Chapter 1014: Shock
There was a clang as a teacup shattered. Tanno Phoenix’s expression instantly changed as he shouted, “What did you say? Lu Yin’s back? He isn’t dead?!”
Across from him, a cultivator from the Dark Phoenix family went pale in the face as sweat beaded on his forehead. “That’s correct; Lu Yin is not dead. He’s returned.”
Tanno Phoenix sank into his chair and exhaled deeply, feeling rather exhausted. He had actually survived.
The current Lu Yin was completely different from the Lu Yin from seven months earlier. Back then, the Central Coalition had established their own military force to resist the Great Eastern Alliance’s expansion. But now, when Tanno Phoenix thought about how the Hall of Honor had announced their support of Lu Yin, how influential the youth’s current status in the Outerverse was, and how the kid had killed two Imprinters during the battle against the Sixth Mainland, the Dark Phoenix patriarch felt utterly helpless.
“Send out these orders: the Dark Phoenix family will close its doors and refuse any visitors for a hundred years,” Tanno Phoenix spoke in a feeble voice.
“Yes, patriarch.”
In the Silentflock System, Yan Chen was surprised by the news. “Lu Yin’s back?”
Across from the chairman, Captain Shi nodded. There was a serious look on the captain’s face. “I never thought that he would come back alive. The Outerverse has been peaceful for several months, but it seems that it will be thrown into chaos soon again.”
Yan Chen looked into the sky. “This means trouble. He’s now the Outerverse Allied Forces’ Commander, and given his bold personality, who knows what sort of ruckus he’ll stir up next.”
“More importantly, the Hall of Honor is too supportive of him, and Yuan Shi has even personally ordered them to protect the Great Eastern Alliance.”
Yan Chen heaved a deep sigh. “Forget about it. It’s none of our business since we never were enemies with him.”
On Enron Planet, Elder Tong stared at his gadget in complete amazement. Lu Yin had actually returned alive. The man immediately informed Elder He, as it might be possible for them to learn about the Sea King’s circumstances from Lu Yin.
In Millions City, Qiong Xi’er was absolutely speechless; that brat had actually made back it alive, and more importantly, the Outerverse still had not reconnected to the Innerverse yet. So just where had he come from? This was quite the mystery.
However, since this person had returned, the Outerverse was definitely going to experience some truly massive changes. The position of the Outerverse Allied Forces’ Commander held tremendous authority, and these developments were enough to be recorded down in history.
“Xi’er, what stand should we take?” Qiong Shanhai could not help but ask.
Lu Yin had vanished for seven whole months, and during this time, the Hall of Honor, or perhaps it was mostly Yuan Shi, had blatantly told the entire Outerverse that Lu Yin would be defended, even if he was in the wrong. No one could take action against Lu Yin’s friends or relatives. This was discrimination, pure and simple, but nobody could do anything about it.
Lu Yin’s contributions had simply been too extreme, and Yuan Shi favored the youth too much. Thus, some even suspected Lu Yin of being Yuan Shi’s illegitimate child.
Now that Lu Yin had come back alive, his rewards could not be taken away, and they actually might even be increased further. The Hall of Honor’s discrimination, combined with the power of the Great Eastern Alliance and Lu Yin’s personal strength that was enough to take out two Imprinters in one fell swoop, raised a question in everyone’s mind—just who in the Outerverse could stop him?
“Stand? What stand?” Qiong Xi’er was puzzled.
Qiong Shanhai replied, “To be his friend or foe?”
Qiong Xi’er grudgingly answered, “Dad, isn’t that just nonsense? Since he’s being protected by the Hall of Honor, who would move against him? He’s the Outerverse Allied Forces’ Commander. Just one word from him is enough to move an entire weave. Who would actually dare to not listen to him? Right now, he can only end up on top, and no one should even think about fighting him. Becoming enemies with him is just asking to die.”
“Then what if he really wants to unify the Outerverse?” Qiong Shanhai asked.
Qiong Xi’er shook her head. “Don’t forget that he’s always been a cultivator. Even if he ends up with even greater authority, cultivators always require resources. Just how many times can he use his authority? Besides, the alliance isn’t truly united, so just leave him be. We’ll just go along with the flow and watch if he ends up leaving his mark in history or dies.”
Qiong Shanhai stared at Qiong Xi’er. Although she had spoken those words without any effort, her thoughts were clearly completely different from what they had been seven months ago. Back then, she had been the one who had advocated for the Central Coalition the most, but now, she did not even have the slightest thought of resistance.
Qiong Shanhai was well aware of just how intelligent his daughter was. If even she did not have any thoughts of resistance, then it just proved how absolutely helpless their situation was. It seemed that Lu Yin’s dream of unifying the Outerverse was an inevitability that could not be stopped.
Who would have thought that the recent changes in the Outerverse would end up creating an absolute monster by ushering in Lu Yin’s successes?
Those who were still in the Innerverse would never even be able to imagine what the Outerverse had gone through during these few years of isolation. When the Outerverse eventually reconnected to the Innerverse, just what would those people’s expressions be?
Speaking of which, the diminishing energy in the Astral River had reduced tremendously. Thus, it would not be much longer before the Innerverse and the Outerverse were connected again.
When news of Lu Yin’s return spread to the weaves in the central region of the Outerverse, the previously calm members of the Central Coalition instantly grew agitated. Everyone was stunned as they all looked to the east. What now?
In contrast, everyone within the Great Eastern Alliance was cheering, and every planet in Frostwave Weave that had joined the Great Yu Empire was celebrating. Countless people exuberantly shouted Lu Yin’s name, as Lu Yin was the one who had carried them to the peak of the Outerverse. Frostwave Weave had previously been a place that nobody cared about, and even Endless Borders’ had not explored the weave much. But in just a few years, it had become one of the most bustling weaves in the entire Outerverse.
All of these changes had been caused by Lu Yin’s actions, as he had gradually transformed Frostwave Weave into the core of the Outerverse.
He had spread the name of the Great Yu Empire throughout the entire Outerverse.
At this time, who did not want to join the Great Yu Empire? However, few would be able to succeed, as it was too difficult to join the Great Yu Empire now. This was also a part of Lu Yin’s accomplishments.
Countless planets had erected statues of him, and countless people praised him as they paid their respects.
On Earth, every city had a statue of him.
On Shenwu Continent, Ming Yan looked rather withered, as Lu Yin had gone missing for seven months, and she had long since heard of this news. Shenwu Continent was no longer isolated, and they were aware of many matters of the universe. In fact, some of the cultivators from this continent had even joined the Great Eastern Alliance’s Allied Forces.
Over the course of the past seven months, her life had not been good, and she had become significantly skinnier.
Suddenly, a maid barged into Ming Yan’s room and excitedly exclaimed, “Your Majesty, the Alliance Leader has come back safely!”
Ming Yan excitedly leaped to her feet. “What did you say?”
The maid emotionally repeated her words. “Alliance Leader has come back alive.”
Ming Yan’s eyes closed and two streams of fresh tears flowed down her face as she sank back into her chair. Everything would be fine as long as he was back.
The pressure that had been hanging over her head during the recent months instantly dissipated.
As she relaxed for the first time in seven months, Ming Yan fell into a deep sleep.
Not long after Ming Yan fell asleep, her hair turned white, and the white-haired Ming Yan opened her eyes. Her expression was cold, but there was also a hint of excitement in them. “Hmph, consider yourself lucky! If you ever dare to die, I’ll bury you myself!”
Her eyes then closed once more as she too fell into a deep sleep.
Few people were able to influence the entire Outerverse by simply returning, but Lu Yin was one of them, as his influence on the Outerverse was truly too pervasive.
His name resounded within countless ears in the Outerverse, and innumerous people heard his name even in their dreams.
…
A spacecraft came to a stop in outer space, and Lu Yin emerged to take a look. He then took a deep breath as his figure vanished.
“Junior Lu Yin pays his respects to Yuan Shi.” Lu Yin’s voice reverberated throughout space.
Ahead of him, Yuan Shi emerged, his expression showing a rare bit of emotion. Due to his long life, he had long since moved beyond simple emotions, but Lu Yin’s return still moved the old man. “Everything’s good so long as you’re back.”
Lu Yin could clearly sense Yuan Shi’s genuine concern for him, and he bowed deeply toward the ancient powerhouse. “Junior Lu Yin would like to seek justice from Yuan Shi.”
Yuan Shi was puzzled at this request. “What for?”
Lu Yin recounted the events that had occurred in the Innerverse, focusing most of his time on Nightking Zhenwu. He had not forgotten how Nightking Zhenwu had said that he would ruin Lu Yin’s reputation, and with the Nightking’s abilities, it truly would not be too difficult for him to do so. Only Leon’s Armada would help Lu Yin in the Innerverse, along with a few other powers like Astral-10. However, their influence could not compete with the Daynight clan’s, and on top of that, the Daynight clan controlled all of Daynight Flowzone, and there were also other powers that were antagonistic towards Lu Yin, such as the Blaze Realm.
Lu Yin’s reputation had very possibly already been ruined beyond redemption.
More importantly, the Ten Arbiters did not have low statuses within the Hall of Honor. Although Lu Yin’s relationship with Yuan Shi was quite good, and although he was also quite well received by the Outerverse’s Hall of Honor, that did not mean that Lu Yin’s status with the Innerverse’s Hall of Honor would be anywhere close to the same level.
The moment that Nightking Zhenwu borrowed others’ influence to sway the Innerverse’s Hall of Honor, Lu Yin might very well be declared a traitor to the Human Domain.
This was why he needed Yuan Shi to support him. At the very least, this would ensure that the Hall of Honor would not make a move against Lu Yin.
The Hall of Honor dominated the entire Human Domain, and it was a colossal force in the truest meaning, and Lu Yin had never dared to underestimate them.
Yuan Shi exclaimed, “Who knew that you would experience so much while in the Innerverse!? The Daynight clan, huh? I understand. You are my Honor Chosen, and once your identity is announced, the Hall of Honor definitely will not make things difficult for you.”
“This junior was the one who seized the Champions’ Stage, but it was taken away by Nightking Zhenwu. Such actions are truly despicable, and Junior hopes that Yuan Shi can uphold justice. I also hope that the Hall of Honor will not intervene in my impending battle with Arbiter Zhenwu,” Lu Yin stated respectfully. This was what he truly wanted. He was quite worried that, after receiving an inheritance from the Astral Tower and becoming one of the Cosmic Five, Nightking Zhenwu would be protected by the Hall of Honor. At that time, whether or not Lu Yin could get his revenge would depend entirely on the Hall of Honor’s mood.
Yuan Shi was placed in a difficult position. “The Cosmic Five are the hope of the entire Human Domain. If the situation were the same as in the past, then we could still resolve things. There have been quite a few Cosmic Five throughout history, and while some matured, others died early. However, this generation is different, as the Fifth Mainland’s sky has finally been restored. Thus, there’s a possibility that one of them might become a Progenitor. This generation’s Cosmic Five might very well be protected by the entire Human Domain.”
Lu Yin frowned, as this news was troubling. If he wanted to deal with Nightking Zhenwu, then would he need to challenge the entire Human Domain?
“Yuan Shi, Nightking Zhenwu has a venomous heart, and his character is absolutely despicable. If someone like that became one of the Cosmic Five, it might not actually be a blessing for our Fifth Mainland.” Lu Yin could not help himself from speaking up.
Yuan Shi explained, “In the path of cultivation, only the final results ever matter. As long as there’s even a possibility of him becoming a Progenitor, he will be supported. From your description, this person even managed to obtain an inheritance from the Sixth Mainland’s Arrow Progenitor, grasping that Progenitor’s secret technique. His methods are absolutely brilliant, and someone like that might actually have an easier time of becoming a Progenitor, so even I might not be able to interfere in this matter.”
Lu Yin’s heart sank; so even Yuan Shi would not be able to interfere?
“A Progenitor is the root of an entire mainland. Anyone with even a hope of becoming a Progenitor will likely receive that mainland’s protection. This is a fact that has not changed since ancient times, and you should understand this,” Yuan Shi said.
Lu Yin took a deep breath. “Then what if this junior is even more talented than him?”
Yuan Shi smiled slightly. “Then naturally, you’ll receive greater protection.”
Lu Yin’s gaze trembled. He was only worried that he did not have enough time. As soon as Nightking Zhenwu became one of the Cosmic Five, even if one ignored the inevitable dramatic rise in his personal strength, the Daynight clan’s influence would also be affected. With them gaining more people in their circle of influence, it would truly become too difficult for Lu Yin to deal with them at that time.
Yuan Shi stared off into the distance. “The Innerverse may soon reconnect with the Outerverse.”
Lu Yin was surprised. “They’re going to reconnect? When?”