Chapter 2684 – Battle In The Transcendent Universe
Every preparation that He Ran had made for this day was activated, and the image of Luo Qian"s lens appeared on countless displays across the Transcendent Universe. He Ran accused the You family of ignoring the greater good for all of humanity and of acting against Monarch Mu, whose absence had made it difficult for the Three Monarchs Universe to defend against Aeternus’s attacks. If that universe fell, the You family would be one of the greatest criminals in human history.
He Ran ordered the truth to be uncovered and for the You family to be taken into custody to await a decision by the Sixverse a.s.sociation as a whole.
The You family wanted to destroy He Ran by arresting her after accusing her of being a spy, while He Ran threw back accusations that the You family had tried to destroy the Three Monarchs Universe. At this moment, the conflict between the two had fully erupted, and the entire Transcendent Universe was swept up by the battle.
Wen Shi wanted to force the You family to stop, but he himself was blocked by You Teng. Black energy raged, and Wen Shi was bombarded incessantly.
You Fang was blocked by Uncle Mo, and as the two fought, even though Uncle Mo was no match for You Fang, the man was at least able to endure.
Publicly, the Transcendent Universe had admitted to possessing five black energy converters, which were in the hands of You Fang, Uncle Mo, Qiu Zhan, Wen Shi and the guardian of the Energy Research Group. In the war against Aeternus, the Transcendent Universe had provided a tremendous number of bestowal art carriers and white energy converters. As for black energy converters, only a single peak powerhouse from the Transcendent Universe had fought on the front lines against the Aeternals, Qiu Zhan.
The other four publicly known black energy converters were all kept in reserve to protect the universe itself.
However, at this moment, the black energy converters were being used as part of an internal conflict within the universe.
Monarch Luo returned to the Transcendent Universe. Luo Lao’er’s lens had been discovered in the Ziyou Realm, which could be regarded as evidence of the You family’s guilt. With this, no one could fault the man for going after the You family.
s.p.a.ce shattered and boiled. Beams from bestowal art carriers slashed across the universe as You Fang and You Teng fought against Monarch Luo and Uncle Mo. It was a battle that was no less intense than the frontlines of humanity’s war.
This was a battle that could determine the future of the Transcendent Universe.
The chaos that had erupted had nothing to do with Lu Yin. He did not want to let Xuan Qi die here, but it was also not possible to do anything for the time being. Thus, it was best if Xuan Qi simply disappeared.
Lu Yin took this opportunity to go find Xiao Hai.
He did not believe the information that Xiao Hai had given him about the various spies, so Lu Yin intended to remove any hidden threat that Xiao Hai might still pose.
After the hidden research facility in the forbidden region was destroyed, Xiao Hai had been moved to another research facility. His new location was not too far from the Ziyou Realm, and his task was to restore all the data of the destroyed research base.
Xiao Hai would occasionally turn to stare at the distortions that appeared on a nearby screen. Seeing the battle being fought in outer s.p.a.ce made him ache to partic.i.p.ate in such things himself. No matter who won or lost this battle, it had nothing to do with him. His only goal was to find out who had identified him as the information broker, but Xiao Hai still had not learned anything at all.
The ground shook, and dust fell.
Xiao Hai looked at the dust that had fallen into his gla.s.s of water and then smashed it on the floor in annoyance.
He had also wanted to follow the teacher to the secret research facility, but Xiao Hai’s teacher thought too little of him. Xiao Hai’s hard work and dedication were appreciated, but his teacher’s current project was not one that could be joined with just hard work. Xiao Hai could only be regarded as unlucky.
"Why don’t you look very happy?" a voice spoke up from behind Xiao Hai.
He reflexively replied, "Don’t be ridiculous."
The man suddenly froze before slowly turning around to see Lu Yin standing there, smiling. "You’re Xiao Hai, right?"
"Who are you?"
At the moment, Lu Yin had concealed his appearance, making it impossible for someone at Xiao Hai’s level to make out any details at all.
"You should be able to guess who I am," Lu Yin replied.
Xiao Hai"s expression kept changing. "It"s you! You’re the one who freed Cloudflow!"
"You sell extremely detailed information, but unfortunately, you aren’t selling anything that I’m interested in," Lu Yin calmly stated.
Xiao Hai"s face turned more and more pale. "I- I don"t know what you want."
Lu Yin lifted his communication crystal and opened the display to reveal everything that he had received from Xiao Hai the last time.
Seeing the information, Xiao Hai knew for a fact that this was the person who had left the message written on his palm, as no one else knew that Xiao Hai had shared that particular information.
"What do you want? I"ll give you everything I know!" Xiao Hai was starting to get scared.
Lu Yin slowly walked closer, the pressure building with every step.
Xiao Hai remembered how this person had easily destroyed the entire hidden research facility and then freed Cloudflow. This person was powerful, unbelievably so. How was Xiao Hai any different from an ant before this person?
"I"m curious, why do you sell information?" Lu Yin asked.
Xiao Hai replied, "One can never have too many resources, and I need it for my own experiments."
"That"s all?"
"Yes."
"Why haven’t you run away?"
"How could I escape from someone like you?"
Lu Yin said, "What I meant is, why didn’t you run away after you saw the writing on your hand? Why did you stay in this universe?"
Xiao Hai swallowed. "I- I can"t leave. This is my home."
"Bulls.h.i.t."
"If I leave this place, I won’t have any value anywhere else. My cultivation is weak, and my talent is terrible. I’ve been trying to save up so that I can buy a good energy converter before leaving," Xiao Hai said.
Lu Yin sighed. "I could have spared your life, but you won’t tell me the truth, so this is the end."
Xiao Hai was startled, and he quickly backed up to move away from Lu Yin. "Wait, you want to kill me? I can still be of use! I can help you gather information and spy on others. I know a lot of different things. Just ask, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, and I’ll help you find out if I don’t have the answer.”
"Why do you need resources? Why didn’t you escape? Give me all of your secrets. If you don’t honestly tell me these three things, I have no reason to keep you alive, and I’ll just get my answers from your corpse." Even as Lu Yin spoke, he released a terrifying pressure.
Throughout the entire exchange, the display had been in Xiao Hai’s sight, and the ongoing battle being shown made the threat of death all the more real to Xiao Hai.
He was nothing more than a researcher who studied cultivation technology. He had never once risked his life or gone through any sort of tempering. How could he hope to resist such pressure? "Alright, I"ll tell you! I"ll tell you everything!"
Lu Yin stood there quietly as he waited for Xiao Hai"s answer.
Xiao Hai swallowed again. "I- I didn"t try to run away because you didn"t tell anyone else who I am. That means that I can be useful to you, and it also meant that I wasn’t in any danger for the moment. Besides that, I also wanted to find out who you are. That’s why I didn’t escape.
"As for the resources, I really do need them for my research. My teacher thinks that Zi Jing is the most talented person studying sequence particles, but the truth is that I also understand Zi Jing"s research, and I can also study sequence particles."
Lu Yin was taken aback. "You can work on sequence particle research?"
Xiao Hai nodded. "Just give me enough time, and I’ll get the answer! I can also partic.i.p.ate in the sequence particle research. Teacher and the others don"t know that I’m capable of this, and they think that I’m only capable of working hard, but hard work alone isn’t enough to progress in that kind of research. That’s why they didn’t take me with them when they left. They are all underestimating me!"
A smile appeared on Lu Yin"s face. "So, are you that confident that you’ll be able to figure out sequence particles?"
Xiao Hai stared at Lu Yin in terror as he nodded.
Lu Yin and Xiao Hai stared at each in silence for a moment. As Lu Yin looked into Xiao Hai"s fear-filled eyes, he suddenly spun around and released a palm strike. As Lu Yin turned around, coldness filled Xiao Hai’s eyes, and they widened in disbelief. How could anyone discover that?
Boom!
It was not a loud sound, but the void shattered. Lu Yin attacked the person who had suddenly appeared behind him with the palm strike, and the figure was forced to the ground by Lu Yin’s hand, even as the palm strike shattered the void behind the person.
Puff!
A mouthful of blood was spat out by the attacker who had suddenly appeared.
Lu Yin had clearly seen the person approaching. This person was an old man with a pale face. However, the moment Lu Yin pressed the old man to the floor, his eyes had instantly turned scarlet, gray, and then green as his body instantly became a hundred times stronger.
Unfortunately, the old man was only as strong as a three-tribulation Envoy. Even if his physical body became a hundred times stronger, he was still only comparable to a six-tribulation Envoy at best. Compared to Lu Yin, the old man was far too weak.
Lu Yin"s hand felt like a mountain as it pressed the old man downwards. He struggled to rise, but was completely unable to move.
Xiao Hai stared in a daze. He had failed? How come?
"I noticed you a long time ago," Lu Yin said before turning to look at Xiao Hai. "This is the real reason why you didn"t escape, and he’s also the reason why you’ve been gathering so many resources."
Xiao Hai quivered as he stared at the old man crazily struggling to get up. "I- I-"
Lu Yin pressed down harder, sending another tremor through the old man"s body. Another mouthful of blood was spat out, and then the struggling slowed. Eventually, the man stopped breathing entirely.
Lu Yin had no desire to question the old man. After using the Corpse King Transformation, there was nothing more that needed to be asked. The man’s thoughts had been changed, and he had become nothing more than a puppet of the Aeternals. He was no different from a corpse king.
After slowly standing back up, Lu Yin returned to Xiao Hai. This time, the researcher was genuinely terrified. "Don"t kill me! I told you that I’ll tell you everything! I didn’t run away because of him—he wouldn’t let me. He said that you would definitely come back to see me and that he would be sure to deal with you. He said that Cloudflow’s been almost dead for a long time, and that you aren’t really that powerful. Also, the resources—I need the resources because he said that he would help me replace my body with a better, healthy one."
Lu Yin frowned. "Change your body?"
He was instantly reminded of the androids in the Fifth Mainland"s Technocracy. Their minds were their actual self, while they regarded bodies in the same way that humans regarded clothes, something to be changed at whim.
Xiao Hai stammered as he explained his answers to Lu Yin’s original questions, and then he shared why he had been working so hard to gather resources.
Similar to how the creatures in the Technocracy behaved, Xiao Hai had been collecting resources in order to get a new body, one capable of using a black energy converter.
After all, the researcher’s personal strength had not even reached the Explorer level, and he was only about equal to a Melder. He was pitifully weak, and just like most people from the Transcendent Universe, he did not pursue cultivation. However, Xiao Hai was highly ambitious, and he wanted the strength of a powerhouse. He was too weak in the grand scheme of things, but it was impossible for him to gain true strength without focusing on cultivation, or at least obtaining a black energy converter. As long as he could physically use a black energy converter, he could instantly become a peak powerhouse.
However, it was far from easy to be able to use a black energy converter. Throughout the entire Transcendent Universe, only a handful of people were capable of using one. Even He Shu and others like him were only capable of using white energy converters. This was why Xiao Hai had made a deal with a spy and had asked the Aeternals to help him find a body that could use a black energy converter. As for obtaining a black energy converter, he was responsible for finding one himself.
"If that doesn"t work, I can just use He Shu"s body," Xiao Hai said tremblingly.
Lu Yin laughed. "You actually wanted to steal He Shu"s body? Aren"t you afraid that you’ll be caught by Uncle Mo and He Ran?"
Xiao Hai licked his lips as he glanced at the display. "I’ve gathered every last bit of information on He Shu. I- I’ve been studying and imitating him, just to make sure I won"t be seen through."
Lu Yin squatted down. "How do you intend to get a black energy converter?"
Xiao Hai’s face contorted, and he looked as though his greatest secret was being ripped from him. "Teacher- my teacher has one, and I can steal it. Teacher won’t even care, as he’s never even used it."
"Your teacher has a black energy converter?" Lu Yin"s eyes lit up. He had obtained several white energy converters, but not a single black energy converter.
Xiao Hai shrugged. "That’s right. It’s in his laboratory. He doesn"t care about it. Even if I stole it from him, he wouldn"t notice until someone reminded him about it."