Chapter 2718 – Seeing The Shangsan Festival
Just what was this power? The saber was somehow connected to Lu Yin’s own blood. Did that mean that he really had been sliced eighty-one times? However, there was not a single wound on his body.
Lu Yin could not understand what had happened. He stared at the small saber in his hand and felt a chill come over his heart.
It was possible that he was not supposed to be where he was, and the fact that his attacker had been able to leave him so incredibly helpless meant that they had definitely seen through him. The Lost Clan was no longer a safe place for him.
However, it was also impossible to leave at this point in time.
Lu Yin felt very uneasy as he held the saber. He sat back down and looked up at the moonlight. He took a deep breath.
Forget it, I’ll just wait. If such a powerful person wants to attack me, I’ll never be able to escape, anyways.
With a wry smile, he looked back down at the saber in his hand. He did not place it in his cosmic ring, but instead hung it around his neck. There might be a day when he would be able to use the saber to attack others eighty-one times.
Time pa.s.sed, but Lu Yin remained where he was, avoiding Snack Sage and seeing if there was any chance of meeting the mysterious powerhouse who had attacked him.
The person had never revealed themselves in any way, yet had slashed Lu Yin eighty-one times. Lu Yin had taken the saber, but had absolutely no idea what it was supposed to be used for.
Finally, the Shangsan Festival began.
The Shangsan Festival is the Lost Clan’s biggest festival, and everyone from the Lost Clan celebrated.
Even on the floating island, Lu Yin was able to feel the festive atmosphere.
There were various islands floating around the area, housing everyone who was partic.i.p.ating in the Shangsan Festival’s card exchange. Given the number of islands, it was possible to imagine just how many people from the Lost Clan were present.
The largest floating island was at the center of everything, and it was where the cards would be exchanged.
On the day of the card exchange, all the Lost Clan’s cards would be drawn to this location, and so long as a person was able to do so, they would be allowed to change their card.
The members of the Lost Clan had their own process to prepare for the Shangsan Festival, and when they finished all of their preparations and it was finally time to exchange cards, there was truly only half a day remaining of the Shangsan Festival.
Everyone stared at the central island and waited.
At this same time, more and more people started appearing outside floating island, and each of them gave off an incredible amount of pressure. Every last one of these people was a peak powerhouse.
Everyone in the Lost Clan looked at these figures with expressions of deep respect.
The Shangsan Festival was the Lost Clan’s most important festival, and on this day, powerhouses from all parts of the Sixverse a.s.sociation would come to watch. They not only attended to celebrate the Shangsan Festival and give the Lost Clan a show of respect, but also to see who was capable of changing their card. The biggest reason for this was that one person had once traded a Seasonal card for an Immemorial card. That event had shocked the entire Sixverse a.s.sociation, as it was practically an announcement that the person would one day become a peak powerhouse. That was something that drew attention from the entire Sixverse a.s.sociation.
"Sage Jiang, it’s been a long time," someone politely greeted the Sage.
Sage Jiang smiled and replied, "Bureau Director Gan, it’s been thousands of years since we fought together on the Endless Frontier. I didn’t think I’d see you here."
Director Gan smiled. "True, though I still can"t forget Sage Jiang"s impressive display on the Endless Frontier."
"It was nothing impressive, and I’m simply lucky that I survived," Sage Jiang said with a bitter smile. He then looked to the other side, where Chen Le offered a bow from a distance.
"Greetings, Senior Sage Jiang."
Sage Jiang complimented the Monarch, "Congratulations. The Three Monarchs Universe has gained another powerhouse."
A short distance away, Xu Heng also spoke up, "Brother Chen, I wonder how my brother Xuan Qi has been doing while in your care?"
Chen Le looked over at Xu Heng and answered with a smile, "Thanks to Xuan Qi, our Three Monarchs Universe has discovered a number of spies. Truthfully, if it wasn’t for the fact that his cultivation is inadequate, I would already have given him the position of Bureau Director, haha."
Xu Heng smiled, as he was always happy to hear someone praise Xuan Qi.
A middle-aged man emerged from the void and looked around at those already gathered/ "Brother Chen, Brother Heng, this is the first time either of you have attended our Lost Clan’s Shangsan Festival. Please forgive me for not offering you a proper reception."
Xu Heng and Chen Le quickly offered some polite a.s.surances.
The man who had just arrived was one of the Lost Clan’s most powerful individuals, and his name was Shan Zheng. For the members of the Lost Clan, anyone who reached the peak would have their surname changed to Shan, which was related to their core region: Shan Barrens.
As several people chatted with each other, a group of people from the Lost Clan were celebrating the Shangsan Festival on the center floating island.
Director Gan moved over closer to Xu Heng, and spoke very animatedly to the Void Suprema. It was very clear what the Bureau Director’s intention was: have Xu Heng persuade Xuan Qi to visit the Arboreal Realm and help root out spies.
Of course, Xu Heng would never agree to this. He knew that his junior brother had his own reasons for not going, and would therefore not press the matter at all.
When Chen Le heard that Director Gan wanted to invite Lu Yin to the Arboreal Realm, he quickly pointed out that the Three Monarchs Universe still wanted to capture more spies.
"How many spies can your Three Monarchs Universe even have? Our Arboreal Realm has a long history, and secrets have been hidden too deeply. Xuan Qi should go to our Arboreal Realm, as it would be incredibly beneficial," Bureau Direct Gan told Chen Le.
Chen Le solemnly replied, "Our Three Monarch Universe has the worst foundation of any member of the Sixverse a.s.sociation. If Aeternus wants to destroy the current balance of the Sixverse a.s.sociation, the best place to start would be with our universe. For this reason, Xuan Qi is very important to us."
Director Gan wanted to refute, but was interrupted by Xu Heng, "Speaking of which, is no one attending from the Transcendent Universe?"
Shan Zheng overheard the question and shook his head. "I have not received any news that anyone from that universe will attend."
"In the past, the You family always attended, but given the recent events that have taken place in their universe, it makes sense that they are not here. Lord Wei will not allow the You family to go out again!" Palace Master Gan stated.
No one responded, as the events that had taken place in the Transcendent Universe were considered taboo, as it involved both the Cyclic Universe and the Three Monarchs Universe interfering in the internal affairs of another universe, and that was a very uncomfortable topic. No one wanted outsiders getting involved in internal matters.
In fact, many people were curious to see how Lord Wei would fight back. Forget about the Cyclic Universe, as it was not very likely that Lord Wei would take action against that place, but the Three Monarchs Universe would not be able to escape responsibility for their actions.
Monarch Luo had schemed against Lord Wei, and it was impossible for the man to not retaliate. The only question was how he would go about it.
Sage Jiang stayed silent and pretended not to hear the conversation.
Sovereign Shao Yin then arrived with a smile on his face. His golden robes made him look extremely n.o.ble.
Chen Le, Director Gan, and Xu Heng all quickly stepped forward to greet the Sovereign. All of them could be considered juniors, as Sovereign Shao Yin had been a peak powerhouse for much, much longer than any of them.
Also, Sovereign Shao Yin’s presence made it impossible for anyone to mention the Cyclic Universe again.
Bureau Director Gan continued to press Xu Heng to help him persuade Xuan Qi.
"If you really want Xuan Qi to go to your Arobreal Realm, you might as well wait until Senior Xu Wuwei arrives, Director Gan. After all, Senior Xu Wuwei is Xuan Qi"s mentor," Shan Zheng commented.
Bureau Director Gan"s eyes instantly lit up. "Senior Xu Wuwei is coming?"
Sovereign Shao Yin was also caught off guard. "Xu Wuwei is coming?"
Shan Zheng smiled. "Yes, I have received word that he will be here quite soon."
Sovereign Shao Yin gave a small smile. "The two of us haven"t seen each other for quite some time. I’m looking forward to speaking with him again."
The Lost Clan’s distinctive music drifted up from the floating island. Everyone watched as they waited for the moment when the cards would arrive and it would be time to try to trade cards.
It was not long before Xu Wuwei arrived, and everyone made a point to greet the man. Not even Sovereign Shao Yin revealed any hint of arrogance before Xu Wuwei.
In the Voidforce Universe, Xu Wuwei’s status was essentially the same as the Three Sovereigns in the Cyclic Universe, and both Xu Wuwei and Sovereign Shao Yin had risen to power at about the same time, so they could be regarded as peers.
"I heard that you recently returned to the Endless Frontier, and yet you are back so soon? Aren’t you afraid that others will start gossiping about you?" Sovereign Shao Yin joked with a smile.
Xu Wuwei sighed. "I didn’t have any choice. I am old, and can only rest on my laurels. Still, my former accomplishments are enough for me to be allowed to find a place where I can enjoy some delicious food while I find and train a couple of apprentices who can handle my standards. That’s the way to enjoy life."
Bureau Director Gan immediately complimented the older man, "Senior"s disciple Xuan Qi is already quite impressive. Only Senior could train such an outstanding disciple."
Xu Wuwei’s eyebrows rose. "Don"t be ridiculous; he isn’t my disciple. Right now, I have no disciples. I’m nothing more than that child’s guide."
Chen Le smiled. "Who isn’t aware that Xuan Qi learned Senior’s Spiral Domain? That technique has allowed him to quickly and easily capture spies, and he has done great things for humanity. Even if you are not on the battlefield, Senior, you have still performed a great service to humanity that is no less important than fighting on the battlefield.”
"Well said! Senior’s contribution is obvious for all to see," Sage Jiang also complimented the old man.
Xu Wuwei had a sudden headache. "All of you are so eager to praise Xuan Qi, but do any of you really know him?"
The man was reminded of the events of the Transcendent Universe, and how Bai Qian had managed to replace He Ran. While it appeared that Xuan Qi had not been at all involved in the matter, and had at most framed He Ran, that false accusation had not had any impact on the final outcome. The You family had attacked Lord Wei, yet Lord Wei had ultimately been victorious. Logically speaking, Bai Qian should not have been able to replace He Ran, yet that was exactly what had happened.
Xu Wuwei knew only a few of the details, and was not interested in learning more, mostly because Xuan Qi had not used the Voidforce Universe, and also because Xu Heng, Xu Leng, and Xu Wuji had stayed out of the entire matter. If not for that, Xu Wuwei would have gone after Xuan Qi long ago.
The brat had only used the influence of the Bureau to frame He Ran and force Lord Wei to reveal himself. While Xuan Qi had been personally involved in the matter, he had never gotten the Voidforce Universe involved.
Regardless, Xuan Qi was inseparable from the changes that had taken place in the Transcendent Universe. In the end, Bai Qian had been victorious, and He Ran had simply disappeared. There was no denying that, and Xu Wuwei was one of the few people who was aware that Xuan Qi had supported Bai Qian from the very beginning. However, what was the connection between Xuan Qi and He Ran"s disappearance? The brat might not be able to erase his connection.
Just thinking of these matters gave Xu Wuwei a headache.
Bureau Director Gan replied, "This junior doesn"t understand. I would like to ask Senior to explain this to me."
Xu Wuwei grew puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
Chen Le suddenly exclaimed, "It"s starting!"
…
On the central floating island, the members of the Lost Clan pulled back one after another until the island was empty, save for the creatures who had always lived on the island.
Silence reigned everywhere.
Suddenly, an ancient voice broke the silence, echoing through the entire area, "Let the Shangsan Festival begin! Enter the island."
The moment the voice spoke, people started rushing to the central island from all of the surrounding islands, afraid that others would arrive first and they would lose their chance.
Lu Yin took a deep breath and dismissed all thoughts of the saber from his mind. He then took a step forward and started moving towards the central island.
As he moved forward, Snack Sage noticed him. "Xuan Qi, we’ll compete again tomorrow! I’ve already defeated everyone else, so let’s go again!"
Lu Yin did not even look over at the man, and instead stepped onto the central island and looked upwards. The forest was quiet for a great distance, and Lu Yin simply inhaled and enjoyed the fresh scent of nature.
One after another, people arrived on the island.
The floating island was very large, and there were hundreds of thousands of people partic.i.p.ating in the Shangsan Festival when the outsiders and members of the Lost Clan were combined. Even so, humans only occupied a tiny portion of the island, and they were vastly outnumbered by the other races.
Cards could be attracted to anywhere on this island, as long as they were attracted to something or someone.
As for what might draw a card, that varied from person to person.
As Xu Wuji had mentioned, some people could attract cards by letting themselves go.
Within the forest, Lu Yin saw a man in front of him who was shouting loudly and animatedly, and he did not stop even after noticing Lu Yin’s attention, and instead merely blushed. As Lu Yin listened, he realized that the man was shouting his entire history, which he clearly regarded as a legendary story.
Then, far away, someone started singing.
Lu Yin had heard from Xu Wuji that singing was considered rather common, and it did not matter at all if the singer sounded good or not. Instead, it seemed that the worse the voice, the more likely the person was to attract a card.