left a deep palm imprint, but the injury was instantly healed with the Secret Technique of Resurrection. Bu Kong lightly tapped out and suddenly appeared right next to Lu Yin and attacked with Reversal Cycle.

Lu Yin was caught off guard; how had Bu Kong's speed increased so much? Also, at this moment, his runes far outnumbered anything he had shown before. The close proximity and speed made Lu Yin feel a sense of danger.

Stars appeared and revolved around Lu Yin. Bu Kong was very fast, but he could not compare with Wang Yi. Cosmic Art made Bu Kong's attack fully visible to Lu Yin, and he dogged to the side while counter-attacking with a Vacuum Palm. At that moment, the Vacuum Palm froze in the air, and so did Lu Yin's entire body. It was a sourcebox array.

Qiu Shi and the others had also been frozen during the battle atop the Champions' Stage in the Cosmic Sea.

Lu Yin's strength meant that it was not easy for Bu Kong to lock him down, but at the moment, Bu Kong had burned his blood to use a secret technique that summoned a trace of the Progenitor of Secret Arts' power, and Bu Kong's strength had risen so much that Lu Yin was stunned at the change.

Bu Kong attacked with another Reversal Cycle. As soon as this attack connected, Lu Yin would be reverted to childhood, and then it would be absolutely impossible for him to avoid Bu Kong's follow-up attack.

Countless people grew nervous, and Ming Yan's complexion changed drastically in an Azure Mansion where she was watching.

All across Zenith Mountain, Wendy Yushan, Zhuo Daynight, and others also had their expressions change greatly.

In the Upper realm, the people from the Sixth Mainland cheered as they watched nervously. This moment would determine the outcome of this fight.

Bu Kong was using a sourcebox array to seize control of Lu Yin's body, star energy, and even his domain, but it did not seize control of his spiritual force.

Daynight Praises.

This was not a new attack, but it was certainly useful.

Bu Kong was forcibly dragged back into an illusion.

Night's End, Daybreak had been a peerless technique during its era and had allowed the Dayking to dominate his peers. So what if a person knew it was an illusion? They would still be dragged into it.

Daynight Praises was a union of Night's End, Daybreak, and the First Nightking's Skybreaker. This was the true top technique of the Daynight clan. Not even members of the Daynight clan had managed to comprehend this technique, so naturally the rest of the universe were completely ignorant of how this technique worked, with the exception of Yao Xuan.

Yao Xuan was the only one who could confront Daynight Praises head-on, as he possessed terrifying spiritual force. However, Lu Yin was facing Bu Kong. The Daosource Three Skies had already broken through this technique once before by using Power Transfer, but he had not expected that he would be dragged back into such an illusion given his current, boosted strength.

He once again saw outer space, as well as countless people kneeling before him. Bu Kong's expression suddenly changed, and he looked up. The massive figure of Lu Yin appeared, and he raised a massive hand and struck out with a palm.

Bu Kong was enraged and his star energy surged. "Break for me!"

Bu Kong's boosted strength was enough for him to instantly shatter the illusion of Daynight Praises. Lu Yin had never expected to actually injure Bu Kong with the technique, but had merely wanted to steal a moment's time.

By the time Bu Kong shattered the illusion, Lu Yin had also removed the sourcebox array. Not only that, Lu Yin's hand was up and a finger was pointed straight ahead: Seventh Bro Finger.

There was blood at the corner of Bu Kong's mouth, and he raised his hand one more time to unleash a palm attack. He was still attacking with Reversal Cycle. Even if Bu Kong was suffering from serious injuries, he would still beat Lu Yin back to his childhood. As long as Lu Yin was reverted back to his childhood, no matter how badly injured Bu Kong ended up, he would be able to win.

Everyone watched as the Reversal Cycle approached the finger attack.

Bu Kong stared fiercely and forced out more power.

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed and he finished his attack.

Bu Kong's body suddenly shifted half a meter to the side, and his attack missed. He had been hit by Lu Yin's Teleportation Formation.

Bu Kong had managed to arrange a sourcebox array during the fight, but Lu Yin was capable of the same thing, and he had set up a Teleportation Formation.

At this critical moment, Bu Kong had been moved half a meter, and his Reversal Cycle was wasted. On the other hand, Lu Yin had already been prepared for this moment, and his finger shifted directions and pierced Bu Kong's shoulder, spilling blood Bu Kong's face went gray and his pupils went unfocused as he stared at Lu Yin in utter disbelief.

From the beginning to the end, he had had no hope of winning and had been suppressed throughout the entire battle.

Why? He was a Daosource Three Skies, so why had he lost? This should not have happened.

Lu Yin withdrew his hand and shook it a few times. He could not stop himself from falling to the ground, his whole body trembling from the exertion of his best technique.

Lu Yin looked at Bu Kong in a condescending manner. The moment Lu Yin had become a Hunter, he had already joined the most powerful of his peers in the entire universe. Yao Xuan had matchless spiritual force and could not be touched. Star Devourer had invincible physical strength. Wang Yi had incomparable speed and could not be touched. Shang Qing had the Tri-Yang technique that allowed him to summon Progenitor Chen's clones, and he was also untouchable.

Lu Yin had defeated Yuhua Mavis and Liu Tianmu, but that had only been when he had used his normal strength.

Lu Yin looked up, and his gaze swept by Shang Qing, Wang Yi, and Wu Taibai. These people had all hidden their strength very well, and they possessed unfathomable power, but so what?

Lu Yin was the same.

Bu Kong had lost, and lost miserably.

Three matches had finished among the top ten. Qiu Shi had killed Xia Jiuyou, which had exposed the secret of Xia Jiuyou's Nine Clones Technique. Yao Xuan and Wu Taibai's had revealed Wu Taibai's strange energy that was invulnerable. He was even able to attack those who traveled through the void, which made many people wary.

However, in Bu Kong and Lu Yin's fight, nothing new had been revealed, as both of them used everything they had used in earlier battles.

However, Qiu Shi and other experts from the Cosmic Sect had noticed that Lu Yin had used their Teleportation Formation, though Lu Yin had not intended to hide it.

ZENITH was being broadcast live, so naturally it was being watched by countless people everywhere, and everything was being re-watched and studied. Lu Yin's use of the sourcebox array would absolutely be discovered.

Lu Yin also did not have the courage to even consider how he would explain such usage to the Cosmic Sect. At this moment, the most important thing was to fight for the championship.

Bu Kong's defeat caused the Sixth Mainlanders to lose their voices. As of this moment, out of all of the Daosource Three Skies, only Wu Taibai could still compete for the title of Pinnacle Youth.

Who would have thought that the most low-key of the three, Wu Taibai, would be the most powerful of the Daosource Three Skies?

For the fourth match, Wang Yi faced off against Yuhua Mavis.

There is no suspense at all regarding this particular match. Though Yuhua Mavis was very strong, both Lu Yin and Wang Yi held the advantage when it came to physical strength, and besides that, it was impossible to win this match with strength alone.

The only chance Yuhua Mavis had of stealing victory was with her innate gift of controlling others.

Unfortunately for her, Wang Yi never even gave her a chance. He used his speed that made it so that no one could clearly see him, and he easily knocked Yuhua Mavis off of the mountaintop.

There was no suspense in the last match of this round, either. It was a fight between Liquor Hero and Shang Qing, but Liquor Hero did not want to even fight, so she just gave up.

At this moment, ZENITH's top five had been determined:Xia Jiuyou, Wu Taibai, Lu Yin, Wang Yi, and Shang Qing.

According to the rules of this tournament portion of ZENITH, Wang Yi would be the only one without an opponent for the next round.

Lu Yin's opponent was Xia Jiuyou, and Shang Qing would face Wu Taibai.

The champion of all of ZENITH would be one of these five people.

They were only given one day of rest, and the next day, the five youths stood quietly atop the mountain.

Lu Yin looked over at Xia Jiuyou, and at that moment, Xia Jiuyou just happened to glance over at Lu Yin.

"How many lives do you have?" Lu Yin casually asked.

Xia Jiuyou's eyes flickered. Hidden deep within them, there was a powerful fear.

When Lu Yin had reached the peak of Zenith Mountain, he had fought battles far more challenging that what Xia Jiuyou had encountered, and yet Lu Yin appeared to be completely free of all injuries. During the chaotic battle royale, Xia Jiuyou had even attacked Lu Yin once, and that attempt had been a failure. Xia Jiuyou had to admit that when it came to power, Lu Yin outclassed him. The only advantage Xia Jiuyou held was his multiple lives in a life-and-death struggle.

On the other hand, Wu Taibai was feeling rather helpless, and when he looked at Shang Qing, he became very uncomfortable.

When Wu Taibai saw Wang Yi, he smiled. "Don't look at me like that. Even though you've got a bye this round, you'll definitely be in the next match, and you'll still end up facing him."

"That doesn't matter," Wang Yi replied indifferently.

Wu Taibai laughed. "I know that what you really want is to fight Progenitor Chen. After all, that's Progenitor Chen, and you're from-"

Before Wu Taibai could finish, Wang Yi interrupted, "I want to fight Xia Jiuyou even more."

Wu Taibai's eyes narrowed. "That idea is too dangerous, and it's best to drop it. There are consequences to that that you can't handle."

Wang Yi looked over at Xia Jiuyou. "Humans' greatest secret is hidden in their blood. There are still people in this universe who have managed to inherit the Nine Clones Technique, which is something you didn't expect."

"What I didn't expect was that he isn't the only one to have cultivated the Nine Clones Technique."

Wu Taibai subconsciously glanced down at the first layer and looked at Starsibyl, though he did not say anything.n--𝔬/.𝓥-(𝗲).𝑳/(𝒷(-1--n

Wang Yi no longer spoke either.

Instead, he looked at Lu Yin. That person was the most important goal of this trip. Lu. Even in that place, this surname had disappeared. This youth had such an amazing talent; could he be a member of that family? If that was true, it would be too terrifying, and it would create ripples of shockwaves that would lead to unimaginable disasters that would sweep aside everything that humans knew.

From ancient times to the present, there had never been a competition on the scale of ZENITH, and never a day had passed by this slowly. The entire universe was waiting in anticipation.

Many businesses had even suspended their operations. The Outerverse's seventy-two weaves had stopped in their tracks, as had the Innerverse, the Cosmic Sea, and the Neoverse. Trade had been suspended in almost all regions as people waited to see the results of ZENITH.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1316: Xia Jiuyou VS Lu Yin

The Innerverse has Ten Arbiters, the Neoverse had the Cosmic Five, the Sixth Mainland has Daosource Three Skies, and the Astral Beast Domain had Skymender's List. One by one, talented geniuses had been born, and all of them in the current era were competing, so naturally, everyone wanted to know who was the strongest.

The moment that a face appeared upon the towering statue, the name of the Pinnacle Youth would be known.

The day had been very long, but it had passed exceptionally quickly for Lu Yin.

He had a short rest, and the day finished. ZENITH then continued.

Lu Yin stepped onto the plaza, and across from him, Xia Jiuyou appeared.

Seeing Lu Yin, Xia Jiuyou took a deep breath. At this point in the competition, everyone knew everyone else's abilities, and nothing had been kept hidden. The biggest question everyone still had was what form Shang Qing's third strand of ancestral qi would take when he summoned a Progenitor.

As far as Xia Jiuyou was concerned, Lu Yin was nearly as mysterious as Shang Qing.

Xia Jiuyou knew Lu Yin. When the Innerverse and Outerverse had been separated from each other, Lu Yin had managed to unite the Outerverse. He was ruthless in his methods, and also extremely thorough. At times, some of his actions would look to be impulsive, but there was always a purpose behind them.

Xia Jiuyou actually believed that Lu Yin had kept some things hidden, even at this stage in ZENITH. If Xia Jiuyou wanted to have any hope of victory, he could not allow Lu Yin the time needed to use any such hidden measures.

"If I die, Xia Luo will as well," Xia Jiuyou suddenly stated, startling Lu Yin with his words. Seizing this opportunity, Xia Jiuyou lifted his hands and attacked. Yōu Reinforced Palm, but not just one. This was more like a series of slaps.

Xia Jiuyou was using his innate gift of echo, as he hoped to not allow Lu Yin any time to react at all.

The overwhelming Yōu Reinforced Palms shot through the void, raining down on Lu Yin from all directions.

Lu Yin did not use a secret technique to evade. Xia Jiuyou had mastered the Xia family's secret technique, and Nullify could destroy any other secret technique. Seeing the incoming Yōu Reinforced Palms, Lu Yin released his domain, and his forcefield condensed to form a massive tree.

The Yōu Reinforced Palms slammed into the forcefield in the shape of a tree, and each palm dissolved the moment it drew close to Lu Yin's body.

Lu Yin had not used his forcefield since his time as one of ZENITH's five gatekeepers. His use of it at this moment surprised everyone watching.

Lu Yin's forcefield was not much worse than Unseen Light's.

Unseen Light had reached the top of Zenith Mountain only by using his forcefield, and it had allowed him to even compete for the position of one of the top ten. Lu Yin's forcefield was powerful enough to block the full power of the Yōu Reinforced Palms.

In the distance, Wu Taibai, Yao Xuan, and the others watching were surprised; Lu Yin had really not played this hand yet? n𝑂𝐯𝑬)𝗅𝐛-In

Unseen Light looked up, as he had felt something.

Even when facing Yuhua Mavis, Liu Tianmu, Yao Xuan, or even Bu Kong, Lu Yin had never needed to use his forcefield. It was not an overwhelmingly powerful ability at this stage, but it was still good enough to block the Yōu Reinforced Palms, and it worked surprisingly well.

Xia Jiuyou's face turned ugly. The purpose of his Yōu Reinforced Palms had not been to defeat Lu Yin, but to leave a mark on him, just like when he had fought Lei Nu's back in the Mountain and Seas Zone. After she had been struck, Xia Jiuyou had been able to attack freely.

He had not expected Lu Yin to perfectly defend against the palms with a forcefield.

Lu Yin's domain was very strong, but it was not enough to pose a threat to Xia Jiuyou, but it had been enough to stop his attacks, so he reluctantly formed a knife from star energy. The Xia family's Triple Blade Will.

Suddenly, a Vacuum Palm flew out, reinforced by nine lined battle force. Xia Jiuyou was horrified, and his knife flew forward, only to shatter. The Vacuum Palm slammed into his body, forcing him back as he spat out blood. Stars suddenly appeared and began to move; the Cosmic Art

Xia Jiuyou went pale, and he screamed at the sky. The sound waves amplified each other due to his innate talent of echo. At this moment, the stars exploded.

Zenith Mountain shook, and smoke and dust obscured everything.

Xia Jiuyou had just broken free of the Cosmic Art, only to have to deal with another Vacuum Palm. Lu Yin was not giving his opponent any breaks. This attack was so powerful that it penetrated Xia Jiuyou's abdomen and forced him to the edge of death.

Xia Jiuyou coughed up blood and looked up as Lu Yin walked out in front of him. "I said, how many lives do you have?"

Outside Zenith Mountain, Xia Meng was getting anxious, but she was completely helpless. There was too much of a gap between Xia Jiuyou and Lu Yin. Xia Jiuyou's attacks were too weak, and his defenses were not enough.

Xia Jiuyou had also realized this, but Lu Yin's palm fell once again, and Xia Jiuyou's forehead cracked. He fell to the ground, dead.

Lu Yinju stared down at Xia Jiuyou.

Elsewhere on Zenith Mountain, Xia Luo grew nervous; Xia Jiuyou could not die.

Everyone stared at Xia Jiuyou as he laid on the ground. He was clearly dead, yet his eyes soon opened and he quickly said, "I give up."

Lu Yin was calm, as there had been no surprises to this match at all.

Off in the distance, Wu Taibai frowned as he stared at Xia Jiuyou. Wu Taibai could not understand just what Xia Jiuyou was thinking.

Xia Jiuyou had no choice. He was unwilling to give up, but he could not win. Even if he wanted to risk his life, he still needed the power to force a life and death battle.

Lu Yin's Vacuum Palm alone was enough to send him to the finals of ZENITH. There were very few people who could block this attack, and people like Little Arrow Saint had been defeated by a single attack, and even Wang Yi had been injured by it. It was pretty good that Xia Jiuyou had managed to endure multiple attacks.

The next round would have Shang Qing facing Wu Taibai.

All of the people from the Sixth Mainland grew nervous as they stared at their screens. No matter how much confidence they placed in their Daosource Three Skies, there was still a great deal of pressure since Wu Taibai was going up against Shang Qing.

Both before and during ZENITH, no matter who had appeared or what sort of power they had revealed, Shang Qing had always been the only person recognized as being unmatched. He had also been the one to end the battle royale that had determined the top ten.

He had summoned Progenitor Chen from a strand of ancestral qi, and that summon had attacked everyone. Shang Qing had even pushed for everyone to team up against him, and no matter if it was his strength or arrogance, he made people extremely nervous.

Wu Taibai and Shang Qing faced each other, and three strands of qi swirled around Shang Qing. He floated in the air, looking like a deity. His entire demeanor made his opponents appear inferior.

Although Shang Qing was just one person, he was able to summon three Progenitors to fight his battles, and this was why he was regarded as being invincible.

Who was arrogant enough to claim that they could compare to Progenitors with the same level of cultivation, let alone three? On top of that, Shang Qing summoned Progenitor Chen, who had always been regarded as invincible.

Wu Taibai's only chance at victory was to defeat Shang Qing himself, which is what he intended to do.

As the illusory form of Progenitor Chen was summoned, Wu Taibai raised his hand. "Mountains and Rivers Imprint."

The qi moved in front of Shang Qing, protecting him. The mountains and rivers struck a strand of qi and shattered it. People had seen this before. At that time, Shang Qing had transformed the qin into the illusory form of Progenitor Chen, who had then proceeded to smash the mountains and rivers.

The secret technique of the Mountains and Rivers Imprint was able to ignore space. It had been created by Progenitor of Combat, and it was powerful enough to shatter the Tri-Yang Technique's qi strands. However, those strands of qi were able to buy Shang Qing one second, and that one second was enough.

At this time, the summoned Progenitor Chen attacked Wu Taibai with a blade, and the Xia family's Triple Blade Will condensed onto the knife. One step allowed Progenitor Chen to traverse the space. This was the same attack that had eliminated Unseen Light and the others to decide ZENITH's top ten. No one dared to be careless when facing Progenitor Chen.

However, the same scene repeated. Last time, Wu Taibai had just taken on the attack, and this time was no different.

A strange energy boiled off of Wu Taibai's body, and he raised a hand. There was a bang, and Progenitor Chen was firmly caught by Wu Taibai. He did not take even a single step back, unlike before. Progenitor Chen wielded a sharp knife, and the color suddenly changed and grew dark.

From where he was watching in the distance, Xia Jiuyou's pupils shrank. Was this the Yōu Reinforced Palm? No, Progenitor Chen was integrating Yōu Reinforced Palm into the Triple Blade Will. The techniques could actually be used like this?

Wu Taibai had also not expected to see such a scene. His hand quickly froze, and his expression changed a bit. He moved his hand to shake off the knife, and he then struck Progenitor Chen with a palm.

Wu Taibai was able to hit Progenitor Chen, but the summoned Progenitor could also cut Wu Taibai.

This was an exchange of injuries, and though it looked like Wu Taibai had attacked his opponent, he had actually lost out in this exchange.

He reluctantly retreated. Progenitor Chen moved about in the air with light steps. He was not moving quickly, yet every step he took pressed Wu Taibai in a direction he would rather avoid.

The Progenitor of Combat's imprint appeared, and a horrifying aura swept out as Wu Taibai again attacked Progenitor Chen with the Mountains and Rivers Imprint.

The summoned Progenitor's blade shone bright as he smashed the seals of mountains and rivers. The air in the area became icy cold.

In the Starfall Sea, very close to the barrier formed by the stretched out blackhole, the Sixth Mainland's three Progenitors were all solemn as they stared at Zenith Mountain.

That was Progenitor Chen. It was Progenitor Chen when he had recently become an Enlighter, and yet he was able to force Wu Taibai to retreat one step after another, and not even the seal of mountains and rivers had done anything.

Progenitor Chen had always possessed invincible strength, and who can stand against him?

Who would dare claim they were able to defeat Progenitor Chen at the same cultivation realm? The three Progenitors certainly lacked that courage. After all, Progenitor Chen had slaughtered more than one Progenitor, and had even succeeded with only a single clone.

Lu Yin watched Wu Taibai as he was forced back, step by step, by the summoned Progenitor Chen. Wu Taibai looked more serious than Lu Yin had ever seen him.

This was the power of Progenitor Chen. Wu Taibai was powerful enough to suppress even Yuhua Mavis after utilizing his strange energy. His Mountains and Rivers Imprint secret technique ignored any sort of distance and possessed unparalleled attack power.

Wait, Lu Yin's expression suddenly changed and he spun around to look at Shang Qing. Nine clones in one?

The two strands of ancestral qi swirling around had previously transformed into two of Progenitor Chen's clones, so could those clones possibly merge?

Lu Yin's face changed even further as he stared at Shang Qing. If Lu Yin was right, this technique was far too terrifying. No wonder Shang Qing had always believed himself to be invincible. His opponents were not fighting him, but Progenitor Chen when he had been an Enlighter. Even if the summoned Progenitor Chen was missing cultivation, he was still Progenitor Chen.

The ground split open as Progenitor Chen attacked with his knife, severing the sky itself, as well as space beyond Zenith Mountain.

Everyone was focused on the broadcast of this fight. Wu Taibai was being suppressed too much.

Wu Taibai's face remained calm. Although Progenitor Chen had been invincible during his own era and no one had been able to challenge him, Wu Taibai was indeed strong enough to challenge Progenitor Chen with the same cultivation. It would be incredibly difficult to win, but this match was not about defeating Progenitor Chen, but rather the man who stood some distance away, looking like a deity.

Shang Qing watched Wu Taibai with indifferent eyes. Wu Taibai's strength was well within Shang Qing's expectations, and he was even able to fight against Progenitor Chen. Wu Taibai could be recognized as peerless within his generation, but unfortunately, once Shang Qing appeared, all others needed to step down.

Shang Qing was feeling incredibly bored. If not for the change in the rules, everyone would have teamed up to fight him, and they might have even been able to force him to send out his third stream of qi and force him through his bottleneck in cultivation and breakthrough with the Tri-Yang Technique.

In the end, the Tri-Yang Ancestral Qi Technique was nothing more than a battle technique. Shang Qing wanted to become a Progenitor, and he had to rely on himself in order to achieve that. He did not want to simply be the Hall of Honor's invincible minion.

The blade attacked once again, and the summoned Progenitor Chen forced Wu Taibai to the edge of the mountaintop.

Wu Taibai took a deep breath and glanced to the side where Wang Yi was watching.

Wu Taibai felt helpless. He had not expected to be pushed so far. The light of the knife was in front of him. This summoned Progenitor Chen was not sapient, but continuously attacked. The void around the two fighters had been frozen by Progenitor Chen's integration of the Yōu Reinforced Palm into his attacks.

Wu Taibai lifted his right hand to shield his face.

People watching were completely confused; what was Wu Taibai doing? Did he not have the courage to watch the incoming attack?

Wang Yi's eyebrows rose. It's coming.

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Chapter 1317: Joining Forces

Wu Taibai had used the strange energy that boiled forth from his body to defeat Yuhua Mavis. That energy was something that no one understood, and at this moment, it had instantly converged over his hand, and then it was released. This was completely different from anything Wu Taibai had done before.

In the distance, Lu Yin's complexion changed. The number of runes he saw from Wu Taibai had skyrocketed, and the combination of this strange energy and the Progenitor of Combat's imprint had caused Wu Taibai's runes to instantly surpass even those of the summoned Progenitor Chen.

When the flash of the knife fell, Wu Taibai waved his hand. The knife's light was torn apart, and Wu Taibai then leaped forward and pressed his hand against Progenitor Chen's shoulder, instantly forcing the summon to the ground. Wu Taibai then vanished, and when he reappeared, he was already right in front of Shang Qing and very close.

Shang Qing was shocked.

Wu Taibai attacked with a hand, and neither of the strands of qi swirling around Shang Qing were able to stop this attack. They were both shattered, and the hand moved closer to Shang Qing, and he could sense its approach.

The power of this palm attack gave Shang Qing a sense of danger he had not felt since Liu Tianmu had attacked with the Thirteenth Sword.

Wu Taibai's palm descended rapidly, so fast that no one was able to even react. However, just as the attack was about to connect, it started moving away, further and further.

Wu Taibai felt his back go cold.

This was the Hall of Honor's secret technique: Banishment.

Even though Wu Taibai had pushed past the summoned Progenitor Chen, as well as two strands of qi that had been protecting Shang Qing, he had still ultimately been thrown back by the secret technique Banishment.

This secret technique was not able to force Wu Taibai back very far, and he instantly attacked again while still in the air. This time he attacked with the seal of mountains and rivers. However, the secret technique was still not able to even touch Shang Qing. This time, the summoned Progenitor Chen slashed his knife at Wu Taibai, though the knife was not able to injure Wu Taibai since it was stopped by the strange energy that surrounded his body.

Wu Taibai landed on the ground, and Progenitor Chen slashed out again with his knife. Wu Taibai raised his leg to block the blade, but his body was forced back yet again. He looked over at the increasingly distant Shang Qing with some degree of helplessness. "I admit defeat."

Although many people had already expected such a result, it still left them stunned.

Shang Qing had won once more. He had held first place in all of the leaderboards, and had always been regarded as being the most powerful contestant in ZENITH. At this time, he was just one step away from realizing that position.

Wu Taibai was far from weak, and he had even overpowered the summoned Progenitor Chen for a bit, which was something that no one else had managed to accomplish. Despite that, he had not been able to even threaten Shang Qing and had finally given up.

Shang Qing frowned. Finally, he had felt a bit of pressure from Wu Taibai, and that sense of danger had not appeared for a very long time. Shang Qing enjoyed that feeling, and he desperately needed to feel such a sense of crisis.

At this thought, he turned to look at Wang Yi and Lu Yin. "You two, let's go all at once."

Lu Yin's brows rose. There were only three people left in ZENITH: him, Wang Yi, and Shang Qing. Lu Yin had thought that one more person would have a bye for the next round.

"Don't hesitate, Deaf-mute Bro! No one can match him in a one-on-one," Wu Taibai called out, sounding rather helpless.

Wang Yi stepped forward and looked at the distant Shang Qing. Even at this point in time, Wang Yi still found it unbelievable that anyone in this universe had managed to cultivate such power. Shang Qing was capable of fighting against four opponents on his own. Still, it could not really be considered true strength, as he was merely relying on the invincible power of Progenitor Chen.

Wang Yi looked over at Lu Yin, who was not far away. Wang Yi actually wanted to fight him, but a three-way battle was not a bad idea.

Lu Yin also walked out from the side of the plaza. The true opponent to overcome was Shang Qing, as it seemed highly unlikely for Lu Yin to be able to compete for the title of Pinnacle Youth with the strength he had revealed so far.

However, would the rules allow an open battle? Shang Qing had already wanted to face everyone at once, but he had been blocked.

However, no one said anything against the proposal even after waiting for a while.

Both the Hall of Honor and the three Progenitors believed this to be the final match!

Wu Taibai had not been able to defeat Shang Qing, but many people felt that not even the two youths working together would be enough to defeat Shang Qing.

As Lu Yin had already guessed, the Hall of Honor was already prepared to celebrate. Their first Honor Chosen was about to become the Pinnacle Youth of the entire universe, and this was more than enough to excite everyone in the Hall of Honor.

"Seventh Bro, come on! Get him!" Ku Wei shouted.n--O𝓥𝑒𝑙𝒷In

"Beat him, Lu Yin! Beat him!" White shouted while jumping up and down.

Ling Gong, Lan Si, and more. Everyone was focused on this battle, as it really was the end of ZENITH.

Shang Qing's mouth curled up into a smile. "I hope you can make me face a challenge."

After that, he waved a hand and a second strand of qi transformed into another illusory Progenitor Chen.

A knife flashed as one of the summoned Progenitor Chen's moved to attack Wang Yi with a blade.

Wang Yi instantly disappeared. He was clearly the fastest person in all of ZENITH. Even Lu Yin had barely been able to see even a blur after using Cosmic Art and Truesight. Progenitor Chen was also unable to track Wang Yi, so the knife targeted Lu Yin.

Lu Yin did not dare relax when facing Progenitor Chen's blade. The summoned Progenitor was not using the basic Triple Blade Will, but had already integrated the power of the Yōu Reinforced Palm as well. This had created an aura from the knife that froze the entire area.

Lu Yin's pupils transformed into runes, and he erased a portion of the runes from the encroaching attack. Simultaneously, his hand rose to release a Vacuum Palm. The edge of the blade was diverted a bit, and Lu Yin shifted to the side and looked over at Shang Qing.

Wang Yi not only passed by the Progenitor Chen with the knife, but also the second one that had been summoned as well, and he had already appeared right in front of Shang Qing. "Four Arts: Bear Stalwart."

A massive explosion erupted, and it radiated a terrifying destructive power. This attack was not much more dangerous than when Wu Taibai had attacked Shang Qing.

Shang Qing saw the fall of the Hall of Honor and an unfathomable attack approaching. Arch-Elder Zen was dead, along with everyone Shang Qing was familiar with, as well as many strangers. His body was racked with pain, and someone suddenly appeared in front of Shang Qing; it was Lu Yin, and he attacked with a single palm. Not good! It's an illusion.

Cough

Shang Qing spat out a mouthful of blood. He had been dragged into Daynight Praises and been attacked by Lu Yin's spiritual force while his body had been attacked by Wang Yi. Although a Banishment had thrown Wang Yi back, his attack had still managed to land on Shang Qing.

Shang Qing took a few steps back, and blood could be seen at the corner of his mouth. He looked over at Lu Yin, who happened to be staring back. "That spiritual force illusion that hit me in the checkpoint was from you?"

Lu Yin did not have the freedom to respond. The summoned Progenitor Chens were both attacking, and each wave of a knife seemed to block Lu Yin's movements. He had already been using the Cosmic Art to track the knife, as otherwise he would have already been cut.

Shang Qing had been injured for the first time since the start of ZENITH.

Many of the people watching the livestream grew excited. This was an amazing fight.

Shang Qing had three strands of qi, and they protected him and were enough to deal with all challengers without him needing to do a thing. However, he had finally been injured, which meant that he was not truly invincible.

The illusory Progenitor Chen charged towards Wang Yi, slipping into the void. This was an invisible attack, but it still gave people the chills.

Wang Yi attacked with another Four Arts: Bear Stalwart, but instantly pierced through the illusory Progenitor Chen. His attack could not land. Wang Yi's eyes flickered, and he suddenly disappeared. He did not bother trying to deal with the illusory Progenitor Chen, but attacked Shang Qing. Suddenly, Wang Yi froze and blood appeared at the corners of his lips. He had just been struck by the secret technique Discipline by Shang Qing. The more injured the user, the more damaging this secret technique.

The illusory Progenitor Chen emerged from behind Wang Yi with a raised hand. He pointed forward, and a black light appeared at his fingertips that distorted the void and even began to suck up the light.

Wang Yi spread apart the fingers of his left hand as he turned to face the illusory Progenitor Chen. "Four Arts: Pearl."

The illusory Progenitor Chen swept his finger to the side, and blood fell. Wang Yi had overwhelming physical strength, and even Lu Yin's Vacuum Palm was only able to leave marks without causing any actual damage. Yet the illusory Progenitor Chen had broken through Wang Yi's defenses with just a single finger. Suddenly, Wang Yi disappeared, and a cut appeared on the illusory Progenitor Chen's stomach. The summoned Progenitor dissolved into the qi that had formed him, only to reform a moment later without any wounds whatsoever. Everyone who saw this felt their scalps go numb.

Shang Qing was watching from the distance, and he was shocked to see that Progenitor Chen's ability to turn immaterial had been overcome. There was no other way for Wang Yi to have left a wound on the summoned Progenitor.

Wang Yi was the first person to injure the summoned Progenitor Chen, and at this moment, everyone had seen that the Progenitor Chen summoned by the Tri-Yang Technique had been injured. However, it had not been blood that had leaked from the wound, but ancestral qi. This qi did not dissipate or disappear, and was still part of the whole. This meant that the Tri-Yan Technique could not be broken, as the summoned Progenitors could simply reform after being destroyed.

Lu Yin had also seen this exchange, and his face fell. Progenitor Chen was formed from ancestral qi, and though he had no form of sapience, the fact that he could not be injured or killed fully compensated for the lack of wisdom.

The only way to defeat Shang Qing was to defeat Shang Qing himself and force him into a situation where he was unable to use the Tri-Yang Technique.

In the Mountain and Seas Zone, Beast had been the one to expose the truth of the Tri-Yang Technique, and during the final battle of ZENITH, Wang Yi had revealed another terrifying characteristic of the invincible technique.

Even Wang Yi felt his heart sink as he understood the true horror of this skill.

Four Arts: Pearl was able to seal anything an opponent might possess. Wang Yi had used this to seal Lu Yin's physical strength, which had left Lu Yin unable to use his Vacuum Palm, as his strength had fallen tremendously for a period of time. Just a moment ago, Wang Yi sealed this ability to seal the illusory Progenitor Chen's ability to become immaterial in order to injure the summoned Progenitor. However, it was all useless. Even if Wang Yi was able to injure one of the summons, they could simply be instantly re-summoned.

Shang Qing quietly stood alone with a single strand of qi swirling about him. He looked like some sort of ethereal god as he watched Lu Yin and Wang Yi. These two were definitely the most outstanding youths in ZENITH, but unfortunately, they were not able to match up to Shang Qing.

The more information that was revealed about the Tri-Yang Technique, the more helpless people facing it felt.

At this moment, even the people in the Great Eastern Alliance did not believe that Lu Yin could win.

Lu Yin again evaded the knife and raised a hand. It was another Vacuum Palm sent to Shang Qing.

The strand of qi circling Shang Qing tried to stop the incoming attack, but was shattered by the Vacuum Palm. However, Lu Yin's attack was still stalled for a moment, and Shang Qing was able to dodge.

At this moment, an astral chessboard appeared beneath Lu Yin's feet, and he moved himself.

The knife-wielding Progenitor Chen that Lu Yin was facing was Progenitor Chen from the time he had been an Enlighter, so he could not possibly have created the Xia Secret Art. That also meant that Progenitor Chen could not Nullify Lu Yin's secret technique.

Lu Yin appeared behind Shang Qing and pointed a finger forward. It was the Seventh Bro Finger.

The two strands of qi had already been shattered, and only one remained to protect Shang Qing. Everyone hoped that Lu Yin would be able to force Shang Qing to use his third strand of qi so that they could see who would be summoned.

In the distance, Wang Yi watched as Lu Yin attacked with a finger, and frowned. This attack looked familiar.

Wu Taibai also saw the attack, and he stared at Lu Yin's Seventh Bro Finger.

The finger shattered the void as it approached Shang Qing's back. Shang Qing lifted a hand and attacked behind himself. Secret technique: Banishment.

Lu Yin flew back and flipped over, completely out of control of himself. He had been sent straight towards the knife-wielding Progenitor Chen was, and the knife moved for Lu Yin's back.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1318: Unknown Innate Gift

Lu Yin's mouth suddenly curled into a smile. Shang Qing's body abruptly moved to appear right behind Lu Yin. This was completely outside of Shang Qing's control. When Lu Yin had nearly connected with his Seventh Bro Finger, he had also arranged a Teleportation Formation in anticipation of this moment.

Shang Qing was now behind Lu Yin, directly standing in the path of the knife from the summoned Progenitor Chen that had been aimed at Lu Yin. At the same time, Lu Yin's Seventh Bro Finger switched directions and once again flew at Shang Qing.

There were attacks both in front and behind Shang Qing.

Lu Yin had mastered a wide variety of battle techniques, secret techniques, and sourcebox arrays. There were infinite options available to him during his fights.

Shang Qing was caught off guard, as he had not noticed anything when Lu Yin had set up the sourcebox array. By the time he had reacted, it was already too late. Against these simultaneous attacks, Shang Qing reacted in a manner that no one expected—he turned to face Lu Yin's attack.

Lu Yin had also not expected such a reaction. Rather, Lu Yin had assumed that Shang Qing would use his third strand of ancestral qi to block Lu Yin's Seventh Bro Finger. After all, the summoned Progenitor Chen could simply be reverted back to a strand of qi, so Shang Qing did not really face any threat from that direction.

Did he want to use the secret technique Discipline? This was the only possibility that Lu Yin could think of.

However, Lu Yin was not afraid of that possibility, and his Seventh Bro Finger boldly continued forward to strike Shang Qing's body.

An invisible shockwave shot out in all directions, and Shang Qing froze for a moment. Behind him, the knife-wielding Progenitor Chen reverted back to a strand of ancestral qi before instantly reforming. The knife fell down from above Shang Qing's head and targeted Lu Yin.

Lu Yin was completely stunned; had his Seventh Bro Finger done nothing to Shang Qing at all? How was this possible?

There was a bang as Lu Yin's fatesand moved in front of him to block the knife. The tremendous force behind the knife jostled Lu Yin's body and forced his fatesand back into his body, but the summoned Progenitor Chen relentlessly continued attacking with the knife.

Lu Yin was still absorbed in the mysterious outcome of his attack. Shang Qing had clearly been struck by his Seventh Bro Finger, and yet he had emerged completely unharmed. How? Even if it had been Star Devourer, Yuhua Mavis, Wang Yi, or Wu Taibai, each and every one of them physically powerful, they would have been able to come out without any injuries at all. This attack combined overlaying stacks, battle force, and spiritual force into a single, compressed attack. This was Lu Yin's most powerful attack.

This finger was even powerful enough to shatter the summoned Progenitor Chen's knife attack, so why could it not cause even the slightest bit of damage to Shang Qing? Did Shang Qing himself possess more strength than everyone else?

Lu Yin was not alone, as everyone was stunned, and even Wu Taibai's face fell. He could not understand this either.

Wang Yi once again evaded the illusory Progenitor Chen's finger attack. He was also staring at Shang Qing. Wang Yi's eyes flickered, but he still could not understand what had happened.

Originally, everyone had assumed that Shang Qing would rely on the power of Progenitor Chen, regardless of how powerful Shang Qing himself was. They had just discovered that this assumption was wrong.

None of the eliminated contestants were confident in being able to escape from Lu Yin's finger attack, but Shang Qing had actually endured one without taking any damage. This destroyed their preconceptions.

Had Shang Qing really reached an untouchable level? Wang Yi and Wu Taibai were both stunned. Could anyone under this starry sky truly reach that level? No. If Shang Qing had actually reached that level, then he would not have been injured before.

An astral chessboard appeared beneath Lu Yin's feet, and he shifted himself a thousand meters away before staring at Shang Qing.

Shang Qing remained standing in the air, and he turned to look at Lu Yin. "You're very good."

Lu Yin's gaze grew sharp. The Seventh Bro Finger was Lu Yin's strongest attack, as it was the combination of everything that he possessed. Despite that, it was useless against Shang Qing. How?

Lu Yin perfectly remembered what he had felt when he had hit Shang Qing. There had not been any strong resistance, and Lu Yin had also been sure that Shang Qing's rune lines had not been enough to block his Seventh Bro Finger. So why had he emerged completely unscathed?

Lu Yin was certain that his combination attack had managed to force out some sort of ability that Shang Qing had managed to hide deeply, but Lu Yin simply did not understand what it was.

On Zenith Mountain, all of the eliminated contestants were rendered speechless.

Ku Wei also had no words, as this was simply too freakish. Seventh Bro's attack had been useless, so how could the fight continue? It was no wonder why Wu Taibai had directly given up.

The power that Shang Qing had revealed up til now was enough to leave people absolutely horrified. He had the Tri-Yang Ancestral Qi Technique, the two secret techniques that he had mastered, and the ability to defend against Lu Yin's Seventh Bro Finger. This clearly made him the most difficult opponent in all of ZENITH by a large margin.

The Cosmic Art was considered to be the nemesis of speed, but the secret technique Banishment was speed's true nemesis. No matter how fast Wang Yi moved, he would always be knocked back.

"It looks like you've reached your limits, so let's end this." Shang Qing's words were overflowing with an indescribable sense of disappointment. Both of the summoned Progenitor Chens retreated to stand in front of Shang Qing. Then, as everyone watched in awe and stupefaction, the two merged.

Off in the distance, Xia Jiuyou's body trembled. This was the Nine Clones Secret Technique. n(.𝑜/-𝗏)-𝗲/.𝗅-/𝑏-/1-)n

Down below, Xia Luo's eye twitched as he watched the two clones of Progenitor Chen fuse together. After endless years, their generation was the one to actually witness the fusion of Progenitor Chen's clones.

Everyone felt chills run down their backs. Each of the clones on their own had been strong enough to fight evenly against Lu Yin and Wang Yi, and after the two merged, the people watching the battle could no longer see any path to victory.

Even Wang Yi's heart fell. He could not even guess at how strong Progenitor Chen would become after merging.

Lu Yin had a strange expression on his face as he watched the clones merge. Lu Yin had used a secret technique against one of the summoned clones because he had believed that Progenitor Chen had not yet created the Xia Secret Technique when he had just been an Enlighter. That was why Lu Yin had been comfortable carrying out such an attack. However, there was also no way that Progenitor Chen could have created the Nine Clones Secret Technique when he had been a mere Enlighter. This also meant that the Nine Clones Secret Technique had not actually been created by Progenitor Chen!

Upon thinking of this, Lu Yin realized that he was right. When Lu Yin had been in Progenitor Chen's Mausoleum and had seen the Progenitor's memories, Progenitor Chen had already had nine clones at the Enlighter realm. This meant that the ancient Progenitor had learned the technique, not created it.

Xia Jiuyou's Nine Clones Secret Technique was understood to have been inherited from Progenitor Chen through the Xia family or possibly coincidentally awakened through Xia Jiuyou's blood. This was just like how Zhuo Daynight had comprehended Night's End, Daybreak, and it was clearly possible.

However, even if that possibility was true for Xia Jiuyou, then what about Starsibyl? Where had she learned the Nine Clones Secret Technique?

All these thoughts went through Lu Yin's mind in an instant, and as the implications ran wild, the clones finished merging.

An overwhelming illusory flame spread across the ground as it covered the sky and blocked out the sun.

Lu Yin and Wang Yi both immediately shot into the sky filled with illusory flames in all directions as the fused summoned Progenitor Chen stepped into sight. It was holding a blade formed from star energy, and it stared at the two youths. There was clearly no intelligence within those eyes, but that gaze still chilled their hearts.

Wang Yi clenched a fist and disappeared.

At the same time, Lu Yin heard Wang Yi say, "Take care of Shang Qing."

Wang Yi held no hope of defeating Progenitor Chen after the two clones merged. That was Progenitor Chen, and he had always been invincible within his own realm. There was no possibility of him losing.

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed, and he stared at Shang Qing: Daynight Praises.

The speed of both Daynight Praises and Wang Yi's movement formed the most effective means of attacking Shang Qing, and this was the only way to injure him.

However, the two had still underestimated the fused Progenitor Chen's power. Lu Yin's spiritual force tried to envelop Shang Qing and drag him into an illusion, but Lu Yin's spiritual force attack was actually cut short by Progenitor Chen, and Wang Yi was similarly stopped. The fused Progenitor Chen attacked with a blade that emerged from the void, and the blade flashed as it appeared right in front of Wang Yi with a horizontal slash.

Wang Yi's pupils shrank, and he immediately released an attack: Four Arts: Bear Stalwart.

There was a deafening bang as a shockwave spread out. The pressure shattered the ground and struck everyone around the arena as well as those at the bottom of the flights of stairs, those on the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, and even the foot of Zenith Mountain.

At this moment, the entire mountain shook, and huge cracks spread down from the peak.

In outer space, outside Zenith Mountain, countless spatial cracks also appeared as a result of this collision.

For the first time, one of Wang Yi's Four Arts had been suppressed. The fused Progenitor Chen's blade sliced Wang Yi's hand open, and he started to bleed. This blade also contained an unstoppable cold, and it quickly invaded through the wound in Wang Yi's palm and froze his blood.

Wang Yi's face went pale, and he quickly stepped back. The knife did not pull back, and it continued to slash forward. Suddenly, the blade shifted, and it aimed at the sky. The entire sky was torn open, and the spatial tear extended off into the distance. It was impossible to tell how far it had gone.

Lu Yin had made his move, the Yu Secret Art diverting the blade. Numerous Vacuum Palms shot out, each of them branded with nine lined battle force and the greatest power that Lu Yin was capable of unleashing.

The fused Progenitor Chen raised a hand, and a long knife spun in its hand. The battle force was sucked into the spinning blade as the flurry of Vacuum Palms approached it, striking down the knife blade. The fused Progenitor Chen was forced back a few steps, and one Vacuum Palm after another rained down upon it. The Vacuum Palms managed to push Progenitor Chen back, but that was all that happened.

On the other side, Wang Yi disappeared as he moved to directly attack Shang Qing.

The blade in the fused Progenitor Chen's palm suddenly stopped spinning, and the long blade slammed into the ground. The very next moment, wisps of knife qi rained down, targeting both Wang Yi and Lu Yin. The audience felt their scalps go numb, as these attacks were clearly able to seriously wound the two youths.

Lu Yin hurriedly evaded the attack, but it enveloped the entire mountaintop. Some distance away, Wang Yi had managed to move within a single meter of Shang Qing, but he was also forced to start dodging the rain of knife qi.

The moment Wang Yi turned to retreat, he spread his fingers and attacked the fused Progenitor Chen. Four Arts: Pearl.

The summoned Progenitor raised its knife and slashed down in response. This time, there was no flash from the blade, as Wang Yi had caused the summoned Progenitor Chen to lose control of its knife.

Shang Qing was surprised that Wang Yi was still able to seal the fused Progenitor Chen. Wang Yi used battle techniques that had never been seen before, though they seemed to have been inherited from ancient times.

The fact that the summoned Progenitor Chen had lost its knife meant that a great deal of the threat facing Wang Yi and Lu Yin had disappeared.

One of the two raced for Shang Qing as fast as possible while the other suddenly appeared behind Shang Qing with a sourcebox array. Both of them attacked at the same time.

Despite the approaching flanking attacks, Shang Qing still did not move. Illusory flames rose up from below, separating him from his two opponents as the summoned Progenitor Chen suddenly appeared and attacked with a hand. Although it had lost its knife, it had not yet used the power of the illusory Progenitor Chen after merging.

Earlier, Wang Yi had sealed off the illusory Progenitor Chen's ability to turn immaterial, but he had also just sealed the summon's blade. Thus, the immaterial ability appeared once again.

Lu Yin struck the flame with a palm, and a palm print distorted the flame. He then changed his hand position to a pointing finger, attacking with his Seventh Bro Finger once again. Lu Yin did not believe that Shang Qing could ignore this attack for a second time.

On the opposite side, Wang Yi clashed against the summoned Progenitor Chen with a Four Arts: Bear Stalwart, but the massive power of his attack was absorbed. Wang Yi was knocked back, leaving him completely shocked.

This was a fight against Progenitor Chen, and he certainly deserved his reputation as being invincible within his own cultivation realm. Progenitor Chen had long since been famous even beyond this world, and it was known that he had been the absolute strongest.

This was the power of a Progenitor.

Any Progenitor would be seen as invincible among their peers, and Progenitor Chen had been seen as invincible even among Progenitors.

Before ZENITH had even started, even the Sixth Mainland's three Progenitors had been forced to admit that Shang Qing was the only youth capable of receiving the title of Pinnacle Youth, and it was entirely because he was able to summon Progenitor Chen.

At this moment, Shang Qing was about to earn the title of Pinnacle Youth.

Lu Yin pierced through the illusory flames with a finger, and for the second time, his attack hit Shang Qing.

Lu Yin experienced the same sensation as before, and Shang Qing even had the same expression.

The illusory summoned Progenitor Chen phased through Shang Qing, his hand stretched out to grab Lu Yin. A dark light flashed at the fused Progenitor Chen's hand, and the sight of it made Lu Yin go cold. His pupils flickered as he erased some runes from Progenitor Chen, and at the same time, an astral chessboard appeared beneath Lu Yin's feet as he shifted himself.

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Chapter 1319: The Third Stream Of Ancestral Qi

At the same time that Lu Yin moved himself, he also moved Shang Qing over in front of Wang Yi by using a Teleportation Formation.

Although the two youths had never worked together or even met before, at this moment, their cooperation was flawless. Wang Yi swept by, and attacked with Four Arts: Celestial Blade.

After that, a shocking thing recurred: Shang Qing was again completely uninjured.

Wang Yi could not believe what he saw. Suddenly, Shang Qing was blasted back. An invisible palm attack had struck: Vacuum Palm.

Shang Qing was launched 100 meters back, flipping over and finally landing in a half-crouch on the ground. Blood could be seen at the corners of his lips, and a deep palm print could be seen on his torso.

Just what was going on?

Everyone watching was confused. Lu Yin's strongest attack and Wang Yi's Celestial Blade had both been useless, so why had a Vacuum Palm managed to hurt Shang Qing?

Lu Yin let out a breath and gave a smile. "So I was right; you've been using an innate gift. Even though I don't know exactly what it is, it is impossible for you to deal with attacks from both of us at the same time. Your innate gift can make you immune to one of our attacks at a time, but not both of us, right?"

Wang Yi also stared at Shang Qing.

The summoned Progentor Chen stood quietly in front of Shang Qing as he stared at Lu Yin. "As expected of one of my Hall of Honor's Honor Chosen. Yes, you're very close."

Lu Yin's gaze grew sharp; this person was very difficult.

Lu Yin was not alone, as everyone was having the same thought.

Since ZENITH had first begun, Shang Qing had revealed one ability after another. Each successive revelation had boggled people's minds. Shang Qing's innate gift had only been uncovered from teamwork between Lu Yin and Wang Yi. Also, the most important detail was that Shang Qing had still not summoned a Progenitor from the third strand of ancestral qi that swirled around him. This was truly terrifying.

Wang Yi clenched a fist. To think that this starry sky had actually given birth to such a monster.

Shang Qing stared at Lu Yin, and then looked over at Wang Yi. "You can hurt me by teaming up, and this is also the last fight. Since that's the case, I'll let you see the full and complete power of the Tri-Yang Ancestral Qi Technique."

Everyone staring at the broadcast felt speechless; Shang Qing had still been holding back?

Below, Ku Wei was speechless. "Seventh Bro, just forget it."

Outside Zenith Mountain, Mu En was feeling quite satisfied. This was the strength of the invincible powerhouse that the Hall of Honor had been carefully raising. With the power Tri-Yang Technique, Shang Qing would always be invincible among his peers no matter what level he climbed to.

No, not only that, Progenitor Chen had been an invincible Progenitor whose power had been unmatched in both the ancient and modern times. Still, they had no idea just how strong Progenitor Chen had been when he had been a Semi-Progenitor. It was possible that at that time, he had already been comparable to an ordinary Progenitor. It was true that while even the idea of someone being a Realmbreaker at such a level was inconceivable, it was not entirely impossible when one considered Progenitor Chen.

If this turned out to be true, then the moment that Shang Qing became a Semi-Progenitor, he would have the power of a full Progenitor and would be the Fifth Mainland's first powerhouse to reach that level of strength since the fall of their Daosource Sect. If Shang Qing became Progenitor, his strength might actually surpass that of Progenitor Chen in the past.

Everyone stared at Shang Qing, even ancient powerhouses felt a touch of pity for Lu Yin and his peers at this moment. Many of them were talented and powerful enough to dominate an entire era, but the current era would never belong to any of them. This was to be Shang Qing's era. It would belong to the Tri-Yang Technique, which essentially meant that this era belonged to Progenitor Chen.

The youths were to be pitied for when they had been born.

Atop Zenith Mountain, the last strand of ancestral qi moved away from Shang Qing's body, and it began to take on the form of a person. Everyone in the universe was staring carefully as the figure began to form. There were no gods, but watching this scene made people feel as though this person held heaven and earth in the palm of their hands.

The man who appeared was handsome, and had a bit of a scholar's demeanor. He stood there with his hands behind his back, and it felt as though he had suffered from the vicissitudes of life.

The moment this man appeared, on another part of Zenith Mountain, Hui Santong's pupils shrank sharply. At the exact same time, in the territory of the Seven Courts, within Nature's Manifestation, Hui Zhi, the Hui family's patriarch, lost his voice. "Patriarch?"

In the Technocracy, in the middle of a magnificent city plaza, Hui Kong shot to his feet in excitement. "Ancestor?"

Shang Qing's third strand of ancestral qi had taken on the form of Progenitor Hui, the one who had created a scheme that had transcended history and time in order to protect humanity.

Progenitor Hui, the person who had founded the Technocracy, one of the three powers of the current Fifth Mainland. No one knew why Progenitor Hui had formed the Technocracy, not even his descendants, the Hui family, who still lived in the Neoverse.

The greatest impression that most people had of Progenitor Hui was the Technocracy, and the other was of the Root of Intelligence. However, that was in the past. At the moment, the greatest impression that the top powers of both the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands had of Progenitor Hui was how he had plotted against the Sixth Mainland in a scheme that spanned eons.

If one asked who the Sixth Mainland hated the most at present, it was none other than Progenitor Hui. If not for Progenitor Hui, the Fifth Continent would have been invaded by monsters and destroyed instead of the Sixth Mainland.

Progenitor Hui had managed to peer down the long river of time and forcefully divert a disaster for the Fifth Mainland over to the Sixth, and had even made all of the arrangements in a time that had long been forgotten.

Throughout human history, Progenitor Chen was known as being invincible and possessing strength unparalleled throughout time. The Rune Progenitor had created a unique civilization that history had not dared to record or remember. However, Progenitor Hui had looked far into the future and laid plans to unfold long after he was gone.

It was hard to determine who was the stronger or weaker among these three Progenitors, but it was undeniable that the Progenitor who everyone admired and respected the most was Progenitor Hui, as he had saved all of humanity within the Fifth Mainland.

No one had expected Shang Qing's third strand of ancestral qi to take the form of Progenitor Hui. After all, despite the fact that Progenitor Hui had laid plans that spanned eons, no one had any information concerning his combat strength.

Wang Yi stared at the summoned Progenitor Hui with eyes full of fear. A powerful person was not one to be feared, but rather the person who was both powerful and intelligent. Even though this Progenitor Hui had been formed by a strand of ancestral qi and had no intelligence, Wang Yi was not sure why, but this third summon terrified him. He felt as though this person could see straight through him.

Lu Yin had the same feeling. If the summoned clones of Progenitor Chen had been a powerful body, then the arrival of Progenitor Hui felt like a soul had been added to that body. Also, Lu Yiin had access to some information that others did not know: Progenitor Hui had been a Lockbreaker.

What Lu Yin had seen on the Royal Frost Continent had explained a lot, and Lu Yin knew that Progenitor Hui had been a powerful Lockbreaker, but that did not say anything at all about how powerful Progenitor Hui had been when he had been an Enlighter.

Progenitor Hui's appearance left the mountaintop silent for a while, and not even Wang Yi had the courage to seize the initiative, and instead took a defensive stance.

Lu Yin's fingers twiteched before and smacked a hand forward.

There was a bang, and half of Progenitor Hui's body was destroyed and reverted back into a strand of qi.

Lu Yin was stunned, Huh? Did that actually work?

Wang Yi was also stunned; had that attack actually hit?

Everyone else felt similarly stunned at what they had just seen, as this looked far too easy!

The qi swirled around for a moment before merging back to reform the rest of Progenitor Hui's body. The summoned Progenitor Hui looked up, and then moved his hands and feet as he took a step. After that, the peak of Zenith Mountain started surging. There was a sense that the area was being disturbed by something, and the void in the entire area warped.

Lu Yin was shocked. As he watched, the star energy of the entire peak, no—the entire mountain—started moving. It was not only the void and the ambient star energy, but also star crystals and the star energy within people's bodies that started moving.

Lu Yin had reached the Worldliness realm of star energy control, but even he was not able to control the star energy within someone's body.

Wang Yi felt the same surprise, and his face had gone pale. This was Progenitor Hui.

At the bottom of a staircase, Liquor Hero set down her wine and looked up. She was not particularly concerned about ZENITH, but at this moment, she had become serious as she stared at Progenitor Hui. Liquor Hero had reached the Creation realm of star energy control, and yet even her star energy was being influenced at this moment.

Since even Liquor Hero was being affected, clearly when Progenitor Hui had been an Enlighter, his control of star energy had surpassed even Liquor Hero. That was truly terrifying.

Many people suddenly thought of something; thus far, Lu Yin and Wang Yi had only been facing two of Progenitor Chen's clones, and though they were terrifyingly powerful, they did not represent the full strength of Progenitor Chen. On the other hand, Progenitor Hui had been just as renowned as Progenitor Chen, though apparently a bit weaker. However, was it truly possible that Progenitor Hui could not even compare to two of Progenitor Chen's clones? For Progenitor Hui to have been on the same level as Progenitor Chen, Progenitor Hui had to be able to at least stand up to the united nine clones of Progenitor Chen.

This meant that the summoned Progenitor Hui facing Lu Yin and Wang Yi represented the full power of a Progenitor when he had been an Enlighter.

This thought sent a chill through both youths' hearts.

Progenitor Hui made a move. Unlike Progenitor Chen, Progenitor Hui approached only Lu Yin, and then circled around.

An astral chessboard had already appeared beneath Lu Yin's feet, but he held back from using the secret technique, as Progenitor Hui had still not attacked, leaving Lu Yin a bit confused.

Wang Yi's figure flashed, and he again charged at Shang Qing at top speed, only to be blocked by Progenitor Chen.

Lu Yin attacked Progenitor Hui, and bombarded him with Vacuum Palms. Lu Yin wanted to force the summon back to being a stream of ancestral qi, as Progenitor Hui left Lu Yin feeling a bit panicked.

However, Lu Yin's attacks did not land as easily as they had before, and Progenitor Hui disappeared.

Lu Yin felt a chill on the back of his head and he whipped his head around. Lu Yin saw Progenitor Hui behind him; staring at him. Those empty eyes left Lu Yin feeling horrified. When had Progenitor Hui shown up there? The astral chessboard was still under Lu Yin, and he moved.

There was a bang. Lu Yin was not able to move away. The void twisted around him and isolated him from the rest of the universe. He had been trapped.

Lu Yin was incredulous. He had just tried to use a secret technique to dodge, but had failed. That was a secret technique, so why had it not worked?

Progenitor Hui disappeared once again, and he moved about the top of the mountain without attacking Lu Yin or Wang Yi. It looked like he was just wandering about.

Lu Yin raised a hand and attacked the twisted void with a palm. His hand sank deep into the void, but he could not break the barrier.

Lu Yin suddenly thought of something, and his pupils transformed into runes as he looked around. He suddenly saw a sourcebox array, and he was trapped within it. This was what had managed to stop his secret technique.

In the Neoverse, in the Lockbreaker World, Xiu Ming's expression was solemn. "One of the thirty-six arrays from True Insight: As If Closed."

For a long time, no one knew who had created True Insight, with the sole exception of a few people like Xiu Ming. They knew that True Insight had come from Progenitor Hui's time, as he had been the one to create True Insight.

Originally, True Insight had had seventy-two pages, though only thirty-six pages remained. The other half of the book had been lost in the passage of time.

There were only thirty-six pages remaining, and a good portion of them had been stolen during the original war between the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands. The Sixth Mainland also had copies of True Insight, but even the copies used the same contents as the original copy.

It could be said that Progenitor Hui was the ancestor of all modern Lockbreakers, as they had all benefited from his accomplishments. All of the most powerful Lockbreakers in recent times had also been inspired to one degree or another by True Insight.

However, Lu Yin did not believe for even a moment that Progenitor Hui had managed to create an original sourcebox array when he had been just an Enlighter. When Xiu Ming had seen Progenitor Hui use a sourcebox array from the pages of True Insight, he believed the same as Lu Yin, and assumed that Progenitor Hui had not been the creator of this particular array. Even Progenitors received legacies from their ancestors.n./0𝑣ℯ𝓛𝗯1n

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Chapter 1320: A Battle of Despair

As If Closed was clearly a legacy from an earlier time than even Progenitor Hui.

Progenitor Hui was doing much more than just arranging a sourcebox array.

When the summoned Progenitor Hui appeared before Wang Yi, Lu Yin saw that the Progenitor was also moving with the assistance of another sourcebox array. This sourcebox array felt familiar to Lu Yin, and it gave Progenitor Hui the impression of being a constant wanderer.

Lu Yin stood atop Zenith Mountain, and his expression suddenly changed. This was not good! , This was the same space transfer array that Shaman God had used before.

As long as a person had the correct coordinates, they would be able to travel a vast distance through space. Progenitor Hui had just been wandering about the mountaintop, but he had also been setting the coordinates.

Some distance away, Wang Yi had no intention of fighting against the merged Progenitor Chen, and instead focused on attacking Shang Qing. However, as soon as Wang Yi drew close, the summoned Progenitor Hui blocked him.

Wang Yi was horrified; how could this be possible? Could Progenitor Hui actually be faster than even Wang Yi?

Wang Yi reflexively attacked with a Four Arts: Bear Stalwart.

Progenitor Hui disappeared, and then instantly reappeared behind Wang Yi, but Wang Yi did not notice anything. He picked up his feet to flee, but the star energy within his body turned chaotic, which left him unstable and unable to use any of his battle techniques. At this same time, Progenitor Chen shot straight through Progenitor Hui and attacked Wang Yi's back.

A dark light penetrated and invaded Wang Yi's body. It was accompanied by a freezing energy that came from the Yōu Reinforced Palm.

Wang Yi could not stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of blood. This blood was actually black, and it formed a frozen ball that fell through the air.

Wang Yi fled, but Progenitor Hui stuck to Wang Yi like a shadow and constantly disturbed Wang Yi's star energy.

Wang Yi was frustrated and felt completely powerless. He was facing someone who obviously was the same age and had received the same sort of opportunities, and so Wang Yi had expected to feel so helpless under this particular universe.

Wu Taibai was watching from the distance, and he shook his head. "It's all useless. Even if that person was facing Progenitor Hui, they might not win. It's likely that the odds of their defeat are as high as 90%, even with a Progenitor Hui who has no intelligence."

Shang Qing coldly watched everything. Was this the end? This was rather disappointing!

Wang Yi retreated to the edge of the mountain. There was blood at the corner of his mouth, he reluctantly said, "I give up."

Although this was expected, Shang Qing still could not stop himself from feeling disappointed. He had known from the beginning that this would be the result. No one could defeat him. In this era, there was no one who could match up to him.

Everyone watching the livestream was able to hear the helplessness in Wang Yi's words, but what else could he have done? Not to mention the fact that both Progenitor Chen and Progenitor Hui were on that battlefield, Shang Qing himself was even able to simply ignore attacks due to his unknown innate gift.

At this moment, Lu Yin was still sealed.

Everyone switched their focus to Lu Yin, who Progenitor Hui had trapped. At this moment, Lu Yin was the last person still competing.

The twisted void around Lu Yin gradually calmed down. Progenitor Hui had released the array.

Shang Qing stared at Lu Yin. "You've done well, and you even met my expectations. No, you've truly exceeded expectations. From now on, you are the second Honor Chosen of the Hall of Honor, and you are second only to me."

Outside Zenith Mountain, Mu En nodded. Shang Qing was worthy of being raised up by the Hall of Honor, and he had extensive knowledge. At this moment, elevating Lu Yin to the position of second Honor Chosen would help the Hall of Honor and Shang Qing to win over people's hearts. After all, Lu Yin was the master of the entire Outerverse.

In an invisible region of space, the Chief Justice was hidden within the dark, but he was silently staring at the top of Zenith Mountain and Lu Yin. There was a strange look in the Chief Justice's eyes.

Everyone watching the broadcast began to look away. ZENITH was over.

In the Outerverse, although the people of the Great Eastern Alliance had been supporting Lu Yin, no one believed that Lu Yin had the power to challenge Shang Qing. That young man was too much of a freak.

Madam Nalan was drinking a red wine and helplessly shook her head, You've reached your limit, but unfortunately, you encountered a truly incomprehensible person.

Near the barrier in the Starfall Sea that formed a barrier, the Progenitor of Bloodlines and the Progenitor of Secret Arts looked away. ZENITH was over. Their Sixth Mainland had had Bu Kong and Wu Taibai enter the top ten, which were acceptable results.

The Progenitor of Combat continued to stare at Zenith Mountain. He was staring at Shang Qing, as this youth was guaranteed to eventually become the most powerful expert in the Fifth Mainland.

When he thought back to the invincible strength of Progenitor Chen, fear and a killing intent grew even stronger in the Progenitor of Combat's eyes.

Everyone thought that ZENITH was over, except for one person: Lu Yin. He believed he could continue. At least, he wanted to say that he had done his very best.

"Second Honor Chosen? Number two doesn't sound too good to me, so I want to try; can I become the first Honor Chosen?" Lu Yin stared back at Shang Qing, and the fighting spirit in Lu Yin's eyes never diminished in the slightest.

Lu Yin's words echoed through the universe via the live broadcast, and everyone blankly stared at him.

"This guy's an idiot! He couldn't win by teaming up, but he still wants to try on his own?"

"He was just trapped and couldn't even move, but now he wants to fight?"

"I'm betting he just wants to show off."

All across Zenith Mountain, Lan Si, Yuhua Mavis, Wu Taibai, Ling Gong, and more. Everyone who heard Lu Yin's words was stunned; did he still want to fight?

Wang Yi stared blankly at Lu Yin, frowning. Shang Qing had made even Wang Yi feel powerless, yet this person still wanted to fight?

Outside Zenith Mountain, Mu En frowned. Lu Yin was a bit ignorant, but it was impossible for him to defeat Shang Qing. If Lu Yin persisted, he would only humiliate himself, unfortunately.

In the invisible region of space, the Chief Justice's cold and stern eyes suddenly revealed a smile. Anyone who knew him would find this to be unbelievable, as the Chief Justice had never laughed.

In the Neoverse, Arch-Elder Zen laughed; Let's fight! Fight if you want! Not matter which of you wins or loses, you both represent my Hall of Honor and the Fifth Mainland!

On Eversky Island, Highsage Grandmaster praised Lu Yin, "Good child. Even if you are beaten to death, you can't simply admit defeat. Not bad."

In the Cosmic Sect, Sect Master Yuan Qiong stared at a screen. He was very impressed with Lu Yin, and he wanted this child to become part of his Cosmic Sect. Yuan Qiong had watched how Lu Yin had made his way through ZENITH. He had defeated Yuhua Mavis, and then both Liu Tianmu and Xia Jiuyou. Each and every one had been a true powerhouse within their generation, and yet Lu Yin had been the one to continue past all others. Yuan Qion had come to appreciate Lu Yin more and more throughout this competition, but unfortunately, Lu Yin was not from the Cosmic Sect.

However, where did the child learn their Teleportation Formation?

"You want to fight me?" Shang Qing's eyes were deep and he shook his head. "It's useless."

Lu Yin let out a long breath. "I want to try."

As he spoke, an astral chessboard appeared beneath his feet, and it spread out across the entire mountaintop. Lu Yin waved a hand and moved.

He moved Progenitor Chen, Progenitor Hui, and even Shang Qing. Lu Yin raised his hand once more: Vacuum Palm.

Lu Yin had shifted Shang Qing over in front of where the Vacuum Palm would appear, but Progenitor Hui appeared in front of Shang Qing with a raised hand of his own.

Lu Yin's pupils shrank. Progenitor Hui had reached the Creation realm of star energy control, while Lu Yin had merely reached the Worldliness realm. Progenitor Hui transformed the Vacuum Palm into star energy, in much the same way that Liquor Hero had absorbed God Qingguang's weapons into a barrel of wine. For those who had reached the Creation realm, Worldliness was nothing much.

The Creation realm of star control could almost be considered similar to a secret technique or a sourcebox array, as one could transform something rotten into something miraculous, and could encompass all things, both large and small.

Lu Yin's body disappeared in a flash, and the light of Progenitor Chen's blade fell where Lu Yin had just stood. Wang Yi's defeat had unsealed Progenitor Chen's abilities that had been sealed. This blade sliced through the void, and the tear traveled all of the way to the first layer.

Many of the eliminated contestants were stunned, and God Taiyi did not hesitate to use Truesight to weaken the power of the attack as it approached the first layer and cut the area of the mountain in two.

All of the other contestants went speechless as they saw Progenitor Chen's strength.

Lu Yin suddenly appeared behind Shang Qing, but simultaneously, Progenitor Hui also appeared. He had continued to wander about the mountaintop and had calculated countless coordinates, which allowed him to instantly appear anywhere.

Lu Yin raised a hand, and Vacuum Palm rained out continuously as Lu Yin casually waved his hand about.

Progenitor Hui raised his hand to absorb the power of Lu Yin's Vacuum Palm, only to discover that the Vacuum Palm had already disappeared. Lu Yin had secretly diverted his Vacuum Palm with the Yu Secret Art, and it struck Shang Qing head on.

Shang Qing was caught off guard by this attack. It had been too sudden, and Shang Qing had never expected Lu Yin to be able to even touch him, so the Vacuum Palm slammed into a completely unprepared Shang Qing, and it left him bleeding.

Progenitor Chen moved between Shang Qing and Progenitor Hui, and slashed out with a blade. Lu Yin quickly evaded the attack, the void twisted all around him, and the sourcebox array As If Closed trapped Lu Yin in place.

The blade light swept through the air, straight for Lu Yin's abdomen. It struck, and blood flowed from the large wound, dripping onto the mountain after staining Lu Yin's clothes.

Shang Qing coughed and looked at Lu Yin.

Progenitor Chen lifted his blade once more, and then brought it down in a chop.

Lu Yin could not break the sourcebox array, so he could only go up against the attack. He diverted all of his fatesand, and it appeared in front of him and blocked the blade, only to be instantly shattered and sent back into Lu Yin's body.

The blade light continued to fall, and Lu Yin gritted his teeth: Channeling Diagram.

There was a bang as the Channeling Diagram diverted the sharp edge of the blade into countless channels that spread out in all directions. Suddenly, a dark light appeared right before Lu Yin's eyes, and it almost enveloped him. It was accompanied by an icy cold that felt just like what Lu Yin had felt from that knight who had ridden a warhorse through space and terrified Lu Yin.

Countless people grew tense as they watched, and Lu Yin's shoulder was torn open by Progenitor Chen's blade. The wound traveled down to his chest, and blood splashed for several meters from the diagonal cut.

Puff

Lu Yin spat out a mouthful of blood that turned to ice as it fell. Lu Yin had been severely wounded by the blade, and had simultaneously been struck by the dark light. He was not able to endure, and he crumpled to the ground.

In an Azure Mansion, Ming Yan's face went pale, and her hair instantly turned white. She stared at Shang Qing with murder in her eyes.

On Zenith Mountain, Zhuo Daynight, Wendy Yushan, and others closed their eyes in unison. Lu Yin had lost.

Yuhua Mavis, Wu Taibai. and a few others shook their heads. No one was capable of defeating a Progenitor within the same realm, and even if someone dreamed of one day becoming a Progenitor themselves, there was no path to victory when facing both Progenitor Chen and Progenitor Hui.

Shang Qing was only one person, but he wielded the power of two Progenitors, and this was a truly unfathomable power.

Mira was feeling complicated emotions. She had been the one to lead Lu Yin out into the universe, and she had watched him as he climbed, step by step, to reach his current strength. However, he had just been defeated by Shang Qing.

Wang Yi frowned as he looked at Lu Yin where he lay on the ground. It was impossible to know if Lu Yin was dead or alive, but it seemed that he was not from that family, as if he were, it was impossible for Lu Yin not to use that innate gift. With those innate gifts, Lu Yin might be able to win.

Wang Yi shook his head. He had thought that Lu Yin had confidence to be able to challenge Shang Qing, but it turned out to be nothing more than empty bravado.

Zhi Yi, Bu Kong, and others stared at Lu Yin. Their eyes showed how jealous they were of Shang Qing and how thrilled they were at Lu Yin's defeat. If he died, that would be fine, as his death would mean one less threatening opponent from the Fifth Mainland.n(.𝑜/-𝗏)-𝗲/.𝗅-/𝑏-/1-)n

Even if they were the Daosource Three Skies, they still had to admit that Lu Yin had surpassed them in terms of absolute strength.

Countless people stared at Lu Yin, each of them filled with all kinds of complicated emotions.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1321: God of Death Transformation

Outside Zenith Mountain, in the invisible void, the Chief Justice's eyes narrowed; was this the end?

At the top of Zenith Mountain, Shang Qing held his head high. He had been injured, but he still felt very disappointed. No one was capable of forcing him into a life-and-death crisis, and no one could help him break through the barrier of the Tri-Yang Technique.

Progenitor Chen and Progenitor Hui both transformed back into strands of qi that swirled around Shang Qing's body, making him look like a deity as he stood in the sky. This was the same appearance that he had had at the beginning of ZENITH, but now, he was the first and only Pinnacle Youth.

He looked up at the statue. The originally featureless face would soon take on his appearance. To him, invincibility was simply a process. Shang Qing's goal was to become a Progenitor, not just be peerless within his realm. Unfortunately, no one could defeat him.

Outside Zenith Mountain, Mu En was feeling very satisfied. This was Shang Qing, and ZENITH was over. They had succeeded. Of the top ten, six were from the Human Domain, one was a Celestial Demon from the Astral Beast Domain, one was Wang Yi from the Technocracy, and two were youths from the Sixth Mainland. These results were perfectly acceptable to the Hall of Honor.

The most satisfying detail was Shang Qing's fights. No matter who he had gone up against, he had basically crushed all of his opponents. That was it. Although the purpose of ZENITH was to select the top ten, there was also the intention of raising the Human Domain's morale and allowing the universe to see the strength and invincibility of the Hall of Honor.

This result had been expected.

At the top of Zenith Mountain, the twisted void disappeared from around Lu Yin as the sourcebox array was lifted, unsealing Lu Yin.n𝔬𝑣𝐞-𝑳𝒷-1n

Shang Qing looked away from the statue and back at Lu Yin. In the last attack, Shang Qing had held back, as otherwise, he would have killed Lu Yin.

Eh? Shang Qing snapped back to look at Lu Yin once again. This time, a black and white mist had appeared from somewhere and was wrapping itself around Lu Yin's body, though Shang Qing had no idea when it had appeared.

Shang Qing was not the only one, as everyone was seeing the same thing, and they were all staring at the top of the mountain in confusion.

What the hell was this? A black and white cocoon?

Everyone throughout the universe was staring at their screens and focusing on the black and white cocoon that had appeared. What in the world was that?

Outside Zenith Mountain, Mu En's eyes narrowed. That, that was death energy!

In the Neoverse, Highsage Grandmaster became solemn. Black and white?

In the Honor Zone, Arch-Elder Zen was completely focused on the black and white cocoon. Even with his level of self-restraint, he was rather stunned at the moment.

God Taiyi, Jin He, God Qingguang, and the others who could use Truesight were all staring at the black and white cocoon in utter disbelief. In their vision, Lu Yin's number of rune lines were spiking without showing any signs of stopping or slowing down.

Jin He had a grudge against Lu Yin, and upon seeing this situation, he could not hold himself back anymore. He created numerous weapons and launched every single one of them at the dual-colored cocoon. Jin He believed that Lu Yin was currently undergoing some sort of transformation and that it had to be interrupted.

The various weapons bombarded the black and white cocoon without any hesitation, but they were simply absorbed into the black before eventually shattering.

Jin He was horrified at what he saw. "Hurry up! He's metamorphosing!"

At the top of Zenith Mountain, Shang Qing stared at the black and white cocoon. His eyes showed a rare light of excitement and fighting intent as his mouth pulled up into a smile. Two strands of ancestral qi left his body and transformed into summons of Progenitor Chen that then merged together. "So this is what gave you the courage to challenge me. Is this power? Then give it a shot. I hope that you can push me past my limits!"

His voice cut off, and the black and white cocoon in the distance broke open. A figure slowly stood up from it.

High in the sky, the black color rose up, looking like a crashing wave that spread out through space before moving off into the distance.

Throughout the region, everyone and everything that was touched by this black energy felt a chill run through their hearts, even the Envoys whose power levels approached a million. They felt as if a terrifying power was present within this energy. It was not that Lu Yin was a threat himself, but rather this energy that was terrifying.

However, at this moment, no one cared about the black energy, as everyone was staring at their screens in disbelief.

Even the Sixth Mainland's three Progenitors were staring at Zenith Mountain in disbelief.

At the top of the mountain, Lu Yin quietly rose to his feet. At this moment, his appearance had changed drastically, and he even looked like a completely different person.

Long hair hung down to his waist. His upper body was naked, though black energy continued to swirl around him like a spinning nebula, encircling his body like a chain. Incomprehensible dark red veins ran across his entire body as white energy formed a shield on his left arm while his right hand held a massive scythe. The black energy gathered behind him like a cloud, and a faint pair of eyes were ever so visible in the cloud, its expression screaming of death and ruthlessness.

The broken black and white cocoon gradually transformed into more black energy, which slowly moved to wrap around Lu Yin and form a black cloak.

Lu Yin looked up. His eyes were completely black, and he looked like god of death as he stared at Shang Qing.

At this moment, everyone in the entire universe lost their voices as they blankly stared on.

Further down the mountain, Black was stunned. Her eyes were wide. "Okay, okay… So, so handsome."

White shouted, "So handsome! Handsome Bro!"

Ling Gong was shocked. Even she had to admit that, at this moment, Lu Yin truly looked very handsome.

Ku Wei was horrified as he stared at Lu Yin with fear and excitement. "Se- Seventh Bro, you're all grown up!"

Wen Sansi, Unseen Light, and more stared at Lu Yin for a moment in shock; what was this? Was this his innate gift?

Lu Yin had never revealed his innate gift before, so naturally, this was most people's guess.

Mira's scalp went numb. She had once seen Lu Yin's innate gift before, and it was supposed to be something related to healing, so what was this? Did he have dual innate gifts?

Wang Yi was shocked as well. What? Why do I feel like I've heard of this before but can't seem to remember?

Wu Taibai stared hard at Lu Yin. He also felt that he had heard about something similar about Lu Yin's current state, but he was also unable to remember.

Jin He blankly stared at Lu Yin. At this moment, the number of rune lines that Jin He could see on Lu Yin left the Arbiter terrified. It was not an overwhelming sense of terror, but rather a deep, cold fear related to how much this number of runes could affect the universe. Jin He had chills all over.

He was one of the Ten Arbiters, and he had cultivated Truesight, the inheritance of the Rune Civilization, to the Knowing realm. How could Jin He be afraid of anyone? That should be impossible.

Suddenly, Lu Yin's eyes, those pure black eyes, stared at Jin He, and Lu Yin slowly raised the scythe in his right hand.

Jin He's pupils instantly constricted. This was bad! Jin He's pupils transformed into runes as he immediately used the full power of Truesight's Knowing realm.

The Knowing realm of Truesight allowed the user to use something as a point of reference. Then, any attack could be rendered ineffective against the point of reference. Jin He's current point of reference was himself. ZENITH was a competition. Thus, although Lu Yin had suddenly moved before anybody could react, Jin He just needed to endure one attack. Then, the Hall of Honor would definitely intervene.

Lu Yin lowered his arm and scythe. Jin He and Lu Yin stared at each other. As Jin He looked at those pure black eyes, he was struck by a boundless fear. As the scythe fell down, blood leaked out from Jin He's seven orifices. A diagonal wound had somehow appeared across his body, from which blood sprayed out and flowed across the ground.

Jin He's head slowly dropped down, and he saw the massive, bleeding wound across his chest; how had this happened?

One of the Ten Arbiters, Jin He, had been instantly beheaded by Lu Yin with his strange scythe.

The countless people watching were stunned as their scalps went numb. The person closest to Jin He had been God Taiyi, as he had been fighting against Jin He earlier. At this moment, God Taiyi's entire body trembled as he looked at Lu Yin with fear and disbelief.

Jin He's mastery of Truesight had been even greater God Taiyi's, and yet Jin He had been instantly beheaded and killed. This meant that even the powerful defensive techniques of Truesight had been useless against Lu Yin. Just what had Lu Yin done?

At the top of the mountain, Lu Yin's eyes narrowed; just like that, Jin He was dead?

Lu Yin tightly clenched the handle of his scythe. This power was truly terrifying, to the point where he did not even want to use it.

This was not Lu Yin's first time using this power. In the Royal Frost Continent, he had tried to use this energy in his Timestop Space, but it had been completely beyond his control. This power was uncontrollable and tyrannical, but fortunately, he had retained enough rationality to force himself out of that particular state at that time.

His second attempt had been after Mister Mu had appeared and ordered Lu Yin to take first place in ZENITH. This was the power that Mister Mu had seen, and so, Lu Yin had been left with no choice but to try to use this power. Without it, he had no confidence in being able to defeat his competition.

His second attempt had not been a singular attempt, but rather multiple attempts in his Timestop Space. Eventually, he had finally managed to suppress his raging emotions slightly, which allowed his rationality to take control.

In the past, he had tried to use this power within the isolation and protection of his Timestop Space, but at this moment, Lu Yin was completely exposed to the entire universe. However, he was very satisfied with his state of mind, as his rationality was able to suppress the urges of massacre and tyranny. He named this the God of Death Transformation

"Is this your ultimate strength? I hope that you can surprise me," Shang Qing said.

Lu Yin lifted his head and looked over at Shang Qing. "This is the last battle, so let's finish this."

Lu Yin spoke in a tone that was colder than anything he had ever used before. It was as though he was completely devoid of all emotions. His voice carried the chill of winter, and it was enough to send a shudder through all who heard it.

Shang Qing's eyes betrayed his excitement. "Okay."

He then waved a hand, prompting the fused Progenitor Chen to lift its blade and attack Lu Yin. This attack far surpassed what had been directed at anyone else. If it had been used just a few moments before, then even if Lu Yin retaliated with his Seventh Bro Finger, he still would have been beaten back.

However, at the present moment, Lu Yin had a strange look as he stared at the summoned Progenitor Chen's approaching blade—this attack did not seem that strong.

As this thought finished, Lu Yin raised his left arm, along with the white energy that had become a shield, to block the blade.

The summoned Progenitor Chen slashed down with his blade, and a tremendous bang rang across the entire mountainside. The entire mountaintop sank down, and the remnant blade qi spread throughout the rest of Zenith Mountain. After that, a dim light shot high into the sky, and the faint flames from the blade were immediately vanquished.

Everyone stared at the top of the mountain. What was happening up there?

At the mountain peak, Lu Yin was still standing firm, as the summoned Progenitor Chen's blade had been ineffective against him.

Across from Lu Yin, Shang Qing's pupils shrank, and for the first time, he turned a bit pale. He instinctively used his third strand of ancestral qi and brought out Progenitor Hui.

Lu Yin raised his right arm and slashed across with his scythe, looking like a god of death. The summoned Progenitor Chen instantly retreated as it counterattacked with its blade. There was another tremendous bang, and the summoned Progenitor Chen was blasted almost a kilometer away. The shockwave from the attack shredded the void in its passage.

Lu Yin raised his scythe and slashed at Shang Qing.

Shang Qing felt the same sensation as Jin He—it was a chill that he would never be able to forget for the rest of his life.

He possessed a power similar to users of Truesight who had reached the Knowing realm, or individuals who could traverse the void to turn immaterial and ignore attacks from even the most powerful experts.

However, after seeing Jin He's fate, Shang Qing did not dare to take this attack head on with just his innate gift. The summoned Progenitor Hui appeared and then disappeared, taking Shang Qing with him.

The void shattered as the area was swallowed in darkness. The black energy spread out, looking like a spider web that was corroding the void itself.

Everyone was completely dumbfounded; did Lu Yin actually have the upper hand now?

The summoned Progenitor Chen rushed over from a distance and once again attacked with its blade. The invincible blade qi was useless against Lu Yin, and he simply lifted his scythe and slashed out to meet the incoming blade.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1322: All Together

There was a loud bang, and a spatial tear spread out from the point of impact. The shockwave spread out in all directions, causing cracks in the void that radiated far beyond Zenith Mountain and affected all of the nearby planets.

The fused Progenitor Chen was cut and forced back by Lu Yin's scythe; half of its body had been wounded.

At this moment, the summoned Progenitor Hui appeared behind Lu Yin, and the sourcebox array As If Closed sealed him in.

Lu Yin's eyes were still dark and cold as he observed the twisted void that enveloped him. This array had previously trapped him and prevented him from escaping. As a result, he had been terribly injured by the fused Progenitor Chen.

However, would this sourcebox array still be able to do that?

The black cloud of energy behind Lu Yin churned about like a nebula, and it resisted the array before finally shattering it.

The summoned Progenitor Hui spun one of its hands around and pulled at the black energy, trying to take control of it with its Creation realm of star energy control. Lu Yin whirled around and attacked with his scythe, but the summoned Progenitor Hui simply disappeared. The attack slashed through the void, continuing on past Zenith Mountain.

Everyone down below the mountain looked up and stared blankly at the shattered void high above them. The power of this attack left their scalps numb.

Progenitor Hui and Progenitor Chen had indeed been truly powerful, but Lu Yin was not facing Progenitors that had been suppressed to the Enlighter realm, but rather Enlighters who had eventually become Progenitors.

It was not impossible to win against these two powerhouses who were still his peers.

In his current state, Lu Yin was suppressing the Progenitors.

Shang Qing had not expected that both the fused Progenitor Chen and the summoned Progenitor Hui would suffer a loss. After all, they had both suppressed Lu Yin individually and as a team just a few moments ago. Shang Qing fell back, shuddering with excitement.

Lu Yin's pitch black eyes swept the area. Then, he raised the scythe high and slashed it down.

The summoned Progenitor Hui reappeared right next to Shang Qing and brought the youth away, once again traveling through the shattered void.

No one had expected the invincible Shang Qing to suddenly be overpowered by Lu Yin, or more importantly, for both Progenitor Chen and Progenitor Hui to be suppressed. It was indescribably incredible for someone to suppress both Progenitor Chen and Progenitor Hui!

If one looked through both the past and present, who was confident in defeating both of these two powerhouses?

In the Neoverse, Arch-Elder Zen stood up as he stared at his screen, his face incredibly solemn. Back when he had been fighting for that opportunity, he remembered that he had heard of a black and white energy in that place. Along with it had been mention of a scythe and black eyes that seemed dead yet still held a spark of life. This was the power of one of the most ancient Progenitors: the God of Death.

Highsage Grandmaster also remembered those same details, and his expression kept changing. This power should have disappeared long ago, so how had someone in this age actually inherited the power of the God of Death?

In Aeternus Nation, Silver stared at his screen with a powerful excitement in his eyes. This was the power that his Specter clan had been searching for for countless years! Anyone who could receive this power would become the king of the Specter clan. Captain, please take care of me in the future!

At the top of Zenith Mountain, the fused Progenitor Chen was forced back yet again. A portion of his body was sliced off, and it transformed back into a strand of ancestral qi that merged back into the summon's body. On the other side, the summoned Progenitor Hui tried his best to disturb Lu Yin's star energy, but Lu Yin was not using any star energy at this moment, rendering the summon's efforts futile.

Shang Qing finally made a move at this point. This was his first time taking action; up to now, he had relied solely on the summons of Progenitor Chen and Progenitor Hui to do all of the fighting for him, and the two had been able to suppress all of his opponents until they had no room to maneuver.

Someone finally noticed something truly terrifying; Lu Yin had not moved a single step ever since he had transformed. He had not needed to dodge or evade, as none of the attacks had been powerful enough to threaten him.

The summoned Progenitor Hui reappeared behind Lu Yin while at the same time, Shang Qing made his move. "Secret Technique: Banishment."

Lu Yin's massive scythe slammed onto the ground, and the black energy behind him surged up from below, becoming a torrent that blocked Shang Qing's secret technique. Upon seeing this, Shang Qing was shocked to the core; how was Lu Yin able to block a secret technique?

Shang Qing did not know that Lu Yin was using the power of the God of Death. That person had been an ancient Progenitor, and Lu Yin was currently using the battle techniques of one of humanity's most ancient powerhouses.

Lu Yin reached out with his left hand, moving out to grab Shang Qing. Shang Qing hurriedly evaded, but a chill ran across his spine as he looked into Lu Yin's pure black eyes. A moment of panic filled him as Lu Yin's right hand dropped down, slashing the scythe down upon Shang Qing's body.

The slash tore open an arc in the void, and the summoned Progenitor Hui appeared to take Shang Qing away, but there was no place they could go that was out of Lu Yin's scythe's attack range.

The summoned Progenitor Hui was instantly cut open by the attack, and it reverted to a strand of qi. At the same time, Shang Qing had suffered a nasty cut across his abdomen that blood poured out of.

Shang Qing's face went pale. Secret Technique: Discipline.

The same wound appeared on Lu Yin's waist. This was the power of Discipline. If Shang Qing was injured, then Lu Yin would suffer the same injury.

However, no blood spilled out from Lu Yin's wound, only more black energy. It swirled around Lu Yin's body before the wound healed itself—even the cloak around Lu Yin's waist recovered to its previous state.

Despite the lack of blood, Lu Yin still felt the pain, and the pain seemed to aggravate his violent urges. His pure black eyes sparkled as the enormous scythe in his hand slammed the ground while he addressed all of Zenith Mountain. He raised a hand and crooked a finger. "All of you, come."

Throughout ZENITH, Lu Yin had not been very arrogant, but he was barely able to control himself in this current state. After being injured, his violent urges had taken over, and it had reached a point where he either needed to end his current state, or sate his urges. However, if Lu Yin did not use this black and white power, he would not be able to win.

Shang Qing alone was not enough to satisfy Lu Yin's current urges, so he needed to provoke everyone.

Wang Yi attacked without any hesitation. His body disappeared in a flash. "Four Arts: Celestial Blade."

Lu Yin flicked his left arm, causing the white shield to turn and block the Celestial Blade. The impact of the scythe forced Wang Yi back a hundred meters.

This horrified Wang Yi; had his speed been suppressed?

On the other side, Wu Taibai covered his face with a hand as the strange energy boiling over from his body gathered above the palm of his hand and then shot out towards Lu Yin.

At the same time, Xia Jiuyou's Triple Blade Will and Qiu Shi's Celestial Sword both attacked at the same time.

Everyone at the top of Zenith Mountain were among the most powerful members of their generation, and they were all very decisive. Since Lu Yin was antagonizing them, they did not hesitate.

It was clear that every attack was extremely powerful, and both the Triple Blade Will and the Celestial Sword were amazing attacks from ZENITH's top ten finalists. But despite their obvious power, nothing was able to break through the black energy protecting Lu Yin's body.

Wu Taibai landed back on the ground and threw a punch. This was the punch that had once suppressed Yuhua Mavis.

Lu Yin raised his hand and grabbed at Wu Taibai. The invisible energy covering Wu Taibai's body was immediately entangled by the black energy before being broken through, one layer at a time.

No one was more surprised by this than Wu Taibai, though Wang Yi was almost as stunned.

There was a bang as Wu Taibai was thrown away.

The summoned Progenitor Chen stabbed at Lu Yin's head, but Lu Yin simply raised his left arm again. There was another bang, and the resulting impact released a shockwave that left both Xia Jiuyou and Qiu Shi trembling at the bottom of the stairs.

There was a howl as Yao Xuan attacked. As his terrifying spiritual force crashed down, it felt as if the sky itself was collapsing.

However, and the eyes formed from the black energy flashed and the spiritual force attack disappeared as soon as it approached Lu Yin. Both star energy and spiritual force were useless against the energy that Lu Yin was currently using.

Yao Xuan gritted his teeth. Whether or not he would be able to complete Skymender's mission all depended on this battle. At this point in ZENITH, it was clear that no one individual could compare to Lu Yin, so Yao Xuan looked down below the ten staircases. "Attack."

With a roar, Star Devourer returned to his normal massive size, and he raised a paw up high before smashing it down.

When it came to pure strength, there was no one in ZENITH who could compare to Star Devourer. Even in Lu Yin's current condition, Star Devourer was still confident that he would win in a battle of pure strength.

Lu Yin was still standing in the same place as Star Devourer's massive shadow covered Lu Yin, the enormous astral beast towering high above. In response, Lu Yin grabbed the black energy surrounding him, causing it to become something like a chain in his left hand, which he then flung out and wrapped around Star Devourer. Lu Yin was using the black energy to bind the astral beast.

Suddenly, the void around Lu Yin was cut off, and he was surrounded by darkness. This was another secret technique: Black Coffin. Unseen Light had attacked.

The next moment, the coffin sprouted spikes.

Everyone stared to see what had happened to Lu Yin.

However, after the black coffin disappeared, it revealed Lu Yin, completely unscathed.

Unseen Light felt bitter; could even secret techniques not do anything to Lu Yin anymore?

Bai Mai turned towards Lu Yin with an open mouth, and the corpse bug bit at the black energy.

As a species that could even parasitize Progenitors, Bai Mai was able to bite through anything, and its only weakness was being trapped, which was why Liquor Hero's wine had been the bug's nemesis.

However, when Bai Mai bit the black energy, its mouth froze. While it was stunned, Lu Yin grabbed the bug with a hand before exerting pure strength and crushing Bai Mai.

Yao Xuan's pupils constricted sharply; how was this possible?

Xu Ling had wanted to sneak attack Lu Yin, but the moment the Void Wanderer saw what happened to Bai Mai, he panicked and turned to flee.

Bu Kong attacked with a Reversal Cycle, and his palm shot towards Lu Yin.

However, before Bu Kong's palm could touch Lu Yin, the black chain shot out of the void, wrapped around him, and tossed him aside just like Star Devourer.

An image of green leaves appeared on Yuhua Mavis's forehead, and at the same time, God Taiyi stared at Lu Yin from a distance and erased a portion of Lu Yin's runes.n-.0𝒱𝓮𝓁𝗯In

Yuhua Mavis released her punch.

Lu Yin's left hand shot out, and Yuhua Mavis was forced back down to the first layer of Zenith Mountain.

Wu Taibai and Wang Yi both looked at each other. "I didn't expect that we would need to team up while in this starry sky."

Wang Yi felt helpless as well. "It's just that neither of us can win on our own. This guy is just too much of a monster, and he can even compare to those people."

Wu Taibai laughed. "I have to admire him for forcing out such a compliment from a descendant of the distinguished Wang family."

Wang Yi did not bother with any further nonsense, and he charged at Lu Yin. "Four Arts: Bear Stalwart."

On the other side, Wu Taibai also rushed out with the Progenitor of Combat's imprint behind him. The overpowering aura swept out, and a martial print even appeared on the back of Wu Taibai's hand as he punched out.

These two fists represented two unparalleled powers as they smashed into the ground and shuttled through the void.

Lu Yin's right hand slashed across horizontally, and he sighed as dazzling rays of light shone out. The edge of his scythe destroyed the void, and the attack shot out into the space beyond Zenith Mountain.

Fortunately, the Chief Justice arrived in time. Otherwise, this attack would have simply annihilated everyone in that one direction.

Wang Yi and Wu Taibai had both been forced back by a single attack, and they were even injured in the exchange. Blood fell, and all of their fingers on their attacking hands were mangled. They looked quite miserable.

A breeze blew by, and Lu Yin's eyes flickered—the Thirteenth Sword.

Liu Tianmu had made her move. Once again, she was using the Thirteenth Sword: Emotion. The attack bypassed the black energy and directly attacked Lu Yin himself.

But just like before, the Thirteenth Sword was useless against Lu Yin.

Liu Tianmu went pale; was it still useless?

Starsibyl was shocked. There was no need for her to even attempt a divination, as Lu Yin still had not moved a single step!

Even when everyone worked together, they could not get Lu Yin to move a single step. What kind of power was he using? How was it so overwhelming?

Ku Wei and the others had gotten so excited that they were about to faint.

Black and White kept jumping up and down while shouting about how handsome Lu Yin had become.

Above Xi Qi's head, the fish was actually silent as it stared at Lu Yin with a strange expression. This, what was this? It felt so familiar. What the hell was going on?

No one could articulate the shock and chill that they felt from seeing Lu Yin's power.

The strength that he had revealed at this moment was truly incomprehensible, and everyone was even more shocked than when Progenitor Chen and Progenitor Hui had appeared and revealed their power.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1323: Absolutely Invincible

In the Neoverse, Arch-Elder Zen sighed emotionally. The power of the ancient Progenitors was beyond imagination. They were the source of all power, but how had this child inherited such a power? He had a primeval surname, so could he have come from that place?

Suddenly, the old man's expression changed—this was not good! If Lu Yin had revealed such a level of strength, then there was no way that the Sixth Mainland's three Progenitors would allow him to live, especially that Progenitor of Combat. This thought caused Arch-Elder Zen to immediately move out, as he had to ensure Lu Yin's safety.

Arch-Elder Zen's thoughts were accurate. At this moment, the Progenitor of Combat's eyes were filled with a murderous light. The God of Death! That's the power of the God of Death!

This power should not exist, as it should have been erased from history long ago. And yet, the Fifth Mainland actually had someone who had inherited this lost power. This could not be allowed. Never! Once this child became a Progenitor, who could possibly be his opponent? Not the Sixth Mainland's three Progenitors, and not even the invincible Progenitor Chen or the Rune Progenitor who had created the Rune Civilizations would be Lu Yin's opponent.

Since Lu Yin had received the power of the God of Death, it meant that there was a very high probability that he would become a Progenitor in the future. No, he could never be allowed to do so.

The more he thought, the stronger the Progenitor of Combat's killing intent became.n./0𝑣ℯ𝓛𝗯1n

Both the Progenitor of Bloodlines and the Progenitor of Secret Arts knew what was about to happen, but neither of them did anything to stop it.

The hatred between the Sixth and Fifth Mainlands ran too deep and had existed for far too long. They could allow the Fifth Mainland to have one or two Progenitors to help them fight against those monsters. However, the three powerhouses would never allow a Progenitor to rise in the Fifth Mainland who had the potential to overwhelm them.

If the person who had received the power of the God of Death became a Progenitor, then the consequences would be catastrophic, and the threat facing the Sixth Mainland would no longer be just those monsters.

The Progenitor of Combat wanted to make a move, and he could not stop himself from doing so. His power moved to spread across the Fifth Mainland once more. However, as soon as he began to move, he was stopped by a figure.

At the top of Zenith Mountain, Lu Yin had become everyone's target, but no one could force him to move even a single step.

He simply stood there and allowed all attacks to approach him. There was the Thirteenth Sword that had shocked the entire universe, all kinds of secret techniques, battle techniques, speed, and more. It seemed that everything was useless against him.

After Lu Yin swept out with another terrible scythe attack, Wu Taibai, Wang Yi, and all of the others were knocked down from the top of the mountain.

At this moment, Lu Yin had finally managed to satisfy his violent impulses, and a hole had appeared in the cloak that hung around his waist. His strength was running out.

Lu Yin knew this, and he turned to stare at Shang Qing with his scythe raised high.

Shang Qing clenched his fists. He was not obsessed with the title of Pinnacle Youth, and he merely hoped that Lu Yin would be able to help him break past his own limits. However, Shang Qing did not harbor much hope anymore, as he was still unable to break through that barrier. Even if Lu Yin forced things to a life-and-death crisis, it would not be enough to force Shang Qing past that barrier.

Helpless, Shang Qing opened his mouth and said, "I give up."

After his words rang out, Zenith Mountain fell silent, and everyone blankly stared at Lu Yin. Before this final match, who would have guessed that Lu Yin would be the final contender? He was the champion and was incontestably the most powerful youth in all of ZENITH.

At this moment, the entire universe was focused on Lu Yin.

Lu Yin raised his head and let out a long breath. The black energy gradually converged, and the scythe in his right hand slowly dissipated. The white energy on his left arm also disappeared, and the cloud of black energy that had gathered behind him and formed the eyes and chains disappeared as well. Even the cloak around Lu Yin's waist dissipated.

His hair that had grown out to reach his waist also slowly receded to its original length, and his dark eyes regained their pupils.

Countless people watched as Lu Yin returned to his original appearance. The bleeding wounds lacerating his body were so severe that he trembled and almost collapsed.

Using the death energy had made Lu Yin invincible, but it had not reversed time, and his previous injuries had not disappeared. This included the gash on Lu Yin's waist that he had received from Shang Qing's Discipline.

Lu Yin forced his head up and looked at Shang Qing. Lu Yin had to admit that he could not have defeated Shang Qing without using his black and white energy. Without that power, no one would have been Shang Qing's opponent.

Back in the Mountain and Seas Zone, when the Tri-Yang Technique had been revealed, its power had shocked everyone. At the conclusion of ZENITH, people were exponentially more shocked, but that emotion had been shifted over to Lu Yin.

No matter how difficult an opponent like Shang Qing might have been, the power that Lu Yin had revealed had been too stunning.

Lu Yin had not relied on the power of old Progenitors such as Progenitor Chen or Progenitor Hui. Instead, one person had defeated both Progenitor Chen and Progenitor Hui—no, one person had completely overpowered them both.

The Progenitor realm was the final realm of cultivation. Everyone looked up to the power of the Progenitor realm and believed in the invincibility of the Progenitors from the bottom of their hearts. And yet, Lu Yin had just shattered that belief. He was just too powerful.

Invincibility was a trait that could only be recognized after one became a Progenitor, but Lu Yin had already received such an acknowledgement.

Hundreds of rivers all returned to the sea, and throughout the boundless universe, just how many arrogant elites and talented youths were there? Despite that, everyone's glory and power had been completely eclipsed by Lu Yin's.

He had fought with his own strength, himself alone against all of the top experts in ZENITH, and created his legend within the tournament. He had revealed enough strength to be recorded down in the annals of history and become a legend for both the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands.

At this moment, everyone had a feeling that the current era would take the name of Lu, even if Lu Yin had not yet become a Progenitor. He already gave everyone the feeling that he was invincible.

The huge statue trembled as it was carved away by an invisible power. Soon, it took on Lu Yin's appearance, and Zenith Mountain's energy surged. All the energy that had fallen down the mountain at the beginning of the competition roared as it rushed upwards from the base of the mountain, finally exploding in the sky where it shone.

Everyone stared up at the statue.

Something moved within Lu Yin's heart, and he jumped up atop the statue. No one stopped him, as no one qualified to do so.

From here, he looked down upon everyone, all the top experts of his generation that hailed from all parts of the universe. He had surpassed all of them.

An unsuppressable surge of arrogance filled Lu Yin's chest. Without understanding why, Lu Yin stretched out a hand and took the exact same pose as the mountain, as though he was pressing down upon all of Zenith Mountain with a single hand, holding everyone down.

Down below, the expressions of Shang Qing, Wang Yi, Wu Taibai, Bu Kong, Wen Sansi, and all of the others changed slightly. This was utter suppression. Lu Yin was declaring that he would suppress their era.

Lu Yin's mouth curled up into a smile, and his battle force instinctively appeared with purple battle force and red lines shrouded his body. He was currently suppressing everything before him and moving to dominate his entire generation. Then, a thin thread of gold suddenly appeared within the red lines.

This golden color had appeared once before when Lu Yin had stepped atop the Night Watch Pagoda and witnessed the same view that the First Nightking had seen.

However, Lu Yin's achievements had far surpassed those of the First Nightking. Not only did he stand above his peers of the Innerverse and Outerverse, but he had also surpassed his peers from the Cosmic Sea, the Neoverse, the Astral Beast Domain, and even the Sixth Mainland. He had even surpassed historical powerhouses when they had been his age, as he had defeated summons of both Progenitor Chen and Progenitor Hui.

At this moment, that thread of gold could no longer be suppressed, and it quickly spread out to replace the red lines in his battle force.

Lu Yin's eyes flashed, and he immediately hid his battle force. The people watching merely saw a flash of gold, and they did not understand what had just happened.

However, Wu Taibai's pupils shrank; had he really just seen that? Impossible!

Wang Yi also stared hard at Lu Yin. He had seen that brief flicker of golden light as well, and he reflexively glanced over at Wu Taibai, who happened to look at him at the same time. The two seemed to share a common suspicion.

As Lu Yin stood on the head of the statue, he channeled his battle force over his palm to take a look at it. It was no longer nine lined battle force, as there were now golden lines in his battle force. His battle force had undergone some sort of transformation.

When Lu Yin had first started cultivating battle force, the Sandmaster had explained that battle force depended on both ambition and stubbornness. Cultivating battle force required one to overcome their limits, reach for the sky, and then tear through it.

The more domineering a person was, the greater their comprehension of battle force would be.

Lu Yin had just surpassed all living creatures, and it had allowed him to unconsciously break through his nine lined battle force to reach a level that he could not even understand. Lu Yin had never seen or heard of anyone in the Fifth Mainland with golden battle force.

Battle force had nothing to do with one's cultivation. Even a top powerhouse like Yuan Shi who had a power level of more than a million did not necessarily have the arrogance to look down upon all living beings, and it was also possible that such a powerhouse was either unable or unwilling to cultivate battle force.

Everyone had their own path of cultivation that fit them best, and it was even possible for a regular person to unconsciously cultivate battle force.

Lu Yin tended to use the most suitable power at the most suitable time.

People were still watching the screens throughout the universe. The Outerverse had exploded in celebration, and the entire Great Eastern Alliance was cheering. On Earth, in Zhenyuxing, everyone shouted excitedly as they celebrated Lu Yin's victory.

ZENITH had not been an easy tournament. All of the top finalists had revealed powers that ordinary people could not even understand, but in the end, Lu Yin had still defeated them all.

"Seventh Bro, you're all grown up!" Ku Wei shouted excitedly. He remembered the bet that they had made on Lu Yin. Back then, Lu Yin had been given ten to one odds of entering the top three, and they had placed multiple 100 million star essence bets on him. Just how much had they just won? Even though Ku Wei came from a wealthy clan, he still felt a bit dazed by such a sum.

Coco, Black, White, Xi Qi, and many others were absolutely thrilled.

The fish kept smacking his fins against Xi Qi's head. "Look! Lord Fish just gave him some minor pointers, and he immediately became invincible! Hurry up and call down that two-legged beast down! Lord Fish will give him another opportunity to become my ride. Hurry up! "

Xi Qi held her head, as the slapping was hurting her more and more.

Kayze, An Shaohua, and several others stared up with reverence in their eyes. No one knew how far Lu Yin would go in the future, but they were determined to follow him to the end.

Even Yue Xianzi, Sister Leng, and many others looked at Lu Yin with respect in their eyes. From this moment forward, Lu Yin would be a symbol of the Fifth Mainland. No one would have the courage to do anything to him, and the Hall of Honor would do its best to protect both him and his Great Eastern Alliance.

Gu Xiao'er waved his hand in the air. "That's my brother! Big Brother, come here! Over here!"

Ling Que wiped his forehead. "Forget it. I'll accept it even if you become my brother-in-law, you can definitely get that woman to submit."

Outside Zenith Mountain, Wu Da was going crazy as he released his articles and stories. He had been following Lu Yin's actions in ZENITH from beginning to end. Every attack and move that Lu Yin had made had been recorded and analyzed in detail, so Wu Da was definitely going to become famous from this.

On a certain planet, Xuan Jiu stared at his screen. "Well, it seems that I'll have to be the Great Yu Empire's imperial advisor then, haha."

In the Innerverse, Liu Qianjue and the other masters of the eight great flowzones were still in a stunned daze. Lu Yin had won and become the champion. Who would dare make a move against his Great Eastern Alliance now?

Before ZENITH, who could have imagined that Lu Yin would be the ultimate victor? This felt like something from a fantasy story.

The Innerverse powers had plotted extensively before ZENITH, all of them trying to find a way to deal with Lu Yin without aggravating the powers supporting him. However, they had never even considered that they would have to deal with a Lu Yin who had won ZENITH, though this was also partly because there was no way to deal with such a Lu Yin.

The Hall of Honor would do absolutely everything in its power to protect Lu Yin, and the Great Eastern Alliance would naturally be protected by extension. Anybody who moved against Lu Yin or the Great Eastern Alliance would instantly become an enemy of the Hall of Honor, as Lu Yin was now the most important person in the entire universe for them.

Also, they could not forget that Lu Yin would be given an unimaginable opportunity as a prize for winning ZENITH, and it was supposed to be enough to potentially help him become a Progenitor. No one would dare to move against Lu Yin unless they were guaranteed to completely destroy him, as they could no longer afford to offend him.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1324: Top Prize

Liu Qianjue's mouth had gone dry. He had lived for many years, but this was the first time he had ever met a young man that was this difficult to deal with.

Beside the Sword Sect's leader, Elder Lianxin sighed. "What a pity. It would have been great if he had joined our Sword Sect back then."

Upon hearing these words, Liu Qianjue's eyes lit up as a certain thought entered his mind.

Lu Yin had taken first place in ZENITH, which greatly impacted the entire universe. He was not some random independent cultivator, but rather someone with many other powers behind him. It could be said that, by him taking first place, each and every organization related to him would experience fundamental changes.

Lu Yin had previously just been a mere youth, but no one would dare to treat him as such any longer.

It had to be remembered that Lu Yin was still just a Hunter. When he became an Enlighter, his strength would undergo yet another transformation, and he might even be able to challenge Envoys at that time. The more that various people thought about Lu Yin's future, the more terrified they felt.

No matter what the outside universe's reaction to Lu Yin's victory was, at this moment, everyone else had been removed from Zenith Mountain. Lu Yin was the only person permitted to remain behind.

The Chief Justice then appeared and announced to the entire universe that ZENITH's top ten had been determined to be Lu Yin, Shang Qing, Qiu Shi, Xia Jiuyou, Bu Kong, Yao Xuan, Wu Taibai, Yuhua Mavis, Wang Yi, and Liquor Hero.

Every one of them then received a notice from the Chief Justice, telling them to visit the Neoverse's Honor Zone within a certain amount of time. When the time came, the Hall of Honor would take them to the place where they would receive their opportunity.

Lu Yin's heart moved; was their unimaginable opportunity in the Neoverse? After thinking about it, it seemed right. After all, that was where the remnants of the Fifth Mainland lay.

"Child, feel Zenith Mountain!" The Chief Justice's voice entered Lu Yin's ears. Lu Yin felt confused. Feel the mountain? What was that supposed to mean?

Without any further explanation, his perspective suddenly shifted, and the scenery changed completely. He saw stars orbiting before him, and there was also a spacecraft off in the distance that was no larger than an ant. He even saw the Chief Justice, though he could not see the man's face. Whose perspective was this? The statue's?

Lu Yin lowered his head to look at the statue beneath his feet in surprise. He had been correct—his current perspective was that of the statue's, but how was this possible? It was just a statue, so how was this possible?

At the same time, in the Neoverse's Honor Zone, several people were visiting Arch-Elder Zen. These powerhouses had worked together in front of the Stellular Tempest to stop the Neohuman Alliance's Blackless God, and at this moment, all of these elders had gathered in front of Arch-Elder Zen.

"Arch-Elder Zen, do you really intend to give Zenith Mountain to that child? It should be given to Shang Qing," an old man protested.

Arch-Elder Zen remained calm. "The reward designated for the ultimate victor of ZENITH is Zenith Mountain. Do you wish to discredit my Hall of Honor?"

"You can change the prize. Zenith Mountain is incredibly important. I have raised Shang Qing within the Hall of Honor, so I am willing to see him receive the mountain. But this Lu Yin-"

The elder hesitated a moment, but someone else picked up where he left off. "This child has an unknown, dark power. He even somehow escaped from the Neohuman Alliance after being captured by them, which is completely unbelievable.n)(𝓸-(𝑽)-𝚎/(𝑙(-𝔟-(I((n

"This child is apparently using death energy, and as long as he has death energy, he can be easily controlled by the Specter clan. Arch-Elder Zen, please reconsider," the elder pressed.

Arch-Elder Zen let out a long breath as he stared at the gathered elders. "Do you think that, given the state he entered during the finale, the Specter clan can actually control him?"

The gathered elders looked at each other before looking back at Arch-Elder Zen in confusion.

Arch-Elder Zen smiled. "I'm not sure, but have you all heard of the legends of the God of Death before?"

In the Innerverse's Chaos Flowzone, Lu Yin was feeling confused; how was it possible for his perspective to overlap with that of the statue at the top of Zenith Mountain? It was a statue that was made of stone. It was not a person, and he also had not Possessed it through his die.

Lu Yin's perspective shifted once again, seeing through the statue's eyes. He unconsciously swayed, and Zenith Mountain shook with his movement. He was able to control Zenith Mountain.

A tiny dot then appeared in front of him. It was the Chief Justice, who was still shrouded in darkness.

Seeing that the Chief Justice had appeared, Lu Yin quickly switched back to his own body's perspective and slowly greeted the older man. "Junior Lu Yin greets the Chief Justice."

"The top ten have been confirmed, but there is a special prize reserved for the champion of ZENITH—the Hall of Honor is awarding you with this Zenith Mountain," the Chief Justice explained.

When Lu Yin had first switched to the statue's perspective, he had already guessed that this would happen. "Might I trouble Senior and ask what is so special about Zenith Mountain?"

The Chief Justice flatly answered, "Zenith Mountain is one of the most precious treasures that my Hall of Honor has. It is incredibly durable, can turn large or small, and can also be activated with the user's star energy to protect them from external damage. The more star energy used, the better and stronger the protection will be. In theory, it can protect a person from an attack with a power level of one million."

Lu Yin was stunned. "One- one million?"

He immediately became short of breath. This mountain was actually a priceless treasure that could block attacks with a power level of one million. This was unbelievable. It was no wonder why Zenith Mountain would be considered as one of the Hall of Honor's most precious treasures reserved as a prize for the champion of ZENITH.

Lu Yin looked down with excitement before squatting down and lovingly stroking the statue. This thing was truly a treasure.

He had automatically ignored the Chief Justice's comment about how the degree of protection that the mountain provided was directly proportional to the amount of star energy used.

Zenith Mountain had been the battleground for ZENITH, but no matter how powerful or what methods the youths used to attack the mountain, they had only managed to damage its surface. The deepest damage was when Lu Yin had unleashed an attack with death energy in his transformed state. And yet, when the size of the entire mountain was taken into account, even this was barely a scratch on the surface of Zenith Mountain.

Since the mountain could change size and turn large or small, it meant that, not only would Lu Yin be able to use it for his own protection, but he could also smash people with the mountain.

"Shrink Zenith Mountain and take it with you," the Chief Justice said as he watched Lu Yin stroke the statue.

Lu Yin saluted the Chief Justice once again. He could tell that this mysterious Chief Justice always seemed to take good care of him. Despite having only met the powerhouse twice, Lu Yin had a strong impression of the man's kindness.

Then, Lu Yin switched his perspective back to the statue and began to gradually figure out how to control Zenith Mountain.

After all, this mountain was one of the Hall of Honor's most treasured possessions, and the elders had not actually wanted to give it to Lu Yin as they did not want the mountain to fall into an outsider's hands.

It was not easy to gain control of the mountain.

After several days, Lu Yin was still only able to shrink Zenith Mountain down to the size of a planet, though that was still too large for him to move. According to what Lu Yin had learned from the Chief Justice, he needed to shrink the mountain down until it was small enough to be stored in a cosmic ring, which was not something that Lu Yin could accomplish in just a few days.

However, because of the Chief Justice's words, Lu Yin did not dare to leave before he could shrink the mountain down to the necessary size.

Helpless, Lu Yin could only continue with his attempts.

Outside Zenith Mountain, the other contestants all left one after another. Many people wanted to say goodbye to Lu Yin, but they were all unable to reach him.

Xia Luo left soon after ZENITH ended, as he was afraid of being targeted by the Xia family.

Many people had participated in ZENITH, and each one had their own grudges and problems. Naturally, Xia Luo needed to leave as early as possible in order to take advantage of the chaos.

The Mavis family also left shortly. Yuhua Mavis had entered the top ten, but she had ultimately lost to both Wu Taibai and Lu Yin in battles of strength, and she was not happy with these results.

Black and White were also taken away, while Qian Zou hitched a ride with Eversky Island.

Gu Xiao'er also left, but before leaving, he let everyone know that he was friends with Lu Yin.

Everyone eventually left, and after half a month, the once bustling region of space now only had a Zenith Mountain that was the size of a spacecraft. The reporters who had covered the event were now banned and blocked from recording anything, so people were only able to witness the change to Zenith Mountain with their own eyes.

It was magical to watch as the massive Zenith Mountain that had once been so large that multiple stars and planets had revolved around it become so tiny. Even an idiot could tell that this mountain was valuable, and it was clearly a priceless treasure.

At this time, all of the irrelevant people had been driven away by people from Chaosgod Mountain and the Great Eastern Alliance.

After a few more days, Lu Yin finally managed to shrink Zenith Mountain to the point where he could fit it in his cosmic ring. He then looked around but had no idea when the Chief Justice had left.

Lu Yin felt that it was a pity, as he really wanted to get closer to the Chief Justice.

Outer space was quite dark, and all he could see were people from his Great Eastern Alliance, and further away, some people from Chaosgod Mountain.

"Congratulations to Alliance Leader Lu! Invincible throughout the universe!" Thousands of people from the Great Eastern Alliance congratulated Lu Yin in unison, and the sound spread everywhere.

"Congratulations to Alliance Leader Lu for becoming the Pinnacle Youth! Invincible throughout the universe!"

"Congratulations to Alliance Leader Lu for becoming the Pinnacle Youth! Invincible throughout the universe!"

Lu Yin waved a hand to stop them as he looked around. "Let's head back to the Great Eastern Alliance."

"Yes, Alliance Leader."

Before Lu Yin left, Cang Zhou, the master of Chaosgod Mountain, went to speak with Lu Yin. This time, he was very emotional. "This old man only managed to reach the Cruiser realm when I was your age. I am truly incomprable to you"

Lu Yin and Cang Zhou faced each other, and Lu Yin responded to the words with a smile. "Senior is the real winner for being able to reach your current level."

Cang Zhou smiled and replied, "There's a deeper intention behind your words."

Lu Yin shrugged in response. "There are many people who seem to believe that I, Lu Yin, have already made such great accomplishments that I will only become a myth the moment I die."

Cang Zhou looked at Lu Yin. "Die? It's not good to say such things. Even if this old man harbors any ill intention towards you, it won't be easy to execute them now when you've grown this much."

"Senior is too kind with your words. This junior knows my strength, and I haven't reached the level where I can challenge an Envoy yet, let alone a top powerhouse like yourself," Lu Yin said.

Cang Zhou frowned. "It's not good to beat around the bush, and since I'm an old man, I'll just be direct."

As he spoke, Cang Zhou stared into Lu Yin's eyes. "How far do you intend to spread your Great Easter Alliance?"

Lu Yin's gaze grew sharper as he stared at Cang Zhou in silence.

Cang Zhou's brows rose up. "Can you not answer, or is it that you don't even know yourself? Let's change the question then—what do you want from this universe?"

Lu Yin smiled. "Senior is looking up towards this junior too much. With my current strength, how could I even qualify to speak about matters on the scale of the entire universe?"

Cang Zhou shook his head and sighed. "It's true that others are indeed unqualified. Not even Shang Qing, the Hall of Honor's first Honor Chosen, would qualify. However, you are different. You have the strength, ambition, opportunity, and talent, and you're now also invincible within your generation. Winning ZENITH has also won you the full support of the Hall of Honor, and this chance that you have won may give you a chance to become a Progenitor in the future.

"A possible future Progenitor is someone who will draw everyone's attention, even if you are only a Hunter at the moment. Your current strength is no longer all that you are."

After hearing Cang Zhou's words, Lu Yin knew that if he did not respond correctly at this time, he might end up being forsaken by everyone in the future. After all, a potential Progenitor was not the same as a true Progenitor. No one wanted their own interests to be threatened, even if it was by some powerful Progenitor.

Even ants knew how to resist, but Lu Yin was still far from reaching the level where he could view these people as ants.

All people worried for their own futures, and Cang Zhou was simply testing the waters. If Lu Yin had the ambition to unite both the Outerverse and the Innerverse, then he would definitely have to eventually face the Innerverse's hostility. No matter how much support the Hall of Honor gave Lu Yin, the Innerverse powers could only be forced so far.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1325: Attempt

The Hall of Honor was the master of the Fifth Mainland, but not its ruler.

Even they could not rule the Fifth Mainland all on their own.

At this moment, Cang Zhou represented not only his Chaosgod Mountain, but also the Sword Sect, the Lingling clan, and the other major forces of the Innerverse.

After thinking about his response for some time, Lu Yin smiled and said, "Senior, this junior can only say that, to my friends, I will be righteous, but for my enemies, I will leave nothing."

Cang Zhou's gaze grew heavier. "Speak clearly, as this old man is rather uncultured."

"This junior will not take the initiative to provoke anyone. Is this good enough?" Lu Yin said.

Cang Zhou frowned. "Yes."

Clearly, he was not convinced.

Lu Yin smiled and continued to explain. "The Outerverse only managed to unite in order to resist the Sixth Mainland's invasion. This junior hoped to protect the Outerverse, and Senior should be aware that I did not alter the Outerverse much. Rather, I simply dealt with those who tried to block my path.

"As for the Innerverse, the Blaze Realm had been an enemy since long ago, and the so-called 'Purge' was something plotted by the Blaze Realm. In that case, wouldn't it have been too cowardly for me to not deal with such an obvious threat?"

"You truly have no intentions for the Innerverse?" Cang Zhou asked.

Lu Yin answered honestly, "Yes, I do."

Cang Zhou's brows rose high.

Lu Yin sighed and explained again. "The Outerverse has been given over to the Sixth Mainland, so this junior hopes to find somewhere in the Innerverse for the people of the Outerverse to live."

Cang Zhou was not surprised by Lu Yin's response. "The Hall of Honor must already be considering this matter, so there's no reason for you to be too concerned."

Lu Yin nodded. "True, but ever since this junior first started on the path of cultivation, many people have tried to stop me or make things difficult for me, especially the Daynight clan. This junior has had to protect myself many times, so please don't misunderstand me, Senior."

Cang Zhou felt that Lu Yin's explanation was a bit weak, but he also could not deny Lu Yin's words. He was unable to force Lu Yin to admit that he wanted to unite the Innerverse, so what else could the old man say?

Lu Yin's words had also somewhat reassured Cang Zhou. It was true that the Blaze Realm and the Daynight clan had both been bitter enemies of Lu Yin, and it did make sense to deal with such threats.

Inexplicably, Cang Zhou suddenly laughed. He had realized that he was actually nervous. The child in front of him was just a Hunter, and even if there was a chance of him becoming a Progenitor in the future, that day was too far off. The Innerverse was massive, so how could Lu Yin hope to unify such a large area? Even the Hall of Honor had never succeeded, and the Cosmic Sea and the Neoverse would naturally never allow such a thing to happen.

The more Cang Zhou thought about his fears, the more absurd they appeared to be. Thus, he laughed at himself. His thoughts had been disturbed by Lu Yin winning first place in ZENITH, and even more so by the reactions of Liu Qianjue and the other leaders of the Innerverse. They had all looked down on Lu Yin too much, but it was true that he was still a child.

Lu Yin looked up, his eyes bright and his smile honest. Cang Zhou suddenly said, "I did ask one question that you didn't answer: what do you want from this universe?"

Lu Yin thought for a moment, smiled brightly, and then replied, "This junior likes money. The more, the better."

Cang Zhou was stunned. He had considered many possible different answers, but this one had never even entered his mind. However, he did remember reading a report on Lu Yin that claimed that Lu Yin loved money and had an insatiable greed. Could it be true? Was this the way to woo him?

Lu Yin raised his head as he thought some more. "I remember that Starsibyl once asked this junior the question, 'What is the path to strength?"

Cang Zhou's eyes lit up. He had also been asked this question in the past, as there had been many generations of Starsibyls. Upon hearing Lu Yin's statement, Cang Zhou grew very curious. "What was your answer?"

Lu Yin smiled and replied, "One can become strong by earning more money. That was my answer at the time."

Cang Zhou pursed his lips, clearly caught off guard.n-/O𝒱𝑒𝑙𝔟1n

When Starsibyl had asked Lu Yin her question, other than the two of them, only Hai Dashao and the Sea King had heard Lu Yin's answer.

At that time, Hai Dashao had been embarrassed by Lu Yin's response, so he had not said anything about it to anyone. As for the Sea King, he had naturally kept the matter to himself. Thus, Lu Yin's words had never leaked out.

Cang Zhou felt that something was strange, and there was a different look in his eyes as he observed Lu Yin.

In the past, this child had confronted and threatened a group of the leaders of the Innerverse's top powers to the point where they had been forced to temporarily suspend the Purge. At that time, Cang Zhou had greatly admired Lu Yin. That conversation had also been the greatest source of Lu Yin's unease after ZENITH, as it had actually prompted this entire conversation. However, how was Cang Zhou supposed to rectify the discrepancy between the domineering Lu Yin that he had met before and this money grubber before him?

How could the dignified master of Chaosgod Mountain be associated with mere money?

Although the Purge had been intended to break up the Great Eastern Alliance so that the Innerverse could resume profiting off of the Outerverse, and Chaosgod Mountain would naturally receive a portion of those profits, Cang Zhou had never lacked for resources. After all, he had never been personally involved with the finances, but at this moment, he was actually having a conversation with a junior about money. After all, Lu Yin was a child whom Cang Zhou had been about to offer a gift to.

Cang Zhou was left completely speechless.

"Cough, this old man has something that I need to do, so I'll head out first," Cang Zhou said awkwardly. It was clear that he did not know how to react to Lu Yin.

Lu Yin bade his farewells. "Take care, Senior."

Cang Zhou left, and Lu Yin stared at the old man's back. The smile on Lu Yin's face gradually disappeared. Although he had secured first place at ZENITH, making the top powers of the Innerverse too scared to act out against the Great Eastern Alliance, it was impossible for Lu Yin to push any further. After all, anything more would intrude on the Innerverse's territory.

If Lu Yin's Great Eastern Alliance pushed any further, he would be targeted by the entire Innerverse, as well as the Cosmic Sea, the Neoverse, and even the Sixth Mainland.

Most of the people from the Great Eastern Alliance had already left now, and only Wendy Yushan and a few other people stayed behind to follow Lu Yin back to the Blaze Realm.

This was Wendy Yushan's first time actually visiting the Blaze Realm.

When Lu Yin boarded the spacecraft, Ku Wei hurriedly offered his congratulations. "Seventh Bro, you're just too powerful! You're invincible! Seventh Bro is invincible. Invincible!"

Lu Yin casually pulled away, as he did not have the energy to deal with Ku Wei at the moment.

As Lu Yin continued forward, Dwayne Daynight slowly greeted him. "Congratulations, Alliance Leader."

Lu Yin nodded and then looked at Wendy Yushan and Zhuo Daynight, but neither of the two women had much to say.

Lu Yin felt that the atmosphere had turned slightly awkward.

"Seventh Bro, just now, there was some guy called Wu Da who wanted to interview you, but I just kicked him out. Who the hell does he think he is? A mere Explorer wants to interview Seventh Bro? How ridiculous!" As Lu Yin's loyal follower and official sycophant, Ku Wei immediately felt the need to show his usefulness.

"Also, there was someone else called Zi Jing who called, but I drove her away as well," Ku Wei continued to brag.

Lu Yin was stunned for a moment, and then he focused cold and angry eyes onto Ku Wei.

Ku Wei instantly panicked. "What? What's wrong?"

"Zi Jing is the boss of CyNet," Lu Yin casually explained.

Ku Wei's mouth dropped open. "That's ridiculous!"

"Where is she?" Lu Yin already had a headache, but he really wanted to work with CyNet.

Ku Wei's mouth twitched. "We should just go. Before kicking her out, I told her that if Seventh Bro was free in the future, you'd go see her at her place."

Lu Yin felt helpless. "Don't casually offend so many people in the future, or else I'll keep you chained up on Zenyu Star."

Ku Wei immediately promised to behave in the future.

Everyone then left, as Lu Yin wanted to visit Xia Luo and some others.

"Where's the betting money? How did things go? Did you already get the payout?" Lu Yin still remembered the 100 million star essence that he had bet on him entering the top three of ZENITH. This was a very important subject to him.

As soon as he heard Lu Yin's question, Ku Wei's face turned ugly. "About that, the bookkeeper can't be reached."

Lu Yin's eyebrows shot up. "What did you just say? Why not? They're a huge bookkeeper with countless clients. Everyone had to have been watching them, so how did they manage to get away?"

Ku Wei explained, "Everyone left behind was left to die. They've already been questioned, but they don't know anything, and there's no money left despite how big the bookkeeper was."

As he spoke, Ku Wei felt increasingly uneasy.

They had just lost 100 million star essence. No, it was actually a billion. That was a massive amount even for a superpower like the Seven Courts.

Lu Yin's face turned cold and terrifying.

Ku Wei became even more frightened. "Seven- Seventh Bro, are you alright?"

Lu Yin's eyes were filled with a cold murderous light. They expected him to just walk away from a loss of a billion star essence? How could he accept that? Fortunately, Lu Yin had others supporting him, and although he was not sure how much he would be able to recover, he would definitely track down this bookkeeper. No matter who it was, they would not be able to flee from him.

Lu Yin was fully confident that, even if the power behind the bookkeeper was one of the Hall of Honor's overseers like Bu Laoweng, Lu Yin would be able to force them to cough up his money. He might even make them double what they owed him.

The vessel was headed for the Blaze Realm. ZENITH had finished, and Lu Yin had become a legend.

He had defeated all of the other finalists on his own after enduring countless attacks, numerous secret techniques and combat skills. In the end, he had won. There was not even a question as to whether or not Lu Yin deserved his victory, and ZENITH would become an event that would be remembered and relived for countless years.

In a spacecraft filled with all kinds of equipment, everybody aboard the vessel was busy, and there were numerous screens playing videos on a loop. Each and every video was of Lu Yin's last battle.

"Hurry up! We need to get the jump on everyone else and edit all of Lu Yin's fights so we can share them on the network first!"

"Hurry up! Everyone else is rushing as well, so we need to hurry."

Suddenly, the original video of Lu Yin's final battle disappeared from the screen, and all that was left behind was a code of numbers that everyone was familiar with. This meant that this content had been banned from being posted on the network.

"What's going on? Where's the video? Come on, where's the connection? What's going on?"

"Brother, it's not good. The video's been banned by CyNet."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that all of the videos of Lu Yin's fights have been banned."

"It's not just Lu Yin. The content around all of ZENITH's top ten's battles has all been banned."

"Hurry up and make copies of the videos."

"It's useless. With CyNet's abilities, no matter where we post the videos, the moment we connect to the network, all the content will be scrubbed away. There's no point."

"Why?"

"What happened?"

This same scene reoccurred all across the universe. No matter where they were, as long as they connected to the network, the videos of ZENITH's top ten would be removed.

These top ten youths represented the future of the entire universe, and it was expected that each one of them would become top powerhouses. Since that was the case, how could videos of their fights be allowed to casually circulate through the network?

This had actually been agreed upon even before the start of ZENITH.

No one wanted to be incessantly researched and studied. Everyone in ZENITH had their own enemies, and who was to say that those enemies would not be able to find weaknesses by studying the videos from ZENITH?

Even Lu Yin was unwilling to be subjected to such intense study, even if his strength was something that was incomprehensible to others.

Lu Yin's vessel steadily continued on through outer space.

Wendy Yushan checked on Lu Yin's wound. "It's fine."

Lu Yin replied, "I used some medicine to treat the injury after ZENITH ended, and quite a bit of time has already passed."

"Well, the energy left in that wound must be very painful," Wendy Yushan said.

Lu Yin shrugged. He had been cut by the summoned Progenitor Chen's knife, and the wound had been filled with its energy in the same manner as how Shang Rong had left his own energy in Ling Gong's wound years ago.

The best way to deal with such residual energy was through lockbreaking, which was how Lu Yin had helped Ling Gong when she had been injured. However, in Lu Yin's case, Wendy was helping him heal the wound. Her innate gift was healing, and the results were readily apparent.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1326: Rewind

"By the way, I'm curious. How did you break through Zhi Yi's Vitality Qi?" Lu Yin asked.

Wendy Yushan stayed silent for a while, but just when she was about to answer, Lu Yin interrupted her. "Looks like I guessed right. You have a power that you've kept hidden, but that shouldn't have been enough for you to challenge Zhi Yi, so don't bother telling me."

Wendy Yushan looked at Lu Yin and said, "Rewind."

Lu Yin was confused. "What about rewinding?"

Wendy Yushan sat down across from Lu Yin, her long hair hanging down in cascades. She was a natural and graceful beauty, and at this moment, she was not holding her sword. "My innate gift is called Rewind."

"It isn't healing?" Lu Yin wondered.

Wendy Yushan explained, "Rewinding, as in going back in time."

Lu Yin's face changed, as this reply stunned him. "Going back in time? You can rewind time?"

Wendy Yushan remained calm. "In front of other people, I've always called my innate gift one of healing, but in truth, I'm not actually healing people. Rather, I'm simply rewinding time at the location of a wound to before the injury was received."

Lu Yin could not believe what he was hearing. Time was a great mystery of the universe. Even with Lu Yin's current status, he still had never heard of anyone being able to control time. When Mister Mu or Blackless God had appeared before Lu Yin, it felt like they had frozen time itself, but Lu Yin was not certain if that was what actually happened. They could have frozen time, or they could have frozen everything around themselves.

And yet, right in front of Lu Yin, there was Wendy Yushan. This was someone whom he was very familiar with, and yet she was claiming to be able to control time!? What a joke.

"Really?" Lu Yin asked again.

Wendy Yushan was a very cold person, and she was like this to everyone. However, she did add something to her explanation for Lu Yin. "As long as I'm not dealing with an item, I can use this innate gift somewhat freely, so it works best for healing and less so fighting. I also can't use it to look back into people's past. Maybe I'll be able to do so in the future, but I can't for the time being."

Lu Yin suddenly understood. It was no wonder why she had been able to ignore Zhi Yi's Vitality Qi—all Wendy had needed to do was reverse time slightly for everything in front of her sword. Then, there would be no need for her to break through the Vitality Qi, as she had not actually touched the barrier at all, though to everyone watching, it would look as if Wendy had shattered Zhi Yi's Star Dipper.

Her innate gift was related to time.

Lu Yin just stared at Wendy Yushan in complete shock. What she had just told him was even more shocking than when he had learned about her family's secret technique. If word of her innate gift leaked out, the attention she would receive from the universe to her might just be as much as Lu Yin had..

"Besides me, who else knows about your innate gift?" Lu Yin asked.

Wendy Yushan glanced back at him. "No one."

"Where's your father?" Lu Yin could not resist asking.

Wendy Yushan stared at Lu Yin. "Do you really think that he's still alive?"

Lu Yin did not answer, and Wendy also remained silent.

Lu Yin suddenly smelled a refreshing fragrance. When he looked at Wendy Yushan's slender figure, her long black hair, and her beautiful face, he was suddenly struck by an inexplicable impulse. At this moment, he did not know why he felt a special attraction towards Wendy…

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence, "Seventh Bro, we've entered Ascension Flowzone, and the Xun family has sent you an invitation to meet with them and talk."

Ku Wei interrupted the atmosphere, and that strange impulse instantly vanished.

He glanced over at Wendy Yushan, and she was still staring at him, making Lu Yin feel somewhat guilty. "Well, I'll head out now."

Wendy Yushan nodded. "Be careful—the Xun family might not have good intentions."

"Don't worry, I already know," Lu Yin said. He then left the vessel.

In front of his spacecraft, Lu Yin saw a massive ship that was many times larger than his own. This large ship was not made of metal, but rather wood. In fact, it looked like a toy that had been blown up to absurd proportions and then sent out into outer space. This was the Xun family's spacecraft.

The Xun family's Gear Construction Technique was well-known throughout the universe. Their combat style was also the foundation for their lifestyle, and even their spacecraft and architecture were based off of this Gear Construction Technique.

The Xun family wielded a great deal of influence in the universe, and many different organizations had used the family's Gear Construction Technique to complete certain tasks. Specifically, when it came to exploring ancient tombs or other similar tasks, the Xun family could be quite useful.

Needless to say, the Xun family had always held some degree of enmity with Lu Yin, especially when he had been stuck in the Outerverse. At that time, the Xun family had forced Lu Yin to reveal some things to Elder Lohar.

In the middle of outer space, a group gathered to meet Lu Yin. Their leader was an ordinary looking, middle-aged man with an elegant temperament. He approached Lu Yin with a smile and said, "Alliance Leader Lu, I am Xun Baitao, patriarch of the Xun family. I hereby invite Alliance Leader Lu into my home for a talk".

Lu Yin stared at Xun Baitao. He was Xun Jiong's father, and the two looked very similar.

Lu Yin then looked past Xun Baitao and saw Xun Jiong behind his father. Xun Jiong was pale, and he seemed to have been seriously injured.

He had also participated in ZENITH, and he had been eliminated by Liu Tianmu's Fifth Sword, which had taken Xun Jiong's left arm, but fortunately left him with his life.

"Patriarch Xun, it would seem that there is nothing for your Xun family to say to me," Lu Yin bluntly replied.

Lu Yin's words infuriated an old man standing behind Xun Baitao. "Alliance Leader Lu, this is Ascension Flowzone. My Xun family is the ruler of this flowzone, and we have invited Alliance Leader Lu to a meeting. You are being too arrogant by not offering us any respect."

Xun Baitao immediately reprimanded the old man. "Xun Ye, silence."

Lu Yin's eyes snapped over to the old man, and his expression grew sharp. "I'm speaking with your patriarch, and yet you dare to interrupt?"

After Lu Yin spoke, the elder was suddenly overcome by a space of darkness, and his mind was dazed. He was unable to stop himself from coughing up blood and collapsing.

Xun Baitao quickly moved in front of Xun Ye. "Alliance Leader Lu, if you have something to say, then please be merciful and tell us."

Lu Yin had used Night Advent just now, and even though the elder was an Enlighter, he could not resist Lu Yin attack. After all, the old man's power level was only a bit more than 200,000, and his strength could not compare to any of the youths who had entered ZENITH's top ten.

Xun Jiong stared at Lu Yin in horror, and fear reached the very bottom depths of his heart.

Lu Yin did not continue attacking, and he retracted his spiritual force. His intentions had just been to teach the old man a lesson, not seriously attack him. After all, if Lu Yin had wanted to, then he could have simply used Daynight Praises to kill the old man.

The old man was panting heavily, and he looked like a fish that had been taken out of water.

As an elder of the Xun family, he had always focused his efforts on cultivating the family's Gear Construction Technique, and he had never paid much attention to the outside world. Even during ZENITH, although he had watched it in amazement, he had lacked any sort of real understanding of the top ten's power.

Due to the elder's excellent relationship with Xun Jiong, he had heard about the previous grievances between Lu Yin and Xun Jiong, as well as between Lu Yin and the entire Xun family. Thus, the old man had wanted to teach Lu Yin a lesson, but instead, the elder had been the one to be taught one.

Xun Ye, a strong Enlighter with a power level that exceeded 200,000, had almost instantly died to a child before he could even move. He expected that he would never forget the terror of this moment for the rest of his life.

Was this the strength of the younger generation? Xun Ye felt that he was getting quite old, as even a child was able to terrify him now.

Xun Jiong responded in a straightforward manner, and he remained silent as he lowered his head, not daring to even look at Lu Yin.

Xun Baitao quickly apologized to Lu Yin. "Thank you, Alliance Leader Lu, for showing kindness. Elder Xun Ye has been studying the Gear Construction Technique in isolation for a long time, and so he is quite uninformed of the outside world. Please don't be angry, Alliance Leader Lu."

Lu Yin's expression softened a bit. As far as he was concerned, Xun Ye was just a random nobody. Yes, he might be an Enlighter, but to Lu Yin, even Enlighters were nobodies who did not matter.n𝑂𝑣𝗲(𝗅𝑏(In

"Patriarch Xun, what is it that you want by coming here? It's clearly not to just catch up. As I said, there is nothing that needs to be discussed with your Xun family," Lu Yin spoke indifferently. Given his current status, there was no need for him to show the Xun family any respect.

Xun Baitao smiled apologetically. "In the past, there was a bit of a misunderstanding between my son, Xun Jiong, and Alliance Leader Lu. My Xun family has arranged a banquet, and I would like to invite Alliance Leader Lu to attend so that I can congratulate you and personally apologize."

As his father spoke, Xun Jiong walked forward and knelt without any hint of hesitation. "Alliance Leader Lu, this one was a small man with no eyes, and I beg for Alliance Leader Lu's forgiveness."

Lu Yin arched a brow as he looked back up at Xun Baitao. In Xun Baitao's eyes, all Lu Yin could see was kindness and a trace of hope.

Given Lu Yin's current status and glorious future, it was perfectly normal for any organization to try to curry favor with him at this time. Even Chaosgod Mountain's Cang Zhou had tried to get closer to Lu Yin and had spoken to him as an equal. However, the Xun family was different, as they were traitors to the entire Fifth Mainland.

"I also ask that Alliance Leader Lu allow us to honor you, as my Xun family is very grateful." Xun Baitao slowly bowed to Lu Yin.

As the Xun family's patriarch, Xun Baitao himself was a powerhouse with a power level of more than 400,000. That was not a level that just anyone could reach.

Lu Yin nodded. "Very well. Patriarch Xun, please lead the way."

Xun Baitao was overjoyed. "Alliance Leader Lu, please follow me."

"Very well."

The Xun family had already set up a banquet, and it would either be on their main planet or in the wooden vessel in front of Lu Yin. Xun Baitao explained that the ship was the Xun family's pride and that only their most distinguished guests were allowed to enter it.

Lu Yin's expression remained calm. While a slight smile could be seen on his face, Xun Baitao was far more enthusiastic. The Xun family waited on Lu Yin hand and foot, and it did not take long for them to arrive at the banquet hall.

Aboard Lu Yin's own ship, Ku Wei muttered to himself about how Seventh Bro had not taken him along to the banquet. Along with that line of thought, Ku Wei went pale that he would not be able to perform for Lu Yin.

Wendy Yushan frowned as she looked at the Xun family's vessel off in the distance. She was fully aware of the enmity between Lu Yin and the Xun family, though she did not know what Lu Yin was thinking about at this moment.

The Xun family's Gear Construction Technique was famous throughout the universe, and Lu Yin was very curious about it.

When Xun Baitao heard this, he immediately called for some of the family's youths to compete and put on a performance that would fulfill all of Lu Yin's desires. At the same time, the patriarch arranged for two beautiful women to sit next to Lu Yin. If he wished to eat, then all he had to do was open his mouth—nothing else was necessary.

Lu Yin was really not used to such extravagant treatment.

"Patriarch Xun, given the Xun family's children's excellent control over the Gear Construction Technique, it should not be difficult for them to improve their star energy control. I'm curious, who has developed the most profound star energy control in the history of your Xun family? What realm did they achieve?"

Xun Baitao replied, "Alliance Leader Lu is exaggerating. My Xun family has indeed combined star energy into different forms and has also come up with various methods to use it. However, these methods rely on ingenuity, and they are actually a non-standard form of star energy control. The person who achieved the greatest level of star energy control was an elder from 7,000 years ago, and he managed to reach the Worldliness realm of control, which is basically the limit."

"Oh? Is it that difficult to reach the Creation realm of star energy control?" Lu Yin was genuinely curious, as he did not have much experience in improving his star energy control. After all, improving his control to that level required a certain amount of luck as well as comprehension.

During ZENITH, Liquor Hero's fights had opened Lu Yin's eyes. The way in which she had absorbed everything into her world of star energy had looked like a god's ability, and watching her had aroused a sense of envy in Lu Yin. It would be wonderful if he could also improve his star energy control to the Creation realm.

Xun Baitao sighed. "Creation, that is a truly legendary realm. Reaching that level has nothing to do with strength, as comprehension, talent, and luck are each indispensable without measure. My Xun family has never received such a blessing. Even if you search through the entire universe, there should not be more than five people who have reached that realm of star energy control, and in the younger generation, only Liquor Hero has accomplished such a miracle. If a member of my Xun family managed to reach that level, then we would be able to soar to greater heights in power as a family and not be limited to just Ascension Flowzone."

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1327: Means

Upon hearing Xun Baitao's words, Lu Yin's eyes flashed. "The Xun family doesn't want to be restricted to Ascension Flowzone?"

Xun Baitao was caught off guard, and he let out a dry laugh. "Haha, everyone wants to step further, as that's simply human nature."

"Yes, it is indeed human nature," Lu Yin agreed with a smile.

At the side, one of the women arranged by Xun Baitao leaned closer and pressed her body up against Lu Yin, practically setting herself in his arms.

Lu Yin could no longer accept the situation, and he had the two women move back. They were both disappointed, and as they left, they both looked at Lu Yin with smoldering eyes.

The banquet enjoyed quite a harmonious atmosphere. Lu Yin was quite curious about the Xun family's Gear Construction Technique, the Xun family itself, and even Ascension Flowzone. So, Xun Baitao answered his every question.

After a while, Xun Jiong approached Lu Yin and respectfully greeted him. "This little brother was reckless, and I offended Alliance Leader Lu. I beg for Alliance Leader Lu's forgiveness, and this little brother will punish himself with three cups of wine."1

Lu Yin suddenly stopped the youth and said with a smile, "Brother Xun doesn't need to do this. I, Lu Yin, am not one to hold a grudge, and our disagreement was written off long ago."

Xun Jiong felt grateful. He had lost his left arm to Liu Tianmu's Fifth Sword, and he would not be able to exert his full strength for some time in this weakened state.

Lu Yin then said, "Brother Xun must have done this to make me, Lu Yin, look stingy. Since Brother Xun wants to drink, then I'll accompany you." After speaking, Lu Yin poured a glass of wine.

Xun Jiong quickly said, "Thank you, Alliance Leader Lu."

After that, he drank the wine in his own glass.

Lu Yin also downed his entire glass.

When he saw Lu Yin finish his drink, the smile on Xun Baitao's face grew even brighter. "Alliance Leader Lu is magnanimous, and I, Xun Baitao, will also offer a toast to Alliance Leader Lu."

Lu Yin could not refuse the toast.

After several more cups, Lu Yin shook his head and suddenly had to grab the table with his hands to support himself, and he vigorously shook his head.

Seeing Lu Yin's condition, Xun Baitao and Xun Jiong exchanged an odd look.

Resentment flashed through Xun Jiong's eyes, and he nodded before slowly leaving the room.

"Alliance Leader Lu, is something the matter?" Xun Baitao asked, concern filling his voice.

Lu Yin felt curious. "Patriarch Xun, what kind of wine is this? It actually got me drunk?"

Xun Baitao smiled and replied, "It's a wonderful wine that my Xun family specially prepared for Alliance Leader Lu. Do you like it?"

Lu Yin looked at Xun Baitao with confusion in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Xun Baitao laughed, and everyone else at the banquet, including Elder Xun Ye and all of the other Xun family members, laughed as well.

"Alliance Leader Lu, there's a question that I've always wanted to ask you—do you happen to remember Xun Qianye?" Xun Baitao asked.

Lu Yin vigorously shook his head again. "The Xun family member that I killed?"

Xun Baitao's eyes narrowed. "Yes. Do you happen to know why he attacked you? What did you learn from him?"

Lu Yin and Xun Baitao stared at each other. "How should I know?"

"For example, a piece of paper that you found in the gun? Perhaps a list…" Xun Baitao spoke slowly, his voice completely cold. After he finished speaking, he released his full aura of a power level that exceeded 400,000. It spread out from the flying spacecraft and enveloped a great deal of the surrounding space.

In the distance, Dwayne Daynight and the others' expressions changed. "There are Enlighters locking down space in this region."

Wendy Yushan clenched her fists as she stared at the Xun family's vessel.

The others looked somewhat panicked, as this terrifying strength had locked down space and the void, leaving them powerless. This was not someone whom they could go against.

Members of the Xun family appeared all around Lu Yin's ship, surrounding everyone still on board.

Inside the Xun family's vessel, Lu Yin lowered his head. "List? What list?"

Xun Baitao moved closer to Lu Yin and raised a hand that reached for Lu Yin. "So you still want to pretend."

Just as he arrived in front of Lu Yin, Xun Baitao's vision changed, and he was standing in a place that he had longed and ached for ever since seeing: Honor Mountain.

It was the heart of the Hall of Honor, and it was also where all of the Hall of Honor's top powerhouses could be found within the Honor Zone.

When Xun Baitao had first visited the Honor Zone, he had been an ant that anyone could crush with a step, even if he had already been the Xun family's patriarch. However, at this moment, he had become a member of Honor Mountain. No—he was the master, and there were nine people lined up before him, all of them kneeling. They were the nine overseers, and they all looked up at him. In the distance, Xu Baitao could see the top powers of the universe all crawling beneath his feet. He was the master of Honor Mountain, the master of the entire universe.

Xun Baitao grew short of breath before bursting out into laughter. He, Xun Baitao, had succeeded! Finally succeeded! After receiving the support of the Technocracy, he had then climbed up the branch offered by the Sixth Mainland to become the highest power in the entire Fifth Mainland. His Xun family had dominated the entire Neoverse. As for the Hall of Honor, the Cosmic Sect, and the Innerverse's Sword Sect and Daynight clan, they all were at his mercy.

His crazed laughter echoed throughout the entire Honor Zone.

Suddenly, the top of his head cracked open. A hand had come down and slapped him into the ground. His body smashed through an entire world and then crashed into the surface of the Honor Zone.

Xun Baitao spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes practically bulged out of his head as he stared at the incomparably massive hand crushing down upon him from above.

He mounted his strongest resistance, and the nearby star energy gathered into a strange weapon that tried to counter the massive hand. This was Xun Baitao's strongest attack, and as far as he was concerned, even an Envoy would have to take note of this attack. However, his resistance was useless, and the hand smashed him deep underground once again. One slap after another fell down.

Puff.

Within the Xun family's ship, Xun Baitao's hand was only a few centimeters away from Lu Yin, but he could no longer move.

The Xun family members watching were all horrified; what was happening?

Lu Yin's eyes were cold. He rose to his feet, and his hand moved slightly. Nearby, Xun Ye was about to shoot to his feet, but he was blasted into the hull of the ship and out into outer space. His body had been crushed, as it was impossible for him to survive Lu Yin's Vacuum Palm.

A large hole had opened in the side of the spacecraft, and the vacuum of outer space sucked out all of the tables, chairs, and benches that had been used for the banquet.

All of the Xun family members stared at Lu Yin in horror. Their faces became pale, and their expressions grew hopeless.

In front of Lu Yin, Xun Baitao coughed up another mouthful of blood, and his vision became more and more blurred. He was currently enduring the full force of Daynight Praises, and after being struck by Skybreaker dozens of times, the damage was appearing on his physical body.

Although Xun Baitao had a power level that surpassed 400,000, his spiritual force was actually weaker than that of Qiu Shi and the others who had been in ZENITH's final rounds. A single Daynight Praise was enough to destroy him.

This was the strength of a genius. This was the difference between someone raised with resources and an ordinary person.

Even if Xu Baitao's power level exceeded 400,000, his flaws were still too obvious.

Qiu Shi, Xia Jiuyou, and the other finalists in ZENITH were actually much weaker than Xun Baitao, but those elites had no obvious flaws. For example, there was Qiu Shi. While her physical strength was drastically inferior to Star Devourer and Yuhua Mavis's, Qiu Shi was not completely unable to resist the other two.

Also, while Liquor Hero's spiritual force could not compare to Yao Xuan, Lu Yin, and the others, she would not be this easily stunned or even seriously injured by their spiritual force attacks.

But Xun Baitao was different. While he did have the power of his superior cultivation realm, his weaknesses were all too apparent. If he had participated in ZENITH, he would have struggled to enter the top ten. Yao Xuan's spiritual force, Yuhua Mavis's physical prowess, or Xia Jiuyou's Triple Blade Will would all have been enough to land a fatal blow on this patriarch.

The universe's top ten youths each possessed a combat power that would even surprise Envoys.

Lu Yin looked down at Xun Baitao as the patriarch gritted his teeth and lifted his head to stare back at Lu Yin. "You aren't poisoned?"

Lu Yin's mouth stretched into a smile. "What gave you the confidence to be so certain that I was poisoned?"

Xun Baitao's face went pale, and he slowly stood up. "How is that possible? Wait, were you ready for us? Who betrayed us?"

Lu Yin felt amused. "It seems that your confidence lay in your own ability to poison me. Tell me, do you remember my fight against Nightking Zhenwu? He also poisoned me, and he did so in a manner that was impossible to avoid. Since I suffered a loss at that time, how could I allow myself to suffer such a thing ever again?"

Xun Baitao became desperate; he had poisoned the two women that he had sent to Lu Yin, and as long as they touched Lu Yin, he was sure to be poisoned. Also, as an extra precaution, Lu Yin's seat had also been poisoned. It should have been impossible for Lu Yin to avoid the poison, and yet he had pulled it off. "How did you know that we would use poison?"

"Without poison, how else would you be able to handle me?" Lu Yin retorted.

Xun Baitao suddenly attacked. Star energy gathered at his hand in a strange arrangement, and he attacked Lu Yin with a palm. Lu Yin's eyes narrowed, and his pupils transformed into runes, weakening the approaching attack. At the same time, Lu Yin raised a hand: Vacuum Palm.

Boom!

There was a tremendous explosion, and the entire ship was torn apart. All of the nearby members of the Xun family were caught up in the shockwave, turning to dust. Xun Baitao demonstrated the strength of an expert with a power level of more than 400,000, but he could only resist the Vacuum Palm. Truesight weakened Xun Baitao's attacks to a power level of less than 400,000 while each of Lu Yin's Vacuum Palms contained a power level of more than 300,000.

The two palms collided, and Xun Baitao tried to use the power of Lu Yin's attack to escape. As for the rest of the members of the Xun family, he did not even about them—not even his own son, Xun Jiong. Lu Yin sneered; Xun Baitao was truly a ruthless person. After a moment's thought, an astral chessboard appeared beneath Lu Yin's feet. Space became the board while Lu Yin, the ship itself, and Xun Baitao all became chess pieces. Lu Yin then moved the chess piece that was Xun Baitao.

The patriarch's vision changed yet again as he appeared right in front of Lu Yin. The worst thing was that Xun Baitao's back was facing Lu Yin.

The patriarch could not react to the speed of Lu Yin's Vacuum Palm, and his back erupted with pain. His bones instantly shattered, and his body bent into an unnatural U shape.

From the rest of the surrounding area, beams of light blasted at Lu Yin as the Xun family's battleships attacked him.

Lu Yin let out a cold snort as he unleashed his domain. It spread throughout the entire region, dispersing all of the incoming attacks. Lu Yin's massive domain was powerful enough to defeat normal Enlighters, so there was no need to mention these battleships.

Wendy Yushan, Ku Wei, and the others all appeared in space and began attacking the surrounding vessels one by one. They were in Ascension Flowzone, which was the Xun family's territory, but the family did not have that many powerhouses, and none of them could stand up to Ku Wei and the others.

Lu Yin did not even bother dealing with such trash. Instead, he flashed over in front of Xun Baitao.

Another Vacuum Palm smashed Xun Baitao deep into a nearby barren planet. His body pierced through the gray rocks of the lifeless planet before descending the magma beneath the surface.

Xun Baitao collapsed, unable to move.

Lu Yin approached. "When the banquet started and you didn't mention Xun Qianye or that list, I already knew that there was a problem. You risked it all to kill me just because of a list that I might only know about. This is an impossible task with the powers that are behind me. You should be very clear about your Xun family's strength. Even if this plan had succeeded, your family would no longer have any place within the Fifth Mainland, and you would be hunted down throughout the entire universe for all eternity until you were completely exterminated. So, why even bother?"

Xun Baitao kept coughing up blood as he stared at Lu Yin with unwillingness filling his eyes.

[1] Cultural thing. People drink as a form of penalty/punishment for saying the wrong things or being late to the party etc. He's saying he'll drink to apologize.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMAn-/O𝒱𝑒𝑙𝔟1n

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1328: Income

"Were you willing to assassinate me even with the risk of being completely annihilated? Who gave you the reassurance to do such a thing? They must have been able to promise your Xun family guaranteed safety and the chance to reach heights that you've never touched before, so who was it?" Lu Yin took another drink as he stared at Xun Baitao.

"If you don't tell me, I'll immediately erase your entire Xun family."

Xun Baitao smiled miserably. "If I tell you, will you not attack my Xun family? Lu Yin, I know you very well. Ever since the Innerverse and Outerverse reconnected,the entire family knows about the matter with Xun Qianye, and I knew that you would target us one day. This matter was delayed because you needed to make preparations but I knew that, as soon as you made your preparations, we would not be able to escape.

"And now that we've failed to kill you, you will definitely destroy my Xun family. There's no other outcome."

Lu Yin lightly commented, "As long as you tell me who ordered my death, I can leave a remnant of your Xun family behind so that your name will at least continue on."

Xun Baitao laughed loudly. "Do I need that from you? The moment I decided to try dealing with you, I made all of those preparations. I haven't lived until now just through sheer luck."

Lu Yin frowned. "So you don't want to live?"

Xun Baitao shook his head, helpless. "Everyone wants to live, but that's not in my future."

"You sought refuge from the Technocracy to raise your family to new heights?" Lu Yin asked.

Xun Baitao closed his eyes. "So was what I saw when I attacked you your creation? Lu Yin, you're quite clever, and I never even saw how you managed to avoid the poison. However, the brighter you shine, the more people will start targeting you. Sooner or later, you will follow down the same path as my Xun family."

After he spoke, Xun Baitao's stomach began to swell.

Lu Yin's expression changed. This was not good—the Enlighter was blowing himself up!

There was a massive explosion, and the entire planet shattered.

Off in the distance, Wendy Yushan and others looked over with worry-filled eyes.

Lu Yin stood in space, an ugly expression on his face. He had actually intended to take Xun Baitao's cosmic ring, and he had not expected the man to directly blow himself up. Even the patriarch's flesh and blood were gone.

Who had ordered the Xun family to take out Lu Yin?

It was common knowledge that the Xun family had a grudge against Lu Yin and that he was eager to take action against them as well. So who was confident enough to go against the Great Eastern Alliance, Leon's Armada, and even the Hall of Honor, who all stood behind Lu Yin?

Wait, the Hall of Honor?

Lu Yin's mind flashed, and he suddenly remembered something as he looked to the west.

Xun Baitao had died, and all of the nearby ships belonging to the Xun family had been destroyed, but Xun Jiong had been captured by Lu Yin's people.

Back inside his vessel, Lu Yin calmly sat down with Ku Wei behind him. In front of them, Xun Jiong was kneeling on the floor with a pale face and his head hung in terror. He was even shaking.

Wasn't Lu Yin poisoned? How can he be okay? Xun Jiong had believed that the matter had already been settled, but reality had turned out completely different from expected.

"Pick up your head," Lu Yin slowly said.

Xun Jiong trembled.

"Look up! Didn't you hear what the Alliance Leader said?" Ku Wei shouted.

Lu Yin was startled.

Xun Jiong's shaking became worse, though he was still intimidated into raising up his head, and he hesitatingly met Lu Yin's calm, cold eyes.

"Who ordered your Xun family to attack me? Or, let me rephrase the question, which VIPs has your Xun family recently hosted?" Lu Yin asked.

Xun Jiong was terrified. "No, no, no, I don't know! I don't know anything! My father asked me to invite you to an apology banquet! That's all that I knew about any of this."

Lu Yin laughed. "You didn't know that I would be poisoned?"

Xun Jiong opened his mouth, intending to lie, but upon seeing Lu Yin's cold eyes and smiling face, Xun Jiong laughed in complete despair. "Father… Father told me about that, but I don't know who ordered it. I thought that this was all because of that list, and I really don't know about anything beyond that."

Lu Yin stared at Xun Jiong and saw nothing in Xun Jiong's eyes aside from fear and despair.

Lu Yin let out a long breath. "Hand over all of the Xun family's resources and possessions."

"So can I- I- I live?" Xun Jiong asked in a trembling voice.

Ku Wei shouted, "You still want to negotiate terms?"

Xun Jiong shuddered, terrified, but he gritted his teeth and looked at Lu Yin with a determined expression. "I'll give you everything that the Xun family has, but you have to promise not to kill me."

"How bold!" Ku Wei shouted once again. He had fully adopted his self-appointed role as the fox with the tiger's power.1

Lu Yin raised a hand to put a stop to Ku Wei ranting. "Yes, I won't kill you."

Xun Jiong gasped. "I'm not talking about just you, but also everyone following you or related to you."

Lu Yin's face fell.

Xun Jiong hurriedly continued, saying, "I'm the only one who can access all of my family's resources. We have more than 200 million star essence, as well as various power vessels and natural treasures. I only have one condition: no one from your side is allowed to take action against me, and that includes hiring hitmen."

Lu Yin was surprised; the Xun family had more wealth than the Blaze Realm?

However, after thinking about it for a moment, that made sense. The Blaze Realm had been one of the three major powers of Blazing Mist Flowzone, and they had many disciples and costly expenses. On the other hand, the Xun family needed to spend less, and they also sold many items that they made with their Gear Construction Technique. Their income would not be any worse than the Blaze Realm's. Thus, with these lower expenses, the Xun family's wealth would naturally surpass that of the Blaze Realm.

200 million star essence! This was a huge fortune.

At this time, news came in that Xun Jiong's brother, another direct descendant of the Xun family, had died. This was not related to Lu Yin's actions, but rather an unexplainable death.

Something stirred in Lu Yin's heart, and he turned to look at Xun Jiong. "Were you the one to kill your brother?"n-/O𝒱𝑒𝑙𝔟1n

Xun Jiong released a heavy breath as he nodded. "I saw Elder Xun Ye die, and so I took care of it then."

"So you personally killed your brother just to make sure that you would be the only one who could access the Xun family's resources? Then, you would become the most important bargaining chip during negotiations," Lu Yin dryly commented.

Ku Wei was surprised; this guy was smart and incredibly ruthless. Why was it hard to see that?

Xun Jiong did not deny anything, as Lu Yin had spoken the truth.

Lu Yin commented, "I didn't see it earlier, but you're actually pretty smart, and you are certainly vicious enough. Alright, I'll agree to your conditions, but I have a condition of my own."

Xun Jiong looked forward to hearing Lu Yin's condition, as he was not afraid of anything that Lu Yin could propose. As long as the conditions were given, it would be an assurance that Xun Jiong could survive.

"You can't stay in the Fifth Mainland. I'll give you a chance to survive and achieve something commendable: go to the Upper Realm and survive. If you can find someone from the Xun family, I can even let you back into the Fifth Mainland and will even support you. Then, you can rebuild the Xun family," Lu Yin said.

Xun Jiong felt confused. "What Xun family?"

Lu Yin laughed. "Your father, Xun Baitao, sent out members of your Xun family before trying to deal with me, just to ensure that your family's lineage would not die out. You didn't know about this?"

Xun Jiong's expression changed drastically, and a deep-seated hatred appeared in his eyes. He had truly not known about this, but this meant that his father had been willing to allow him, Xun Jiong, to die while ensuring that the others survived. As of this moment, the hatred Xun Jiong had for Xun Baitao, was more than his hatred for Lu Yin. This was just how some people were—selfish without limit, always thinking for themselves. His hatred grew from Xun Baitao to all the members of the Xun family who were being protected

Xun Jiong knew that his father must have sent out an illegitimate child, but he also realized that this meant that an illegitimate child was more valuable than Xun Jiong's own life. Hatred clouded the youth's eyes.

Lu Yin felt very satisfied with what he saw in Xun Jiong's eyes, and he waved a hand. "Go and gather those resources. Then, you can head out. Remember, if you are able to accomplish something worthwhile, I'll support you in rebuilding your Xun family, and you will even be allowed to follow under my command."

Xun Jiong quickly replied, "Thank you, Alliance Leader Lu. I understand. I will definitely find the members of my Xun family who were sent out. Alliance Leader Lu can rest assured."

After Xun Jiong finished speaking, he was led away by Cool Sis.

Lu Yin stared at Xun Jiong's back as he left, but he did not harbor much hope. Still, it was better than nothing, and Xun Jiong was like a mad dog. Thus, it was not actually a bad thing to send out such a creature out to attack others.

The Xun family had colluded with the Technocracy, and they had even been supported by the Sixth Mainland. Thus, the Sixth Mainland seemed to be the most likely culprit for sending down the orders for Lu Yin's assassination. Only the Sixth Mainland was unafraid of the Hall of Honor.

During ZENITH, the Progenitor of Combat had personally intervened in the competition to stop Shang Qing from fighting against everyone else all at once. That had allowed Lu Yin to see the Progenitor of Combat's fear and hatred towards the Fifth Mainland.

Lu Yin would not be at all surprised if the Sixth Mainland was confirmed to have ordered the Xun family to assassinate him.

Lu Yin was just hoping that the Progenitor of Combat had not given the order himself. If that was the case, then the next one to be sent after Lu Yin would not be a power on the level of the Xun family, but rather an Envoy realm powerhouse at the very least.

The cruelty of the universe could be seen every second. As Lu Yin's vessel continued on its way to Blazing Mist Flowzone, it was backlit by the Xun family's homeplanet. Cracks appeared across the planet as it was destroyed, along with the entire family.

Xun Jiong then took the Xun family's entire wealth and delivered it to Lu Yin. As he had said before, the amount of star essence in the family's possession had been 200 million. As for the rest of the family's valuables, they had been stored in a cosmic ring, and they would be sold along with the treasures that Lu Yin had gained from the Blaze Realm.

The whole universe was aware of Lu Yin's love of money, but no one had ever seen how he spent his wealth. All that was known was that Lu Yin acted as though he never had enough funds.

After suddenly coming across such a large influx of money, Lu Yin was in a wonderful mood, and Ku Wei was feeling greatly relieved.

Ku Wei was not sure why Lu Yin was not in any sort of hurry, but it made Ku Wei feel quite nervous. After seeing Lu Yin come across such a large amount of money, Ku Wei felt that he could finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Seventh Bro, why did you let that kid go? That wasn't good. You need to keep him in order to get your revenge," Ku Wei mentioned.

Lu Yin stared out into space. "Someone from the Xun family escaped, and he can find them for us. He doesn't care about blood or family, and he even killed his little brother. He only cares about himself, and he hopes to become the next patriarch of the Xun family, especially if he can rebuild his family, as that would be enough for him to leave his name in history. That's a temptation that he can't resist."

"Seventh Bro is so wise! This means that he can find the mastermind behind the Xun family's assassination attempt. Seventh Bro is so smart—you take one step to move three steps forward!" Ku Wei immediately began to wildly flatter Lu Yin.

The destruction of the Xun family was not some minor bit of news for the Innerverse. When major powers discovered that Lu Yin was the one behind it, they all fell silent.

Even the powerful families that had been close to the Xun family would not dare to try touching Lu Yin's head at this point in time.

However, Lu Yin did not want to give off the impression that he had become tyrannical, unreasonable, and cruel. Thus, he had Xun Jiong cooperate and provide a recording of the evidence before the youth left, and Lu Yin used that recording as an explanation.

Anyone who climbed too high could easily suffer from being targeted by everyone. Lu Yin preferred to silently gather a fortune, but unfortunately, this was never possible for him. Still, he would rather not become everyone's universal enemy.

Even in the Innerverse, the Xun family was not considered weak, and their destruction could easily cause people to panic. Providing the public with a reason why he had moved against the family was enough to appease many people, and it also help prevent various parties from looking to make trouble for the Great Eastern Alliance

Lu Yin's gadget beeped a notification; Huan Sha was calling him to share some recent good news with him.

Lu Yin had taken first place in ZENITH, and he had proved his invincibility within the younger generation. He was truly peerless. The seventy-two territories of the Outerverse had been congratulating each other, and they had sent Lu Yin congratulatory gifts with the total value coming out to be more than 30 million star essence.

[1] This is an idiom that comes from a story OMA shared:

A tiger caught a fox while it was searching food in the forest. When the tiger was just about to eat it, the fox suddenly spoke, "Mr. Tiger, no hurries. Please listen to me. I was sent by Heaven to rule the animals. By eating me, you will violate the command of Heaven. " The tiger was half in belief and half in doubt. The fox then continued, "If you don't believe me, just follow me to see whether the animals are afraid of me." The tiger thought it was better to give it a try, so it followed the fox through the forest.

Two spotted deer immediately ran away on seeing them; Rabbits and sheep also disappeared at once when they say the fox and the tiger; Even the wild boar and bear hid. The tiger didn't realize that it was him that the beasts were really afraid of and let go of the fox.

This idiom (狐假虎威) is a story about "The Fox Assuming the Majesty of the Tiger." It is used to refer to those who bully or frighten others by relying on other people's power.

So Ku Wei was just borrowing Lu Yin's authority to assert his position.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1329: A Sudden Attack

Lu Yin was feeling quite satisfied right now. After all, the Outerverse normally used star crystals, and thirty million star essence was the equivalent of a truly astronomical number of star crystals. This was a massive gift from the major powers of the Outerverse.

Right after the call with Huan Sha, Lu Yin received a call from Wei Rong that had more good news for Lu Yin. The Innerverse's flowzones had also sent their congratulations to Lu Yin for winning ZENITH—their gifts totaled more than fifty million in star essence.n𝑂𝑣𝗲(𝗅𝑏(In

Lu Yin ended up short of breath when he heard this news. He had suddenly received nearly a hundred million star essence, which was an unimaginable amount. Even if one of the eight great flowzones received this amount, it would still be considered an astronomical sum.

This was also just what the smaller flowzones had sent him, as the eight great flowzones had been even more generous, sending Lu Yin another 200 million star essence themselves.

Lu Yin was not happy about this. He could see what was happening. The Innerverse was trying to buy him off. No matter how much a single person could spend, there would always be a limit, and although Lu Yin was known for his covetous nature, he had never been known to spend almost anything. These people were being quite clever.

Since Lu Yin liked money, they intended to feed him with wealth until he was fully sated. Besides, Lu Yin never spent his money, so sending him such gifts was clearly better than sending him power vessels or battle techniques that could directly increase his strength. What would he do with so much money? Decorate his house with it?

To these people, the most important detail was that Lu Yin never spent his money. Thus, if anything happened to him in the future, the money would still be there, which meant that these people were essentially treating Lu Yin as an alternative bank.

Sending Lu Yin gifts was like opening a savings account.

Wang Wen smiled brightly, but he behaved very humbly. "As far as those people are concerned, this money isn't enough for them to get excited about, but if it's able to satisfy you for a bit, then in their minds, it's money well spent."

Lu Yin knew that Wang Wen was laughing at him, but how could anyone know how Lu Yin used money?

No matter what people thought of him, it was better if Lu Yin was treated as a piggy bank. The more money he had, the faster his strength would rise.

If any of these people discovered that Lu Yin's power was directly related to money, he believed that every single one of them would regret their gift even on their deathbeds.

"Get rid of that smile. I've got my own uses for this money," Lu Yin said in a breathless voice.

Wang Wen smiled and replied, "It doesn't matter. It's never bad to have more money."

Lu Yin instantly grew vigilant. "What do you want? I won't even give you a penny of my money."

Wang Wen was momentarily stunned, and he looked at Lu Yin oddly. "You don't really have some weird fetish like everyone is saying, do you?"

Lu Yin did not bother explaining himself. "Before ZENITH, you said that arrangements were being made. How are things going?"

At this sudden change of topic, Wang Wen felt rather helpless. "All of my arrangements were based on you placing in the top three, but then you went and won the whole damn thing. The spotlight's completely on you right now, so the plans have to be adjusted."

Lu Yin's brows rose up. "Before ZENITH, I remember that you were very confident in me and that everything was being set up on the basis of me taking first."

"That was just us talking. You have to realize that your goal of becoming the champion was just too unreal. So…" Wang Wen was feeling rather embarrassed and a little humiliated. This was the first time that he had been so off in a prediction. Although it was a good thing that Lu Yin had won, Wang Wen's expectations had been crushed.

Who would have thought that Lu Yin would actually place first in ZENITH?

"Right now, you're too conspicuous. The entire universe is staring at you, so I plan to have the Great Eastern Alliance withdraw from Blazing Mist Flowzone as a demonstration of our good will. Then, we will slowly infiltrate the Innerverse from another direction without waging war. We'll use a different means rather than having the entire universe focus on us," Wang Wen explained.

Lu Yin's eyes flashed. "What does that means?"

"I've already sent out Qiong Xi'er."

"Economical means?"

"Do you remember Brightstar Corp.? I remember you once speaking to a woman from there, and she explained to you how the large corporations in the Innerverse are run and how they are completely different from Outerverse companies. No matter how rich these Outerverse companies might be, they are still only considered plebeian. They are wealth-gathering tools for the Innerverse forces, and they have no independent rights. In the Innerverse, corporations attract the least attention, which means that they are the most easily infiltrated."

Lu Yin remembered that Leng Yan had mentioned that Brightstar Corp. was indeed one of the Innerverse's top companies, and it was a subsidiary of some massive consortium at that. A company's status in the Innerverse could not compare to the status that the four conglomerates enjoyed in the Outerverse, and it was all because these Innerverse companies were not allowed to have any powerhouses of their own.

The money that these companies earned had to be handed over to the forces behind them, which meant that the Innerverse corporations were miserable existences firmly under the control of others.

Lu Yin had only mentioned this matter to Wang Wen once, and he had not expected Wang Wen to make a note of it and eventually use it as a starting point for their invasion of the Innerverse.

At the mention of Qiong Xi'er, Lu Yin remembered how, when the Tyrannical Weave had finally connected to the rest of the Outerverse during the period of time when the Outerverse and Innerverse had been isolated, Qiong Xi'er had demonstrated her expertise for gathering wealth. Lu Yin suddenly gained confidence in this plan.

Qiong Xi'er, Wang Wen, and Wei Rong were more than qualified to do business with the Innerverse, and if the Great Eastern Alliance pulled out of Blazing Mist Flowzone, then many of the major Innerverse powers would relax. Even the sylvan dragon clan and Ross Empire would lose their motivation for continuing their enmity with the Great Eastern Alliance.

"If the Great Eastern Alliance pulls out of Blazing Mist Flowzone, then where will we go? Retreat back to the Outerverse?" Lu Yin asked.

Wang Wen shook his head. "I finally got into the Innerverse, so how can I just leave? There's a small flowzone between Venom Flowzone and Blazing Mist Flowzone known as the Fennel Flowzone. This place is referred to as the gateway to Venom Flowzone, and basically all the cultivators who want to enter Venom Flowzone to find poisonous insects or anything else need to pass through the Fennel Flowzone. So even though it's small, it's quite busy.

"That place can become the territory of our Great Eastern Alliance. After all, it's relatively small and unattractive, and you can also return to Blazing Mist Flowzone at any time from there. It's in a position that flanks Blazing Mist Flowzone with the Outerverse. Also, it's easily defendable with Venom Flowzone at its rear. If anything happens, it would be very difficult for anyone to defeat Fennel Flowzone, as everything that happens there is at the whim of Venom Flowzone."

"Will Venom Flowzone give us Fennel Flowzone that easily?" Lu Yin asked.

Wang Wen smiled and explained, "Regardless of where the Flowzone is located, our Great Eastern Alliance is nowhere close to being able to threaten that place, and it's even more impossible for us to stop their people from leaving. As far as they're concerned, we're the best gatekeepers that they could hope for."

Lu Yin immediately understood that this scheme was trying to take advantage of Venom Flowzone's power in order to intimidate the Sword Sect and the other top Innerverse powers.

However, while the rest of the universe would see things this way, it was not necessarily true. The real purpose behind this plan was to gradually allow the Great Eastern Alliance's influence to infiltrate the Innerverse and create opportunities for Qiong Xi'er.

The entire plan was just a distraction.

"In terms of the economical plan, where are you planning to start? That massive consortium?" Lu Yin asked. At this moment, his screen warped and disappeared—the signal had been cut off. Lu Yin was surprised, as this gadget had been specially given to him by CyNet, and it was supposed to have an impeccable reception. It was not anywhere close to being in the same category as a regular gadget, so how could it lose signal?

Suddenly, the entire ship trembled. Lu Yin frowned and looked out into space. His pupils instantly shrank to pinpricks, and his face went pale.

Outside, outer space had completely shattered, and it looked as though they had entered an entirely different pocket of space. As Lu Yin looked out into the fractured sky, he saw a familiar sight that made his scalp go numb: a doll. This was one of Shaman God's dolls.

Upon seeing Shaman God's doll, Lu Yin felt as though he had fallen into the abyss. As if he had taken a step over the edge of a cliff.

He immediately put on his universal armor and yelled out, "RUN!"

After shouting, he emerged from the ship with the walnut-shaped power vessel that he had received from Yuan Shi. He also took out the sourcebox array, Desolate Array, that Highsage Grandmaster had given him. Lu Yin stared fearfully at Shaman God's doll.

Back inside the spacecraft, the others had no idea what had happened, except for Ku Wei. When he looked out and saw Shaman God's doll, he was also overcome with despair.

Shaman God's doll floated in space, a strange smile on its face. All of the surrounding space had been locked down along with Lu Yin's ship, and the ship was unable to move.

Lu Yin gritted his teeth. This was the end. He had no chance. This person was one of the Neohuman Alliance's Seven Skygods. Each of them was an ultimate powerhouse who stood at the pinnacle of the universe. How could Lu Yin attack such a person? As for Mister Mu, how could he appear? Lu Yin no longer had a jade talisman, and without one, he had no way to call for Mister Mu.

At this moment, numerous thoughts raced through Lu Yin's mind as he stared at Shaman God's doll. Lu Yin's back was soaked with sweat.

Lu Yin had many options and backups for a myriad of situations, but he would always be a struggling ant if he went against this person. What could this old monster's power level be? A million? That had to be the minimum. At the very least, Lu Yin was confident that Yuan Shi could not challenge this monster.

Who could save him? Who?

The visible universe grew much brighter, and the shattered space around them seemed to open up like dark clouds parting as a beam of light shone down on Shaman God's doll. He looked like the harbinger of death.

A strange laughter echoed out that made every living thing tremble. There were all kinds of creatures hiding in outer space. No matter if they were a person, astral beast, insect, or some massive space creature, they all cowered in fear and despair as they were overcome with terror.

"Gaga, little guy, it's time to go home. We're heading back to Aeternus. That's where you belong, so let's go, gaga," Shaman God had a strange smile as he looked down at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin gritted his teeth. "Old monster, if you take me, the Hall of Honor will definitely do their best to save me and your Aeternus will be destroyed."

"Gaga, if the Hall of Honor was able to destroy Aeternus, then they would have done so long ago. Kid, are you trying to threaten me?" Shaman God's voice turned ice cold.

Lu Yin stared at Shaman God's doll while continuously calling out to Mister Mu in his heart.

"What are you trying to do by kidnapping me? I'm just a Hunter, and not worthy enough for one of the mighty Seven Skygods to act personally and capture me." Lu Yin asked. He was just stalling for time.

Shaman God's doll stared at Lu Yin with cold eyes, and Lu Yin shivered as he looked back at them. "Let's go home. You're invaluable for our research. After all, you've inherited that power."

Lu Yin desperately wanted to use the walnut-shaped power vessel, but he quickly discovered that he could not move a muscle. He was utterly helpless when faced with one of the Seven Skygods.

He felt even more powerless than a normal person would when facing a cultivator.

Inside the spaceship, no one could move, and they could only helplessly watch on as Lu Yin was taken away.

Suddenly, there was a loud shout, and the shattered region of space trembled. A startled look appeared on Shaman God's doll, and it immediately raised a hand to grab Lu Yin, but an old man suddenly appeared before Lu Yin. The old man looked up.

"Still playing your tricks," he said as he raised a hand. "Thousand Rivers Return to Sea."

This was the secret technique of Eversky Island, Thousand Rivers Return to Sea. It was able to transform an enemy's attack back into star energy and erase the power of the attack.

Eversky Island's Highsage Grandmaster was the person in front of Lu Yin.

Shaman God's doll looked furious. "The little kiddo from back then now has the courage to step up?"

"Old ghost, you should just die!" Highsage Grandmaster shouted back.

An overpowering force was unleashed, and Lu Yin was slammed back into his spaceship. His internal organs were jostled, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. When he looked back up, he could only see that the entire universe seemed to be shaking. The galaxy and even the flowzone that they were in were under the effects of their clash, and Lu Yin could not tell how far the influence of these two had spread.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1330: Meeting

At this moment, Lu Yin and everyone else were all insignificant ants.

Lu Yin had placed first in ZENITH, but he was still nothing more than an insect before this overwhelming power.

Wendy Yushan and others tightly grabbed onto the spaceship to keep it from collapsing.

After a while, the universe grew calm once again.

Everyone looked out of the vessel in shock, and Ku Wei gulped nervously. Highsage Grandmaster has to win. He has to! Otherwise, everything's over.

Space outside the ship had fallen completely silent, but all of the nearby stars had shattered into blackholes. It was an incredible scene to witness.

Lu Yin was panting heavily. His pupils transformed into runes as he scanned the area.

"So you're not afraid of going blind." A voice spoke up from behind everyone, startling Ku Wei so badly that he almost had a heart attack.

Lu Yin whirled around, only to see that it was Highsage Grandmaster. Lu Yin let out a sigh of relief and then quickly asked, "Senior Highsage Grandmaster, where is Shaman God?"

Highsage Grandmaster straightened out his clothes. "He left. That old monster is quite a difficult opponent."

Lu Yin let out a sigh of relief.

Everyone else did the same.

"Senior Grandmaster is incredibly powerful! Invincible in the universe!" Ku Wei reflexively started flattering the old man. It had become an instinct for him by this point.

Lu Yin bowed to the old man. "Thank you, Senior Grandmaster, for your help."

Lu Yin had been truly desperate when Shaman God's doll appeared.

Highsage Grandmaster just waved a hand. "You're welcome. I've dealt with this kind of thing before."

Lu Yin grew curious. "You've already seen this before?"

Highsage Grandmaster did not say much in response, and instead warned Lu Yin. "You're not the only one to be targeted. All of the other kids who entered the top ten are also being attacked by the Neohuman Alliance. It's impossible for them to leave you alone since you've won this opportunity, so this old man will be staying nearby to protect you for a while."

Hearing Highsage Grandmaster's words filled Lu Yin with relief. With this ancient powerhouse present, Lu Yin had no reason to be afraid of Shaman God.

So, was everyone else being attacked too? It appeared that the opportunity that they had won was truly precious, as it was even enough to make the Neohuman Alliance afraid.

For the Neohuman Alliance to be so scared as to send out the Seven Skygods and for the Hall of Honor to use people like Highsage Grandmaster as bodyguards, it seemed that the rumors had been accurate this time. The opportunity awarded to ZENITH's top ten was indeed related to the Progenitor realm.

Nobody from the Fifth Mainland had become a Progenitor ever since the ancient war with the Sixth Mainland. The Hall of Honor was desperate to gain a Progenitor, as such a powerhouse was their only hope of surviving.

Just as Highsage Grandmaster had said, when Shaman God had attacked Lu Yin, the other top ten members were also being attacked.

In the sky above the Cosmic Sea, a corpse king stood with a foot in two different regions of the sea, but the water of the Cosmic Sea did not even reach the creature's knees. Every time it moved, the entire Cosmic Sea churned.

The Cosmic Sea was home to numerous bizarre weather patterns, and there were also four great pirate crews. However, none of that could pose any threat to this corpse king as it was one of the Seven Skygods.

Across from Corpse God stood Qinmei Mavis with Yuhua Mavis behind her. Qinmei Mavis's face was pale. She had not expected to encounter one of the Seven Skygods on their way back to the Neoverse. This corpse king was not something that she could challenge. She could not even look up at the creature.

Corpse God raised a hand and reached out for Yuhua Mavis, his scarlet eyes like two dark red suns as his hand overshadowed the sky of the Cosmic Sea.

"Corpse God, stop!" There was a stern shout as the entire region turned green. A massive pair of eyes looked back at Corpse God's scarlet eyes, causing the dark red and green colors to compete for dominance.

Qinmei Mavis and others were delighted and surprised. "Elder Lingzhi."

"Little girl, in that year, I didn't kill. Now, you're strong. Come stop me, try," Corpse God haltingly said. He spoke in the same broken and confusing manner as all corpse kings.n𝔬𝓋𝑒)𝓁𝒷(1n

Lingzhi Mavis was the oldest of the Mavis family's elite powerhouses, and she was even one of the Fifth Mainland's seven Semi-Progenitors. However, she still looked like a young woman.

"Old freak, why don't you all just die?" Lingzhi Mavis fiercely shouted back. Everyone in the Mavis family was the same; no matter how gentle they might outwardly appear to be, every last one of them was hot-blooded.

Boom!

The Cosmic Sea roared, and shockwaves overturned the sea.

In the distance, the battleships belonging to Leon's Armada swayed and almost capsized due to the surging waves.

Even Highsage Leon himself was helpless at this time. They had just returned from the Innerverse, and they had not even settled in yet when this fight had suddenly broken out. There was no place for Highsage Leon in this fight, and he did not dare to get himself involved.

When a true top powerhouse appeared, even the four pirate crews were useless.

In the Neoverse, the group from the Cosmic Sect was also attacked, and another one of the Seven Skygods targeted them: Undying God. Fortunately, the Cosmic Sect also had one of the Fifth Mainland's seven Semi-Progenitors among their elders, and that elder managed to save Qiu Shi.

The Hall of Honor had actually expected the Seven Skygods to focus their attacks on the Fifth Mainland's youths who had entered ZENITH's top ten, but they had guessed incorrectly.

The Hall of Honor soon received a message that shocked them all: one of the Sixth Mainland's Daosource Three Skies, Bu Kong, had died.

This news shocked both the Sixth and Fifth Mainlands.

Bu Kong had been one of the Sixth Mainland's Daosource Three Skies, and thus, he had naturally been well protected as the disciple of one of the Sixth Mainland's Three Progenitors, the Progenitor of Secret Arts. Despite that, the Neohuman Alliance had still managed to kill Bu Kong.

The Hall of Honor could only imagine the Progenitor of Secret Arts' rage at this moment.

No one had expected the Neohuman Alliance's Seven Skygods to attack anyone from the Sixth Mainland. After all, the Neohuman Alliance had even cooperated with the Sixth Mainland in the past.

The Progenitor of Secret Arts had clearly not considered such a possibility occurring, and so, Bu Kong had tragically died.

When Lu Yin heard this news, he fell silent.

No matter if Bu Kong had been a friend or foe, it was a fact that Bu Kong had been one of the most talented humans in the entire universe. He had mastered numerous secret techniques and even comprehended a sourcebox array. It would be difficult to imagine what heights he would have reached in the future, but he had died here.

However, although Lu Yin felt a bit sad at hearing Bu Kong's passing, he did not feel much regret.

Despite his own nonchalance, Lu Yin could imagine the anger of the Progenitor of Secret Arts.

"Not only was Bu Kong killed, but Wu Taibai was also attacked and seriously injured. It's unknown if Wang Yi is dead or alive," Highsage Grandmaster continued in a rather despondent tone.

Lu Yin frowned. "So the Neohuman Alliance deliberately sent the Seven Skygods to attack us first in order to lower the Sixth Mainland's vigilance. Their real target was always the Sixth Mainland."

Highsage Grandmaster shook his head. "Their true target is all of humanity, not a particular mainland. After all these years, we have grasped a good understanding of the Neohuman Alliance. We already knew that they would target you and Qiu Shi, but neither of those attacks were likely to succeed, as a few of us old ones would definitely be protecting you. Given the situation, they were only able to focus on the Sixth Mainland."

"So they'll just pick us off one by one, huh?" Lu Yin asked.

Highsage Grandmaster nodded, but he stared off into space with a complicated expression. "Only by joining forces can you have any real hope, and that hope lessens with every death. Fortunately, there are many talented youths in your generation, and even if Bu Kong has been lost, the Sixth Mainland can replace him with Zhi Yi."

"What about Wang Yi?" Lu Yin asked.

Highsage Grandmaster shook his head. "I don't know if he's dead or not. If he can't make it to the Neoverse by the appointed time, then he can only be replaced."

After Lu Yin heard this explanation, he suddenly looked over at Highsage Grandmaster. This was not good. If both he and Highsage Grandmaster could think of such possibilities, then how could it have not occurred to the Neohuman Alliance?

The current younger generation was shining too brightly, and it had caused the Hall of Honor to ignore the possibility that other people would also be attacked. It had to be admitted that, while Yōu Qi, Liu Tianmu, Unseen Light, and Starsibyl had not qualified to enter ZENITH's top ten, they had not lost by much. All of them were fully qualified to replace Wang Yi or any of the others in this opportunity to compete to change their destiny.

The Neohuman Alliance might have already made a move.

However, the situation regarding the others had little to do with Lu Yin, and he did not have the luxury to worry about others.

Before long, another call came through, and Lu Yin immediately accepted. An absolutely stunning woman appeared on his screen. She was Fei Liu, the captain of one of the seven crews under Leon's Armada. Lu Yin had met this captain once before, and he had been told to call her Sister Fei.

"Little Lu, I still can't find out who was behind that bookkeeper," Sister Fei said.

Lu Yin's heart fell. "How much of the payout was left behind?"

"I got there in time to find almost 360 million star essence still there," Sister Fei said.

After ZENITH started, Lu Yin had called Leon's Armada and asked Highsage Leon to send someone to find the largest bookkeeper for him to place his bets. He had specifically gone through Leon's Armada, as he had been afraid that the bookkeeper would take off without paying if Lu Yin won his bet.

His worries had proven true, and Leon's Armada had moved quickly. They had located the bookkeeper during ZENITH, and Sister Fei had personally kept an eye on them.

However, they had still been one step behind. The bookkeeper had already transferred the majority of the funds, and if Sister Fei had not acted as quickly as she had, then not even 300 million star essence would have been left over.

"Sister Fei, can you really not find out who's behind that bookkeeper?" Lu Yin was not willing to accept this loss. He had bet 100 million star essence on himself at ten to one odds, which meant that he should have won a billion star essence. However, all he had ended up with was 300 million left. On top of that, he could not even claim the entire 300 million, as Leon's Armada had been the one to locate the money, which meant that they were entitled to at least half and likely more.

There were still many accounts to settle. Besides that, Leon's Armada was a band of pirates, and Highsage Leon himself was the Pirate King.

Sister Fei rolled her eyes. "I want to find them even more than you. Do you think that you're the only one who placed bets with them? A lot of people have lost their money."

Lu Yin frowned. The reason why this bookkeeper had been regarded as the largest and most trustworthy was that the gambling funds had been directly deposited into the Mavis Bank, and a full one billion star essence had been borrowed from the Mavis Bank.

This billion star essence had been what the bookkeeper had used as a guarantee to reassure people into placing bets. As long as anyone had proof of their bet and winnings, they would be able to collect their winnings straight from the Mavis Bank itself. It was very simple.

Since the betting had been done in such an open manner, there was essentially no risk of reneging. However, nobody had expected Lu Yin to bet so much and even win. He had actually won a billion star essence! Thus, the loan was only enough to pay just him back, and there were many others who also needed to be paid. The bookkeeper had taken a terrible loss, and they had naturally not been willing to accept it.

Without Lu Yin's wager, the billion star essence would have been more than plenty to pay off all of the other winners. Even after paying off the interest on the Mavis Bank loan, the bookkeeper would have been sitting on a few hundred million or more in profit without any issue.

But Lu Yin had won.

The people behind the bookkeeper had simply fled. As for the billion star essence held by the Mavis Bank, no one was able to touch it without proof of their wagers from the bookkeeper. The bookkeeper had to pay the bank yearly interest on the loan, but the wagers that they had collected were enough to pay the interest fees for countless years.

The unlucky ones were those who had placed bets and won, as all of their money was gone without their initial bet being paid back. More importantly, no one knew who was behind the bookkeeper.

Lu Yin called Lulu Mavis, hoping to use his relationship with her to get access to some of the Mavis Bank's internal records, but he was quickly told that that was impossible. The Mavis Bank had to maintain their clients' confidentiality no matter what. Besides, the Mavis Bank had not suffered a loss in this situation, as they would still collect annual interest on that billion star essence loan, which was a substantial amount of money.

Having to eat the loss of hundreds of millions of star essence, Lu Yin felt frustrated to the point where he wanted to vomit blood.

All the money that Lu Yin had earned over these many years could not amount to what he had lost in this incident. No—he had to find out who had stolen from him. No matter what it took, he would get his billion star essence back, even if he had to take it from the Mavis Bank itself. Lu Yin would not accept anything less.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1331: Treasure Of The Ages

"You should know that it's impossible to gain access to the Mavis Bank's records. Even if it weren't you, their own clan members have no such rights either. If anything was leaked, there would be catastrophic consequences for them to bear. No one can afford to risk such a thing, as they would have to bear the full force of the Mavis family's wrath," Sister Fei warned Lu Yin. After all, he was asking about information that would affect the credibility of the Mavis Bank, and that was something worth far more than just a billion star essence.

Lu Yin nodded helplessly. "I know. Thank you, Sister Fei."

Sister Fei nodded. "You've gambled 100 million star essence, and you'll get it back with even a small profit. You aren't suffering any loss, so don't worry about it."

Lu Yin pursed his lips. He was actually being encouraged to let something go by a pirate. "I understand, Sister Fei."

After hanging up, Ku Wei spoke up from behind Lu Yin, still unwilling to accept things. "Seventh Bro, are you just going to let those bastards run away with your money? They should know that anyone who dares to steal from you will die!"

"Who do you think would qualify to borrow a billion star essence from the Mavis Bank in a single loan?" Lu Yin asked.

Ku Wei shook his head. "There are too many people. Just to start off, there are the leaders of the Innerverse's eight great flowzones, people in the Cosmic Sea, the Neoverse, and even the Hall of Honor. Even you, Seventh Bro. Given your current status, you could definitely get such a loan. It's actually pretty easy to take a loan of a billion star essence from the Mavis Bank."

Lu Yin's heart skipped a beat. He had forgotten about this option. It was true, he could indeed take out a loan himself. Perhaps he should try it sometime when he found himself short on funds.

Of the 360 million star essence recovered from the bookkeeper, Sister Fei took 160 million back to the Cosmic Sea for Leon's Armada while the other 200 million was given over to Lu Yin and directly sent back to the Blaze Realm.

As of this moment, Lu Yin's total assets amounted to 700 million star essence, 100 million of which was from his initial bet.

700 million star essence was more than what Lu Yin had ever possessed before. It was so, so much money, and he was extremely wealthy! No, he had to keep a low profile and not act ostentatiously.

When he thought about how he had almost lost 900 million star essence, his heart twitched.

It was a relatively short trip from the Blaze Realm to Ascension Flowzone, though it was necessary to pass through Venom Flowzone. Lu Yin specifically ordered the ship to pass through Fennel Flowzone so that he could take a look before arriving in Blazing Mist Flowzone.

At this moment, Blazing Mist Flowzone was completely different from before. Without the arrogant Blaze Realm disciples present, the sylvan dragon clan and the Ross Empire had subconsciously joined forces and erected a line of defense along the Blaze Realm's southern side to stop the Great Eastern Alliance from attacking them.

Leon's Armada had already returned to the Cosmic Sea, and Lu Yin was unable to do anything to the two powers of Blazing Mist Flowzone, as he was still unable to stand up to their two Envoys.

However, the other two parties also did not dare to do anything to Lu Yin either.

Lu Yin had become the champion of ZENITH, and after that, the Hall of Honor had immediately warned everyone against targeting him, which was one of the reasons why Highsage Leon had been reassured enough to return to the Cosmic Sea.

Highsage Grandmaster had also disappeared. Lu Yin had wanted to host the old man, but Highsage Grandmaster had not remained in contact, and Lu Yin had no idea where the old man had gone. However, Lu Yin was confident that, if he met another mishap, Highsage Grandmaster would definitely reappear.

Shortly after returning to the Blaze Realm, Lu Yin was talking with Wei Rong about withdrawing from Blazing Mist Flowzone when he received a call from someone familiar. He was genuinely surprised by who was reaching out to him: Starsibyl.

Lu Yin had not expected her to suddenly contact him.

Starsibyl's performance during ZENITH had been quite good, and honestly, Lu Yin had been surprised. In his mind, Starsibyl had become a potential threat.

"Brother Lu, do you have a moment? Why don't you visit the Starsibyl Sect?" The moment Starsibyl saw Lu Yin's face, she instantly offered him an invitation.

Lu Yin was caught off guard. "The Starsibyl Sect?"

Starsibyl smiled. "The Starsibyl Sect officially invites Brother Lu for a visit."

A few days later, Lu Yin stood in outer space with his hands clasped behind his back as he pondered things.

After receiving an invitation from the Starsibyl Sect, he had naturally gone for a visit.

Everyone in the universe who knew of the Starsibyl Sect would be cautious of them. After all, even normal people would not underestimate a fortune-teller, as this was something that involved the realm of the future, and Lu Yin was no different.

He had not originally believed in their divination abilities, but then Starsibyl had somehow correctly deduced that the Sea King had stolen a huge batch of the pyrolyte. No one had had any clues, and only the Starsibyl Sect had been able to uncover the truth.

Starsibyl's divination abilities were also astounding in battle. Lu Yin could not understand her battle technique known as Calculations of the Abacus, and he was quite curious about it. He actually had a powerful urge to debunk their so-called "divination."

That was something that ordinary people believed in! However, if it was impossible to understand their methods and one ended up actually believing in divination, then one would absolutely become more cautious towards a power like the Starsibyl Sect. In fact, one would even develop a sense of awe towards them.

The Starsibyl Sect was located in the Innerverse's Little Millenium Flowzone, and Little Millenium Flowzone lay between Venom Flowzone, First Flowzone, and Daynight Flowzone. This was an intersection between three of the Innerverse's major powers.

Little Millenium Flowzone was a bit different from all the other small flowzones, as it was unknown whether the place had been deliberately arranged by someone or had simply naturally formed. The entire flowzone had 108 tributary astral rivers that wrapped around the flowzone in layers, making it look like it was covered by a vortex. If one drew a map, it would actually look like a bullseye.

At the center of the 108 tributary astral rivers was the Starsibyl Sect. The stars within Little Millenium Flowzone were surrounded by the tributaries, and they lay in a pattern that seemed natural, but also unnatural.

The moment Lu Yin entered Little Millenium Flowzone, it was clear that these astral river tributaries were perfectly normal, but for some reason, Lu Yin felt that they had been arranged in some strange meaning.

Lu Yin let out a breath. He had already entered Little Millenium Flowzone, and he was very close to the Starsibyl Sect now.

During his trip, Lu Yin had also received a call from the Yōu family, which was a group that he had never met before. They were a part of the Seven Courts' Yōu clan.

All of Lu Yin's recent calls had come from unexpected people, and the Yōu family had contacted him because they wished to join the Great Eastern Alliance.

Lu Yin had never even considered such a thing. The Yōu family was a well-known group within the Innerverse, and they were backed by the powerful Sword Sect. In fact, their family members had even married into the Sword Sect several times, but now, the family actually wanted to join the Great Eastern Alliance.

"The Sword Sect has already come to suspect that my Yōu family never truly parted ways with the Seven Courts' Yōu Clan, and so, their attitude towards us has completely changed. I ask Alliance Leader Lu to allow our Yōu family to join your Great Eastern Alliance.

"My Yōu family has truly broken away from the Court of Seven Names, and we only wish to live peaceful lives, but the Sword Sect won't allow us such peace. Revealing the Yōu Secret Art has triggered their jealousy and envy, and they clearly want to obtain our secret technique from us.

"Alliance Leader Lu, I swear that my Yōu family has no intention of returning to the Yōu clan, nor will I ever betray the Great Eastern Alliance. Even though the Sword Sect's attitude has changed greatly, my Yōu family does not truly wish to part ways with them, but we hope that someone can offer us protection and peace.

"I chose the Great Eastern Alliance because, rather than being a single powerful group or family, it is an alliance with varied interests. This does not present any threat to my isolated family. Alliance Leader Lu's future is limitless, and you can even rely on the Hall of Honor, as well as Leon's Armada, Elder Yuan Shi, and many others. My Yōu family no longer trusts anyone, but we do hope that you can protect the few of us."

These had been Madam Yōu's words. She was the leader of the Yōu family, and she had been the one to speak to Lu Yin.

During ZENITH, Yōu Ye'er had exposed her family's secret technique as well as her battle technique, Heart-Killer Lotus. This had basically been a public announcement that the Yōu family was actually the main branch of the Yōu clan.

Madam Yōu had spoken in a righteous manner, and she had claimed that the Yōu family would never return to the Yōu clan. If Lu Yin had not witnessed certain events for himself through his die's six pips: Possession, he might have truly believed the woman. After all, it was common sense that the Yōu family should not have broken away from the Yōu clan, and even if they had broken away, the Yōu family should be the ones in power within the Seven Courts, as they were the ones in possession of the clan's secret technique. Reality did not line up with common sense.

Lu Yin did not know the real reason behind why the Yōu family had broken away from the rest of the family, but there was definitely no schism within the clan, which triggered Lu Yin's vigilance.

What did the Yōu family want from this proposal? Although the Seven Courts was indeed one of the Three Dark Hands, they were completely different from the Neohuman Alliance and were not a public enemy of the entire Human Domain. There should be no problem for the Yōu family to protect itself, and this presented a hidden problem.

Yes, it was indeed an issue. Lu Yin's expression grew stony. The Yōu family was concealing something, and they were doing so from both him and the Sword Sect.

That was the worst scenario. It was impossible to know what the Yōu family was hiding where not even the Seven Courts was able to protect them. Lu Yin was not arrogant enough to believe that the Great Eastern Alliance was on the same level as the Seven Courts. The Yōu clan alone was a terrifying power that was in no way at all weaker than the Nightking clan.

Madam Yōu was still waiting for a response from Lu Yin. After thinking things over again and again, he had no plans to call the woman back.

Their hidden family had made it clear that they expected him to protect them.

Elsewhere, in First Flowzone, countless people with stern faces knelt on the ground beneath a gray sky. All of them looked extremely solemn.n𝑜𝐕𝑬-𝓛𝚋.1n

A large flag with the Yōu character written on it fluttered above them.

This was the Yōu family. The leader of the family, Madam Yōu, appeared calm, but the anxiety in her eyes could not be fully hidden. Behind her, Yōu Ye'er stood with her head hung low and her face completely pale.

"Did you really learn that battle technique from the secret technique?" Madam Yōu asked in a low voice.

Yōu Ye'er did not dare to hide anything. "Yes. Your daughter accidentally discovered it while using the secret technique, and your daughter began to practice it ever since. Truly, your daughter never tested the technique before, and ZENITH was the first time she ever used it."

Madam Yōu's chest heaved up and down. There was excitement in her eyes but also fear. Yōu Ye'er did not know why her Yōu family had separated from the Yōu clan. The Yōu Secret Art was not only a secret technique, but also a treasure—a treasure that had been hidden for years.

No one knew the truth of the Yōu Secret Art, but those who cultivated the Yōu Secret Art could unintentionally acquire ancient battle techniques, cultivation arts, or even secret techniques. These things had all been created by ancestral Progenitor realm powerhouses who had long since disappeared into the river of time.

It was very likely that these various battle techniques had been hidden within the Yōu Secret Art by their ancestor, and this secret was precisely why the Yōu family had broken away from the rest of their clan. This secret had leaked out, and it was impossible to say who knew of this matter, but one thing was clear; the Yōu family had long been targeted by people trying to get to the secret of their Yōu Secret Art.

A sense of impending crisis had been written into the very blood of every child belonging to the Yōu family. This sensation of being constantly watched had existed for eons, and it could be traced all the way back to the ancient war between the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands.

It was for this reason that, after considering the matter many times, the Yōu family had decided to break away from the Yōu clan and hide the Yōu Secret Art.

The Yōu family was naturally not without their own means of protection, and in addition to the hidden protection of the Yōu clan that was constantly nearby, the Yōu family had also found a guardian in the Sword Sect, which served as the family's protector. The Sword Sect was in no way weaker than any of the families of the Seven Courts, and it was definitely qualified to protect the Yōu family.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1332: Starsibyl Planet

Everything had been going fine, but then Yōu Ye'er had revealed the Yōu Secret Art during ZENITH, which had completely disrupted the Yōu family's plans. Even the Sword Sect had begun to suspect that the Yōu family was hiding some ulterior motive. After all, even an idiot could tell that someone who had mastered the Yōu Secret Art was from the main family of the Yōu clan. Why would the clan's main family break away? Even if that was true, how could the Yōu clan have ever allowed the Yōu Secret Art to be taken away without making any attempts to recover it?

None of this made any sense, and so, it was impossible for the Yōu family to retain the Sword Sect's protection. Madam Yōu, or rather, the entire Yōu family, had chosen to instead rely on the Great Eastern Alliance, which meant Lu Yin.

"Why do we want to join the Great Eastern Alliance?" Yōu Ye'er could not help herself from asking.

Madam Yōu felt helpless. "Exposing the Yōu Secret Art is no different from announcing that we are the main branch of the Yōu clan; who in the Innerverse would still dare to accept us? The Sword Sect or the Wen family might have the courage to do so, but they also have other goals. The Great Eastern Alliance is an amalgamation of many different interests, and Lu Yin is the champion of ZENITH, which has garnered him a great deal of support from the Hall of Honor. He must also be supported by many hidden powerhouses who are still unknown—otherwise, it would be impossible for Lu Yin to have reached his current level as he would have died long ago.

"Relying on him is our best choice at the moment."

Yōu Ye'er stared at Madam Yōu. "We can just return to the Yōu clan."

Madam Yōu gave a bitter smile. "Don't you get the feeling that you are being watched there?"

Yōu Ye'er shuddered, and her face went pale as she nodded.

"The Yōu family has been under surveillance for many years. The sense of crisis that one feels due to this has become a torture afflicting every child of the Yōu family. We separated from the Yōu clan in order to protect both the Yōu Secret Art as well as the other members of the Yōu clan," Madam Yōu explained.

Yōu Ye'er understood that, if the Yōu clan had been able to protect themselves, they would never have split apart. The Seven Courts appeared to be united, but each family had their own goals and motivations. The Yōu clan could not rely on any of the other families from the Seven Courts, but could they actually rely on Lu Yin?

Madam Yōu was not actually looking at Lu Yin, but rather at the hidden powerhouse that everyone believed was supporting Lu Yin from the shadows. Only the existence of such an expert could explain how Lu Yin had managed to cultivate such an invincible power.

Of course, Madam Yōu had certain expectations of Lu Yin as well, but that was for later. In the future, Lu Yin might actually manage to become a Progenitor.

However, there was one other important detail to consider; Lu Yin was not an altruistic person, and he might covet the Yōu Secret Art himself in the future. However, for the moment, the Yōu family had no choice but to rely on Lu Yin in order to get out of their current predicament with the Sword Sect. The Sword Sect's attitude towards the Yōu family had changed too much, and Madam Yōu was certain that it was just a matter of time before the Sword Sect took action.

After Lu Yin crossed the astral rivers tributaries, the Starsibyl Sect entered his sight. It was located on a planet that was not particularly bright or even very beautiful, but this planet had given birth to a unique sect. That planet was simply known as Starsibyl Planet, and the Starsibyl Sect was located on the planet itself.

The Starsibyl Sect had very few members. In fact, the sect consisted of a mysterious powerhouse, six Starsibyl girls, and 108 attendants who served the Starsibyl Sect. This was the entire sect: a powerhouse, the Starsibyl girls, and the mysterious servants.

It was impossible to imagine that the Starsibyl Sect, which was famous throughout the entire universe, had such little strength, but this was the truth.

However, the Starsibyl Sect had managed to stand tall in the universe for countless years with such power, and even the behemoths in the Neoverse did not dare to underestimate this sect.

Also, there was Xuan Jiu. While he had been cast out by the Starsibyl Sect, he could still be considered to be affiliated with them.

Finally, Lu Yin crossed the last of the astral river tributaries, and the Starsibyl Sect was right in front of him. A person in space stood in front of his ship, staring at it. This person was beautiful and picturesque, and not even the darkness of outer space could cast a shadow on her. She was Starsibyl.

Lu Yin's expression deepened. He had arrived at the Starsibyl Sect.

Just as Lu Yin arrived at the Starsibyl Sect, out in the Outerverse, on the Prairie Flame Continent where East San Dios was located, a man with an ordinary appearance who would likely be forgotten as soon as one saw him reached out to Nightking Yuanjing.

"You can't find any clues? We did not expect you to find him in San Dios, but does he not even have any friends or relatives? We must find him—he has one of our Daynight clan's inheritance stones, as well as the secret regarding how he was even able to get close enough to steal the inheritance stone." Nightking Yuanjing said sharply.

The ordinary-looking man respectfully answered, "Yes, Elder. This disciple will continue to search."

This man was from the Daynight clan, and he had been sent out to find Liu Shaoge. Because Liu Shaoge had managed to steal the Daynight clan's inheritance stone and also managed to climb high up on the clan's stone plaque in their ancestral grounds, he had stoked the hatred of the entire Daynight clan.

Lu Yin had overturned the Daynight Flowzone and had taken the top position on their stone plaque. Although they hated it, they were convinced of Lu Yin's qualifications. After all, Lu Yin was the master of the Outerverse, and he was peerless within his generation. On the other hand, who was Liu Shaoge? As far as the Daynight clan was concerned, Liu Shaoge was nothing but an ant, and this ant had dared to step on their head, so it had to be destroyed.

Unfortunately, they could not find Liu Shaoge anywhere.

The investigator thought for a while before looking to the north. Liu Shaoge was too cautious of a person. Despite spending so many years in the Outerverse, he did not have a single friend, and he had never gotten close to any women. What's more, he left no clues behind anywhere. However, that planet known as Earth might have some clues.

In the Innerverse, in the Daynight clan's ancestral grounds, one of the guardian elders stood up beneath the stone plaque. Zuocheng Daynight was also looking to the north as he stepped out.

In another part of the Innerverse, in Little Millennium Flowzone, Lu Yin was greeted by Starsibyl as they moved to Starsibyl Planet. Up close, the planet was extremely beautiful, and it was almost entirely devoid of modern amenities. No matter if Lu Yin considered the planet's gravity, environment, soil, or sky, it all gave him the feeling that he was back on Earth.

All in all, it was a perfectly ordinary planet in the universe.

"Brother Lu has come to visit our Starsibyl Sect, which is truly a blessing for us," Starsibyl said with a smile. Very few people had the opportunity to see Starsibyl, but she was known to be one of the most beautiful women in the universe. Although half of her face was covered when she smiled, the upper half of her face was still stunning.

Lu Yin could not stop himself from taking a second glance. "You're very kind. It's a blessing for me, Lu Yin, to be invited to be a guest of your Starsibyl Sect. There are few people in the universe who are qualified to be invited by the Starsibyl Sect, and even if they make it to Little Millennium Flowzone, they still might not be allowed to visit."

Lu Yin was being honest. When he had first entered Little Millennium Flowzone, he had seen numerous ships cruising around outside the various astral river tributaries. From a simple glance, it was easy to see that they all wanted to enter, but none had received permission.

Starsibyl replied, "There is no other way. Although I want my Starsibyl Sect to improve the universe and for us to make new friends, we are only so few, and divination is not easy. Everyone wishes to know about the past, the future, and their own fate, but the truth is that knowing is not always beneficial."

"How so?" Lu Yin asked.

Starsibyl thought for a moment before answering. "The future is very difficult to change, and destiny only extends for a few days. If I had told Brother Lu that you were guaranteed to win ZENITH, would you have trained even harder to the point of risking death in order to raise your strength? Or would you have accepted such a prediction as fact and peacefully waited for the moment of victory to prove my prediction true? Which would you choose?"

Lu Yin thought for a moment, but then he laughed. "If it were me, I'd go with the first option."

Starsibyl nodded. "Brother Lu doesn't trust the divination abilities of my Starsibyl Sect, and you have never done so from the very beginning. However, the people outside are all eager to hear from us, and some of them have been waiting out there for ten years, a hundred years, or even a thousand years just for us to tell them the future. Tell me, Brother Lu, which option would they choose?"

Lu Yin said, "They would not seize the initiative on their own or fight for anything. Rather, they would just wait to see the prediction come true."

"However, doing so conflicts with destiny. Even if you are destined to win first place, you still have to get there by risking your life in order to improve your strength. Doing so or not doing so changes destiny, and whether it's for better or worse is impossible to know," Starsibyl said.

Lu Yin laughed. "You are Starsibyl, and yet you don't want everyone in the universe to trust you or just accept your predictions? What you just said could shatter your entire image."

Starsibyl smiled and said, "On the contrary, after hearing my words, doesn't Brother Lu believe in divination even more?"

Lu Yin was startled at this observation, but he merely smiled and no longer pursued this particular topic.

Starsibyl Planet was not only home to the people of the Starsibyl Sect, but also to ordinary mortal countries, though they were all still in the technological period of cold weapons.

Lu Yin and Starsibyl looked down from the sky and watched a mortal war. Seeing this made for a very addictive feeling. To these people, Lu Yin was no different from a god. A massive country had fielded millions of troops on the battlefield, but Lu Yin was capable of changing the entire situation in but an instant.

Starsibyl said nothing, but Lu Yin soon stopped watching, and she followed suit.

After a moment, Lu Yin said, "Let's go."

Starsibyl led the way, and before long, the two arrived at a huge waterfall. The waterfall formed a boundary, and after passing through, they entered another world.

The Starsibyl Sect was not large, and its buildings were all very simple. They even looked like they had been casually built, as there were simple thatched cottages among the buildings. However, there was another detail that stood out to Lu Yin: there were exactly 108 houses.

There were 108 astral river tributaries surrounding Little Millenium Flowzone, and the Starsibyl Sect had 108 mysterious servants. On Starsibyl Planet, could there be 108 countries as well? Was there a reason behind this number?

"Brother Lu, please. Master has been waiting a long time," Starsibyl said.

Lu Yin's face grew solemn. "Please, lead the way."n𝑜𝐕𝑬-𝓛𝚋.1n

After passing by the houses, Starsibyl continued to lead the way until they arrived outside the innermost building, which was one of the thatched cottages. "Master, I have brought our guest."

Lu Yin calmly stepped into the thatched cottage.

This is not his first time visiting such a primitive thatched hut. The ancient Yu elder had also lived in a similar hut. All of the remnants of the Yu family had gone into hiding, living in a place that was quite similar to the Starsibyl Sect. Also, Lu Yin had seen many thatched homes in Subzero City on the Royal Frost Continent.

This style of house represented the passing of the years.

Lu Yin entered, but he saw no one. Instead, there was a strange, illusory figure that slowly formed before him.

Lu Yin stared at the image in surprise. Was this a screen? No, that was wrong.

The image quickly formed into the shape of a middle-aged man with a gentle appearance and a jade-like complexion. His clothes were all white with starry patterns on the cloth. He was smiling, and his eyes were bright and full of wisdom. His entire demeanor gave off the impression of an even temperament and a person with elegant manners.

This feeling was similar to the Progenitor Hui that had been summoned by Shang Qing's ancestral qi, but this man was also different from Progenitor Hui.

Progenitor Hui had possessed a temperament that had been refined through warfare while this middle-aged man seemed to have been refined through academics.

"Alliance Leader Lu, it's been a long time," the middle-aged man greeted Lu Yin. The man's voice sounded very comfortable.

Lu Yin looked back at the middle-aged man. "The Starsibyl Sect invited me as their guest, but the host is not appearing before me."

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1333: One Attacks, Another Defends

The middle-aged man answered with a smile. "Alliance Leader Lu, please forgive me. This is just how I am whenever I meet anyone, even if it's an elder."

Lu Yin's brows rose high. "How should I address Senior?"

The middle-aged man raised a hand as he continued to smile. He then wrote a single character in the air: Zhu.

Lu Yin felt bewildered. "Zhu? Senior Zhu?"

The middle-aged man nodded. "Yes."

Lu Yin felt that this was strange, as zhu was also the word for pig.

"The words are not the same, as they are different homonyms. One is an object while the other is a creature," the middle-aged man explained with a smile.

Lu Yin felt horrified. He had only had the thought, not saying a single thing. "Can you see what's in my mind?"

The man just laughed. "That's just a normal reaction, as everyone has the same thought. It's nothing complicated."

Lu Yin looked at the man strangely. "I'm not sure as to the reason why Senior invited this junior to visit. Is there some bit of advice that you would give me?"

The man grew serious as he looked at Lu Yin. "You took first place in ZENITH and are the top of the entire younger generation. Everyone would want to meet such a person."

"Is it really so simple?" Lu Yin wondered.

The man replied, "I lead the Starsibyl Sect, and I wish to establish a good relationship with Alliance Leader Lu, and possibly even give you some advice. In the future, I may receive your help in turn."

"What kind of advice?" Lu Yin had grown curious.

The middle-aged man's eyes flickered, and Lu Yin could tell that the man was performing a divination, so he calmly waited.

Starsibyl's divinations could not calculate Lu Yin. Xuan Jiu had once done a divination for Lu Yin, but it had caused the old man to shed tears and blood, and the old man had even sworn that he would never do another divination for Lu Yin. Thus, Lu Yin was interested in seeing the abilities of the master of the Starsibyl Sect.

"I can see traces of Heaven's Enigma on you, Alliance Leader Lu. It appears that my incompetent junior brother has made trouble for you," the man commented.

Lu Yin was surprised. "You can see that? Wait, you said Heaven's Enigma. Are you saying that Xuan Jiu really cultivated Heaven's Enigma?"

The man nodded. "Naturally."

Lu Yin blinked, unexpectedly happy. So it turned out that Xuan Jiu really did practice Heaven's Enigma, just as he claimed. Everyone had believed that the old man was just bragging, and not even Lu Yin had expected this to be true.

At this realization, Lu Yin suddenly felt that having Xuan Jiu as the Great Yu Empire's imperial advisor would not be a bad idea.

"Is there anything in particular that Alliance Leader Lu wishes to know? The only thing that my Starsibyl Sect can offer is divination," the middle-aged man suggested.

Without any hesitation, Lu Yin answered, "Family. Can you tell me where my family is?"

The man's eyes narrowed as he stared at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin grew nervous. After seeing what had happened to Xuan Jiu when he performed a divination for him, Lu Yin felt uncomfortable. A touch of sadness filled Lu Yin's eyes, as the thing that scared him most was the possible answers to this question.

After a while, the man's body suddenly bent over and twisted. His originally elegant appearance changed to something rather anxious, and his face revealed a bit of disbelief.

Lu Yin's heart sank, and he clenched his hands into fists.

The middle-aged man shifted his eyes back to Lu Yin and lowered his head. His eyes were still flickering.

"How's it going? Have you been able to see anything yet?" Lu Yin quickly asked.

The man looked up and stared into Lu Yin's gaze with a strange expression. This was different from the sadness and sympathy that Xuan Jiu had shown for Lu Yin. The sect master looked at Lu Yin with—how to describe it? Lu Yin could not actually interpret what his expression meant.n𝑜𝐕𝑬-𝓛𝚋.1n

"I can't give you any answers related to your past, Alliance Leader Lu," the man said.

Lu Yin frowned. "Why? Can't you see it?"

The middle-aged man looked away, thinking about something.

Lu Yin continued to stare.

After a while, the man responded, "This is not as simple as performing a divination, as your past has been buried."

The man then raised his hand and drew an image in the air—it was a finger.

Upon seeing the finger, Lu Yin's pupils instantly constricted; this was the finger from his dreams!

Immediately afterwards, the middle-aged man drew another image. This time, he drew the Champions' Stage.

"One attacks, and another defenses. As long as Alliance Leader Lu can uncover these two truths, you will be able to uncover your own past, though it will be very difficult. Someone managed to cover up your past, and even I can't see through it. This may involve an innate gift related to time, as that is the only thing that can cover the flow of time."

At this moment, the sect leader looked at Lu Yin with a very serious expression. "There is only one piece of advice that I can give to Alliance Leader Lu: this upcoming competition for opportunities of destiny must succeed, and you cannot fail."

Lu Yin watched as the drawings in the air disappeared. He then turned to look at the middle-aged man once again. "What about divination regarding others?"

"No." The man just shook his head.

Lu Yin did not believe that it was not possible, but he could not force someone to speak. This man had drawn an image of the finger that had appeared in Lu Yin's dreams, and this had given Lu Yin a new understanding of divination.

The Champions' Stage was Lu Yin's second innate gift, and it had to be related to his bloodline. It made sense that, if he managed to uncover the truth regarding the Champions' Stage, he would also be able to uncover his past. Lu Yin had already come to this conclusion long ago.

The finger in his dreams also seemed to have something to do with the Daynight clan, and Lu Yin wondered if he should revisit the Daynight clan.

"Thank you for performing a divination, Senior. Lu Yin is very grateful," Lu Yin said.

The man looked at Lu Yin. "Remember my advice—this opportunity must be obtained, and it is also the key to unlocking the mystery of your past."

"What is the opportunity?" Lu Yin asked. Even though he had placed first in ZENITH, no one had been willing to explain what exactly Lu Yin and the others had been competing for.

The man shook his head. "It can't be spoken of in advance, and since it can't be mentioned, then just wait."

Lu Yin asked one more question, "That finger, what did Senior see?"

The man shook his head. "It's already gone."

Lu Yin felt helpless. "If that's the case, then this junior will take my leave. In the future, if there is anything that you need, this junior will not refuse you."

The man nodded and watched as Lu Yin left.

After Lu Yin left the hut, the man frowned. "So that place is actually involved with him. No wonder the girl's divinations can't see anything about him. This child has a difficult path to walk, harder than anyone else. He needs to climb up from the very bottom despite his supreme status, but that path is even more difficult than Progenitor Chen's. Ah…"

Even after walking away, Lu Yin was still absorbed in the conversation that he had just had.

"Brother Lu, how are you doing?" Starsibyl asked.

Lu Yin looked at her and replied, "That's quite the magic trick."

Starsibyl did not know if Lu Yin was speaking honestly or not, so she simply changed the subject. "Brother Lu, it's rare for us to have visitors, so how about trying some of our Starsibyl Sect's special dishes?"

Lu Yin smiled and said, "I'd be happy to."

He had not come to this place just because he had been invited. Rather, he actually had an important task to perform, which was to ask the Starsibyl Sect to find out what the power behind the bookkeeper. Lu Yin was still incredibly upset over this matter. What did 900 million star essence mean? That was more than the combined wealth of the Blaze Realm and the Xun family!

For Lu Yin, this was enough money to allow him to improve a mountain of power vessels and items, and he would not have to worry about gathering any more funds for a long time. Thus, how could he give up on getting his money back?

At Starsibyl's invitation, Lu Yin enjoyed the sect's food and spent the day seeing the sect. The following day, he asked Starsibyl to use her divination to find out which hidden power had scammed him.

Starsibyl grew rather embarrassed.

Lu Yin said, "I know that it's not a simple matter to ask a Starsibyl for a divination, so please tell me what conditions need to be met."

Starsibyl answered, "It's not that we don't want to do this, but rather that revealing certain things can easily offend certain people."

Lu Yin replied, "Naturally it all depends on whether or not it's worth it, and I won't press you. You can do your divination, and if it turns out to be someone who you really don't want to offend, then it's fine for you to just not tell me. I'll keep investigating on my own in that case."

Starsibyl sighed. "Alliance Leader Lu, please wait a moment." After speaking, she went away.

Lu Yin remained standing in place and waited for more than half an hour for Starsibyl to return.

Lu Yin was anxious to hear the results.

Starsibyl was serious when she returned. "The name of the person who borrowed the billion star essence from the Mavis Bank is Nan Yuan."

"Nan Yuan?" Lu Yin thought that something was odd, as this was a very familiar name.

Starsibyl casually explained, "One of the Hall of Honor's nine overseers, Nan Yuan."

Lu Yin then remembered. Yes, Nan Yuan was one of the Hall of Honor's nine overseers. It was no wonder why the Mavis Bank had approved a billion star essence loan, as Nan Yuan was actually backed by the Seven Courts. More specifically, the Xia family.

The Hall of Honor's nine overseers represented various interests, and two of them were even from the Innerverse: one from the Sword Sect and the other from the Daynight clan. Two others were from the Cosmic Sea, of which one of them was Xin Jiao. As for the other five, they were all from the Neoverse, and one of those five was Nan Yuan.

Lu Yin had not expected to be involved with another one of the Hall of Honor's overseers, but it seemed that he was fated to have a relationship with them.

"Brother Lu, Overseer Nan Yuan is different from Bu Laoweng. Bu Laoweng represented many powers, but there was no true power protecting him. Overseer Nan Yuan is supported by the Seven Courts, and if you try to proceed, then things will likely be much more difficult than before," Starsibyl explained, hoping that Lu Yin would give up.

Lu Yin was also aware that Nan Yuan served the Seven Courts' interests.

The Seven Courts did not have a large number of powerhouses, and Xie Xiaoxian, Ku Lei, Hui Santong, and most of their other youths had performed quite poorly in ZENITH, but that did not mean that they could be casually provoked. Every single one of the families had their own secret technique, which was something that not even the Daynight clan or the Sword Sect possessed. The Seven Courts' foundation was unimaginable to Lu Yin.

With the strength supporting Lu Yin, he had been able to suppress Daynight Flowzone, but if he tried to go up against the Seven Courts, he would not even know how he died.

Lu Yin was self-aware and was not arrogant enough to ignore the Seven Courts.

However, the crux of the issue was 900 million star essence, and he was not willing to simply give up on that.

Starsibyl did not bother Lu Yin anymore. He spent a long time thinking, but he still could not come up with any way to take his 900 million star essence back from Overseer Nan Yuan. This was a very difficult issue, and even if the truth was revealed, Overseer Nan Yuan was certain to have a way out prepared.

Since he could not think of what to do for the time being, Lu Yin could only say goodbye to Starsibyl.

She then told him, "If Brother Lu is not in a hurry, there is one more reason why I invited Brother Lu here."

Lu Yin wondered out loud, "What would that be?"

Starsibyl and Lu Yin looked at each other. "Brother Lu, do you know of the Hidden Earth Society?"

Lu Yin's expression instantly changed, and he stared at Starsibyl in shock over what she had just said. Of course he had heard of the Hidden Earth Society, as they were the mysterious organization hidden within Jupiter that had never had any contact with the outside world. Once someone left that place, they would never be able to return to that place inside Jupiter. They were a mysterious organization that had carried out its mission after Earth's civilization was destroyed each cycle.

Lu Yin had first heard of this name and about the organization from Huo Qingshan, and the man had known of the organization because he had actually come from the Hidden Earth Society himself. That had been Lu Yin's introduction to the organization and also how he had learned a bit about Earth's mysterious history.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1334: Aid Requested From The Hidden Earth Society

Lu Yin had already wanted to return to Jupiter to investigate the place. After all, there was a mysterious organization hidden in his own backyard, and he had to gain some understanding of it. This was an organization that was related to primeval surnames, and he might be able to find out information about his past.

However, Lu Yin had never imagined that he would hear of Hidden Earth Society far away from home in Little Millennium Flowzone, let alone from Starsibyl.

"What are you talking about?" Lu Yin asked as he stared closely at Starsibyl, trying to see something in her eyes.

Starsibyl invited Lu Yin to accompany her. "Brother Lu, let me show you someone."

Lu Yin's eyes flashed. Thoughts raced through his mind as he followed Starsibyl.

Before long, he saw a house, and there was a man inside sipping a cup of tea, and it was obvious that the man was in a rush, and there was also an unexplainable bit of panic deep in the man's eyes.

Starsibyl led Lu Yin into the house.

When the man saw the two youths, and especially Lu Yin, his eyes lit up. "Are you Lu Yin?"

Lu Yin stared back at the man. "Who are you?"

The man swallowed, and his voice was hoarse when he replied, "My name is Chiting, Zhang Chiting, and I'm a member of the Hidden Earth Society."

Lu Yin raised his eyebrows. He briefly glanced at Starsibyl, but then continued to focus on the man. "Why should I trust you?"

"Huo Qingshan, extinction cycle," Zhang Chiting said.

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

Even though he was seeing Lu Yin right in front of him, Zhang Chiting still did not believe it. He opened his mouth to say something, but Lu Yin raised a hand to interrupt. He looked at Starsibyl. "Is the Starsibyl Sect somehow related to the Hidden Earth Society?"

Starsibyl said, "That's not really important, as I just happened to stumble across it. You two should take your time talking."

With that, she left the house.

Lu Yin looked back at Zhang Chiting. "How much does the Starsibyl Sect know about the Hidden Earth Society?"

Zhang Chiting shook his head. "Not much. Earth has been wiped out numerous times over the years, but each time a few elites would be taken away to Jupiter or some distant part of the universe. I've been trying to find a way to get in touch with the Starsibyl Sect, as I wanted to have them divinate the true reason to why Earth periodically gets wiped out, but I don't dare share all of the information."

"So you're part of the reason I'm here?" Lu Yin asked.

Zhang Chiting nodded. "The Starsibyl Sect is really powerful, and they figured out that I have a connection to you, so I arranged a meeting for us."

Lu Yin did not understand the Starsibyl Sect's plan. In the end, the Hidden Earth Society was only something that concerned Earth, so why would the Starsibyl Sect even care? They might not, and it was possible that they were actually concerned with the Primeval Surnames Alliance.

"Does the Starsibyl Sect know about Jupiter?" Lu Yin asked.

Zhang Chiting shook his head. "I never said anything. Jupiter is the greatest secret of our Hidden Earth Society, so unless it's someone from Earth or with a primeval surname, we won't say anything at all about it."

At this time, Lu Yin finally believed that Zhang Chiting really was from the Hidden Earth Society, though there was no guarantee the man was still a member. After all, the society had existed for countless years, so who knew if there were any traitors.

However, even if there were traitors, what could they betray? What was there that could be coveted? What could other powers use to lure out members of the Hidden Earth Society into betraying their organization?

The seemingly mysterious Hidden Earth Society was nothing but an empty shell.

Despite the passing of so many years, Jupiter had not been explored. This alone was enough to prove that the outside universe was not concerned with the Hidden Earth Society, and maybe Starsibyl only let Zhang Chiting speak with Lu Yin in order to help foster a good relationship. Maybe things were not as complicated as Lu Yin was assuming, and there was nothing of value to the Hidden Earth Society for major powers.

It was likely that only Lu Yin and the people from the Hidden Earth Society actually paid any attention to the organizations.

"Why did you ask to see me? I'm not a member of the Hidden Earth Society," Lu Yin asked.

Zhang Chiting replied, "I know, but I didn't have a choice. There's no one other than you who can help Earth." He hesitated a moment before continuing in a more somber tone, "It won't be long before Earth is wiped out again."

Lu Yin's eyes went wide. Huo Qingshan had explained that Earth was periodically wiped out, and then civilization would start from the beginning.

"Why do you say that? It hasn't been that long since the last time Earth's civilization was wiped," Lu Yin wondered.

Zhang Chiting showed a bitter smile. "The amount of time for Earth to be wiped out varies each time, as it's not the amount of time that matters, but how far Earth develops. Your appearance has brought about a civilization of cultivation on Earth, and many geniuses have appeared, which means that Earth is about to be exterminated again."

Huo Qingshan had also told Lu Yin this. He had remembered, but Huo Qingshan had also mentioned that Earth was not the only place that would be affected. "Besides Earth, Huo Qingshan told me that other places with primeval surnames will also be wiped out."

Zhang Chiting shook his head and shared something that truly surprised Lu Yin, "What happens to those other primeval surnames is different from what happens to Earth, because those places are dealt with by the Hidden Earth Society."

Zhang Chiting's words stunned Lu Yin. "You're the ones who eliminate them?"

Zhang Chiting nodded and explained in a lower tone, "Because of what happens to Earth every so often, the Hidden Earth Society takes talented youths away from Earth to cultivate. You should already be aware of how many geniuses appear n Earth; every time that there are resources and opportunities, the chances of a powerhouse rising from Earth is much greater than other places."

Lu Yin was already aware of this. Zhang Dingtian possessed a comparable level of strength to Liu Shaoqiu. The first true Earthling to leave Earth, Bai Qian, had already become a Cruiser and had participated in ZENITH. As for Bai Xua and Xu San, they were both quite talented as well. Lu Yin had no idea where Seruzen had gone, but he should also be quite strong, unless he had already died. Lu Yin honestly felt that given Seruzen's determination, he would likely not perform any worse than Zhang Dingtian.

As for the second group of cultivators to leave Earth, Fu Xiaoshu and the others who had already left Earth had been improving very rapidly, and they were already at the same level as the Yu Academy's Hall Masters, and some of them had already traveled beyond Frostwave Weave in order to train. Lu Yin had also recently received a report that another group of cultivators had joined the Yu Academy from Earth, and the number matched the first group.

Any cultivator with an innate gift was automatically qualified to join the Universe Youth Council. Innate gifts were regarded as incredibly important throughout the universe, and having one immediately put a cultivator ahead of their peers.

All of Frostwave did not have as many cultivators with innate gifts as Earth did on its own.

Earth was a very strange place.

"Every member of the Hidden Earth Society who leaves Earth to cultivate easily becomes a Hunter, and even if resources are scarce, all they need is time. I, Zhang Chiting, have cultivated for 327 years and have become a Hunter, and I also have an innate gift. Many other experts in the Hidden Earth Society have also become Hunters, and we even have some who are Enlighters," Zhang Chiting said.

Lu Yin raised a hand to stop the man from continuing. If it was back when Lu Yin had first left Earth, he would have been eager to get in touch with this hidden organization in order to take advantage of their power, but Lu Yin no longer needed to do so. If he did, there was no way that the Hidden Earth Society would have reached out to Lu Yin for help. "There's no need to explain too much to me."

Zhang Chiting felt Lu Yin's distance, and helplessly said, "Earth's civilization is periodically eradicated, which is far too strange. Although we hope for a powerhouse to step up to save Earth, we are also well aware that the universe is a cruel place where even Earth's tragedy of a cyclical annihilation is not worth pitying. Even if we receive help, Earth might just end up as a greater power's slave, and the Hidden Earth Society doesn't dare take such a risk."

"So you slaughtered other primeval surnames in order to hide what happens to Earth?" Lu Yin spoke his guess.

Zhang Chiting replied, "There's no way. Earth's situation cannot be exposed, and the only way to muddy the water is to drag in other primeval surnames to form the impression that there is a group who hate and target people with primeval surnames."

Lu Yin was amazed. This was completely ruthless, but no wonder the Hidden Earth Society had not been exposed despite so many years. They had the strength and skill, and were also ruthless and incredibly cautious.

"Everything had been going very smoothly. We were intending to slowly accumulate resources and raise up talented cultivators so that we would one day give rise to a powerhouse who surpasses the Envoy realm with a power level of more than a million. Since Earthlings have exceptional talent and comprehension, this was not a mere dream. However, we never expected you to appear and completely disrupt our rhythm." Zhang Chiting smiled bitterly.

"Your appearance has accelerated when Earth's cultivation civilization appeared, which in turn speeds up its destruction."

Lu Yin suddenly remembered something. "You really didn't reveal the matter of Earth?"

Zhang Chiting looked confused. "Why are you asking that?"

Lu Yin looked at the other man. "If details regarding Earth weren't exposed, then why were people from top powers like the Mavis family, the Seven Courts' Xia family, the Neohuman Alliance, and Specter Clan, and Starsibyl on Earth?"

Zhang Chiting frowned. "That's actually something that we've been trying to investigate. To outsiders, Earth looks like nothing more than a very ordinary planet, and it is incredible that it managed to rouse the attention of the Great Yu Empire, not to mention someone from the Mavis family. We still haven't found out why anyone from the Seven Courts showed up, and though Earth first drew attention because of someone from the Daynight clan, that should not have been enough to attract the attention of anyone from the Mavis family."

Lu Yin stared at Zhang Chiting, but was unable to see if the man was lying.

"What in the world is on Jupiter?" Lu Yin asked.

Zhang Chiting shook his head. "I don't know. Anyone who goes in, never comes out. All of us who are active in the universe never went there."

This was the same as what Huo Qingshan had told Lu Yin. It seemed that if Lu Yin wanted to learn more about Jupiter, he would have to investigate himself.

Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue had both been sucked into Jupiter.

"What are you hoping to get from me?" Lu Yin asked.

Zhang Chiting answered, "Earth's entered its countdown towards extermination. According to our speculation, the current civilization will be completely wiped out in about a hundred years. We want to use you to ask Yuan Shi to step forward and find out the truth regarding Earth's periodic exterminations."

Lu Yin knew that Yuan Shi was well known. He was an expert who had a power level of over a million, and he had disciples spread all across the universe. The Hidden Earth Society had no fear that such a powerhouse would want to do anything to them at all.

Zhang Chiting looked at Lu Yin with an anxious and eager expression. He knew that Lu Yin was not originally from Earth, but Lu Yin had still spent a couple of years on the planet, and had also been the reason that Earth had entered an age of cultivation sooner than expected. Lu Yin had shown great kindness to the planet. The Hidden Earth Society had no fear of revealing things to Lu Yin. For starters, Starsibyl had done a divination, and second, with Lu Yin present, there was no need to worry about anyone enslaving Earth.n.)𝔬./𝔳)/𝓮))𝓵(-𝚋((1(-n

However, Zhang Chiting also felt somewhat bitter. His organization had worked for countless years, and yet their accomplishments could not compare with what Lu Yin had done in just over a decade of cultivating. It was really true that a single genius could completely change the game.

Lu Yin said, "I can ask Yuan Shi to visit Earth and check things, and if he is unable to do so, I can ask other experts of similar strength. However, I will only do so after I investigate myself."

"Investigate what?" Zhang Chiting asked, taken aback.

Lu Yin's gaze grew sharp, and he replied with one word: Jupiter.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1335: Back To The Academy

Lu Yin had wanted to investigate Jupiter for a long time, but during his last and only attempt, he had been unable to enter. He had not had any time since then, but he believed that he currently possessed the strength to do so.

As for the Hidden Earth Society, no matter how powerful their powerhouses might be, they could not be stronger than an Envoy. In other words, Lu Yin's full battle strength was enough to surpass the entire Hidden Earth Society.

Lu Yin left the Starsibyl Sect and boarded his vessel to head back to Blazing Mist Flowzone. He had already decided to return to Earth as soon as possible.

However, before that, there was someone else who he needed to contact. After thinking of this, Lu Yin accessed his gadget and connected to the network to call Xia Luo.

Soon, Xia Luo's appeared on Lu Yin's screen. "Xia Jiuyou is desperate to merge with you. So, can you have Xia Jiuyou merge with you instead?"

Lu Yin asked this question the moment he saw Xia Luo.

Lu Yin was truly unwilling to be suppressed by the Xia family and allow them to take away his 900 million star essence. That was 900 million! 900 million was more than enough to raise his strength to an entirely different level.

Xia Luo had not expected to hear such a question as soon as Lu Yin saw him. "Of course. As long as his consciousness is a bit muddled when we merge, my consciousness will certainly become dominant. Why do you ask? Do you want to help me?"

Lu Yin smiled and said, "Since you'll eventually merge with Xia Jiuyou sooner or later, I don't want to lose a friend. Besides, the Xia family owes me a debt: 900 million star essence."

Xia Luo was stunned. "900 million? That much?"

"During ZENITH, one of the Hall of Honor's nine overseers, Nan Yuan, the one under the Xia family's protection, borrowed a billion star essence from the Mavis Bank as a foundation to set up the largest bookkeeping organization in ZENITH. Now, that billion star essence can't be touched without a proof of wager from him, and I've suffered a loss that cuts deep."

Xia Luo smiled gently. "Gambling's risky, and it's very important to quit."

Lu Yin pursed his lips. "That's for the future, but for now, I want to get back the 900 million that I lost."

"You want me to merge with Xia Jiuyou, take his place as the Xia family's inheritor, and then order Nanyuan to give you the money that's being held in the Mavis Bank?" Xia Luo figured everything out almost instantly.n-(0𝑽𝖊𝐥𝔅1n

Lu Yin said, "It's a win-win situation! I'll help you absorb Xia Jiuyou, so why don't you help me get back the money that was taken from me?"

Xia Luo laughed. "I like your idea, and I'm willing to try. Money can't compare to a life, not to mention that that's not even my money. However, unfortunately, this will be extremely difficult to pull off. After ZENITH, all of the top ten finalists were attacked, and you should have been as well. It's even said that the Sixth Mainland's Bu Kong was killed. Xia Jiuyou has many guardians around him, and it's impossible for them to let him do anything alone that has even the slightest bit of risk. In this situation, how do you want me to merge with him? Do you want me to ask for a one-on-one match with him?"

Lu Yin grew serious as he looked at Xia Luo. "That's your business. Given what I know about you, you can definitely find a way to pull this off. If you can't, then don't bother. I'm not the one who'll be merging with him."

Xia Luo laughed. "You're still the same, not having changed at all! You're afraid of neither the sky nor the earth, but you're shrewd no matter where you go. Even when you blocked the Daynight clan from the Three Realms Six Daos in the Astral Academy, you were still able to stay safe. Given your current strength, I believe that you can take care of yourself now."

Lu Yin said, "I really can protect myself. Even if this goes sideways and Xia Jiuyou is the one that absorbs you, I'll be fine. Regardless, that's on me. You really don't have any options right now."

Xia Luo shrugged. "Fine. You've already thought this through, but, unfortunately, the most crucial step is what you're leaving to me. The Xia family has a powerhouse dedicated to protecting Xia Jiuyou. Her name is Xia Meng, and in the Xia family, her status is even higher than the patriarch's. Her power level has almost reached a million, and she won't be easy to deal with."

Lu Yin did not respond. If even Xia Luo was unable to come up with a plan, then there was nothing that Lu Yin could do. He might have to put off getting back his 900 million star essence for a while longer.

"Brother Lu, it's time for you to go back to the Astral Combat Academy. It's been so long, and you still haven't graduated yet." Xia Luo smiled and looked very happy.

Lu Yin's eyes flashed, and then he also smiled. "Yeah, it's time to go home to Astral-10."

"Given Brother Lu's ability, there are definitely some people who are concerned about your whereabouts," Xia Luo commented.

Lu Yin's mouth curled up into a smile. "Like the Yōu family, right? Will they tell the Xia family my location?"

"Absolutely. The Seven Courts work together to protect Progenitor Chen's Mausoleum, but there's both hatred and competition between the families. Still, they unite on the most important matters, and right now, the most important matter for the Seven Courts is Xia Jiuyou," Xia Luo replied.

"Alright then, let's have some fun," Lu Yin said slowly.

Xia Luo's eyes flashed. He did not understand what Lu Yin meant, but that did not matter. Xia Luo had already dealt with the most difficult issue, and Lu Yin would handle the rest.

After hanging up, Lu Yin reprogrammed his ship and started moving towards Erudite Flowzone, which was where Astral-10 was currently located.

Beep beep beep!

His gadget rang out an alert soon after.

Lu Yin immediately checked, and his eyes lit up; he was being called by the Yōu family. He had considered calling them himself, not expecting them to be this anxious.

Madam Yōu appeared on the screen, and although her face looked calm, it was possible to detect a hint of feminine weakness and helplessness. "Alliance Leader Lu, have you considered my proposal? Might my Yōu family be allowed to join your Great Eastern Alliance?"

Lu Yin sighed. "Madam Yōu, it's not that I don't want to accept, but rather, if we accept your Yōu family, we will offend the Sword Sect. You're familiar with the relationship between my Great Eastern Alliance and the Innerverse's eight great flowzones. Doing this might make it impossible for us to move even an inch into the Innerverse."

Madam Yōu hurriedly replied, "No matter if you accept my Yōu family or not, the Sword Sect will not just watch on as the Great Eastern Alliance moves into the Innerverse. They have already considered various plans, some of which even include my Yōu family. Among the options that they have considered is assassinating you, Alliance Leader Lu. This is just one of the Sword Sect's current plans, and it's simply impossible for your Great Eastern Alliance to get along with the Sword Sect. You're simply incompatible."

Lu Yin still felt troubled.

Madam Yōu pursed her lips. "Alliance Leader Lu, my Yōu family is willing to offer tribute every year, and I just ask for Alliance Leader to protect the weak women of my Yōu family and take my family in. The one would be completely grateful."

After speaking, she bowed at the waist to Lu Yin.

The dignified leader of the Yōu family was bowing to him, and Lu Yin was able to see the woman's anxiety and hurry. This became more obvious the more Lu Yin put off her request to join the Great Eastern Alliance, and it made him confident that the woman intended to use him as a shield. "Madam Yōu, there are some things that we can't discuss through a call. How about this—why don't you and I meet in person to discuss this matter. Would that work?"

Madam Yōu's eyes lit up. "Alliance Leader Lu is asking to meet in order to discuss this matter in detail? Well, I'm not certain as to where we should meet then?"

Lu Yin replied, "We absolutely need to select a location that is completely safe, and you've just mentioned that the Sword Sect has even made plans to assassinate me, so clearly, First Flowzone is not a possibility. In that case, how about meeting in the Outerverse, in Southside Weave?"

"Southside Weave?" Madam Yōu was taken aback; Lu Yin wanted to meet that far away?

"Yuan Shi stays in Southside Weave," Lu Yin said.

Madam Yōu immediately understood. Yuan Shi had long protected Lu Yin, which everyone knew. Meeting near that ancient powerhouse meant that LuYin would have no fear of being attacked. However, this was clearly a precaution not only aimed at avoiding an attack from the Sword Sect, but also on guard against the Yōu family, not to mention the Neohuman Alliance.

However, none of Lu Yin's cautiousness dissuaded Madam Yōu. She was determined to join the Great Eastern Alliance, and it made no difference where they met. "Very well, I'll set out immediately. Alliance Leader Lu, I'll see you in Southside Weave."

"I'll see you there," Lu Yin affirmed.

Lu Yin ended the call and turned to look towards the Outerverse and Southside Weave. Madam Yōu, I hope you have a smooth journey.

In Little Millennium Flowzone's Starsibyl Sect, Starsibyl stood in front of some beads. "Will he be able to find anything out?"

"I hope so. The extinction cycle is very intriguing."

"I can't perform any divinations on him."

"Of course you can't. No, it's more that you can't see through time, and although his background is very complicated, it's also very powerful."

"Powerful?"

"Don't worry about him for the time being. He will have a tremendous impact on this universe in the future, but we will have to examine that after he undergoes this upcoming opportunity. At this time, even if I try to deduce the future, everything is blurry."

Starsibyl's eyes flickered. Not even she knew what exactly she was thinking.

In the Neoverse, on the sword-shaped mainland that belonged to the Xia family, Xia Jiuyou gritted his teeth as sweat dripped down his forehead. It had already soaked the ground beneath him, and his veins were bulging out all across his body. There was a low roar as the star energy from his body erupted before violently scattering, leaving him panting heavily.

Xia Meng emerged from the void and looked down at Xia Jiuyou. "How is it? Can you recover?"

Xia Jiuyou was breathing heavily, and he hung his head. "I can't recover. I'll have to re-cultivate a clone."

Xia Meng said, "It's too late to do that."

"I know, but if I go there, I'll have the time." Xia Jiuyou answered in a deep voice.

Xia Meng was caught off guard. "You want to leave the clone there?"

Xia Jiuyou did not reply, but his eyes flickered. The largest disadvantage of the Nine Clones Secret Technique was that every single clone had their own independent personality. If the user did not have excellent control over the technique, it was easy to suffer mishaps like Xia Luo. However, this disadvantage was also the technique's greatest strength. Could a clone stay there? It might be possible. If Xia Jiuyou was able to stay in that place by himself, then he would have never revealed it to anyone.

"Where is Xia Luo?" Xia Jiuyou asked, clenching his fists, "As long as I can absorb him, rather than my strength decreasing, I'll actually be stronger than I was during ZENITH. His control of star energy is too impressive, and it could drastically improve my combat power."

Xia Meng said, "I just received word that he has returned to Astral-10."

Xia Jiuyou was not surprised. Xia Luo had previously hid in Astral-10 as well. "I'm going to go to Astral-10 to merge with him."

"No. It's too dangerous to go out at this time. The Neohuman Alliance will definitely attack," Xia Meng said.

Xia Jiuyou looked up at Xia Meng. "If I don't integrate with him, then what meaning will this opportunity hold for me? I will have no hope of getting anything."

Xia Meng frowned.

Xia Jiu continued in a solemn tone, saying, "I am the hope of the Xia family, but I don't stand a chance with my current strength. Gaining nothing from this opportunity will mean that the Xia family and the Seven Courts will both gain nothing as well."

"Astral-10 is not the right place. I won't be allowed in that place," Xia Meng explained.

Xia Jiuyou retorted, "You won't be allowed in, but I will. I can go as an exchange student from the Hall of Honor, and I won't even need to reveal my true identity."

Xia Meng hesitated.

"Don't worry. No one expects me to go anywhere right now, and besides, I'll have you protecting me. Even without you, Elder Meng, I still have a defensive treasure, which is strong enough to even protect me from an Envoy's attack. There won't be any problem, so just let Nan Yuan know to contact me immediately about visiting Astral-10," Xia Jiuyou said.

Xia Meng was still hesitating.

Xia Jiuyou shouted, "Elder Meng, I can't just let this opportunity go! The Xia family needs to give birth to a powerful Progenitor! Someone who can compare to Progenitor Chen!"

Xia Meng's body twitched at the thought of Progenitor Chen. He had been a domineering, invincible, and unparalleled powerhouse. "You can go, but you must ensure one person's location first."

"Who?"

"Lu Yin."

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1336: Boundless

"Why Lu Yin?"

Xia Meng solemnly explained, saying, "Lu Yin is the only one who can both suppress you and also enter and leave Astral-10 at will. If he teams up with Xia Luo, then what will you do?"

Xia Jiuyou fell silent. No matter how unwilling he might be to admit it, if he came across Lu Yin, then Xia Jiuyou would be absolutely powerless to resist.

It did not take long for Xia Meng's eyes to light up. "Lu Yin has gone to Southside Weave!"

"How do you know that?" Xia Jiuyou wondered.

Xia Meng said, "The Yōu clan coincidentally received this information."

The Yōu clan? Xia Jiuyou instantly thought of the woman with the Heart-killer Lotus technique that he had seen during ZENITH. "What's the deal with the Yōu clan? Is there some connection between the Yōu family and the Yōu clan?"

"I don't know the specifics. After all, the Yōu clan has always been mysterious. Regardless, Lu Yin's whereabouts have already been confirmed. Are you really heading to Astral-10?" Xia Meng asked.

Xia Jiuyou firmly replied, "I must go."

"I will report this matter to Elder Ji then," Xia Meng said.

Xia Jiuyou nodded. Elder Ji was the most powerful member of the Xia family, and he was also one of the Human Domain's seven Semi-Progenitors. Xia Ji was the true head of the Xia clan.

"How strange. Elder Ji is not responding. He was still secretly protecting a youth earlier," Xia Meng muttered to herself.

Xia Jiuyou said, "Perhaps Elder Ji has just returned to seclusion since he was in seclusion for many years before this. Let's just go. We can't let Xia Luo run away. He knows that I won't let him go either."

Xia Meng nodded. "Alright."

After Xia Meng left with Xia Jiuyou, an old man appeared where they had been standing. This man had deep eyes that seemed to have seen through the vicissitudes of life. He stood ramrod straight, his aura like a sharp blade that had been sealed for a long time. He was a Semi-Progenitor.

Astral-10 had experienced glory and catastrophe in the past, and at the moment, it was climbing high once more.

Their resurgence had started when they had performed the best during the Astral Combat Tournament. Then, Lu Yin, one of their students, had won the Tournament of the Strongest, which had allowed Astral-10 to return to the Innerverse. All of Lu Yin's subsequent accomplishments made Astral-10 shine even brighter.

Astral-10 no longer had a small number of students, but rather thousands of them, just like all the other branches of the Astral Combat Academy.

The most obvious difference was the number of teleportation stones guarded by the mentors. When Lu Yin had first joined the academy, Astral-10 had only had one teleportation stone. After that, Lu Yin had managed to win three more, making for four stones in total. Subsequently, Xia Luo, Lulu Mavis, and the others had all won teleportation stones on their own, ultimately gathering more than ten for Astral-10.

There were constantly students entering the teleportation battles.n/.0𝓋𝑒𝒍𝑏1n

On one particular day, the Trialmaster was loudly reporting the students' records as they exited their battles when his expression suddenly changed as he looked up.

The Rainmaster, the Sandmaster, the Starmaster, and Old Cai all looked up. Lu Yin was back.

Over the years, some of Astral-10's alumni had returned from time to time, but Lu Yin had been the only one who could draw all of the mentors' attention. Without Lu Yin, the current Astral-10 would not exist.

The ten branches of the Astral Combat Academy were ranked in order of merit, and technically, Astral-10 should have been known as Astral-1.

Lu Yin's spacecraft docked outside of Astral-10. As he stood in outer space and looked down, he was reminded that Astral-10, along with all the other branches of the Astral Combat Academy, was actually a battleship. It was unknown when they had been created, but the vessels were large enough to even carry stars. They were massive battleships.

When the Sixth Mainland had invaded the Outerverse, Astral-9 had been attacked by a World Imprinter, and the results had shocked Lu Yin. As Lu Yin looked at Astral-10, he was similarly stunned. Astral-10 was unbelievable; this battleship was far larger than Astral-9.

Before, Lu Yin had been unable to clearly see the size of the entire academy, and so he had not been able to understand it. At this moment, he could see it clearly, and he stared at the entirety of Astral-10. In fact, he was even able to make out the word "Boundless," which had almost been scrubbed away by the passage of time.

This battleship was called Boundless.

Lu Yin did not approach Astral-10 with his true appearance, as doing so would definitely reach Xia Jiuyou's ears, ensuring that he would never dare to approach the academy.

There were several students on duty in Astral-10's space station, so Lu Yin calmly walked over and showed them his credentials as an Astral-10 student.

"Huh? What's this?" The inspector was actually a cute girl, and she stared at Lu Yin's gadget in surprise.

Behind her, a young man approached them. "Xiao Xuan, what's the matter?"

The girl, Xiao Xuan, pointed at the gadget before looking back up at Lu Yin in shock. "Senior, his student ID is very strange."

The man was also surprised when he saw the ID number. When he looked back up at Lu Yin, his eyes were filled with excitement. "You- you were one of the Legend Ones?"

Lu Yin blinked, utterly confused. "What legend?"

Xiao Xuan was surprised. "Legend One? Senior, are you saying that this student ID is from the Legend One era?"

The man nodded, and the rest of the students on duty gathered around. "Yes, it's a student ID from the legendary first class."

"That's Arbiter Lu's year!"

"What Arbiter Lu? It should be Champion Lu."

"I think Arbiter Lu sounds better."

After hearing the two students' discussion, Lu Yin quickly understood that his class had become known as Legend One. His class was the one that had pulled Astral-10 out of its declining trend and set it onto a path towards prosperity. For many people, even more importantly, Lu Yin had been in the class.

"Senior, you and Arbiter Lu were in the same class. Have you met him before? Have you spoken to him?"

"Senior, isn't Arbiter Lu very good?"

"Senior, when will Champion Lu come back? Can you call him?"

Seeing all of the expectant eyes of the students in front of him, Lu Yin found the entire situation very refreshing.

Throughout the years, Lu Yin had accomplished too many things, and he had been both praised and envied by countless people. The people who flattered him were as numerous as the stars, but they could not compare to the adoring eyes of his juniors standing before him. Even with all the experiences that Lu Yin had gone through, he still felt a bit proud at this moment. Quite proud, actually.

Coming to Astral-10 made Lu Yin realize just how much he had grown compared to ten years ago. He was currently being described as a legend!

The only fly in the ointment was that he had not brought Ku Wei along, which was a pity.

Lu Yin coughed, and his eyes narrowed. Night Advent.

All the students suddenly felt as though their brains had been shaken, and they froze in place.

Lu Yin had not used much strength, only knocking the students unconscious so that he would not attract too much attention.

"I'm sorry," Lu Yin said quietly. He then passed by the many students to enter Astral-10, finding himself in a place that was both familiar and unfamiliar. This was the starting point of his cultivation path.

After Lu Yin left the space station, the students stirred and felt like they had woken up from a dream.

"Huh, wasn't there someone here?"

"Who?"

"That senior from Legend One just now."

"Yeah, I remember. What happened to him?"

Just like when he had first arrived at Astral-10, Lu Yin first went to the Rain Observatory.

The Rain Observatory had not changed at all. The bluestone platforms were still being washed by the rain all year long. As the rain fell from the sky, it created rivers on the ground and painted both the ground and the sky a beautiful dark blue. The only sound that one could hear was the soft pitter-patter of raindrops as they fell onto the slabs of bluestone.

Lu Yin looked around at the rainforest. Massive trees spread out beneath his feet while rain continued to sprinkle down from above. He stretched out a hand and caught one of the raindrops with his palm, its coolness soothing.

There were students in groups of twos and threes off in the distance. They were either comprehending something, or trying to write their names with star energy before sending it out into the rain.

Lu Yin had done the exact same things when he had first arrived.

Standing atop the Rain Observatory allowed one to start cleansing their star energy and start grasping the essence of controlling and moving it. Hopefully, one would enter the realm of changes and then slowly approach the level of comprehending a domain, though there were simply far too few people who could comprehend a domain.

Lu Yin still remembered that this place had something called the Rain List. His name was actually on the Rain List, though the person ranked first was someone named Shao Chen.

The Rainmaster appeared out of the rain in front of Lu Yin, the older man's eyes still filled with the vicissitudes of time.

In the past, Lu Yin had not been able to see through the mentors' strength. And to his surprise, he still could not see through the Rainmaster's strength. He had thought that he would be able to see through Astral-10's mentors by now, but it was still beyond him.

"Student Lu Yin greets the Rainmaster." Lu Yin bowed slowly and took on a respectful tone.

The Rainmaster observed Lu Yin and became quite emotional. "The little guy from back then has already become so powerful. In a blink of an eye, more than ten years have already passed."

Lu Yin replied, "It's this student's fault that I have never had a chance to come back to see mentor."

The Rainmaster looked at Lu Yin with a serious expression, and then he revealed a rare smile. "The Worldliness realm of star control. Not bad, and truly very good. For you to come back at this time, do you intend to graduate?"

Lu Yin answered, "I'll graduate if you allow me the chance."

The Rainmaster just smiled without saying anything. Then, he slowly disappeared.

Lu Yin took a deep breath and looked out into the distance. He saw that there were a set of ruins beyond the Rain Observatory. This place was actually above the deck of a massive battleship, and the Rain Observatory was simply the landscape outside of a cabin.

After leaving the Rain Observatory, Lu Yin visited the Sand Ocean next. He saw many students buried in the sand, trying to comprehend battle force.

Lu Yin remembered when the Sandmaster dragged him along to comprehend Flash Step. The stronger one's physical body, the faster one was able to move. This concept had been instilled into Lu Yin by the Sandmaster, and the mentor had also helped Lu Yin understand how to cultivate battle force.

A figure whistled through the air before crash landing in front of Lu Yin. Out of reflex, Lu Yin raised a hand to catch the person. It was a man who looked a bit childish with a stubborn expression on his face. He glanced at Lu Yin, said thank you, and then raced away.

The Sandmaster appeared next to Lu Yin. "Ever since you left, no talented students have emerged from Astral-10."

Lu Yin greeted the man. "Student Lu Yin greets the Sandmaster."

The Sandmaster waved a hand. "Don't speak like that."

After speaking, he looked at Lu Yin with a strange expression. The longer the man looked, the more amazed he became. "Kid, it's amazing that you were able to cultivate battle force up to nine lines."

Lu Yin humbly replied, "I was given a good foundation."

His battle force was actually no longer just nine lined battle force, as it had reached some higher level that Lu Yin did not understand. As for the Sandmaster and the Rainmaster, it was impossible for them to fully see through Lu Yin's current strength, and all that they could go off of was the strength that Lu Yin had revealed during ZENITH.

"Haha! Well said! Remember to say that publicly in the future. This Sand Ocean is too calm." The Sandmaster laughed.

Lu Yin was surprised. When he had been in Astral-10, the Sandmaster had not wanted people to train their battle force, but now he was saying the opposite. It seemed that the man could also be a good teacher.

"Sandmaster, this student has had a question in his heart for a long time, and I wonder if I can ask you," Lu Yin said.

The Sandmaster replied, "Ask."

Lu Yin spoke of his curiosity, "What is beyond nine lined battle force?"

The Sandmaster's eyes narrowed as he looked at Lu Yin. A smile slowly spread across his face. "Kid, you've got a lot of ambition. Aren't you satisfied with the level that you've reached?"

Lu Yin felt embarrassed as he said, "It's still a bit weak."

The Sandmaster nodded. "If not for that incomprehensible power that you possess, there's no way you could have beat the Hall of Honor's Shang Qing. At best, you would have been at the same level of strength as Progenitor Chen or Progenitor Hui, but there's no way you could have beaten both of them by yourself."

Lu Yin remained silent. It was true. Without the death energy, he would not have been able to defeat Shang Qing. Even if he had joined up with Wang Yi and Wu Taibai, they still might have lost, as Shang Qing was not weak even without his summons.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1337: Trading Pointers

The Sandmaster turned to look off into the distance. "Above nine lined battle force is another realm, but I don't know much about that level. How can I describe it…? That sort of power is restricted."

Lu Yin was puzzled. "Restricted?"

The Sandmaster sighed. "Yes. Although it's truly difficult to cultivate battle force to nine lines, and there aren't many people in the universe who have managed to do so, you're not even the only youth who's managed to succeed. Unfortunately, the path beyond that level is broken."

"What do you mean 'broken?' Battle force is internal cultivation, so how could the path possibly be broken?" Lu Yin kept pressing.

The Sandmaster shook his head. "I don't know. Can you tell me why my Fifth Mainland hasn't raised a Progenitor since the ancient war?"

"Our sky was covered. The Sixth Mainland covered the sky of the Fifth Mainland," Lu Yin answered out of reflex.

The Sandmaster sneered. "What is the 'sky?' Where is that so-called 'sky?' How was it covered? What does it mean to cover it up? Do you know?"

Lu Yin shook his head. He had actually not thought about this matter at all, but after hearing the Sandmaster's questions, Lu Yin had some of his own. What was the sky? According to ancient beliefs, the sky was above the earth, and the infinite space that they looked up and seen had been the sky. However, they were currently talking about the universe itself. In that context, what was the sky? Was it just the infinite universe? Still, the Sixth Mainland had covered the Fifth Mainland, but why had they done so? Had that really changed something that disallowed the Fifth Mainland from giving birth to any Progenitors?

Battle force suffered from the same problem. The path of cultivating battle force had been broken, but who had done such a thing? Why did this broken path stop people from being able to improve their battle force? There were no answers, or at least, the Sandmaster had no answers.

However, Lu yin's path was not broken. He looked down at his palm and was almost unable to resist showing the Sandmaster his golden battle force.

"Alright, don't worry about such matters. Why have you come back? To graduate?" the Sandmaster asked.

Lu Yin replied, "I came by to have a look. I was passing by."

The Sandmaster smiled, as he did not believe Lu Yin at all. The mentor raised a foot and disappeared, moving even faster than Wang Yi.

Lu Yin's pupils shrank. Astral-10's mentors really were not simple at all.

But after thinking about it, Astral-9 had been able to defend themselves from a World Imprinter when the Sixth Mainland had invaded, and Astral-10 had actually managed to kill some of the Sixth Mainland's powerhouses.

Lu Yin left the Sand Ocean and went to visit the Stargazing Deck next. He greeted the Starmaster from a distance and then moved on to the teleportation stones were kept to meet with the Trialmaster.

"Student Lu Yin greets the Trialmaster," Lu Yin respectfully greeted the man.

The Trialmaster looked at Lu Yin. "What? What did you say?"

Lu Yin pursed his lips. When he had first arrived at the Astral Combat Academy, all of the students had believed that the Trialmaster was borderline deaf, but in truth, the Trialmaster merely pretended to be hard of hearing as he found it quite funny. "This student greets mentor."

The Trialmaster coughed. "Hello."

Lu Yin thanked the older man. "Thank you for the Channeling Diagram sourcebox array that you sent me. It was very helpful to this student."

"What?" The Trialmaster looked puzzled, and he tipped his head to the side to lean his ear closer.

Lu Yin was left speechless, but then he shouted, "Thank you for giving me the Channeling Diagram, Trialmaster."

The Trialmaster put his hand to his ear. "What did you say? You can't use it? I won't teach it to you."

Lu Yin finally understood that the old man did not want to talk to Lu Yin. Still, as a junior, Lu Yin had no choice but to be polite. "Thank you, Trialmaster. This student will take his leave then."

The Trialmaster lowered his hand and waved Lu Yin off. He could not have been any more clear.

Lu Yin rolled his eyes. This was nowhere close to the attitude that the Trialmaster had shown when he had called Lu Yin in the Blaze Realm. At that time, the old man had been kind. Whatever. Lu Yin turned around and left.

As the Trialmaster looked at Lu Yin's back, his turbid eyes brightened a great deal and filled with admiration.

Any teacher who had a student like Lu Yin would feel both proud and depressed.

The main reason why the Trialmaster had given Lu Yin the Channeling Diagram was because Lu Yin had been one of Astral-10's students. The other reason was because of Xiu Ming's connection. The old man had not wanted to abandon such a talented Lockbreaker.n-.O𝑣𝑬𝐿𝒷In

Still, the Trialmaster had not expected the Channeling Diagram to do Lu Yin any good for the time being. He certainly had not expected to see the child use the Channeling Diagram to divert a physical attack launched by the Astral Beast Domain's Star Devourer and then a full powered attack from the Technocracy's Wang Yi.

The Trialmaster had felt somewhat helpless after seeing Lu Yin's mastery of the Channeling Diagram. There was no need for the Trialmaster to try to teach Lu Yin anything at all. The kid was just too talented.

The Trialmaster did not even want to talk to Lu Yin.

Lu Yin glanced over at the teleportation stones and blinked. If not for the absurd difference in strength, he really would have wanted to go over and have some fun.

After leaving the area with the teleportation stones, Lu Yin went to Astral-10's treasury and saw Old Cai.

What impressed Lu Yin the most about Old Cai were the old man's Money Bombs, which had helped Lu Yin a great deal.

The old man was very enthusiastic upon seeing Lu Yin. As soon as Lu Yin arrived, Old Cai shooed the other students away in order to personally greet Lu Yin. "Why, isn't it Alliance Leader Lu of the Great Eastern Alliance? What wind brought you here? Come, come, come in! Would you like some tea?"

Seeing an expression on Old Cai's face as though he had just seen a fat sheep approach, Lu Yin instantly grew wary. He waved a hand and caused tens of thousands of star essence to appear. He smiled at the old treasurer. "Old Cai, this is a donation from this student to Astral-10."

Old Cai's eyes lit up, and he tucked away the star essence at a speed that Lu Yin had never seen before. Then, Old Cai coughed and put on an act of scolding Lu Yin. "Child, it would have sufficed for you to just visit your alma mater. There's really no need for presents. Won't this just put a distance between us?"

Lu Yin smiled and said, "This is how students should act."

Tens of thousands of star essence was quite a large sum, but not in Lu Yin's eyes. He was at Astral-10 in order to get 900 million star essence, and the academy's mentors had to be coaxed into helping. Old Cai was clearly the easiest to coerce.

"Tell me, what matter has brought you back at this time? You aren't stupid enough to graduate, right?" Old Cai spoke without holding anything back.

Lu Yin had nothing to hide from Old Cai. The old man was shrewd, and Lu Yin would not be able to get away with a lie even if he wanted to. "Of course I don't want to graduate. Astral-10 is Lu Yin's home."

Old Cai rolled his eyes. "Do you think that I don't know what's in your head, kid? If you never graduate, then Astral-10 will always be behind you."

Lu Yin snickered.

Old Cai laughed. "Don't go thinking that you're all that clever—you'll have to support the Astral Combat Academy in the future, and you won't be able to shirk away from this."

Lu Yin smiled and said, "That's my duty."

He had not actually taken Old Cai's words to heart. After all, the old man had not mentioned Astral-10, but rather the entire Astral Combat Academy.

"Tell me, what matter forced you to come back this time, and with such a large gift as well?" Old Cai asked.

Lu Yin's expression grew serious. "This student has encountered some trouble, and I may need the school's help to take care of things."

Old Cai's eyes instantly went wide. "The Neohuman Alliance?"

Lu Yin shook his head. "Not this time."

Old Cai let out a sigh of relief. "I'll be honest. Since you've managed to survive this long, kid, you must have some protection from the Hall of Honor. Who is it? One of the seven?"

Lu Yin nodded.

Old Cai felt confused. "Since you have one of the seven Semi-Progenitors protecting you, then why have you run here for help?"

At this moment, Xia Luo suddenly arrived from a ways away. "It's a matter of this student's business."

No matter if it was Lu Yin or Xia Luo, it was impossible for them to simply use the Astral Combat Academy. It was their alma mater, not a tool. Certain things needed to be clarified in advance. Otherwise, there would be issues if something happened to the Astral Combat Academy.

Lu Yin glanced over as soon as Xia Luo arrived.

Old Cai's eyes flashed, and he blurted out, "Xia Jiuyou?"

The two nodded.

The old man took a deep breath and stared at the two former students. "Boys, you want to use my Astral Combat Academy to hold back the Xia family's experts in order to let him absorb Xia Jiuyou, right?"

Lu Yin nodded.

The old man showed his teeth. "Kid, do you realize that, in order to protect the top ten from the Neohuman Alliance, the Human Domain's most powerful experts have been sent out? Xia Jiuyou is no exception. In addition to the powerhouses from the Xia family, the Hall of Honor also sent their most powerful experts to guard him from the shadows. Such a person is at least able to stall a Semi-Progenitor."

Lu Yin really had not known about this.

Xia Luo smiled and said, "We students already assumed that the top ten would not be allowed to have any accidents since the opportunity that they're receiving is related to the Progenitor realm."

"And yet you still dare to scheme against Xia Jiuyou?" Old Cai shouted.

Xia Luo shrugged. "Neither the Xia family's experts nor the hidden guardians from the Hall of Honor are allowed to enter the Astral Combat Academy. Besides, if you don't help with this, this student will be absorbed sooner or later."

Xia Luo's words were spoken in a casual and laid back tone, but they spoke of sadness and a bleak future.

Old Cai's eyes flickered, and he observed Xia Luo with serious eyes.

Of Lu Yin's class, everyone had eventually left Astral-10 with the exception of Xia Luo. Currently, he was an alternative mentor.

Lu Yin was the pride of all of Astral-10's mentors, and the pride of the entire Astral Combat Academy, but Xia Luo received the most concern and affection from the mentors out of all the students.

Old Cai was very unwilling to allow Xia Luo to simply disappear.

Xia Luo said, "Old Cai, we students simply wish to make the attempt. If the academy is not able to stop them, then we won't make any trouble for the academy."

"What are you talking about? It doesn't matter if you're one of his clones or not—you're a student of my Astral-10. There's no reason for a teacher to just watch his students die." Old Cai was not happy with the situation.

Lu Yin let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Old Cai."

Old Cai frowned. "The Xia family is no ordinary power. They've probably sent that old lady, Xia Meng, to protect Xia Jiuyou. If it's her, we have no way to handle her. It looks like we'll need to ask the mad headmaster, and I don't know…"

Old Cai started muttering to himself, so Lu Yin and Xia Luo bade their goodbyes and left the treasury.

"I hope that your personality can become the dominant one. If not, this all will have been for nothing," Lu Yin mentioned to Xia Luo.

Xia Luo smiled and said, "Fate is something that is predestined, and there's nothing that I can do. Still, even if my consciousness is absorbed, I will still have an effect on Xia Jiuyou, which means that he won't be as hostile towards you in the future."

Lu Yin answered sullenly, "I'm more concerned about my 900 million star essence."

Xia Luo laughed. "It's not easy to love money as much as you."

Half a month soon passed. During these two weeks, the Neohuman Alliance did not launch many attacks or assassination attempts. The Hall of Honor had already shown their response, and the Sixth Mainland had suffered heavy losses. However, the Sixth Mainland was extremely arrogant, and there were rumors that the Progenitor of Secret Arts had moved out to search for the Neohuman Alliance and that he had already destroyed tens of thousands of their strongholds. Still, this did not cause much overall damage to the Neohuman Alliance.

Aeternus, the Neohuman Alliance's headquarters, was located in the Fifth Mainland's Neoverse, and not even the Progenitor of Secret Arts possessed enough power to shake the Neoverse by himself.

On one particular day, a young man named Xia He arrived at Astral-10 from space. He was registered to study at Astral-10 as part of an exchange program.

Xia He's qualifications had been directly confirmed by the Hall of Honor, and he had even been approved of by Nanyuan, one of the nine overseers. Even if the Astral Combat Academy held a special status, it could not ignore the Hall of Honor.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1338: Ambush

Xia Meng stood in outer space as he looked down at Astral-10. The massive, once battleship that had a glorious history had been reduced to being nothing more than an academy.

Xia Jiuyou entered Astral-10 while Xia Meng stood guard outside.

Inside Astral-10, someone had already started watching Xia Jiuyou.

Xia Jiuyou entered Astral-10, but he did not meet with any of the mentors. Instead, he immediately grabbed a student and sent them to find Xia Luo.

"Teacher Xia Luo? He's not easy to find. He's from the legendary class, and he's not actually one of Astral-10's mentors. Thus, he only gives guidance when he feels like it and he can't be found in any specific area," the student explained.

Xia Jiuyou smiled and said, "Then do you know where he can usually be found? My name is Xia He, and I'm Xia Luo's brother."

The student thought for a moment. "Maybe in the ruins. Over the past two weeks, Teacher Xia Luo has been frequently going to the ruins, though I don't know what he's been going there for."

Xia He thanked the student and turned towards the ruins. Ruins? This is even better than expected. Now, there won't be anyone to bother us.

Xia Jiuyou moved out.

Astral-10 had once been destroyed by the crazy headmaster. The ruins were just one part of the battleship's deck. Every broken plank was no different from a mountain, each one forever burning and emitting a scorched smell.

Xia Jiuyou approached the ruins step by step, occasionally passing by a few students. He simply avoided the students and continued on his way.

A day passed, and the flames grew larger and larger until there was a sea of fire in all directions. This place was far too deep in the ruins for Astral-10's students, as the heat of the flames was unendurably dangerous for them.

Xia Jiuyou raised a hand, and his star energy transformed into a stream of air that spread out in all directions. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he looked to his left—he had felt a fluctuation of star energy in that direction.

Before long, someone passed by outside of the flames. Xia Jiuyou looked at that person, and his eyes lit up. It was Xia Luo.

When Xia Luo saw Xia Jiuyou within the flames, his expression changed drastically. "Why are you here at Astral-10?"

Xia Jiuyou's mouth stretched up into a smile, but his eyes were aggressive. "It was very hard to find you, but let's see who can help you this time."

Xia Luo turned and fled without saying another word.

Xia Jiuyou raised a hand and attacked with a Yōu Reinforced Palm. The attack burst through the sea of fire and froze a large area. Then, Xia Jiuyou's innate gift of echo caused a second Yōu Reinforced Palm to appear that blocked Xia Luo's path, but Xia Luo quickly evaded that attack.

"Xia Luo, you can't escape, as you're destined to merge with me! After all, you were originally split off from me!" Xia Jiuyou shouted as the star energy over his hand formed a knife. Then, he lifted a hand to unleash the Xia family's Triple Blade Will.

During ZENITH, the manner in which the summoned Progenitor Chen had used the Triple Blade Will had inspired Xia Jiuyou into improving his use of the technique himself. He had actually managed to condense the aura of the technique, and while this did not increase the power of his attacks, the Triple Blade Will was no longer a technique that had a limited number of uses.

The closer he came to Xia Luo, the stronger Xia Jiuyou's blade became.

Xia Luo felt death quickly approaching him. Xia Jiuyou's Yōu Reinforced Palm reappeared in front of Xia Luo, and he raised a hand to dissolve the attack's star energy, but a knife suddenly appeared behind him and sliced at him. Xia Luo collapsed to the ground.

The terrifying shockwave tore through the sea of fire and shredded the ground.

A group of more than a dozen students cautiously approached the edge of the sea of fire. They had used various items to protect themselves from the flames in order to explore the ruins.

Any student that joined Astral-10 wanted to explore the ruins and find ancient treasures. This group had made it the furthest in, and among them was the girl, Xiao Xuan.

"Will we burn to death? Teacher said that this place is very dangerous." Xiao Xuan was afraid, and her face was very pale despite being baked by the roasting heat of the flames. She looked incredibly white.

A boy next to her whispered, "What are you afraid of? Teacher Xia Luo should be close by, and these flames are spreading so slowly that they can't even hurt us."

"That's right, Xiao Xuan, don't be afraid. I heard that this place used to house all of Astral-10's ancient battle techniques. If we find any copies, we can take them."

Xiao Xuan muttered to herself, "I don't know if the Legendary Ones ever came here to look for things."n((𝐎/.𝗏/(𝑬(-𝐋--𝐛-/1-(n

"They must have. That year, there was Arbiter Lu, Lulu Mavis, and Teacher Xia Luo," the male student commented.

Suddenly, the flames were blown apart, and a terrifying power tore through the void and erupted behind several of the students. They turned out to be incredibly lucky because the force of this shockwave had been enough to wipe all of them all out.

After they stared at the cracks in the ground for a moment and the spatial tears that had yet to recover, the students turned to look at where the attack had come from in a sluggish and terrified manner. They instantly saw Xia Jiuyou's sharp and icy eyes, as well as Xia Luo.

"Teacher Xia Luo!" Xiao Xuan could not stop herself from shouting, though her mouth was immediately covered by her classmates who were next to her. The entire group stared into the distance.

Xia Luo evaded a blade and saw the students off in the distance. Xia Jiuyou also saw them, but continued to raise his blade and then brought it down. "Xia Luo, don't resist."

Xia Luo shouted, "Stop!" and he walked forward to meet the blade.

Xia Jiuyou sneered, "Stupid."

As he spoke, he flipped his blade around and used the back of the blade to strike Xia Luo's forehead.

Xia Jiuyou landed on the ground and looked down at Xia Luo, who had already passed out. "As soft-hearted as a little girl."

He then reached down with a hand, and Xia Luo's body slowly became transparent before gradually disappearing.

Xia Jiuyou's eyes were filled with ecstasy; he had succeeded and had finally absorbed Xia Luo! A surge of power erupted from Xia Jiuyou's body, and he tipped back his head and roared. Suddenly, everything he saw changed. By mastering how to condense the Triple Blade Will, he had achieved the same level of attack power as Progenitor Chen had shown during ZENITH.

After absorbing Xia Luo, both Xia Jiuyou's battle strength and control of star energy had risen an entire level, and even more importantly, he had gained one more life. Only with this level of strength would he stand a chance at fighting for the upcoming opportunity, and he had to win that chance.

No matter who he faced, Lu Yin, Wang Yi, Shang Qing, or Wu Taibai, no one could stop Xia Jiuyou.

He had an even grander plan hidden deep in his heart, and it was a plan that could only be carried out by cultivating the Nine Clones Secret Technique.

Finally, everything was perfect.

Just as Xia Jiuyou was ready to leave, the flames in front of him changed. They suddenly transformed into a ghost-like Xia Luo who charged at Xia Jiuyou.

Xia Jiuyou's expression changed dramatically. "You? What's going on? You should be gone."

The flames twisted, and then changed from Xia Luo to Lu Yin, then to Shang Qing, Wu Taibai. They transformed into Xia Jiuyou's enemies, old friends, and even his relatives.

Xia Jiuyou's face went pale and his breathing grew unsteady. What had just happened? What was going on?

There was a bang, and Xia Jiuyou felt like his brain was struck. He started bleeding from his seven orifices, and the massive shock caused his vision to blur. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and he could not stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of blood as his body slammed down into the flames.

No, this is all an illusion, Lu Yin! Xia Jiuyou's eyes opened up. "Lu Yin, I know it's you!"

The first person to pop into his mind was Lu Yin, as only Lu Yin would cooperate with Xia Luo to ambush Xia Jiuyou while he was in Astral-10 and also had the ability to force Xia Jiuyou into an illusion.

Outside of Astral-10, the same moment Xia Jiuyou was injured, Xia Meng's eyes went wide, and she moved out and tried to enter Astral-10.

However, there were invisible forces that isolated Astral-10, and there were also the academy's mentors. The Sandmaster, the Rainmaster, the Starmaster, and Old Cai all appeared one by one.

Xia Meng's body trembled as she looked at the people before her. "You're looking to die! You actually dare to act against my Xia family?"

The Trialmaster raised his hand, and the Channeling Diagram appeared in front of the mentors.

It dispersed the power of Xia Meng's attack, but she had a power level of more than 900,000. Even if the Trialmaster was able to disperse the attack a bit, it was not enough to stop the attack completely. All of the mentors worked together, only to still be injured by Xia Meng's attack. "Out of my way!"

At this moment, a frantic laughter arose from within the academy. "You provoked the war! Hahahaha! You provoked the war, and you'll suffer the consequences all by your own, hahahaha! Suffer the consequences…"

Xia Meng's expression changed. This insane voice shot through her mind like a sharp blade and gave her a splitting headache. "Astral-10's mad headmaster."

The mentors looked at each other and then returned to Astral-10.

Xia Meng gritted her teeth and rushed towards Astral-10 once more. Down below, in the Rain Observatory, the crazy headmaster sensed something. He raised his head, once again completely mad.

"War, war—," he shouted. He did not know what he was doing. He went from watching the rain from a platform, into space. The void changed in his passing, and space looked completely different, as though a different layer of the universe had been revealed.

An incomparable attack appeared in Xia Meng's vision.

Xia Meng roared, "You old madman!"

She raised her hand, and there was a bang.

Fluctuations of invisible energy spread from Astral-10, sweeping out in all directions. At this moment, all of Erudite Flowzone trembled, and the tributary astral rivers were all pushed back.

All of the cultivators on the Wen family's homeworld felt shocked when they sensed this terrifying power.

The Wen patriarch, Wen Zizai, dropped the broom he had been holding. The power he was sensing had completely erased his mood to sweep. He went pale and turned to look towards Astral-10. What had happened?

In the ruins of Astral-10, outside of the flames, Xiao Xuan and others all saw a strange sight.

They had first had a blade attack brush by them, and then they had seen the man who called himself Xia He attack Xia Luo. He had then gone still before starting to laugh maniacally, sounding just like the crazy headmaster. They had no idea where the attack had come from that had struck the crazed man, but then he had shouted out 'Lu Yin.'

Lu Yin was a legend for the students of Astral-10. He was the reason that Astral-10 had managed to escape its period of decline and enter a time of prosperity. This place had once been known as the first of the ten branches of the Astral Combat Academy, and all of the student had joined Astral-10 because of Lu Yin.

Arbiter Lu Yin, are you here?

Xia Jiuyou was smashed into the flames by Lu Yin's Vacuum Palm. He vomited up blood, feeling agony throughout his internal organs. However, he had also escaped the illusion, but then his vision went black once again. Night Advent had fallen.

Xia Jiuyou's pupils shrank sharply, and he rushed forward, trying to escape Lu Yin's spiritual force attack. Xia Jiuyou's spiritual force could not compare to Lu Yin's.

It was easy to escape Night Advent, and Xia Jiuyou leaped out of the flames. There was blood dripping from his mouth. He saw the students who were watching from a distance, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light as he raised a hand to grab for one of them.

He easily grabbed a girl by her neck. "Lu Yin, I'll kill her if you attack again!"

"Who are you going to kill?" A familiar voice spoke from in front of Xia Jiuyou, and he looked at the girl, only to see that she had become his father, Xia Yi.

Xia Jiuyou's scalp went numb. This was not good! He was in another illusion.

There was another bang, and a sharp pain erupted from his head. Lu Yin's Vacuum Palm had landed square on Xia Jiuyou's head and Xis Jiuyou's feebly let go of his grip. His pupils dilated, and his vision blurred and started to grow dark. He could no longer tell the difference between reality and illusion.

The gap was too big. Xia Jiuyou was never even able to see Lu Yin, and he had been on the back foot throughout their entire exchange.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1339: Merging

There was another bang, and Lu Yin appeared above Xia Jiuyou's head. He slapped down a palm, and Xia Jiuyou coughed up more blood. This attack had taken most of Xia Jiuyou's life.

The Nine Clones Technique gave the user nine lives, but Lu Yin had no intention of killing Xia Jiuyou, as that would not help anything. If Lu Yin wanted to, he could instantly eliminate Xia Jiuyou, but killing Xia Jiuyou was not the goal.

Xia Jiuyou collapsed halfway to his knees. His arms trembled, and he could barely support his own body. He maintained only the tiniest bit of his consciousness. He knew what Lu Yin was wanting to do, he was trying to knock Xia Jiuyou out cold to allow Xia Luo to absorb Xia Jiuyou instead of the reverse. Xia Jiuyou would rather die than be absorbed by Xia Luo.

"Brother Jiuyou, your hand's broken." In his half-conscious state, Xia Jiuyou saw a child approaching. It was his younger brother, his own brother. He looked so cute, and he looked at Xia Jiuyou with so much admiration in his eyes.

Another child appeared, this one with the same appearance as Xia Jiuyou himself. It was Xia Jiuyou when he had been a child.

"A wound on your hand? Here, let Brother give it a small huff and puff and the pain will go away."

"Thank you, Brother."

A girl walked up behind Xia Jiuyou. "Brother, let's go! Let's sneak out to play! I heard that people outside call us one of the Three Dark Hands! That's so funny."

Xia Jiuyou blinked at her like a child. "The Three Dark Hands? What's that mean?"

"It means we're great, so how about we go bully people?"

"No, you old lady! Stop bullying people!"

"Hey, who turned you kind?"n-)O𝓋𝖊𝑙𝒃1n

"Brother Jiuyou, it's very difficult to practice the Yōu Reinforced Palm."

"Brother Jiuyou, I'm hungry."

"Brother, my sister wants to play with you."

"Aren't you Big Brother Jiuyou? You're really amazing!"

"Brother Jiuyou is amazing!"

In a blink of an eye, the entire situation had changed. "Big Brother Jiuyou, kill me! The Xia family will only allow you to live."

"Brother Jiuyou, I don't want to die, but I want you to live, so say goodbye."

"Brother, remember me and live, no matter what."

Xia Jiuyou's eyes grew bloodshot as scenes from his past appeared. He was overcome with anguish. The memories of his brother and sister caused him to collapse, and tears combined with blood before falling from the corner of his eyes.

Ever since he had been old enough to understand, the Xia family had instilled in Xia Jiuyou to win by any means necessary. This was the reason why Xia Jiuyou had killed his brother, his sister, and everyone he had held dear, following his father's orders one step at a time.

Successfully cultivating the Nine Clones Technique had not only been a means for Xia Jiuyou to become stronger, but also a method to split his personality.

Each clone had broken away, one by one, and each one of the clones had taken away a portion of his empathy. In the end, Xia Jiuyou, who had been left alone, had been left with nothing but ruthlessness, deceit, and—weariness.

Lu Yin stared at Xia Jiuyou as the young man shed blood and tears. Xia Jiuyou's pupils were unfocused and he was almost unconscious, so why were his eyes filled with so much pain and sadness at this moment?

Xia Luo approached and stood in front of Xia Jiuyou. "Xia Jiuyou is someone who is ruthless and unscrupulous. He is trying to become as invincible and powerful as Progenitor Chen, and if it's something that will help him become stronger, he will ignore the rules, hide, and allow people to humiliate him. However, he is also very tired, and deep down in his heart, there is still a trace of his obsession with dying, which has been there since he was a child.

"To absorb him and replace him as the Xia family's inheritor means that I am also taking on his obsession, as well as his pain."

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed his eyes, and he thought of Ming Yan. Her white-haired personality had taken on all of Ming Yan's pain and sorrow, and it turned out that Xia Jiuyou's situation was exactly the same as hers.

"Truthfully, you also truly want to set down your burden. I will take it for you, so you can rest easy," Xia Luo stared into Xia Jiuyou's eyes as he spoke slowly. He spoke like he was hypnotizing Xia Jiuyou, but also like he was making a promise.

The last trace of Xia Jiuyou self-consciousness completely disappeared.

Lu Yin turned around and walked away.

Only Xia Luo and Xia Jiuyou stayed behind.

Even at the end, Lu Yin had never known Xia Jiuyou.

Everyone has a side to themselves that others did not know. In the Mountain and Seas Zone, Xia Jiuyou had suffered multiple defeats after he had appeared, and he had been mocked by others. At that time, who had known that everything had been in his control. He had later stepped onto the golden platform and proven himself to be one of the strongest people in the entire younger generation. He was brilliant, but he had sabotaged himself in a bid to win ZENITH.

Xia Jiuou had many faces, but it appeared that they had all been created by his own internal traumas.

Lu Yin remembered Jin He and Tong Zhan, both of whom he had personally killed. They had been his enemies, but had there also been an unknown side to them?

With a wry smile, Lu Yin lifted his head and let out a long sigh. He still over-thought things. This was the way of the universe. As long as there was life, there was a reason for existence and there would be an obsession to live. Lu Yin was no different, and this led to competition.

In a universe ruled by survival of the fittest, kindness was the least valuable commodity that existed. The only thing that a person could hope to preserve was a line they would not cross no matter what.

Off in the distance, Xiao Xuan and the others were blankly staring at Lu Yin as he approached. Lu Yin had returned to his normal appearance, and his face belonged to a person who had been obsessed over by Xiao Xuan and the others. Their idol was in front of them.

"Lu- Arbiter Lu!" Xiao Xuan squeaked in surprise.

All of the other students were also excitedly staring at Lu Yin. "Senior!"

"Arbiter Lu."

"Champion Lu."

Lu Yin was met by a similar scene to before. The last time, he had not been able to face the students, and this time he felt a little embarrassed. However, he had also just attacked someone, and he was feeling a bit down about it.

"Why are you here? This place is very dangerous," Lu Yin said.

Xiao Xuan was so excited that stars shone in her eyes. "Senior, you're back? When? Did you come back to graduate?"

"Senior, I heard that you entered the Rain List right from the beginning, right? That's so hard!"

"Senior, is it lonely being such a powerhouse?"

"Senior, what was that power you used during the last fight of ZENITH? You were so handsome, and so charming."

The corners of Lu Yin's mouth were pulled up, and he looked over at the girl who asked the last question. She had a great eye. "Cough, This place is very dangerous, so don't try to go any further and worry the mentors."

"Senior, when did you get back?" Xiao Xuan asked.

"A few days ago."

"We've been working up in the space station, but we didn't see you. Ah, I remember now, you were the senior from Legend 1!" Xiao Xuan exclaimed, startling Lu Yin.

He did not deny her conclusion. "I needed to do something after coming back, so it's best if I don't say."

On the other side, a boy asked, "Senior, could you guide us? Teach us how to leave our name on the Rain List? We've stayed in the Rain Observatory for a whole year, yet we can't even see the Rain List."

Lu Yin smiled and said, "In addition to trying to simply control star energy, there's also the aspect of comprehension, which is understanding it. I'll leave you with this: hold a wild flower in your hands and in doing so, the world."1

"Hold a wild flower in your hands and in doing so, the world?" These young students were all confused. This simple phrase had given them enough to think on for a lifetime.

The truth was that Lu Yin did not understand this phrase himself. Although he had reached the Worldliness realm of star energy control, he fell far behind Liquor Hero. She was a peerless talent who had truly understood the meaning of one flower, one world. She had used a single drop of wine to trap Bai Mai, and the bug had been unable to escape. Liquor Hero's Creation realm of star energy control had also allowed her to simply absorb the various weapons that God Qingguang had created with Truesight. Liquor Hero's star energy control was simply exquisite.

If possible, Lu Yin wanted to speak with her about how she had reached such an enigmatic realm of star energy control.

One girl was very excited, and she squeezed herself in front of Lu Yin. Her face was flushed and her eyes were full of admiration. "Senior, during ZENITH's last fight when you singled out all of the top ten, why did that power make you so handsome? What kind of power is it?"

Everyone wanted to know what sort of power Lu Yin had used, and Lu Yin was absolutely certain if not for his own level of strength, there would be countless people from all parts of the universe who would want to capture him in order to find out about that power.

That energy had given Lu Yin the strength to overwhelm all of ZENITH's top ten, even with powerhouses like Shang Qing. Not only that, Lu Yin had crushed all of the others. Such a power was truly monstrous, and even Lu Yin himself felt it was horrifying, especially since it was difficult to control.

"That power is something that I only managed to obtain by chance, and it would be difficult to use it again." Lu Yin did not want to share much information.

Still, it was pleasant to chat with his juniors. All of them were full of energy and curiosity towards the universe. They had a strong desire for adventure flowing from their hearts, though they had no idea what awaited them once they entered the universe.

Even with Lu Yin's talent and strength, he had nearly died multiple times, and he had truly died several times more.

The universe was a cruel place, and the competition within an academy, or the oppression felt from a powerful family was nothing more than the tip of the iceberg, and was truly nothing in the greater universe.

Confronted with a dozen pairs of eyes, each full of hope for the future, Lu Yin smiled gently. "Remember what Senior told you: no matter what you experience in the future, never give up hope, not even when facing unimaginable giants. There is a silver lining to everything in the universe, and maybe you'll catch it, and maybe you won't, but if you ever give up, it simply means an early end. Also," At this point his smile grew a bit bigger. "Astral-10 is our home, so never forget our home."

"Yes, Senior," everyone replied, each of them staring at Lu Yin with excitement and admiration. They had only briefly interacted with Lu Yin, but it had still greatly increased their respect for him.

"Alright, head on back. In the future, to go so deep into the ruins. It's dangerous." Lu Yin waved a hand to dismiss the students.

"Goodbye, Senior!" All of these students implicitly believed Lu Yin's words, and decisively acted on them. In the blink of an eye, they were all gone, though their eyes were filled with reluctance.

Soon, Xia Luo walked out of the flames behind Lu Yin with a smile on his face.

Lu Yin turned around and looked at Xia Luo.

Neither of the two spoke, and instead they just looked at each other.

After a while, Xia Luo asked, "Brother Lu, why are you acting so hesitant?"

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. "Your gaze feels unfamiliar to me."

Xia Luo spread his hands. "It's not that, but this is how merging works. Xia Jiuyou hasn't disappeared, but rather our minds have merged. His feelings, as well as some of his attachments, have affected me. Still, I am the dominant one."

"So, are you the second Xia Jiuyou?" Lu Yin smiled.

Xia Luo smiled. "You can say that. Let's go. Elder Xia Meng is in a hurry."

Lu Yin nodded.

Outside of Astral-10, up in space, Xia Meng's face had become exceptionally gloomy, and she was quietly waiting.

She had not made any moves after the crazy headmaster had appeared. She had not been able to get into Astral-10, and her efforts had been futile. Hidden in the dark, the powerhouse sent by the Hall of Honor to protect Xia Jiuyou also remained still.

Several of Astral-10's mentors were vigilantly keeping an eye on Xia Meng.

Old Cai was anxious. He did not know what had happened to Lu Yin and the others, and everyone was still worried about Xia Luo. After years together, Xia Luo was like a child in their hearts. They had never said anything, but their actions had spoken for them. Even with their strength, if it had not been for Xia Luo's sake, not one of the mentors would have risked going up against Xia Meng, even with their strength.

Fortunately, Xia Meng was too powerful, and she had drawn the attention of the crazy headmaster. Otherwise, Xia Meng would have broken into Astral-10.

[1] This comes from the William Blake poem A Grain of Sand:

To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1340: Leaving A Name On Boundless

Space distorted as Xia Luo and Lu Yin emerged.

The tension drained out of the eyes of the Trialmaster and the other mentors, as this meant that Xia Luo won.

Across from the mentors, Xia Meng stared at Xia Luo with complex emotions filling her eyes. She did not know how to view Xia Luo; was he Xia Jiuyou's murderer? Or was he Xia Jiuyou himself? No one could understand Xia Meng's feelings at this time.

She had been very protective of Xia Jiuyou for a long time. During his youth, Xia Jiuyou had been kind and innocent, and Xia Ming had become attached to him then. This was why, despite risking offending the patriarch, Xia Yi, she had hidden away the Nine Clones Secret Technique for Xia Jiuyou. However, in the end, the dominant personality was not Xia Jiuyou.

She clenched her fists tightly as she stared at Xia Luo, whose face was very similar to Xia Jiuyou's.

Xia Luo stepped forward and approached Xia Meng. He looked up at her. "Auntie Meng."

Xia Meng's body went stiff from shock. This was how Xia Jiuyou had referred to her the first time he had seen her. This was also the name that had caused Xia Meng to view Xia Jiuyou as practically her own son. However, as Xia Jiuyou had grown older and started cultivating the Nine Clones Secret Technique, his personality had completely changed. He had become more ruthless and more practiced at deceit. Eventually, he no longer called her so familiarly anymore.

After so many years, she had not expected to hear this name again.

"You…" Xia Meng's fingers trembled as she stared at Xia Luo.

Xia Luo smiled. "Auntie Meng, let's go home."

She stared at Xia Luo blankly, and it was as if she was seeing the kind and innocent child version of Xia Jiuyou. "O- okay. Okay, let's go home."

Xia Luo turned back to look at Lu Yin. "Brother Lu, you'll soon receive what was promised to you."

He then revealed a bright smile. "I'll soon see you at that place."

Lu Yin knew that Xia Luo was talking about the place that they would soon be sent to where they would fight for an opportunity. It seemed that Xia Luo knew something.

It was only then that Xia Meng noticed Lu Yin, and her eyes burned with a killing intent that made Lu Yin's scalp tingle.

He frowned, but he was not actually worried. The Highsage Grandmaster was keeping an eye on Lu Yin at all times, and it would be incredibly bizarre for Xia Meng to take action against Lu Yin at this time.

Xia Luo quickly spoke up. "Auntie Meng, he's my friend."

Xia Meng stared at Lu Yin, not knowing what to do. Should she get revenge? Xia Meng herself did not understand what she was feeling at this moment.

Lu Yin greeted Xia Meng. "Senior, Xia Jiuyou was Xia Luo, and Xia Luo is still Xia Jiuyou. With Xia Jiuyou's mind, he would not have been able to proceed far with the Nine Clones Secret Technique, but Xia Luo is different. He's more like the Xia Jiuyou you remember, isn't he?"

Xia Meng released her hand and snorted. "Junior, sometimes it's bad to be too clever, and you would do well to keep a low profile in that place. There are some places where you can't act freely. If you do end up in trouble, don't drag down Xia Jiu- Xia Luo."

Lu Yin smiled. "There's no need for senior to worry."

"Hmph!" Xia Meng was still very upset with Lu Yin, but there was nothing that she could do about him, so she simply left with Xia Luo.

Before leaving, Xia Luo bowed to Astral-10 and all of the mentors. "This student will come back. Please take care, mentors."

Lu Yin stared at Xia Luo's back as he left. More than anything, Lu Yin was looking forward to the 900 million star essence, as that was a massive sum of money. It was enough to stir anyone's greed, enough to even entice one of the Hall of Honor's overseers.

Lu Yin turned to face the Trialmaster and the other mentors and bowed low as well. "We students brought disaster to the academy. Thank you, mentors, for helping us."

The Rainmaster, the Starmaster, the Sandmaster, and the Trialmaster all just glanced at Lu Yin before returning to Astral-10. Old Cai made a certain gesture that Lu Yin was very familiar with, and Lu Yin instantly understood. "Don't worry, Old Cai. This student understands."

With that, Old Cai was satisfied.

As the rest of the mentors left, Lu Yin suddenly saw a pair of murky eyes that had seen countless years pass by. These eyes were at Astral-10's Rain Observatory, and they belonged to the crazy headmaster.

More than ten years had passed since Lu Yin had entered Astral-10, but Lu Yin and the crazy headmaster had barely ever spoken to each other. In fact, Lu Yin had actually never seen the headmaster in a normal state of mind, though the headmaster had helped Lu Yin a great deal.

The headmaster had helped Lu Yin break through to the Melder realm and had also helped him deduce the ninth star of the Cosmic Art. And recently, the headmaster had held Xia Meng back.

Although the crazy headmaster had never taught Lu Yin anything, Lu Yin still had a great deal of respect for the old man.

Before the Astral Combat Tournament, there had been rumors that the crazy headmaster had spoken to Astral-10's mentors and asked them to teach the students, which had led to everyone rapidly improving. Astral-10's mentors were not true instructors, but rather the crazy headmaster's caretakers.

As Lu Yin's status and strength improved, he had become able to more clearly see the events of the past.

For example, Lu Yin was certain that, at this moment, the headmaster was not insane, but rather in his proper state of mind.n-.O𝑣𝑬𝐿𝒷In

Lu Yin slowly descended onto Astral-10 and approached the Rain Observatory.

Rain softly fell onto the platforms, and Lu Yin swept past the giant trees until he eventually stopped close to the headmaster. He then moved closer one step at a time, until he finally stopped less than three meters away from the crazy headmaster, at which point Lu Yin slowly bowed. "Student Lu Yin greets the headmaster and thanks the headmaster for his help."

The crazy headmaster did not answer. His clothes were messy, his hair looked like a hornet's nest, his face was filthy, and there were no shoes on his feet, making it impossible to know what he had stepped in. All in all, he looked like a beggar.

Lu Yin did not stand up, and he remained in a bowing position as he respectfully saluted the old man.

One hour. Two hours. Three hours. Finally, a full five hours passed. The headmaster had not moved at all during this time, and neither had Lu Yin.

"Have you graduated yet?" the headmaster asked. His voice sounded desolate.

Lu Yin said, "This student still has not yet graduated."

The headmaster lifted his head. "Then you're still a part of the academy, and helping you is something that we should do."

Lu Yin was grateful. "All of us students are grateful for the headmaster's help. We created problems for Astral-10, and I deeply apologize for this."

"There's no need to apologize. As long as you are able to leave your name here at Astral-10 and become a guest instructor for Astral-10, everything is fine." the headmaster said.

Lu Yin was surprised. "A guest instructor? Like Xia Luo?"

"No, that's different. He did not leave his name on the academy. As for you, your name will be carved on Boundless. In the future, no matter what happens, if Boundless is around, so will you. If it's destroyed, then you will perish before it does." The mad headmaster turned around and spoke in a somber tone as he stared at Lu Yin.

Boundless was the name of the battleship that had become Astral-10.

Lu Yin felt an inexplicable solemness. At this moment, it felt like he was participating in some kind of ceremony.

Boundless, Boundless, Boundless. Lu Yin did not dare to immediately answer. "Might I ask headmaster, where did this Boundless come from? Where is it going? Is there a destination?"

The mad headmaster's expression suddenly turned pious. "It is going from the Daosource Sect to the enemy's location. There is no final destination, as can there be an final end to humanity? Even if there is, there is no end for Boundless. She must carry mankind's hope. She bears the seed of inheritance. This is Boundless's destiny."

Lu Yin's eyes glanced about. "Seed of inheritance? Isn't this a battleship?"

The headmaster's eyes suddenly went wide, and a terrifying pressure fell upon Lu Yin. All that Lu Yin could sense was that something had suddenly changed, and it felt as if the universe had instantly been destroyed. The mounting pressure almost forced Lu Yin to kneel down.

"Boundless's mission is not one of war, but rather of delivering an inheritance. Only an inheritance can bring hope that can be passed down." The headmaster once again looked insane as he spoke, but then he smiled. "Hahahaha! The war that you caused was brought on by yourself and was self-inflicted. Eat the bitter fruit! Hahahaha, you caused the war." As he spoke, the crazy headmaster fled and almost instantly disappeared.

Lu Yin had not expected his question to trigger the headmaster's insanity, and he was stunned.

The Rainmaster appeared nearby. "Don't worry about it. That's how he always is, and he won't be himself for several days."

Lu Yin was curious. "Mentor, isn't Boundless a battleship? Why did it end up as an academy? The headmaster seems to be very serious about this ship's role."

The Rainmaster answered in a heavy voice, saying, "What he values is not the academy, nor the so-called glory of being headmaster, but rather the word 'Boundless.'"

"Boundless?" Lu Yin muttered to himself.

The Rainmaster stared off into the distance. "I am also fulfilling my responsibilities as a mentor because I have no boundaries. No matter how this warship is regarded, the truth is that it used to be a flagship. It was not just a flagship for a war, but rather one for all of mankind. It was the guiding light for mankind, and the inheritance that it carries is the hope of mankind. No one can bring shame to Boundless."

"What did the headmaster mean by an inheritance?" Lu Yin asked.

The Rainmaster replied, "That involves too much. For now, you just need to train hard, and I will explain this matter to you later. If the headmaster asked you to stay here in Astral-10, don't bother for the time being. Once you become an Envoy and understand the truth of Boundless, then you can decide whether or not you want to leave your name here. However, once you leave your name, the burden will be greater than what you can currently bear."

Lu Yin became really curious. No matter what, the Astral Combat Academy was just an academy, or perhaps a battleship that was a relic from ancient times. Could it actually carry an even greater burden than the Hall of Honor? That should be impossible, but the Rainmaster's words indicated that Lu Yin did not yet qualify to leave his name down on it. He was peerless within his generation, the pinnacle talent who could mobilize the protection of Semi-Progenitors, but he still was not qualified to leave his name on the ship.

There were too many secrets in the universe.

As for leaving his name, Lu Yin had initially been a bit torn over the decision, but with this additional information, it became even worse. All he wanted to do was settle his own matters.

In the Neoverse, on the sword-shaped mainland that was the Xia family's home, Xia Yi, the Xia patriarch, officially announced that the Xia family's inheritor had become Xia Luo. At the same time, Xia Yi requested that the Hall of Honor allow Xia Luo to replace Xia Jiuyou as one of ZENITH's top ten.

No matter if it was Xia Jiuyou or Xia Luo, they could both be regarded as an avatar of the main body. After Xia Jiuyou merged into Xia Luo, his strength climbed higher than ever before, so there was no reason for the Hall of Honor to refuse this request.

However, many people could not understand the concept of Xia Jiuyou merging with Xia Luo, and Xia Yi's attitude was even more confusing to them because he truly did not seem to care.

Though, if one considered this matter closely, Xia Jiuyou and Xia Luo were both Xia Yi's sons, and no one could change this fact. In the depths of Xia Yi's heart, he had actually hoped for Xia Luo to replace Xia Jiuyou because Xia Jiuyou actually harbored a deep hatred towards him, his father.

Inside the Xia family's headquarters, Patriarch Xia Yi slowly bowed down to an old man standing in front of him. This old man was Xia Ji, one of the Human Domain's seven Semi-Progenitors. He was the Xia family's top powerhouse.

"Xia Yi, you have no way to teach your son. Do you understand your guilt?" Xia Ji spoke in a flat tone, but when Xia Yi heard it, he shuddered even though he was responsible for the deaths of several members of the Xia family with no one being more ruthless than him.

"This junior is indeed guilty," Xia Yi immediately admitted to his error.

Xia Ji sighed. "The Nine Clones Secret Technique could have made Xia Jiuyou a perfect powerhouse. One is divided into nine, and each goes their own way. This method can even make up for the flaws in one's character. It's a pity that you educated that child through steel and blood. You allowed that child to use the Nine Clones Secret Technique as a means of separating his grief, which infinitely magnified the flaw of the technique. This made it so that he had no way to exert the true strength of the Nine Clones Secret Technique.

"The Nine Clones Secret Technique has now been repeatedly defeated by others of the same generation, which is truly humiliating to Progenitor Chen."

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1341: Cultivation Method

Upon hearing Xia Ji's words, Xia Yi felt horrified. "This junior understands what he did wrong. This junior truly did not know that the child was cultivating the Nine Clones Secret Technique."

Xia Ji turned back around to stare at Xia Yi. "You don't even know what methods your son is training in? It's absurd for you to be a father. Whether as a father or as the patriarch, you are unqualified."

Xia Yi shuddered and quickly kneeled down. "I ask ancestor to give me a chance. This junior will never repeat such a mistake again."

Xia Ji shook his head and stared out into space. "That Xia Luo is not bad. Jiuyou had a flawed heart, but this Xia Luo's character actually makes up for that flaw. Also, he has a good relationship with that Lu Yin, so he won't be alone when fighting for opportunities in that place."

Xia Yi lowered his head and figured out what had happened. When Xia Meng had taken Jiuyou away, the ancestor must have known about it but had not intervened. He had preferred for Jiuyou to be absorbed by Xia Luo.

In the eyes of the ancestor, there was no difference between Xia Jiuyou and Xia Luo. Both of them were inheritors of the Xia family, and Xia Luo was far more suitable for the role than Xia Jiuyou.

"Get up. For the time being, even if you do relinquish your position as patriarch, there is no one who can replace you. It's a pity that the Xia family has degraded from one generation to the next. Once I die, the Xia family won't even be able to retain its position as the leader of the Seven Courts," Xia Ji said.

Xia Yi let out a sigh of relief and stood up. "Ancestor, there are too many geniuses within the next generation. The Tri-Yang Technique has appeared, and it is able to summon both Progenitor Chen and Progenitor Hui. There's also the Sixth Mainland, as well as the Astral Beast Domain. Also, there's that child whose power I can't even understand, Lu Yin. Even though the Nine Clones Secret Technique is impressive, how would ancestor have done things differently?"

Xia Ji indifferently commented, "If you had known from the beginning that the child was cultivating the Nine Clones Secret Technique, you could have helped him. You could have asked some of your old friends to train individual clones, and then once they merged together, his strength would have utterly transformed. Now-" Xia Ji felt helpless even by thinking about it. "We'll discuss this later."n-)O𝓋𝖊𝑙𝒃1n

After he finished speaking, the last battle of ZENITH appeared in Xia Ji's mind, as well as Lu Yin's strange transformation. The Xia ancestor felt as if he had heard of a similar transformation before, but where?

At this moment, Xia Yi's gadget beeped and alerted him to a notification. He looked down, surprised; was it Jiuyou? No, it should be Xia Luo.

Xia Ji also saw the call, but he remained silent.

Xia Yi answered the call, asking, "What's the matter?"

Xia Luo's voice came through from the other end, "I need to trouble my father to have Nan Yuan return the billion star essence that's currently stored in the Mavis Bank to Lu Yin."

"A billion?" Xia Yi's brows shot up. This was an amount that even he, the patriarch of the Seven Courts' Xia family, could not ignore: a billion star essence.

"This is something that this child promised Lu Yin as thanks for his assistance, and I cannot break my promise." Xia Luo's voice was soft, but there was no hint of worry that Xia Yi would refuse the request.

After merging with Xia Jiuyou, even if Xia Luo had become the dominant personality, he was still subconsciously influenced by Xia Jiuyou's thoughts and memories. Xia Luo was also Xia Jiuyou. Thus, Xia Jiuyou had not truly disappeared, and there was a very strong impression of Xia Yi left in Xia Luo's mind.

At this moment, Xia Yi would never refuse any of Xia Luo's requests because he was currently the Xia family's only direct descendant.

Xia Yi would not be willing to antagonize Xia Luo for a billion star essence.

Xia Luo's instinct proved right. A billion star essence was indeed a large amount, but it was not enough to push Xia Yi to disagree with Xia Luo. He did not want to see Xia Luo become a second Xia Jiuyou. "Very well, I understand. I will tell Nan Yuan."

"Thank you, Father." Xia Luo smiled and ended the call.

Far away, Xia Meng was feeling very uncomfortable. She felt extreme disgust towards Lu Yin. He had defeated Xia Jiuyou during ZENITH and had also caused Xia Jiuyou to disappear. Although Xia Luo was the actual mastermind behind everything and was right in front of her, who had allowed Xia Luo to succeed? Xia Meng had already transferred all of her anger onto Lu Yin and then doubled it.

It was unfortunate that there was no way to move against Lu Yin, as if there were, Xia Meng definitely would have already taken action. Even if she did not kill him, she would definitely teach him a lesson.

"Stay away from that Lu Yin in the future. With only a glance, I already know that he's no good. It's a waste of time to be a cultivator and yet not focus on cultivating. Instead, he focuses on schemes and tricks and even rose up to become the master of the Outerverse. That's the kind of person who will bring disaster onto himself sooner or later," Xia Meng spoke in a cold tone.

Xia Luo smiled. "I understand, Auntie Meng."

Every time Xia Luo spoke to her in this manner, Xia Meng's heart would helplessly soften, and her eyes would fill with adoration. It was as if she was looking at the young Xia Jiuyou again.

Lu Yin also left Astral-10. Before leaving, he left a million star essence with Old Cai. This was no longer an exorbitant amount in Lu Yin's eyes, and Astral-10 had once been so broke that they had had to rely on sponsors just to own spacecrafts.

Old Cai was quite satisfied.

As soon as he left Astral-10, Lu Yin received an invitation from the Wen family, asking him to visit and speak with them.

He turned down the invitation, as there was no need for him to visit the Wen family at this moment—Lu Yin had other priorities.

His ship shot towards Blazing Mist Flowzone.

One day later, he heard a notification from his gadget. It was a message informing him that he had received a guarantee from Nan Yuan that he would transfer a billion star essence to him through the Mavis Bank.

Lu Yin was ecstatic. A billion? Wasn't it supposed to be 900 million? Lu Yin had told Xia Luo that he was owed 900 million star essence, so he had not expected to be given a full one billion. Xia Luo was too generous.

An endless amount of money might not be very useful to others, but for Lu Yin, it was an immediate shortcut that he could use to improve his strength.

As soon as he received the message, Lu Yin directed his ship to the nearest Mavis Bank. Just in case, he intended to immediately withdraw the money.

It would be unrealistic to withdraw one billion star essence from a single branch of the Mavis Bank. Even if the Mavis Bank was incredibly wealthy, it was impossible for all its branches to have so much star essence. Forget one branch, even ten combined would not have that much.

Lu Yin was left with no choice but to slowly withdraw his funds from one branch at a time. In the end, he withdrew the final bit of his billion star essence from the thirteenth branch that he visited. After that, he arrived at Blazing Mist Flowzone.

Lu Yin rubbed his cosmic ring. At the moment, his liquid assets amounted to 1.712 billion star essence; what a terrible number! Right now, Lu Yin did not merely stand on the same level as other wealthy individuals as he held an amount of wealth that even the masters of the eight great flowzones would have trouble putting together.

If there was a list of the most wealthy, then Lu Yin felt that he would likely be on it.

After getting so much money, it was time for Lu Yin to upgrade his items.

Back in the Blaze Realm, Lu Yin ignored everything and immediately went into seclusion.

In the Outerverse, in Shenwu Continent's imperial palace, there were two groups of people facing off against each other. One was composed of natives from Shenwu Continent who were protecting the imperial palace while the other group was composed of people from the Great Yu Empire who had been stationed on Shenwu Continent. Things were turning ugly.

"I'll tell you again—get out of our way! We must see the empress today!" a woman shouted. She was a Hunter, and her power caused the palace to start crumbling.

Across from her, the faces of the people from Shenwu Continent grew pale. None of them were Martial Gods and were thus unable to compare to this woman. If not for the face that the woman was giving to the empress by not forcing matters, there was no way that they would have been able to block her path.

Bei Hong walked up to the palace, looked at the Hunter, and then looked back at the imperial palace. "Get out of the way. The empress hasn't shown herself for a long time, and if this continues, then no one will be able to control the situation."

Upon hearing this, the palace guards helplessly stepped back.

The Hunter rushed to the imperial study, but she found no traces of Ming Yan. All she found was a trembling maid.

The Hunter's face went pale. It was over, the empress was not there. How had she gotten out? Unless one was an Explorer and had a Hunter open a path for them, there was no way to leave Shenwu Continent.

This was the main reason why the Hunter had never been concerned about Ming Yan not showing herself, but the worst possible situation had occurred.

Bei Hong also had not expected for Ming Yan to leave Shenwu Continent.

The Hunter stared at Bei Hong. "If His Highness finds out about this, we will all die."

Bei Hong solemnly replied, "I know, which is why I can't tell His Highness. Send someone to get in touch with the space station outside right now to see if the empress was picked up. If not, it means that she must not have left Shenwu Continent. We need to figure this out right away."

The Hunter nodded. She had started to panic, so she could only listen to Bei Hong.

Bei Hong's heart kept sinking further and further. He thought of Ming Zhaoshu's death and how Ming Yan had been held hostage at that time, which had led to her being poisoned and almost dying. Were any of the people related to that incident still alive? Could they have taken action against Ming Yan? That would be bad.

They would not be able to keep this matter hidden for long.

In the Blaze Realm, in Lu Yin's secluded room, he raised a hand, and his die appeared, slowly rotating. He tapped it and rolled six pips: Possession.

There was no limit to how much star essence could be consumed with Possession, so as soon as Lu Yin appeared in the strange space with the orbs of light, he instinctively searched for the brightest light and immediately merged with it.

As the scenery changed before his eyes, he appeared in the middle of a battlefield in outer space. Pain racked his body, and Lu Yin looked down to see that his body had already been hacked to pieces. There was a figure in front of him with a pair of scarlet eyes that had slitted pupils. They were cold, ruthless eyes devoid of all life. The figure reached out with a hand to grab at Lu Yin.

He reflexively wanted to use the Ce Secret Art to evade, but this was not his body, so he could not use such a revealing technique. The attacker's hand stabbed into Lu Yin's neck, and blood dripped down the back of his hand and off the fingertips. The blood quickly formed a stream.

Lu Yin had not expected to Possess an Enlighter with a power level of more than 300,000 only to immediately die. There were too many other dead bodies floating around in outer space, and the entire area was painted red.

His eyes went dark, and Lu Yin's consciousness returned to his own body. His eyes snapped open, his pupils mere pinpricks. He had just died.

Once again, he had experienced the sensation of dying. It was a feeling that everyone could only experience once, but Lu Yin had experienced it multiple times.

Suddenly, the black and white mist in his heart throbbed. It then slowly churned, as if pulling at something, before actually growing slightly.

During the last fight of ZENITH, Lu Yin had used the power of this black and white mist to transform. After that fight, the dual-colored mist had become much thinner, being reduced to around half of what it had originally been. Lu Yin felt that if he transformed once more, the black and white mist might disappear entirely.

Lu Yin had been worrying about this power disappearing, and he had wanted to find some place that naturally had death energy, but how could such a place be easy to find? He had never thought that this mist could be replenished by experiencing death himself. Even though it had only been a small amount, he had learned something very useful: it was not entirely necessary to absorb only dead energy.

Lu Yin did not know if he should be happy or depressed, as experiencing death was a horrible sensation. He had only deliberately killed himself during a Possession when confronting Ling Que as a last resort while this most recent death had been due to him failing to react in time. Even just the idea of purposely experiencing death was enough to cause him to panic slightly.

However, there was no other way. If Lu Yin wanted to keep the power of his death energy transformation, then this was just what he had to do.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1342: True Universe

Fortunately, Lu Yin had finally found a method to replenish the energy that powered his death transformation, but it seemed that it really was necessary for him to experience death in order to increase this energy.

Also, where had he just been? Lu Yin thought for a while, but he could not come up with an answer. He restored his die and rolled it again. Wait, how much star essence had he just used? This could be a very serious problem. Lu Yin took a quick look and let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had only used a bit more than 50 million star essence, which was an acceptable amount. He could take it.

He continued rolling. This time, he got a one: Pilfer. A gadget appeared, but it was just an ordinary model, which was useless. After throwing it to the side, he continued.

He rolled another one: Pilfer, and another gadget popped out. Lu Yin was speechless as he looked at it. It was still completely worthless, but was he only going to get useless things this time? Still, it was better than the woman's underwear that had appeared that one time.

Again.

Luckily this time, Lu Yin rolled three pips: Enhance.

Lu Yin watched as the two screens of light appeared. This was the result that he had wanted the most.

Lu Yin immediately tossed his universal armor onto the top screen before frantically throwing out star essence.

This universal armor had already been upgraded ten times, and the last upgrade had taken more than fourteen million star essence.

The star essence continued to disappear into the light screens. After consuming nearly thirty million star essence, the universal armor finally fell through the bottom screen. It had been upgraded eleven times now. Lu Yin was not concerned by the amount he spent, and he continued.n-.O𝑣𝑬𝐿𝒷In

For the twelfth upgrade, Lu Yin used almost sixty million star essence.

The next one would take nearly ninety million star essence, which started to concern Lu Yin a bit, but he nonetheless continued.

However, his efforts were useless. The screens did not accept the star essence. The universal armor could not be upgraded anymore, as this was the limit of its materials.

Lu Yin stared at the armor's impressive number of rune lines. It had now reached a level where it could stand up to an attack that had a power level of at least 700,000, which meant that Lu Yin would be safe against Envoys with power levels of 700,000 if he wore this armor.

He felt a little sad as he stared at the armor, as it would have been nice to upgrade it a few more times.

Although the armor's rune lines represented a power level of about 700,000, it would not be able to easily resist an attack from an Envoy with such a power level.

However, he would need to gather better materials and then either recast the armor or fuse those materials into his current one to improve his defensive abilities.

If he decided to recast the universal armor, then all the money that he had dumped on upgrading it would be gone. No, it would be better to pass this armor on to someone else, either Wendy Yushan or Ming Yan.

The next thing that Lu Yin intended to upgrade was some gemspring water.

He had actually wanted to Enhance some gemspring water for a long time. He had upgraded some when he had first gotten it. When he used the upgraded drops, his star energy control had been immediately increased to the Divine Gaze realm. He did not know how far the gemspring water could be upgraded, but he hoped to use it to clearly observe the universe, as the universe was very mysterious. There was a saying that the end of the microscopic was the macroscopic, and he was looking forward to seeing this.

He still had eighteen drops of gemspring water left, and of them, he had upgraded five drops fourteen times so far. So, he took out a drop and began to throw out large amounts of star essence.

It had only taken 560,000 star essence to upgrade a drop fourteen times. To the current Lu Yin, that amount of money was negligible. It was only 560,000 star essence after all.

Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen.

Each time the gemspring water was upgraded, it grew more transparent, giving Lu Yin a strange feeling. When he stared at the upgraded gemspring water, he felt like he was looking at another world through a keyhole.

In the eyes of ordinary people, the world within the drops of gemspring water looked truly magical, but Lu Yin had already reached the Worldliness realm of star energy control. In other words, he was able to observe the microscopic realm of star energy.

Eighteen. Nineteen. Finally, after twenty times, the gemspring water could no longer be improved anymore.

As he looked at the practically invisible drop of gemspring water, Lu Yin took a deep breath. Even if he did not place the drop in his eyes, he was still able to feel the drop's coolness. As he peered through the gemspring water, Lu Yin was able to see a different universe, one layer after another. This was different from what he was normally capable of seeing, or even what humans were normally capable of seeing.

This was a sight that could only be seen with the upgraded gemspring water.

Lu Yin carefully picked up the drop. He thought for a while and then put the drop in his eyes. He had wanted to try this for a while, as there was no way that this would harm him.

As the gemspring water fell into his eyes, his mind cleared, and his thoughts emptied away. When he opened his eyes, they were bright and clear, like a clear spring. All of his surroundings were reflected in his eyes.

At this moment, Lu Yin's vision completely changed. In addition to where he was physically located, he also saw another space. This strange area was hidden behind the void and was invisible to the naked eye.

He saw dust floating about and incredibly tiny creatures moving around. This scene was completely different from what he was capable of seeing with his naked eyes. Was it possible that he was seeing the true universe that he had heard so much about?

Fights between Envoys could not even be seen by ordinary people, and it was said that Envoys fought each other in the true universe. Thus, what Lu Yin was currently looking at might be that true universe. Did this mean that he would be able to observe a fight between Envoys in this state?

He looked around, but the universe that he saw looked bleak. He looked out into space, but the other universe had no sources of light or any sort of larger creatures. It was a universe with only microscopic details.

After about a minute of observation, the gemspring water lost effect, and the new universe that Lu Yin had been observing was no longer visible.

He rubbed his eyes, but there were no aftereffects. If his guess was right, then this really would allow him to observe a battle between Envoys, which meant that he would no longer be forced into a passive stance against Envoys in the future.

His universal armor was able to protect him from attacks that exceeded power levels of 600,000, but Lu Yin had no desire to just be a punching bag. Normally, he could not even see when an Envoy attacked him, but now, he had the means to do so.

Back when Lu Yin had faced off against Leader Hong, the man had luckily been injured by the Frost Emperor, making Leader Hong unwilling to risk using his full power as an Envoy. Otherwise, no matter what means Lu Yin might have had at his disposal, he would have simply died.

Lu Yin could not help but be grateful for his own foresight.

Even an average Envoy was not someone that Lu Yin could deal with. Even after he became an Enlighter, or even after he reached a power level of 300,000 or 400,000, he still might not be able to cross realms and challenge Envoys. That was the power of a different level, and it had to do with the transformation of human life from the macroscopic to the microscopic.

Lu Yin stared at the rest of the gemspring water with fervent eyes. This thing was far too useful, but it also was incredibly expensive to upgrade. The single drop that he had just used had cost about 40 million star essence to make, which was truly too much, especially since the effect only lasted for about a minute.

Lu Yin sighed. Still, it was impossible for others to see the true universe, so even if it was expensive, its effect was absolutely worth 40 million star essence. That was how much seeing an Envoy's battle was worth.

There were four drops of pre-upgraded gemspring water remaining, so Lu Yin immediately upgraded all of them to the limit, which cost him a total of 140 million star essence. In the blink of an eye, more than 100 million star essence had disappeared.

There were still thirteen drops of unenhanced gemspring water. After gritting his teeth, Lu Yin upgraded every single last one of them to the limit. His future opponents would not be limited to just the Enlighter realm.

The thirteen drops of gemspring water cost him a total of 520 million star essence to upgrade.

Before Lu Yin's recent windfall, he would have never even considered spending this much money on just gemspring water. He had spent nearly 700 million star essence, which was terrifying.

He had originally had 1.7 billion star essence, but after rolling six pips: Possession, upgrading his universal armor, and also upgrading the gemspring water, Lu Yun only had a bit more than 850 million star essence left. His left eye began to twitch; this was just too expensive.

Lu Yin once again felt like he was still poor, and he once again envied the Mavis family.

Before rolling his die, he had been proud of his wealth, but at the moment, it was time to restrain himself again.

He urgently needed to upgrade some powerful attacking weapons. He had quite a few candidates power vessels, such as the walnut-shaped power vessel, the Arrow of Valiance, the poisons, the Desolate Array sourcebox array, the orb treasure that he had stolen form Madam Lan, the giant mechanical right arm, and the Sealed Cannons. However, the only thing that could really be Enhanced seemed to be the Karmic Flame.

The walnut-shaped power vessel could not be upgraded, and while the poisons could be upgraded a few times, there was no way they would ever reach the level where they could threaten an Envoy.

The mechanical right arm and the Sealed Cannons were both limited by their materials, and they could not be upgraded any further either.

He looked at the Karmic Flame, and although he could upgrade it, was there any reason to do so? Lu Yin did not know the Karmic Flame Sword battle technique, and he had not trained in any of the Blaze Realm's best techniques either. It was unrealistic for Lu Yin to use the power of this flame.

Lu Yin felt a bit stressed. It would be wonderful if he could get an offensive weapon that he could improve indefinitely.

Actually, he also had the Skyblaze Stone, which could be upgraded, but Lu Yin did not dare to do so. He had no idea if the fire dragon might reappear, and he still needed to use the stone to cultivate. Thus, he did not want to risk losing the stone.

As for the fire dragon, that was of no use to Lu Yin.

His time in seclusion did not last very long, mostly because he had not rolled a four and entered the Timestop Space. Lu Yin also had no interest in prolonging his seclusion.

He had rapidly improved his cultivation realm in preparation of ZENITH, and as long as the Skyblaze Stone managed to absorb flames and heat, Lu Yin would be able to quickly raise his cultivation, but there was no need to hurry such a thing.

What he desperately needed right now was a means of attack that he could upgrade without limit.

As soon as he emerged from his secluded room, he checked his gadget and saw that many people had tried to call him. Out of everyone, Madam Yōu had been the most persistent.

He immediately called her back.

She soon appeared on his screen, clearly angry. She glared at Lu Yin, and her anger leaked into her voice as well. "Alliance Leader Lu, is it fun to pull pranks?"

Lu Yin apologetically answered, "I'm truly sorry for my delay, Madam Yōu. I'll head straight for Southside Weave, so why don't we still have our meeting?"

Madam Yōu's chest heaved from her fury. Lu Yin was ignoring what she actually meant. He had deliberately told her they would meet in Southside Weave so that she would pass on that information to the Xia family. That was the main reason why Xia Jiuyou had been willing to go to Astral-10. Without the information from Madam Yōu, Xia Jiuyou would not have suffered that accident.

Although no one blamed her, she had been used by Lu Yin, and the Xia family would not treat her kindly in the future.

Also, she could not even mention this matter to Lu Yin, as doing so was equivalent to informing him that she was still in touch with the Seven Courts. Also, what would she say? That she had given away his whereabouts to them?

The more she thought about the situation, the more aggrieved Madam Yōu felt. She had lived for many years, and she had always kept in contact with the Seven Courts while being watched by the Sword Sect without being discovered. She had never suffered such a frustrating experience in her entire life.

Upon seeing Lu Yin's apologetic expression, Madam Yōu's expression changed. She was not able to even begin to hazard a guess as to whether or not Lu Yin had deliberately used her to pass along the information. It actually was possible that he had not remembered their appointment and that he had simply gotten caught up with other events and been delayed. She could not read this youth at all.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1343: Source

"It would be best if Alliance Leader Lu is willing to meet with us. My family is waiting in Southside Weave for you." Madam Yōu felt helpless.

Lu Yin nodded, but then he suddenly remembered something. "No."

Madam Yōu could not help asking, "Alliance Leader Lu, what's the problem?"

Lu Yin looked at Madam Yōu and explained in evident embarrassment, "My apologies, Madam Yōu, but I can't go to Southside Weave."

Madam Yōu was infuriated, and she glared at Lu Yin. "Alliance Leader Lu, while it's true that my Yōu family wishes to join your Great Eastern Alliance, we are not without some measure of strength. We are not wagging our tails and looking for your pity as we seek refuge. I would ask Alliance Leader Lu to not insult my Yōu family!"

Lu Yin quickly replied, "Madam Yōu, you misunderstand. It's not that I, Lu Yin, don't want to meet with Madam Yōu, but rather that someone has forbidden me from going."

"Who?" Madam Yōu gritted her teeth. At this moment, she felt that Lu Yin was quite despicable, and she suddenly understood why so many people wanted to kill him.

Lu Yin shrugged. "Highsage Grandmaster."

Madam Yōu was taken aback. "Who?"

Lu Yin answered in a serious tone, "Senior Highsage Grandmaster."

Madam Yōu was stunned. Of course she knew of Highsage Grandmaster. He was one of the Human Domain's seven Semi-Progenitors, a true top-tier powerhouse. Even the elders of her Yōu clan had to respect such an existence. Why was Highsage Grandmaster not allowing Lu Yin to meet with her? What did this mean? Had Highsage Grandmaster become hostile towards the Seven Courts? Or could it be that he was aware of the Yōu family's true circumstances?

"Why?" Madam Yōu asked out of reflex, despite being somewhat nervous.

Lu Yin explained, "The top ten finalists from ZENITH have encountered mishaps one after another. Bu Kong's dead, Wang Yi's disappeared, and Wu Taibai was seriously injured. Now, even Xia Jiuyou is gone. Highsage Grandmaster does not wish to let this junior go out at this time, and he intends for me to wait here until it is time to go to the Neoverse."

Madam Yōu no longer knew how to respond to Lu Yin. The first three incidents that he had mentioned had happened right when ZENITH had finished, and Xia Jiuyou had fallen at the hands of the bastard currently talking to Madam Yōu. Despite that, he was insinuating that the Neohuman Alliance was the responsible party.

Madam Yōu no longer wanted to meet with Lu Yin. Instead, she wanted to attack him with a knife.

Lu Yin also knew that he was in the wrong. He coughed. "I'm sorry, Madam Yōu. Highsage Grandmaster is calling to speak with me."

He then quickly ended the call, though he did feel a bit guilty.

Because of Madam Yōu, Lu Yin had just fabricated an order on Highsage Grandmaster's behalf.

Back in the Yōu family, Madam Yōu almost swore out of anger. She had an excellent temper, but she had never suffered such a massive insult since birth! She had actually been repeatedly toyed with by a junior.

Yōu Ye'er stared at Madam Yōu's angry face and whispered, "Lu Yin has no sincerity at all. We shouldn't rely on him."

"No. In the current universe, he's the only person who can save us," Madam Yōu said. Despite being incredibly angry, she still had not lost her sense of reason.

Yōu Ye'er also knew that this was the truth. "But his attitude makes it clear that he doesn't want to accept our Yōu family into his alliance."

Madam Yōu took a deep breath and calmed herself. Her eyes grew deeper. "He will accept it. As long as the Great Eastern Alliance continues on its current path, he will eventually reach First Flowzone. He will eventually have to face us. He is just procrastinating right now. He wants to know our true motivation, and it's also possible that he's guessed that we haven't broken away from the Seven Courts."

"He's guessed that?!" Yōu Ye'er was surprised.

Madam Yōu was not certain, but this was simply the only possibility that could explain Lu Yin's attitude. However, if Lu Yin had guessed the truth, then she was being used by Lu Yin. What a bastard.

Lu Yin really did not want to get involved with the Yōu family. He did not know why they were attempting to ally themselves with him. After all, they had already split away from the Seven Courts, and despite leaving with the Yōu Secret Art, they had married themselves to the Sword Sect. The entire matter was too strange, and Lu Yin did not want to rush things and bring a calamity upon himself.

Not much time had passed since the Great Eastern Alliance had occupied the Blaze Realm, and during this time, hostilities with the sylvan dragons and the Ross Empire had never dimmed.

The next step was for the Great Eastern Alliance to withdraw from Blazing Mist Flowzone, and Wei Rong was already making preparations for them to enter Little Millennium Flowzone. As long as they managed to occupy Little Millennium Flowzone, the Great Eastern Alliance would immediately leave Blazing Mist Flowzone and abandon it, leaving it to the sylvan dragon clan and the Ross Empire as a sign of goodwill. As for who would ultimately claim control of Blazing Mist Flowzone, that would depend entirely on the Ross Empire and the sylvan dragons.

Lu Yin did not care about them at all. He was getting what he wanted, so they could fight away after he left. Little Millennium Flowzone would eventually be his regardless.

Thus, Lu Yin was no longer concerned with Blazing Mist Flowzone. After speaking with Wang Wen for a bit, Lu Yin returned to the Outerverse, taking the Champions' Stage with him. It was time for him to visit Earth and investigate the situation there, but he needed to stop by Zenyu Star first. After all, that was his home.

No matter who ended up controlling Blazing Mist Flowzone, the Astral River Ark had to remain under the Great Eastern Alliance's control. This was something that Lu Yin had stipulated.

At this time, everyone working aboard the Astral River Ark was from the Great Eastern Alliance, and they all saluted Lu Yin when they saw him arrive.

Lu Yin was returning to the Outerverse in a very public manner.

At present, the Outerverse was no different from Lu Yin's backyard. The moment he arrived, the Allied Forces standing guard at the Astral River Ark all docked and saluted, and many cultivators aboard the Ark grew envious.

Lu Yin did not tarry, and he immediately boarded his ship and towed the Champions' Stage away, headed towards Zenyu Star.

Lu Yin needed to pass through Darkmist Weave on his way to Zenyu Star from the Astral River, so he deliberately chose a route that would allow him to pass by Mafioso Planet.

Topmist had already returned to Mafioso Planet from Ironblood Weave.

When Lu Yin's spacecraft arrived, the assassination organization's headquarters on Mafioso Planet was thrown into a complete uproar.

Mafioso Planet was home to the largest assassination organization in the Outerverse's eastern region. Additionally, Lu Yin had only been able to form the initial structure of the Great Eastern Alliance in large part due to the information that he had received from Mafioso Planet.

Mafioso Planet had also eventually joined the Great Eastern Alliance. Lu Yin's visit at this time was to learn about Mafioso Planet's power vessel, the Bloodied Handprint.

Topmist stared at the young man standing some distance away with complicated emotions in his eyes. Their first meeting was still vivid in Topmist's mind. He had not succeeded in assassinating the youth, and despite being an Enlighter, he would have died if not for his hidden short stature. From that moment forward, Lu Yin's fame had never once stopped growing and spreading, and he had even managed to unite the entire Outerverse, stretching from Ironblood Weave to the Endless Weave.

This young man had become the master of the entire Outerverse, and he even possessed the personal strength to force Topmist to look up to him.

Lu Yin's current strength meant that he could easily kill Topmist, even without using any items.

"Topmist greets Alliance Leader Lu." Hidden beneath a black fog, Topmist spoke up. The black fog covering his body then dissipated to reveal a man who was only a meter tall.

Lu Yin looked at Topmist. If not for the fact that the old assassin was so short, Lu Yin's gunshot would have killed him all those years ago, but that would have led to a future where Lu Yin had nothing.

"It's been a long time. You still look good, senior," Lu Yin said with a smile.

Topmist was terrified. He was a timid person who was skilled at preserving his own life. He expressed his attitude as soon as possible, as anything else would have meant that his survival skills were worth nothing. "In front of Alliance Leader Lu, this small one does not dare be called a senior."

Lu Yin waved a hand dismissively as he stepped forward. He swept past Topmist and continued onto Mafioso Planet.

Topmist's pupils shrank. As Lu Yin passed by him, the Enlighter had not been able to sense anything at all, even when Lu Yin moved behind the assassin. If Lu Yin had attacked, Topmost did not believe that he could endure for even a single second, no matter what life-saving treasures he used. Even if Topmist had not used up the Bloodied Handprint, it still would have been impossible to win against Lu Yin.

The strength that this youth had shown when defeating ZENITH's top ten had caused the older man to despair.

Topmist grew even more respectful.

Mafioso Planet was shrouded in darkness all year round, and it had raised many assassins. Lu Yin's domain swept out. It had become quite large, and it took him less than a moment to find someone he knew: the bespectacled Mistchild.

The young woman looked up and saw Lu Yin staring at her, and she was thrilled. She had long since wanted to contact Lu Yin, but he moved around too fast and she was unable to keep up with him. She had not expected Lu Yin to suddenly appear in front of her on Mafioso Planet.

Lu Yin had never forgotten about the bespectacled Mistchild. This young woman had helped him a great deal when the Outerverse had first been isolated, and although she had her own schemes, her innate gift was quite useful. She was able to ingest poisons to raise her cultivation, and Lu Yin just so happened to have a large number of powerful poisons.

He still had five bottles of Elder Wu's poisons, and each of them had been upgraded eight times. They were powerful enough to threaten a powerful Envoy, and one of these poisons had inflicted grave wounds upon Leader Hong.

However, none of the poisons could be upgraded any further due to the limits of their ingredients.

He took out a bottle of poison and tossed it to the bespectacled Mistchild.

The young woman was overjoyed, and she quickly grabbed the bottle. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Lu Yin smiled, but he did not say much. He intended to leave this girl an opportunity and then see how far she would be able to go in the future. It was possible for her innate gift to surprise even the girl herself.

Topmist was not surprised to see Lu Yin help the bespectacled Mistchild. There was no way for them to hide their initial interactions from the old assassin, and the young Mistchild had worked with Lu Yin to deal with corrupt government officials while also providing Lu Yin with Mafioso Planet's gathered intelligence to assist the Great Eastern Alliance. Topmist had learned of these matters long ago.

Even when looking at all of Mafioso Planet, the bespectacled Mistchild was second only to Topmist, though this was not because of her strength. Rather, it was due to her connection to Lu Yin.

"Is the Bloodied Handprint still around?" Lu Yin asked while touring Mafioso Planet. The scenery passed by him so quickly that it was not much different from traveling in a spacecraft.

From behind, Topmist heard Lu Yin's question and replied, "No. It was completely used up in Ironblood Weave."

Of course Lu Yin remembered that fact, as he had forced Topmist to use the power vessel. "Where did that Bloodied Handprint come from?"

Topmist did not dare to hide anything. "It was our ancestors who discovered the Bloodied Handprint. It had fallen deep into the earth, and the Bloodied Handprint is actually why our ancestors settled on Mafioso Planet. However, no one knows where it originally came from."

"Are you saying that the Bloodied Handprint was on Mafioso Planet before any of you?" Lu Yin asked.

Topmist respectfully replied, "Yes."

Lu Yin thought about this. There were relics on various planets that hailed from ages before the planets could ever give birth to biological life. A planet could survive for billions, tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions of years, but what about civilization? Humans fell short of being able to compare to a planet's history.

These planets were the ones who had truly lived through the ancient times, watching the birth of humanity, its peak, and then its fall. They had witnessed the powerhouses of ancient civilizations such as Progenitor Chen and the Rune Progenitor. The Bloodied Handprint had only been capable of unleashing attacks with a power level of about 300,000, so it might have come from a powerful ancient expert. Unfortunately, it was no longer worth thinking about.n((𝐎/.𝗏/(𝑬(-𝐋--𝐛-/1-(n

Lu Yin left Mafioso Planet.

In outer space, above the planet, Topmist watched as Lu Yin's spaceship left, and the old assassin did not look away until Lu Yin was completely out of sight.

Topmist had never thought that the child who had once been an ant that Topmist could kill on a whim would grow to this level of strength.

In the future universe, who would be the one calling the shots?

News of Lu Yin's imminent return to Zenyu Star had already spread, and countless people were anticipating his arrival.

When his vessel arrived, Zenyu Star, the other nearby planets, and all of Frostwave Weave erupted in excitement as everyone shouted Lu Yin's name. Countless planets had already erected statues of him.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA

Chapter 1344: Laying Down

Lu Yin had been the one to bring Frostwave Weave up to its current level. When looking at the entire Outerverse, Frostwave Weave had become the center.

It was the economic and trade center, the cultural center, and more importantly, the power center.

Lu Yin had single-handedly established the core of the Outerverse, which had elevated the status of Frostwave Weave's residents to a higher level than the people of any other weave.

In the past, everyone had hoped to become a citizen of Millions City and settled in Millions City, but at present, everyone wished to become a citizen of Zenyu Star.

Prices on the planet had soared to a level that normal people could not even imagine.

Lu Yin left the Champions' Stage above Zenyu Star before making a public appearance, thrilling countless people across the Outerverse.

Of course, there were also some people who hoped that Lu Yin would be able to help them with their current problems. The most troubling issue facing everyone was that the Outerverse would soon be given over to the Sixth Mainland.

Lu Yin also wanted to settle this issue, but he had not yet been able to come up with any sort of solution.

The Sixth Mainland was entering the Fifth Mainland. This was an inevitability, and no one could stop it. This was not something that Lu Yin could overcome through cleverness or schemes. Typically, the best way forward when faced with an inevitability was to avoid it. As for whether or not Lu Yin would later be able to return to the Outerverse would depend entirely on how high he was able to climb.

However, the Sixth Mainland would not be moving to the Outerverse quickly, and the western weaves had already begun to migrate towards the east. Still, this was a very long process.

On Zenyu Star, Lu Yin summoned the Great Yu Empire's top officials.

He held a meeting with the Lu Ministry of Staff, the Lu Ministry of Defense, the Imperial Court's Cabinet, and also with the full imperial court. After all of that, he met with Bei Qing, the captains of the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons, and more. He made his presence well known during this time.

In King Zishan's palace, Lu Yin took a sip of a disgustingly viscous green drink, though he was clearly looking forward to it.

Lu Yin nodded and smiled. "Not bad."

Zhao Ran was happy with the approval.

"By the way, Zhao Ran, have you ever heard of Zi Jing?" Lu Yin asked.

Zhao Ran blinked in confusion, and then shook her head. Lu Yin did not press the matter.

Kayze's voice reached Lu Yin, "Your Highness, Dwayne Daynight is asking to see you."

"Please, come in!" Lu Yin called out loudly.

Lu Yin had practically toppled Daynight Flowzone, and at the same time, he had rescued the Dayking's descendants. All of the Dayking clan had moved onto a planet rather close to Zenyu Star. Since Lu Yin had returned to the Outerverse, naturally people from the Dayking clan wished to meet with him, despite his youth. They had arrived quickly.

Zhuo Daynight did not visit, though Lu Yin did not know why.

Before long, Dwayne Daynight left King Zishan's palace. He had enjoyed a conversation with Lu Yin, and Lu Yin had promised to continue to help and shelter the Dayking clan. In return, the Dayking clan would offer Lu Yin as much support as possible. It was an agreement of mutual exchange.

The Great Eastern Alliance was growing larger and larger, and it had begun to attract more than just the Outerverse's powers. Many organizations from the Innerverse also want to join the Great Eastern Alliance.

There were many people who asked to see Lu Yin, but Lu Yin did not see all of them, and was selective with his meetings.

When evening fell, he went to the fifth princess's estate.

Wendy Yushan had been waiting for Lu Yin. "It's becoming harder and harder to see you."

Lu Yin showed a bitter smile. "I'm tired. You don't show yourself at all."

Wendy Yushan calmly replied, "None of this has anything to do with me."

Lu Yin shook his head. "I hope you will eventually take over the Great Yu Empire. After all, this empire was founded by your Yu family."

Wendy Yushan stared at Lu Yin. "the Great Yu Empire's people won't agree to that."

Wendy Yushan did not feel good about the words she spoke. Although she did not particularly care about the Great Yu Empire, let alone any sort of associated political power, the Great Yu Empire had indeed been created by her family, and yet she was forced to rely on an outsider. Even if this outsider was willing to return the empire to her, she would never be able to reclaim the Yu surname for as long as she lived, which was a bit depressing as it revealed the incompetence of her family.

Lu Yin also had no desire to continue this topic of conversation. It was rather heavy.

In fact, everyone in the Great Yu Empire hoped for Lu Yin to stop being the royal regent and to become the emperor, but unfortunately for all of them, he had no such intentions for the time being.

"How is Elder Su?" Lu Yin asked. He was asking about the place where the remnants of the Yu family had secluded themself, and the Yu ancestor Su Lao, who kept himself in cryostasis at all times.

Wendy Yushan said, "I just went for a visit, but he was still in stasis."

Lu Yin snorted and then went silent.

He left after staying with Wendy for a long time, and he moved on to the pub that was beneath King Zishan's palace. It was a very non-descript place, but it gave him an inexplicable peace of mind.

The pub was very dark, so there was no need for Lu Yin to hide his appearance, as others were not able to see him clearly.

He could not even remember how many times he had been to this bar to have a drink.

The entire place was still the same; warm wine served with various snacks. It was a very comfortable place.

There was a commotion at a bar in the distance, but the pub owner had remained quite shrewd, and he had refused to sell the land no matter how much he had been offered for the place. He was determined not to sell.

Soon, Lu Yin heard footsteps behind him. A thin figure walked over and sat down at the table next to Lu Yin's. They called out in a bleak and hoarse voice, "Boss, bring me a pot of wine."

Lu Yin stopped drinking. This voice had sent him ten years into the past. He slowly turned his head around to see the pale, thin face through the dim light of the pub. It was her, Jenny Auna.

Lu Yin had not expected to meet her in this place.

The originally high-spirited girl had become extremely haggard. It was as if her entire personality had changed.

If Lu Yin had to choose which woman he had been the most cruel to, it would have to be Jenny Auna. Not only had he ruined her wedding, he had also forced her into a position where she could never escape the shadows of her past. She had become a source of shame for the Auna family, and she carried a heavy burden.

It was hard for a person to stand up and continue after enduring such a situation for so long, and yet that was what Jenny Auna had done.

Lu Yin stared at Jenny Auna for a moment. He could not untangle his own emotions; did he regret his actions? No, he did not. If he had acted differently, the humiliation would have ruined him. Jenny was a pitiful woman, but also despicable.

However, after so many years, Lu Yin's feelings towards the woman had blurred. The hatred he had first felt for her had long since faded, and only pity remained.

Jenny Auna took a sip of wine. She had accidentally discovered this pub. It was hidden, dark, and did not have a great view, but just above her head sat that person's home.

Jenny had not felt any hatred for Lu Yin for a long time. They were just people with different positions.

Lu Yin set his glass down and looked at Jenny Auna's eyes. They were calm. Very calm. This woman had come through her ordeal, but it had also totally changed her. She was not the Jenny Auna of the past.

Jenny noticed someone staring at her, and she lifted her head and looked over at Lu Yin. Her entire body trembled. Her hands shook so bad that her wine glass fell to the table.

Lu Yin lowered his head and poured a glass of wine that he handed to her.

She accepted it. "Thank you."

Watching her drink, Lu Yin suddenly remembered her words from the past:

'All I want to do is to marry the person I love. Is that wrong?'

'I like Yan Feng, so what's wrong with that? The only wrong that happened is that my family promised me to you. Can you really say that you like me, Lu Yin? I can tell that you've never liked me. That ring never represented love; it was just a promise between you and the Auna family. In your eyes, I'm just a tool for a political marriage.'

What's wrong with me marrying someone I love? I never wanted to hurt anyone!'

'I never wanted to hurt you.'

Each word she had spoken had revealed her desire to chase after love and freedom. Was that wrong? Lu Yin had asked himself this question many times, and the answer he had come up with had always been 'no'. She had only wanted to pursue happiness, and yet had ended up suffering.

"I'm sorry," Lu Yin said quietly.

At the next table, Jenny Auna's body went rigid with shock. Tears sprung up at the corners of her eyes. She set down her glass, stood up, and left.

Lu Yin watched her leave with a heavy heart. Everyone had to pay for the mistakes of their youth.

He sighed and took another sip of wine before leaving. The wine had become tasteless.

A few days later, Lu Yin set off for Earth. He had already accomplished all he had hoped for during his time on Zenyu Star. One thing he had wanted to do was get close to Da Lei again in order to find out what was wrong with Liuying Zishan by viewing Da Lei's memories. Unfortunately, Lu Yin had learned nothing.

Lu Yin had never forgotten about the strange matter with Liuying Zishen. There were still some hidden dangers on Zenyu Star, but he was not able to uncover anything this time, and he could not stay on Zenyu Star forever.

He also checked with Ban Jiu about getting a better universal armor, but it seemed that if he wanted one, he would have to go to the Technocracy.

Lu Yin traveled from Zenyu Star to Earth, and his vessel was very fast, so it did not take long before a beautiful blue planet appeared in front of Lu Yin's eyes. It was surrounded by other planets in its solar system, and out of all of them, Jupiter stood out to Lu Yin the most.

Looking at Earth, Lu Yin remembered his old friends. Along the way, Lu Yin had nearly forgotten about one person: Liu Shaoge. How could Lu Yin ever forget him?

Remembering Liu Shaoge, Lu Yin called Barley.

Barley was still Lu Yin's eyes and ears in East San Dios. He had been the first person in that place to follow Lu Yin, and he had an innate gift that allowed him to read the vibrations in the air to gather more information than normal.

Barley had not been contacted by Lu Yin for a long time, and the difference in the two's statuses were getting worse and worse. When Lu Yin had become one of the Ten Arbiters, Barley had lost oll courage to contact Lu Yin. He had never expected to suddenly be contacted by Lu Yin.

"Ar- Ar- Arbiter Lu!" Barley appeared on Lu Yin's screen and bowed low.

Lu Yin was the strongest of the Ten Arbiters, and not only that, he was the strongest youth in the entire human race, even including the Sixth Mainland. Barley's admiration for Lu Yin had reached indescribable levels.

If Lu Yin had not been looking at Earth and suddenly remembered Liu Shaoge, he would have essentially forgotten about Barley. "Barley, how's Liu Shaoge?"

Barley felt terrified by this question, but answered, "He's no longer in East San Dios. He left before ZENITH started."

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. "Do you know where he went?"

Barley shook his head, feeling nervous. Lu Yin had ordered Barley to keep an eye on Liu Shaoge, but how was that supposed to work? Barley had wanted to report that Liu Shaoge had gone missing, but he had not dared reach out to Lu Yin. "I don't know."

Lu Yin considered the matter, but did not blame Barley for not being able to keep watch on Liu Shaoge. It had been an impossible task given Barley's strength.

Liu Shaoge left before ZENITH? Had he been part of ZENITH? There had been so many people participating that it had been impossible to notice every single person.

"Is there anything unusual about East San Dios?" Lu Yin asked.

Barley thought about this question carefully. "Yes. There was a powerful aura that came to East San Dios before ZENITH, but the powerhouse never showed themselves."

"A powerful aura?" Lu Yin was curious.n/-O𝓋𝐄𝔩𝑏1n

Barley remembered for a moment. "They should have been an Enlighter."

"Could they just have been passing by?"

"Not likely. Their aura was deliberately kept hidden, and I only was able to sense the person's strength through the vibration in the air. Not even their power level could be detected by other means."

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA