Chapter 2452 – Unnoticed
A group of people emerged from the temple. They were led by Liquor Hero, while Thyssen and Chou Mang stood at her sides. They were accompanied by more cultivators from various families that belonged to the planet, and their dark, rough skin reflected the fact that they cultivated with ominion energy.
The most formidable individual present had reached the ninth stage of ominion energy, which made them comparable to a Semi-Progenitor. His name was Feng Lan, and he was the second person that Lu Yin had Possessed from Planet Ominion.
In recent years, Lu Yin had experienced terrible luck with his die’s Possession. Most of the spheres of light that he encountered in the dark s.p.a.ce were dull and lifeless. On the few occasions that he had come across a brightly glowing orb, the brightness had indicated that the person was either a peak Envoy or a Semi-Progenitor. Feng Lan had been one of the few Semi-Progenitor-level experts that Lu Yin had Possessed during the last three years.
By Possessing Feng Lan, Lu Yin had gained a deeper understanding of Planet Ominion. All of his plans and actions were based on the extensive knowledge he had obtained from Possessing that man. Without that knowledge, achieving his goals would be impossible.
"Everyone, Progenitor Ominion awaits your arrival," Liquor Hero announced. As the temple’s saintess, Liquor Hero’s status was essentially equal to Feng Lan’s.
Just as w.a.n.g Fan and the others were about to move forward, Lu Yin suddenly spoke up. "What will happen if this madman attacks me?"
He turned to Bai w.a.n.gyuan and the others and asked, "Will you help me?"
Xia Shenji answered bluntly, "Conflicts within your Lu family are none of our concern."
"In that case, I won"t go," Lu Yin declared.
Bai w.a.n.gyuan’s brow creased. "Lu Xiaoxuan, are you going to go back on your word? Or are you simply afraid to face this man?"
Lu Yin chuckled. "From the very beginning, I had no intentions of confronting anyone. My senior brother invited me here, and so here I am. However, I just realized that, if this madman attacks, Senior Brother alone might not be able to keep me safe. After all, this is Nutjob Lu’s home. Therefore, all of you must ensure my safety as well."
"Coward," Xia Shenji sneered.
Lu Yin laughed. "Coward? Do you dare to face me one-on-one?"
Xia Shenji seethed with rage. When Lu Yin had fought his way out of Shenwu"s Sky, Xia Shenji had had no fear of a one-on-one battle with the youth, even in the Fifth Mainland. In the very worst situation, Xia Shenji would have simply gone all out. The reason why he had suffered any injuries at all during that battle was because of the G.o.d of Death"s power. However, there was a limit to how many times such an attack could be used.
However, things had changed, and a one-on-one battle was now completely out of the question. Not only had Lu Yin gained the power of a Progenitor for himself by conferring Nong Yi into his Invest.i.ture of the G.o.ds, but the youth had also gained the a.s.sistance of Xia Shenji’s rogue clone.
Three years ago, the four ruling powers’ carefully laid out plans had been ruined because that clone had severely injured Xia Shenji. The Progenitor refused to believe that Lu Yin had nothing to do with that matter.
If he fought Lu Yin again, who knew when that clone would lash out again? If Xia Shenji suffered serious injuries now, how would he put up a fight?
"Xi Wei is also here. She and Mu Xie together are enough to protect you," Bai w.a.n.gyuan said.
Progenitor Smoke rolled her eyes. "What? Am I his bodyguard now? Bai w.a.n.gyuan, have you lost your mind? What gives you the right to make arrangements for me?"
Mu Xie stared at the temple. "Once someone from the Lu family becomes a Progenitor, their true level of strength becomes entirely unpredictable. I cannot guarantee your safety."
Lu Yin looked at Bai w.a.n.gyuan. "Either find another place for this meeting, or all of you must promise to keep me safe during my time on Planet Ominion."
Bai w.a.n.gyuan and the others could never agree to such a promise. They were more than eager to watch as Nutjob Lu killed Lu Yin, no matter what means were used.
"Where do you want to confront me?" a deep, hoa.r.s.e voice rang out from within Ominion Temple, followed by a series of unsettling laughter. Nutjob Lu was speaking up.
Lu Yin"s expression hardened. "Outer s.p.a.ce."
"Fine."
The entire group soon arrived in outer s.p.a.ce. Nutjob Lu emerged from the temple, his hair disheveled and his eyes gleaming with a fierce light revealed an unsettling madness. His eyes were always glued onto Lu Yin, burning with an inextinguishable killing intent.
As the Progenitor emerged, the deep red color that enveloped all of Planet Ominion paled significantly.
Lu Yin stared at Nutjob Lu, and Nutjob Lu stared right back. This was their first formal meeting.
Although Nutjob Lu"s face was partially hidden by his long hair, Lu Yin could still make out the man’s features. There was indeed a resemblance between the two of them, but Nutjob Lu had a more determined aura and also a more robust frame. A slight smile constantly decorated his face, though it was a savage smile. At this moment, his focus was entirely fixed on Lu Yin.
Seven Progenitors gathered in outer s.p.a.ce. If the jiao on Lu Yin"s shoulder were included, then there were eight Progenitors here. Including Lu Yin, nine individuals were present.
No one else was able to clearly see the gathering, but these nine individuals held enough power to determine the fate of both the Perennial World and the Fifth Mainland.
"So, I finally get to meet you, Lu Qi’s little brat, hahaha!" Nutjob Lu moved closer to Lu Yin, but Mu Xie instinctively stepped forward to intercept the man.
Lu Yin stared at Nutjob Lu. "What"s your name?"
"You should address me as Ancestor!" Nutjob Lu suddenly shouted, the madness in his smile growing more and more apparent. Dark-red energy surged from his body, ominion energy. Nutjob Lu had reached the tenth stage of cultivating ominion energy, and that alone placed him in the Progenitor realm.
Progenitor Smoke arched a brow. "Quiet down! You startled me."
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. "Your name was erased from the Lu family"s records long ago. Where does this t.i.tle of ‘ancestor’ come from?"
"Hehehe, erased? I was the one who erased the Lu family! I abandoned them! Take a good look at this part of the universe! Aside from you, is there anyone from the Lu family still alive? They"re all gone! But I"m still here, and I will have descendants. My descendants will become the Lu family. Both the Champions" Stage and the Invest.i.ture of the G.o.ds will endure. I am the only Lu family! You are nothing more than an abandoned brat!" Nutjob Lu laughed loudly, though his laughter grated on everyone"s ears.
Mu Xie spoke up, "We are here to verify whether or not you are a Redback. You can discuss personal matters at a later time."
Nutjob Lu continued to stare at Lu Yin alone. "Brat, throughout the history of the Lu family, few people were ever as shameless as you and your father. Your father forcibly took a commoner as his wife, while you are framing others to escape blame. If that old Lu geezer was still alive, you two would have driven him to his death."
Lu Yin"s voice grew deep. "I didn"t frame you. Several years ago, Aeternus launched a ma.s.sive attack on the Fifth Mainland…"
For the next few hours, Lu Yin detailed Aeternus"s invasion of the Fifth Mainland, his trip into the Dao Source Sect"s main hall, and the journey through time and s.p.a.ce that the Origin Progenitor"s sword had brought him on. The time needed for the recounting could have been greatly reduced, but Lu Yin made sure to carefully share every single detail.
At the same time, on Planet Ominion, far behind Ominion Temple, Liquor Hero found a mountain. This particular mountain was not native to the planet; rather, it had been placed there by Nutjob Lu. It was called Qin Mountain.
Lu Yin had learned of the location of the key to the Lu Sanctum’s treasury from Lu Xun, but it remained unknown whether or not Nutjob Lu had taken the key away from the mountain.
Qin Mountain was an inconspicuous mountain on Planet Ominion with absolutely nothing remarkable about it. If not for Lu Xun revealing that Nutjob Lu had taken the mountain, as well as drawing a map of its location, no one would have realized that it was Qin Mountain.
Liquor Hero began searching through the mountain. There were other people there as well, though they all appeared to be half-dead.
In outer s.p.a.ce, Lu Yin continued his account of what he had seen while traveling through time and s.p.a.ce. The story had already taken so long that Bai w.a.n.gyuan was starting to grow impatient. "Get to the point."
Lu Yin glanced over and said, "If I don"t explain things clearly, you might think that I’m making things up. Bai Xian"er can confirm some of what I’ve said."
This shocked Bai w.a.n.gyuan, and he asked, "Xian"er can vouch for you?"
Lu Yin explained, "When the Fifth Mainland’s Upper Three Gates were opened and the Sixth Mainland tried to interfere, Bai Xian"er killed one of the Sixth Mainland’s Semi-Progenitors. This allowed the Fifth Mainland"s sky to be changed with the power of the Perennial World. I can provide all of that incident’s details, and you can confirm it all with Bai Xian"er to know that I’m telling the truth. I saw the whole thing with my own eyes while traveling through time and s.p.a.ce."
"Even if you did travel through time and s.p.a.ce, it doesn"t prove that you aren’t fabricating things. Without evidence, no one can simply accuse a Progenitor of being a Redback," w.a.n.g Fan stated.
Lu Yin sneered. "Then how did Liu Yue die?"
w.a.n.g Fan looked at Nutjob Lu and said, "You should follow our lead. After all, you two also have a grudge."
Nutjob Lu laughed hoa.r.s.ely. "Brat, I heard someone mention "one-on-one" just now. How about it? A death match, just you and me."
Lu Yin turned back to Nutjob Lu and clasped his hands behind his back. "I"ll happily fight you one-on-one after I become a Semi-Progenitor."
The smile faded from Nutjob Lu"s face. "Brat, you are the most talented person in the Lu family’s entire history. Even Old Ghost Lu might not be able to match you in terms of talent. It"s beyond frightening. A mere Envoy slaughtered a Semi-Progenitor with his own strength. With a few of your toys, you can even threaten a Progenitor. As a mere Envoy, you have already conferred a Progenitor. I must kill you, or else I will never be able to sleep or eat in peace."
His words reflected the thoughts shared by Bai w.a.n.gyuan and the others from the four ruling powers. Every moment that Lu Yin drew breath left them all uneasy.
"You can talk about killing him after we’ve determine whether you"re a Redback," Mu Xie stated coldly. He then looked back at Lu Yin. "Continue."
At Qin Mountain, Liquor Hero finally found the key by following Lu Xun"s directions.
While it was called a key, it was actually a seal that provided a set of spatial coordinates, exactly the same as the seal that Lu Yin had obtained from beneath Aeternus Nation.
The seal was completely covered with dirt, and it looked like a piece of normal sc.r.a.p metal. Even if someone saw it, they would never bother to pick it up. It was possible that this was why Nutjob Lu had not paid any attention to it.
Liquor Hero let out a sigh of relief and left Qin Mountain.
Back in outer s.p.a.ce, Lu Yin recounted what he had witnessed, "When you met with Ancient G.o.d, it was at the same time when Progenitor Tianyi decided to move the Mother Tree."
Nutjob Lu laughed. "You speak as though you saw it with your own eyes. Where is your evidence? Can you find any?"
Bai w.a.n.gyuan grew puzzled. "According to what you’re saying, why didn"t Lu Tianyi take Nutjob Lu away at that time?"
Lu Yin"s face froze. This was precisely the detail that had nagged at him for so long. Nutjob Lu had not been far away from Progenitor Tianyi and the others when he had met with Ancient G.o.d, so they should have absolutely noticed Nutjob Lu. Given Progenitor Tianyi"s att.i.tude towards the madman, how could he have not taken him away?
The more Lu Yin understood Nutjob Lu"s status within the Lu family, the more he was unable to understand this particular detail.
"Also, we didn"t notice this madman at all at the time," w.a.n.g Fan said, looking at Lu Yin. "I remember the scene that you just described. Both Hui Wen and I were present, but I never saw the madman at all."
Lu Yin"s body went stiff. "You didn"t see him?"
"No."
Lu Yin felt quite puzzled. This should not be possible. When he had seen that scene, he had a.s.sumed that Progenitor Tianyi and w.a.n.g Fan had known that Nutjob Lu was nearby. How could they not have noticed him?
Progenitor Long spoke up, "This is quite interesting. Not even w.a.n.g Fan noticed the man"s presence at that time. Lu Xiaoxuan, do you care to explain yourself?"
Progenitor Smoke stared at Lu Yin. Given the close proximity, there was no reason why w.a.n.g Fan would not have noticed Nutjob Lu. Either w.a.n.g Fan was lying, or Lu Yin was.
However, given Lu Yin’s earlier warnings about Nutjob Lu, he did not seem to be lying.
The woman glanced at w.a.n.g Fan. For something this serious, w.a.n.g Fan should not be lying either, as this potentially involved a Progenitor-level Redback. Just what was going on?