Chapter 566: Aden
It didn’t take Huan Sha long to arrive and bow to Lu Yin.
“Huan Sha, how many Hunters are currently registered in Frostwave Weave?” Lu Yin asked.
Huan Sha blurted out, “Five.”
Lu Yin’s brows rose. “Besides the empire’s trio, who are the other two?”
“One is the Merke family’s elder, Ryan Merke, and the other is a prisoner, Aden,” Huan Sha explained.
“Quickly give a brief introduction on the both of them.”
Huan Sha looked at Lu Yin and then proceeded to slowly recite from her astounding memory, “The Merke family is a great clan based in the northern part of Frostwave Weave, and they control seven filaments. Based off of Undying Yushan’s strategy that he left behind, the blind monk, who’s the captain of the Eleventh Squadron, moved in and defeated Ryan Merke, which led to the Merke family being defeated. At present, the family only occupies their home planet. While they have not created any trouble for the empire, they have not joined the empire either.
“Aden’s origins are a mystery, and there are no records of him. The man is not a convict but rather a voluntary prisoner. He decided to imprison himself in the empire for a hundred years, and this term expires in ten years.”
Lu Yin was stunned. “He voluntarily imprisoned himself for a hundred years?”
Huan Sha nodded. “There are no records on file about him, so your subordinate cannot make any guesses.”
Lu Yin thought about it and then contacted Wendy Yushan. She was shocked at what he told her. “Aden is still in jail?”
“You know him?” Lu Yin was curious.
Wendy Yushan explained, “When he first came to Frostwave Weave, a conflict broke out between him and Father. The two made a bet, and Aden lost. Due to the bet, he either had to join the Great Yu Empire’s Imperial Thirteen Squadrons and serve Father or be imprisoned for a hundred years. Who knew that, even after Father pa.s.sed away, he would still stick around.”
Lu Yin was interested in this Aden, “What kind of bet did they make?”
“Aden is very confident in his defense, so he bet that Father would not be able to breach his defense. Unfortunately for him, Father still won. Of course, the whole thing wasn’t that simple.” At this point, Wendy Yushan’s tone became quieter. “Father should have been forced to do his best, which I picked up from his tone when he told me.”
Lu Yin’s heart quivered at the words, “do his best,” as Undying Yushan had not been an ordinary person to begin with. Even if he hadn’t reached the top thirty of the Top 100 Rankings in his generation, he had still been the heir of the “Yu” family of the Court of Seven Names, which meant that he had inherited the court’s battle techniques. Lu Yin had long since guessed that Undying Yushan had been able to slaughter his way back to the Outerverse from the Innerverse and survive for so many years thanks to these battle techniques.
No one other than Lu Yin better understood how difficult it was for someone from the Outerverse to be ranked within the top thirty, even if this was before the universe had been greatly changed.
There was no doubt to Aden’s power if even Undying Yushan had admired it. If Undying Yushan had been forced to try his best to deal with Aden, then this person was clearly no ordinary Hunter.
Lu Yin had En Ya and Huan Sha withdraw. He sent Huan Sha to prepare the resources for Ironblood Weave along with a list of the Cruisers and Explorers that would be sent over. He himself headed for the jail where Aden was imprisoned.
Even though the man was supposedly imprisoned, if Lu Yin’s conjecture was correct, then this Aden was not someone who could be held by the Great Yu Empire, and he was imprisoned here of his own accord.
When Lu Yin saw Aden, he felt like he was looking at a savage beast.
The man’s hair and beard had grown until they almost covered his entire body. He simply sat in the corner of his cell with his eyes closed. It looked as if he was sleeping.
Lu Yin frowned. “Isn’t anyone taking care of him?”
The guard behind Lu Yin nervously answered, “Your Majesty, this person is very strange, and he doesn’t want anyone to take care of him. When His Majesty Undying Yushan previously ordered us to open the cell doors and allow him to leave whenever he wished, this man insisted that the doors be locked up and that he should not receive any special treatment since he’s a convict.”
“Has he been like this all these years?” Lu Yin asked.
“According to my grandfather, this person has been like this since the time that my grandfather first saw him,” the guard replied.
Lu Yin glanced at the guard. “Your grandfather worked here before?”
The guard hurriedly answered, “Yes.”
Lu Yin laughed, since it turned out that this job ran in the family.
He had the guard open the gate. Aden suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Lu Yin with beast-like eyes from where he sat inside the cell. An immense pressure descended upon Lu Yin, and it was not one bit inferior to Karthika’s. It was as heavy as a mountain.
Lu Yin was astonished. This person was obviously just a Hunter, but he possessed such terrifying pressure. Aden was definitely a genius among Hunters, and he must also be a Realmbreaker like Lu Yin himself.
“Kid, you’re not simple,” Aden said, as his eyes pierced through his thick hair to stare at Lu Yin, an indistinct flash of electricity going through them.
Lu Yin marveled. “Senior is even more uncommon, to be willing to voluntarily incarcerate himself for a hundred years for a single promise. That’s something that not many in the universe are able to do.”
“There’s no need to compliment me. What do you want?” Aden’s voice was deep.
Lu Yin moved to the side of the cell door and gestured. “His Majesty Undying Yushan has died, so you are a free man now.”
Aden sneered, “There’s no need to lie to me. That’s impossible—that old fogey can’t die.”
Lu Yin felt helpless. “But it’s true, and the entire universe knows this. His Majesty Undying Yushan was ambushed by the Neohuman Alliance, and only the Fifth Princess remains of the entire Yushan family. All the rest are dead, and even their corpses have disappeared.”
Aden leaped to his feet in shock, and it was at this point that Lu Yin finally realized that the man was three meters tall, which was much taller than Lu Yin himself. When he stood next to this person, it was as if he was standing in front of a hill.
“Dead? How? That old b.a.s.t.a.r.d mastered the Undying Manual, so he shouldn’t be able to die,” Aden muttered to himself. Then, he stared at Lu Yin and grabbed at him. Lu Yin’s figure flashed as the three Fatesands instantly spun together, allowing his strength to explode. He used his fastest speed, which caused even the void to distort, but his collar was still grabbed by Aden, and Lu Yin was forcefully dragged over to the large man. The giant’s copper-colored eyes were now only ten centimeters away from Lu Yin’s, and Lu Yin could even touch the man’s hair and beard if he reached out.
“Kid, you’re lying!” Aden shouted.
The guard outside rushed into the cell to help, but he was knocked unconscious by a casual wave of Aden’s hand.
Lu Yin remained calm as he looked at Aden. “I’m not lying. Check it for yourself.” He then handed the large man a gadget.
Aden activated the gadget and searched for news about the Great Yu Empire, where he finally saw the news that Undying Yushan had died. “How? He mastered the Undying Manual, so he shouldn’t be dead!”
Lu Yin shook his head. “Undying Yushan didn’t learn the Undying Manual—that was all nothing but rumors and hearsay. However, it was precisely because of that that he was chased out of the Innerverse, and he only managed to escape by the skin of his teeth.”
Aden knitted his brows, and he seemed to be in disbelief. However, the facts were displayed in front of him. He put the gadget down with a complex expression. “I wanted to have another bet with him after a century pa.s.sed, but I never thought that he would already be dead. But someone from the Neohuman Alliance would indeed be able to kill him. It’s no wonder why they’re one of the Three Dark Hands.”
“You seem to hold His Majesty in high regard. No matter what, the two of you were nothing more than Hunters, while it wouldn’t have been strange for the Neohuman Alliance to be able to send out Enlighters with their resources,” Lu Yin said.
Aden sneered, “So what if it was an Enlighter?”
He paused for a moment and looked outside the cell. “Although he might be dead, I still need to honor the bet, and the promise still needs to be kept. I have another ten years left, and I won’t go back on my word.” Aden went back and sat back down in the corner of his cell, looking like he was ready to pa.s.s another ten years in this manner.
It would be a wasted trip if Lu Yin allowed this person to wait another ten years, as he had not come here to tell Aden about Undying Yushan’s pa.s.sing.
“Senior, do you like to gamble? How about the two of us make a bet?” Lu Yin asked.
Aden looked at Lu Yin. “I will only gamble with those who are qualified, and you aren’t.”
Lu Yin’s brows lifted. “This junior is currently the strongest Limiteer in the universe. I don’t qualify?”
Aden’s eyes widened as he seriously sized Lu Yin up and down. All of a sudden, electricity sparked in his eyes again, and one wisp of lightning actually encircled Lu Yin and streaked past his body. His eyes trembled. “That’s a powerful physical body, kid. Who are you?”
Lu Yin’s lips rose. “This junior is the Great Yu Empire’s Royal Regent, and I am acting on behalf of the throne. Undying Yushan is this junior’s Uncle.”
Aden nodded. “The Outerverse already produced Undying Yushan, and now there’s you. Each of you is a freak.”
“So does Junior qualify to gamble with Senior?” Lu Yin asked.
Aden muttered to himself for a second and then looked at Lu Yin with interest. “What’s the bet?”
“Let’s wager on whether or not Junior can breach Senior’s defense,” Lu Yin said proudly.
Aden grew furious. “Undying Yushan was a Hunter back then, and even he found it hard to break through my thunder shield, but you want to try as well? Shameless! Junior, you should know your limits.”
Lu Yin smiled. “Senior doesn’t dare?”
“There’s no need to aggravate me. So long as there’s someone qualified, I like to gamble. But kid, what can you bring to the table to bet? And what is it that you want from me?” Aden said.
Lu Yin solemnly replied, “Ironblood Weave has requested emergency a.s.sistance, and Junior was mentioned by name and ordered to head to Seasons Fort to join their defence. Junior hopes that Senior will travel there with me.”
Aden was shocked. “Emergency a.s.sistance? Does the Astral Beast Domain plan to invade the Human Domain from there? But even if it’s an emergency, why would a Limiteer like you be mentioned by name? Did all of those old Enlighter farts already croak?”
“The Innerverse and Outerverse have been separated, and only the Outerverse’s eastern weaves are available to support Ironblood Weave to attempt to hold the Astral Beast Domain back.” Lu Yin had no choice but to explain the entire matter about how the universe had changed.
Aden did not believe him at first, so Lu Yin was forced to show him the news again. Aden then personally tested the stability of s.p.a.ce, only then finally believing Lu Yin. “Never did I think that during all these years in jail would such groundbreaking changes happen outside. The Innerverse and Outerverse are actually separated, and the Outerverse clearly cannot withstand the Astral Beast Domain by itself.”
“Regardless of whether or not we can withstand their attack, it’s better to stand and die an honorable death than to live without purpose,” Lu Yin spoke loudly.
Aden’s eyes flashed, and admiration for Lu Yin seemed to appear in his eyes. “Alright, I’ll make a bet with you. If you win, I’ll head over to Seasons Fort with you. If you lose, then the last ten years of the promise I made with Undying Yushan will be nullified.”
Lu Yin nodded, but the older man had reacted quickly. No matter if he won or lost, the last ten years of the agreement with Undying Yushan would be nullified. This old b.a.s.t.a.r.d was pretty smart.
There was a rumble as the entire jail vibrated. Aden raised his arms and stretched. “Although you’re just a Limiteer runt, I always take every wager seriously. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone all out.”
His eyes went wide as his thick hair and beard were torn apart by wild strands of lightning. It almost looked like a veil was removed as Aden’s real face was exposed.
Lu Yin was stunned, as he had a.s.sumed that the man was very old. However, he only appeared to be about forty or so, much younger than Undying Yushan. His st.u.r.dy muscles had not turned limp despite the decades of imprisonment. Lightning flickered about and distorted the void until it even began cracking slightly.
He released a low growl, and Zenyu Star began to sway. Lightning swirled above the three rings, which shocked everyone. All sorts of devices that measured power levels started to go off with wild alarms.
Huo Qingshan looked up, and his face grew solemn. Is it him? What a powerful pressure, and he’s no ordinary Hunter either. Hopefully, His Majesty can handle him.
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