Chapter 2634 – You Are Alright
Lu Yin suddenly realized the Sixverse a.s.sociation’s greatest flaw was in how their people developed. No matter if it was the Voidforce Universe, the Arboreal Realm, or even the Three Monarchs Universe, everyone only cultivated the power that had been created by the ruler of their universe. No matter how powerful a person became, they would never be able to surpa.s.s the ruler of their universe, and it was precisely because the power that they cultivated was based on the ruler themselves.
How would the Voidforce Universe change if Lord Xu died?
While Xu Wuwei was an ancient and powerful individual who wielded incredible influence in the universe, he would never be able to surpa.s.s Lord Xu. That was because Xu Wuwei cultivated the same power that Lord Xu had developed.
The Fifth Mainland was different. While the Origin Progenitor"s stellular energy permeated the entire universe, that did not mean that everyone cultivated stellular energy. The G.o.d of Death, Destiny, Progenitor Chen, and the Rune Progenitor had not relied solely on cultivating the power created by the Origin Progenitor.
It was possible that this was part of the reason why the Heavens Sect had shone so brilliantly.
The Cyclic Universe was the polar opposite.
Xu Wuji led the way, and the two men entered the vortex of voidforce energy without any trouble.
Far away, fighting raged on the battlefield. The maelstrom amplified the power of the Voidforce Universe"s cultivators while weakening the enemy corpse kings. Despite the appearance of a ma.s.sive vortex, only corpse kings were obstructed. For any who cultivated voidforce energy, this vortex was a cultivation sanctuary.
With the support of the vortex, people of the Voidforce Universe were able to move quickly and delicately, in sharp contrast to the corpse kings.
Pairs of scarlet eyes stared from the opposite side of the vortex. Enemy reinforcements were constantly entering the battlefield.
Xu Wuji took immediate action and effortlessly eliminated countless corpse kings.
Lu Yin also attacked. His bone pike pierced through a large number of corpse kings, and blood splattered into the vortex.
"We can"t kill all of them. Let"s go." Xu Wuji moved onwards with Lu Yin, instantly covering an unknown distance. When they finally stopped moving, Lu Yin saw a giant stone building in front of them. It had two words carved on it: New Inn.
"Xu Wuji brings Xuan Qi to visit the New Inn," Xu Wuji called out in a loud voice.
There was a thunderous crash as a corpse king mysteriously appeared and immediately crashed into the side of the stone building. The monster was instantly reduced to a pool of blood.
Lu Yin"s eyes flickered. The New Inn really was on the frontlines of the battlefield, and it was only a matter of time before the place was destroyed.
The building’s gates swung open, and two towering figures who stood by the entrance gestured for the men to enter.
Lu Yin examined the two people. They were a good three meters tall, but they were not Lesser Giants; they were just abnormally tall humans. They were also both peak Void Brilliums, which made them equal to peak Envoys. They were only a single step away from reaching the strength of a Semi-Progenitor.
The people who entered the New Inn were mostly those who wanted to escape from enemies in the Voidforce Universe. Fleeing to the New Inn from the Voidforce Universe was no simple task, and thus, no one in here was weak.
During their journey, Xu Wuji had mentioned that, while Chou Bao was the only Void Suprema in the New Inn, the place was home to no less than five Void Morphoras, which was a shocking number. Before Old Dian had revealed himself, the Voidforce Universe’s Bureau had not had even a single Void Morphora, which was considered perfectly normal. This demonstrated just how rare Void Morphoras were, and yet so many had gathered in the New Inn.
Boom!
A loud bang was heard as another corpse king smashed into the walls and died.
The New Inn’s stone walls had not originally been this color, but over the years, the stone had been stained a dark red that had gradually become nearly black. The color came entirely from the blood of countless corpse kings.
This was not Xu Wuji"s first time visiting the New Inn. "In addition to helping people escape from their enemies, this place also offers all of the services of a normal inn. You can eat and rest here, though it’s necessary to pay compensation. It really is nothing less than an inn on the battlefield."
Lu Yin responded, "Of course it’s necessary to pay for such services. If just anyone could enter this place, it would have been destroyed long ago."
Xu Wuji led Lu Yin as they both entered the New Inn.
From the outside, this place had the appearance of a ma.s.sive stone building, but inside, it looked no different from any other inn. There were rows of tables filling a common room, and waiters bustled about. The place actually boasted a rather lively atmosphere.
There were about a thousand tables, and most of them were full.
Most of the busy servers who were distributing food and drinks were Void Brilliums. This was something that could not be seen anywhere else.
Each of the people working in the inn had their own secrets. Since they had been accepted by the New Inn, they needed to abide by its rules.
It was a place that offered people the chance to extend their lives, but ultimately, their deaths were inescapable.
"May I offer you something to eat?" A waiter cleared a table for two men and offered them a warm smile.
Xu Wuji and Lu Yin sat at the table across from each other. Lu Yin curiously looked around at his surroundings. The moment anyone stepped foot out of this inn, they would instantly arrive at a battleground where anyone’s survival would be questionable. Despite that, the inn’s atmosphere was far from depressing. On the contrary, the place was rather lively. The servers and the innkeeper were all smiling, and their cheerfulness gave the place an oddly cozy vibe.
"We"ll have some of the house specials," Xu Wuji ordered.
At this moment, a mature woman with bright and striking makeup on her face walked over. She immediately slapped the waiter on the back of his head. "Are you blind? This is the Bureau Director and the Acting Bureau Director! Scram, I’ll deal with this."
The waiter just grinned. "Sure thing."
He simply turned to another table. "Anything else you"d like to order? I"ll be back in just a moment."
The woman set her hands on the table while smiling seductively at Xu Wuji and Lu Yin. "What brings the Bureau’s esteemed gentlemen to our humble establishment? Is there something that we can a.s.sist you with?"
Xu Wuji looked up at the woman. "Send Chou Bao over."
"Hehe, our boss is quite busy, but whatever you need, Bureau Director, I"ll be sure to do my best to help you," the woman said with a chuckle. Despite how excessive her makeup was, the woman was far from unpleasant to look at.
Lu Yin smiled. "Are you the innkeeper’s wife?"
The woman gasped and clasped a hand to her mouth. "Acting Bureau Director, you can’t say such things! If my boss hears…" She suddenly let out a giggle. "I"d be so embarra.s.sed."
"It"s just a matter of time," Lu Yin said with a laugh of his own.
The woman let out another giggle. "The Acting Bureau Director certainly has a way with words. No wonder you’re so popular these days. Still, the boss is quite busy today. Maybe you can come back another day?"
Xu Wuji let out a cold laugh before suddenly slapping a hand onto the table. The ripples that spread from the impact shook the New Inn.
Instantly, the woman"s expression turned icy. A wave of killing intent focused on Xu Wuji, but it did not come from just the woman. At this moment, every single person who belonged to the New Inn had turned to face Xu Wuji, and each gaze was ice cold. Not one person revealed the slightest bit of fear for Xu Wuji"s power.
The people who had escaped to the New Inn had already experienced a life of treading the edge of life and death. They lived at the forefront of a battlefield and did not fear death. If anyone sought their deaths, even Lord Xu himself, they would bare their teeth in response to the challenge.
There were many clients in the inn who were visiting it for the first time, and naturally, this was their first time seeing such a reaction from the staff. It was a startling demonstration.
Silence fell over the New Inn.
"See, this is the real New Inn," Xu Wuji casually commented.
A sharp pointed weapon suddenly appeared in the woman"s hand as she glared at Xu Wuji. "Bureau Director, if you"re here to rest, we welcome you warmly, but if you"re here to cause trouble, you"ll have to step over all of our bodies first."
Their first server, who had been so enthusiastic, suddenly seemed like a completely different person. There was a faint scent of blood coming from him, and his eyes carried a heavy killing intent.
There were at least a hundred pairs of eyes staring at the two men, and some of them even belonged to Void Morphoras. Even Lu Yin was feeling the pressure.
"Xu Wuji, all of us have already resolved our grudges. Are you trying to restart trouble for us?" An older server who had been pouring tea for customers in a far corner asked. The old man was a Void Morphora, and his expression was grim and terrifying.
Xu Wuji remained completely indifferent to the question and the reactions of the staff. "That’s none of your business. Stay out of things."
"Brother Wuji, all of us here in the New Inn are pitiful souls. There"s no need for this," another Void Morphora said. This man had a mild voice and spoke in an elegant manner. He was on the second floor of the inn and was the cashier.
Xu Wuji looked up. "Putting on a show of having the moral high ground? That isn’t what you said when you exterminated a clan."
The Void Suprema then glanced around at the entire common room. "There are no good people in the New Inn. Regardless of why you fled to this place, since you’ve already been rejected by the rest of the universe, you should just obediently stay here and die while fighting to protect humanity. Spare me the bulls.h.i.t."
"Ha, you sure know how to talk big," another person spoke. This man was also a Void Morphora. Lu Yin was becoming numb to such things, as there were simply too many Void Morphoras in the New Inn, and each of them was more formidable than the last. Not one of them showed the slightest bit of fear of Xu Wuji.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Footsteps echoed out, and all eyes turned to look at the staircase. There was a man descending from the upper floor levels. His skin had an eerie blue color to it, and his eyes were calm as still water. The most noticeable detail, however, was the wooden peg that had replaced a missing leg. The prosthetic caused each step to be a deafening bang.
The man was Chou Bao, the New Inn"s innkeeper.
Everyone fell silent, and all eyes followed Chou Bao as he slowly walked over to Xu Wuji. It took a considerable amount of time for the man to cross such a short distance.
Xu Wuji did nothing to urge the man forward, nor did he make any comment at all. He simply watched Chou Bao in silence.
Chou Bao stopped when he was a few meters away from Xu Wuji. Only then did he finally speak. "Are you here to cause trouble?"
Xu Wuji responded in a cold voice of his own. "Not interested."
Chou Bao"s eyes shifted to the table. "You broke it. Pay up."
He then started walking off, clearly uninterested in any further conversation.
"Where is Old Dian?" Xu Wuji asked.
Chou Bao stopped, coincidentally right next to Lu Yin. The man did not turn around to face Xu Wuji. "Anyone who breaks the rules of my New Inn will be punished by my New Inn. Are you trying to interfere?"
Xu Wuji answered softly, "No matter what else, he is an official of my Bureau, and he has performed great services in rooting out spies."
"In this place, there are neither accomplishments or crimes. All that remains here is the pursuit of survival," Chou Bao said coldly.
Xu Wuji continued, "Show me some face. Let me take him with me."
Chou Bao finally turned his head to look at Xu Wuji. "No."
Xu Wuji’s eyes narrowed. Chou Bao locked eyes with Xu Wuji, and the tension in the room started to rise.
Killing intent grew thick in the air.
There was a bang as a customer suddenly left, only to be quickly followed by a large group.
They did not dare to stick around when a fight was about to break out between two Void Supremas. It would be pathetic for them to survive fighting against Aeternus, only to end up dying from the shockwaves of fighting allies.
However, there were some guests who did not wish to leave, and there was no fear in any of the inn’s staff. All of them gathered around Xu Wuji and Lu Yin. There was not the slightest trace of the respect typically shown to powerful Void Suprema. Killing intent filled every eye, and it was clear that they were eager to attack.
As the woman had said, if the two guests wanted trouble, they would have to step over her corpse and also that of every other member of the New Inn. There was no one in the New Inn who feared death.
Lu Yin coughed lightly and stood up. "Senior Chou Bao, may we meet Old Dian?"
Every eye suddenly turned to stare at Lu Yin, and the pressure that he felt immediately intensified.
Chou Bao"s gaze was seemingly calm, but as heavy as a mountain. This man, who had established the New Inn, had a wealth of experience beyond the imagination of ordinary people. His composed gaze exerted tremendous pressure.
"Xuan Qi?" Chou Bao asked.
Lu Yin bowed. "That is this junior’s name."
Chou Bao stared at Lu Yin. "You’re alright."
Just those three words instantly dissipated all of the mounting pressure, from both Chou Bao and the rest of the New Inn’s staff. All of the killing intent left their eyes.