Chapter 2685 – Appearance
Lu Yin’s hand rose, and he set it on Xiao Hai"s shoulder. "Take me there."
Xiao Hai quickly replied, "Teacher"s laboratory was moved to some unknown location. I can’t find it now."
Lu Yin’s fingers squeezed slightly, and there was a snap as Xiao Hai"s shoulder shattered. Severe pain swept over him, and the man almost pa.s.sed out. How could someone like him endure such severe pain?
"Are you messing with me? I’ll tell you once more—take me there." Lu Yin"s voice grew cold.
Xiao Hai"s body twitched from the pain he was suffering, and beads of sweat covered him as he hurriedly nodded. "I understand. I’ll take you there right now."
The ma.s.sive battle in the Transcendent Universe had not ended yet, and it had even spread to envelop an entire fifth of the universe. This battle between several peak powerhouses had already drawn the attention of the entire Sixverse a.s.sociation, though given the situation, even the Cyclic Universe would struggle to get involved, and few even arrived to observe the battle.
Lu Yin completely ignored the battle, as he was focused solely on acquiring the black energy converter.
Gaining a black energy converter meant giving the Heavens Sect one more peak powerhouse, which was a very important task.
Xiao Hai"s teacher was the old man who was even able to reprimand He Ran. He had such a high status in the Transcendent Universe that, according to Xiao Hai, he was able to meet with Lord Wei any time he wished. This was something beyond even You Fang. In fact, no one from the Wei family was allowed to freely meet with Lord Wei.
The only reason why the old man had managed to survive for so long without cultivating was because he continuously changed bodies, and this allowed him to achieve a different kind of immortality.
Everyone was aware that the old man had a high status, but no one knew that he also had a black energy converter.
This particular black energy converter could be considered a gift from the ruler of the Transcendent Universe. No one else knew about it, which was also why the old man did not care about it and had never had any intention of using it. If not for this, the universe would have another peak powerhouse.
Outsiders truly underestimated the Transcendent Universe.
It was very likely that the universe had a number of people who were capable of using black energy converters, and as long as those bodies were given to the right people, the universe could gain a number of peak powerhouses very quickly and could make up for their relatively lacking numbers.
The Transcendent Universe was able to quickly produce ten or more peak powerhouses in this manner, which was something that the Three Monarchs Universe could not hope to match. When this was combined with the Bestowal Art, the Transcendent Universe was no weaker than any other member of the Sixverse a.s.sociation.
Of course, the old man’s laboratory was inaccessible to most people, but Xiao Hai was allowed in. If not for that, Lu Yin would have had to force his way in, and there was a possibility that doing so would alert Lord Wei. That was something that Lu Yin definitely wanted to avoid.
The only thing that was clear was that there was an unusual relationship between the old man and the ruler of the universe, and no one knew what the old man was researching.
As Lu Yin looked at the black energy converter in front of him, his eyes lit up. On the other hand, Xiao Hai’s expression grew ugly. He was literally staring at the dream that he had spent years working for, but now, he was about to lose it forever.
Lu Yin stretched out a hand to grab the black energy converter, when suddenly, he felt intense danger as his scalp went numb. Without any hesitation, he used the spatial lines in his vision to move away. The very next moment, a beam of annihilation swept through the lab, erasing everything in its path in an instant, including Xiao Hai, who was not even able to react.
Lu Yin appeared outside of the laboratory, and he glanced around. He was unable to see anything from his current position, but as he fled, he had clearly seen Xiao Hai be reduced to ashes.
The beam that had appeared felt rather familiar to Lu Yin, and he quickly realized that it was a hyper-a.n.a.lysis mode. It was not that the laboratory didn’t have one, but rather that it had not been activated until the black energy converter was touched. As soon as contact was made, the hyper-a.n.a.lysis mode would instantly annihilate anyone nearby. This was different from the one that Lu Yin had encountered in the hidden research base, as that one had only been observing the area. The current one was connected to some weapon that was powerful enough to destroy even a Progenitor.
Lu Yin found that there was a ma.s.sive bestowal art carrier hidden underground that was always active.
This should have been an arrangement set up to protect the old man; otherwise, it would have activated the moment Lu Yin or anyone else entered the laboratory.
Lu Yin looked back at the black energy converter in his hand. When he squeezed slightly, it was reduced to powder. It was a fake.
Was it all just a trap? Lu Yin frowned, though his mood quickly recovered. No, Xiao Hai was no fool. He had been willing to cooperate with an Aeternal spy and collect resources for years in pursuit of his goals, and there was no way he would be deceived by a fake black energy converter. Xiao Hai must have already verified that a real one was present, no matter what sort of risks were involved in obtaining it. A stupid person would never be qualified to freely enter the old man’s personal laboratory.
As Lu Yin thought of this, the G.o.d of Flames figurine appeared on his shoulder, and his pupils transformed into runes. He was not in any hurry, so he simply waited. The only thing he feared in the Transcendent Universe was the mysterious Lord Wei. The ruler of the universe still had not shown himself in the ongoing battle, and Lu Yin felt bad for the You family after all of their hard work in trying to lure out Lord Wei.
After all, they could only complete their plans after Lord Wei appeared.
Lu Yin did not have to wait for very long. After all, the battle had been going on for a while already.
If the battle was allowed to continue, more and more of the Transcendent Universe would be swept into the chaos.
As time pa.s.sed, many of the You family’s bestowal art carriers had been destroyed. They served as the foundation of the You family that had been built up over many years, but they could also be regarded as the foundation of the Transcendent Universe itself. The destruction of so many bestowal art carriers was enough to draw out Lord Wei.
The sky of the Transcendent Universe darkened when a certain figure appeared.
Everyone looked up, feeling as though the universe in that area had suddenly changed. The heat rose sharply, and it became difficult to breathe. The pressure was so intense that You Fang and the other peak powerhouses all stopped fighting and turned to look in the same direction. There stood a man with long hair that hung to his waist. The man appeared young, and his face was handsome. He appeared relaxed and at ease, and his eyes were as bright as the stars.
If Cheng Feng was regarded as one of the most handsome men in the Sixverse a.s.sociation, then this man could be acknowledged as being Cheng Feng’s equal. Neither his demeanor nor his appearance was lacking in any way when compared to Cheng Feng. In fact, if the two were compared, this man was more arrogant and domineering. The moment he revealed himself, he drew everyone’s attention, as though he was the center of the universe and that such a thing was only natural.
As this man looked around, even Luo Shan stopped moving.
"Greetings, Lord Wei." Uncle Mo quickly offered a deep bow.
The moment the silence was broken, You Teng and everyone else bowed as well.
You Fang offered a slow bow, and then said, "Greetings, Lord Wei."
You Fang was much younger than Lord Wei, who was from the same generation as the You family’s founding ancestor.
Luo Shan calmly gazed at Lord Wei. As the ruler of the Three Monarchs Universe, there was no need for Monarch Luo to bow to Lord Wei, but there was a need to show some measure of respect. "Senior, please excuse me."
At this moment, the entire Transcendent Universe, as well as the other members of the Sixverse a.s.sociation, were all focused on this location.
Lord Wei was an incredibly mysterious figure who had not appeared in many years. He had never fought on the Endless Frontier, nor had he ever attended any of the Great Sovereign"s tea ceremonies. Even You Fang had only seen the man a few times before.
Not to mention the people of the Transcendent Universe, countless people across the Sixverse a.s.sociation grew excited to see Lord Wei at this moment.
Lu Yin stared at a display that showed Lord Wei. Was this man really the ruler of the Transcendent Universe?
Lord Wei had the appearance of a young man, but few people knew just how old the man truly was. He was an ancient existence, and he had been born in a vague period of time that preceded recorded history.
"Why have you come to my Transcendent Universe, Mr. Luo?" There was a slight smile on Lord Wei’s face as he spoke. It gave the impression that the ma.s.sive battle laid out before him was nothing of import.
Luo Shan replied, "One of my disloyal son’s belongings was found in the Ziyou Realm. Little Mu’s disappearance is clearly related to the You family, and I demand that they give me an explanation."
Lord Wei stared at You Fang. "Tell me about this."
You Fang offered another bow. "My You family has never taken any action against Monarch Mu, and I have no idea what might have caused her disappearance. Just now, I moved out against He Ran, because the Voidforce Universe Bureau’s Xuan Qi found evidence that she is a spy. However, he was attacked and killed as soon as we started to move out. He Ran needs to be investigated."
He Ran was not present, as she was still at the bottom of the stairs in her area. However, she was bowing to Lord Wei from that distant location, and she said nothing.
Everyone remained silent as they awaited Lord Wei’s response.
"Xuan Qi is dead?" Lord Wei asked, still looking at You Fang.
The man replied in a respectful tone, "I can’t say for certain. Xuan Qi disappeared instantly. I can’t say if his body was completely destroyed or if he was taken."
Lu Yin stared at the display, and his eyes narrowed. What did this exchange mean? Was it possible that the ruler of the Transcendent Universe had been watching him? This possibility made Lu Yin nervous, as it was not impossible.
Lord Wei calmly replied, "If He Ran was a spy, how could I have allowed her to reach her current position?"
You Fang replied in a low voice, "Lord Wei, He Ran might not have been a spy when she was selected, but I cannot say that that remains true. Xuan Qi"s ability to uncover spies is renowned throughout the entire Sixverse a.s.sociation. After seeing how many spies he has captured, the Bureau branches in our Transcendent Universe, the Three Monarchs Universe, and even Director Gan’s Arboreal Realm have invited the man to each of our universes to help search for spies.
"Throughout the entire Sixverse a.s.sociation, there is no one better at unearthing spies. He confirmed that He Ran is a spy, only to be killed the very next moment. He Ran is the most likely culprit, so I ask Lord Wei to turn her over to the Bureau for interrogation."
Uncle Mo bowed and spoke up. "For the record, Lord Wei, there is no evidence supporting You Fang’s allegations. The attack on Xuan Qi has nothing to do with us. It’s possible that You Fang threatened Xuan Qi into framing Madam He Ran, and then eliminated Xuan Qi in order to build support for Bai Qian."
You Fang’s head snapped up, and he stared at Uncle Mo. "What does Bai Qian have to do with me? I only supported her to force He Ran to reveal her flaws and allow Xuan Qi to determine if she is guilty or not. The moment Xuan Qi accomplished that, He Ran killed him to silence him. Uncle Mo, there’s no need to argue over things."
Uncle Mo stared back at You Fang. "You do not get to decide guilt and innocence. If you have proof of Madam He Ran’s guilt, then please provide the evidence."
"The evidence is that Xuan Qi was silenced by you."
"Nonsense. His death was carried out by your family."
"Ridiculous!"
Lord Wei’s voice cut through everything. "I will handle the matter concerning He Ran. There is no need for the You family to concern themselves with this."
You Fang’s expression fell, but he simply said, "Understood."
Lord Wei looked back at Luo Shan. "Are you certain that Monarch Mu"s disappearance is connected to the You family?"
Luo Shan replied, "At the very least, one of Luo Qian’s possessions was found in the Ziyou Realm."
"Bring that to me," Lord Wei ordered.
Luo Qian"s lens had been discovered in the Ziyou Realm by He Ran. She had first asked Xuan Qi to place it in the Ziyou Realm, and then had sent people to search for it. That plan had not changed, though He Ran could not understand why Xuan Qi had falsely accused her of being a spy… Or why he had been killed. In fact, Uncle Mo had merely shared He Ran’s speculations.
She had immediately suspected the You family of forcing Xuan Qi to frame her and then killing him. Why else would Xuan Qi have still hidden Luo Qian’s lens in the Ziyou Realm as had been agreed upon?
No matter how she looked at the situation, Xuan Qi was still helping her, and He Ran could only believe that the You family had forced Xuan Qi to frame her.
Luo Qian"s lens was quickly handed over to Lord Wei. After accepting it and looking at it, he asked, "Does this belong to your son?"
Luo Shan’s expression contorted. "That’s right."
Lord Wei continued to stare at the green lens.
Everyone had heard how Lord Wei favored He Ran and had tried to suppress the You family. With this evidence in his hand, everyone started guessing about what Lord Wei would do.
"This evidence is irrefutable. You Fang, what do you say for your family?" As Lord Wei spoke, his eyes grew cold, and he directed his stare at You Fang.
You Fang’s head rose, and he replied, "We are being framed."
Luo Shan immediately shouted back, "Luo Lao’er appeared in your Ziyou Realm some time ago, and now, there is even physical evidence that he visited you! How can you still claim that this is an unjust accusation? Tell me, who can frame your You family? Who can plant evidence in your home without being caught?"
You Fang"s eyes flickered, as he had no answer for that. He did not know how Luo Qian’s lens could have appeared in the Ziyou Realm, and as Luo Shan had said, who was capable of framing the You family without being caught?