Chapter 653: Reality
Liuying Zishan switched her gadget on, and an eldery man appeared on her screen. A flicker of fear flashed through his eyes when he saw Lu Yin. He bowed as he greeted Lu Yin. “I’m Duke Jadestone from Darkstar Gorge. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
Lu Yin laughed. “You’re not from the Great Yu Empire, so there’s no reason for you to bow to me.”
“Your Highness is widely recognized throughout the Outerverse, so of course I should bow to you,” Duke Jadestone flattered Lu Yin, though Lu Yin only felt disgust when he looked at the old man’s face.
Lu Yin’s lips curled up. “You should? But I’ve heard that you don’t want to ally with me.”
Duke Jadestone turned pale, and he anxiously said, “Your Highness, that’s just a misunderstanding. It’s not that I don’t want to work with you, but rather that I honestly can’t work with you. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
Lu Yin stared at the older man without speaking, which caused Duke Jadestone to become very nervous. He quickly continued, saying, “Elder Wu died at your hands, and Darkstar Gorge has suffered tremendous losses because of you. Moreover, Puyu has been vehemently objecting to your plan, all of which makes it impossible for Darkstar Gorge to agree to join the Great Eastern Alliance. Nothing would change even if I do agree with Your Highness, so...”
“So, you want me to stop pressuring you,” Lu Yin finished the man’s sentence.
Duke Jadestone bowed and respectfully said, “It would be my honor to work for Your Highness, but I really cannot help you in this matter. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
“Tell me about this news of yours,” Lu Yin casually ordered the man as he sat down.
Duke Jadestone gulped and carefully responded. “Your Highness, do you remember when someone tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate you on Shuta Planet? That a.s.sa.s.sin was someone from Darkstar Gorge.”
Lu Ying glanced at Duke Jadestone and narrowed his eyes.
“At that time, the Darkstar Gorge had already received the information about how you had killed an Enlighter, and thus, the a.s.sa.s.sin was well prepared for your methods. Your Highness probably doesn’t know who revealed that information.” Duke Jadestone paused as he peeked at Lu Yin before fearfully continuing, “The person who revealed the information was from the Tri-Banner Federation.”
Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. “Tri-Banner Federation?”
“Yes, the Tri-Banner Federation. Darkstar Gorge conducted an investigation and found that, although the person was from the Tri-Banner Federation, the true mastermind behind the incident was actually an expert from Northline Flowzone.”
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes as rage surged through his heart. It had indeed been Granny Chan. Apart from her, n.o.body else had known of his tricks at that time.
“Why should I believe you?” Lu Yin asked coldly.
Duke Jadestone replied, “The person from the Tri-Banner Federation who shared that information with us has been detained. Your Highness can send someone to interrogate him yourself, and I can guarantee that I am telling you the truth, Your Highness.”
Lu Yin waved a hand, and Liuying Zishan switched off the screen and stood to the side.
Lu Yin sat back down and thought for a moment. He then asked, “Who’s handling the Tri-Banner Federation?”
“Peach, from the Sixth Squadron,” Liuying Zishan answered.
“Has she been in contact with anyone?”
“Not yet. Flaxen Weave has been invaded by forces from Northline Flowzone, and since Northline Flowzone has Granny Chan, who’s an Enlighter, En Ya has asked Peach not to do anything for the moment. We have only sent some undercover people to that weave.”
Lu Yin nodded. “Tell Peach not to do anything rash. I will handle Flaxen Weave myself.”
“Yes, Your Highness. What about Duke Jadestone?” Liuying Zishan asked.
“Ignore him. Don’t interact with him in the future either,” Lu Yin ordered.
“Understood.”
After Liuying Zishan left, Lu Yin walked out of the palace and looked up at the sky. There were truly no true friends in this universe. Everything was tied to personal benefits, corrupt systems, and the so-called “dignity” of the major powers.
Lu Yin hadn’t had any conflicts with the people of Northline Flowzone, and they had even helped each other in the past. Despite that, he had still been betrayed by them. Lu Yin believed that Granny Chan hadn’t betrayed him because of the Great Yu Empire. Rather, her betrayal should have been primarily motivated by her pride as an Enlighter. People like her couldn’t allow a Limiteer to challenge an Enlighter’s dignity or to even have the ability to threaten them. Thus, she had tried to get rid of Lu Yin without any hesitation.
It was no wonder why she had been so cold when she rejected his request to go to Shuta Planet together.
However, this could also be a good thing. He no longer needed to be wary.
***
Vastdearth Weave lay to the east of Darkmist and Grandtop Weaves. Vastdearth Weave was considered to be one of the strongest weaves in the eastern region of the Outerverse as it had managed to produce two Enlighters.
One of the two was named Elder Zhuo, and he had originally come from a normal planet. He had never been taught by anyone and had simply been abnormally successful with his cultivation, which had eventually led to him becoming an Enlighter. He had been summoned to Ironblood Weave before, and he was actually still involved in rebuilding the defenses of the Ironblood Weave alongside the other powerhouses, such as Nightqueen Qiuyu.
The other Enlighter was actually from the ruling power of Vastdearth Weave. He was an elder of the Vastdearth Sect: Meng Qing.
Vastdearth Weave had once been very powerful amongst the eastern weaves due to its two Enlighters, and even Adonis Weave and Darkmist Weave had deferred to them in the past.
However, ever since Meng Qing had gone into retreat, refusing to appear in public, Vastdearth Weave had a.s.sumed a lower profile.
Moreover, since Elder Zhuo has been summoned to the Ironblood Weave, Vastdearth Weave essentially no longer had any Enlighters.
This was the key issue faced by Meng Tianlong, the sect leader of the Vastdearth Sect. The sect was facing pressure from the Great Yu Empire, or to be more exact, from Lu Yin.
The Great Yu Empire has informed the sect of their plans to form the Great Eastern Alliance, and although the elders of the Vastdearth Sect had been discussing it for several days, they still hadn’t come to a conclusion, and Meng Tianlong was growing increasingly worried.
They had tried to contact Elder Zhuo, who was in Ironblood Weave, but they hadn’t received any reply from him yet.
Currently, the elders of Vastdearth Sect were divided due to this issue.
“Cheng Yan, are you colluding with the Great Yu Empire? Why else would you be defending them?” one elder shouted.
Cheng Yan angrily retorted. “Elder Angio, I just don’t want to be bullied by the Innerverse any longer! Who hasn’t been pushed around by the people of the Astral River Ark before? Even a common cultivator on the Astral River Ark is allowed to bully us! I don’t want to suffer that sort of humiliation anymore.”
“The Innerverse has been cut off from the Outerverse.”
“They’ll soon be connected again.”
“You must have been bribed by the Great Yu Empire!”
“What proof do you have? If I have been bribed by the Great Yu Empire, then may G.o.d strike me down!”
…
“Enough! Stop bickering.” Meng Tianlong frowned as he looked at the various elders in front of him. He then continued, saying, “The Six-Fingered Tribe of Lars Weave and Shenwu Continent of Darkmist Weave have both joined the Great Eastern Alliance. Have all of you read the alliance contract yet?”
Cheng Yan loudly answered, “I have seen it, and the contract is beneficial to everyone who joins the alliance. The Royal Regent of the Great Yu Empire, Lu Yin, hopes for the Outerverse to be united, and this isn’t merely his personal goal, but also something that the Hall of Honor desires.”
Everyone fell silent as soon as the Hall of Honor was mentioned. They were able to reject Lu Yin, but not a single one of them dared to reject the Hall of Honor. The hall was the master of the Human Domain, and although its influence was typically unseen, it was extremely powerful.
When the Hall of Honor had conscripted people to defend Ironblood Weave, even Elder Zhuo, an Enlighter, had been forced to go to Ironblood Weave. This showed how powerful the Hall of Honor was.
“Haha! Lu Yin is Lu Yin, and the Hall of Honor is the Hall of Honor. When did Lu Yin start representing the Hall of Honor?” a voice rang out. Everyone turned around and looked at the person who was standing behind Elder Angio.
Cheng Yan slammed a hand on the table with a bang. “How dare you? Who said that you could speak? Elder Angio, control your subordinate.”
Elder Angio didn’t turn around, and the person standing behind him merely smirked. He raised his head and changed his appearance. His hair changed as well, and his black hair changed until it was divided into both white and black hair.
As soon as they saw the black-and-white hair, everyone present was shocked. “The Daynight clan?”
That person looked at them with a smile. “Everyone, at what point has the Innerverse bullied you? I am Yang Daynight of the Daynight clan.”
Cheng Yan and the others stared at Yang Daynight in shock. They hadn’t expected anyone from the Daynight clan to be present, but his presence gave them a foreboding feeling.
Meng Tianlong’s expression turned grim, and he looked at Elder Angio. “Explain yourself.”
Elder Angio didn"t answer. Instead Yang Daynight spoke up. “You don’t have to blame Elder Angio. Someone is trying to endanger your Vastdearth Sect, and he merely tried to help. The Daynight clan is willing to help as well.” He opened a hand. “Everyone, please look at your gadgets. There’s something there that might interest you.”
Everyone looked at their gadget in confusion.
Cheng Yan also took a look, and his expression immediately changed. He suddenly tried to escape, but Yang Daynight had been expecting him to do such a thing, and he attacked. His punch caused black and white colors to alternate as the shockwaves from his attack caused the Vastdearth Sect to tremble. A strange wave swept across the room, and Cheng Yan collapsed onto the floor.
Yang Daynight walked over and placed a foot on Cheng Yan. He then looked over at Meng Tianlong. “Chief Meng, you can punish him yourself.”
Meng Tianlong’s face was grim. Yang Daynight had sent them a video of Cheng Yan killing the sect leader’s eldest son, Meng Guang. The video was the exact same one that Lu Yin had received from Mafioso Planet.
Cheng Yan’s back had been injured, and he had also been dazed since Yang Daynight’s attack had affected his spiritual force.
Everyone stared in shock as the events unfolded.
Meng Tianlong walked over towards Cheng Yan. He squatted down and looked at the sect elder with cold eyes. “It’s no wonder why we weren’t able to find anything related to Xiaoguang’s death. So you were the one who was hiding the truth.”
Cheng Yan’s lip was bleeding, but he begged Meng Tianlong. “I didn’t do it! I was framed!”
Yang Daynight laughed. “If you were framed, then why were you so anxious to leave? And why did you promise to help the Great Yu Empire?’
Cheng Yan grew enraged, and he glared at Yang Daynight with hatred. “I have never interacted with the Great Yu Empire before.”
“The truth of this matter is easy to uncover. Elder Cheng, you are a Hunter. Don’t throw away your last shred of dignity before you die,” Yang Daynight sneered.
Meng Tianlong pressed a hand onto Cheng Yan’s back. There was a bang, and Cheng Yan screamed in pain as the nerves in his body were completely shattered. “Take him away.”
Elder Angio sighed, but not because he had attacked Cheng Yan. Instead, it was because of Yang Daynight’s previous attack. Cheng Yan was an elder of the Vastdearth Sect, and he had a power level of 150,000. Yang Daynight’s power level was similar to Cheng Yan’s, but he had defeated the Vastdearth elder with just a single punch. The difference between them was extreme, and this also showed the difference between the Innerverse and the Outerverse, which saddened the sect leader.
Elder Angio suddenly felt that having a united Outerverse might not actually be a bad thing as he stared at Yang Daynight’s arrogant face. However, it was impossible for them to ally themselves with the Great Yu Empire as the empire was too ambitious, or rather, Lu Yin was too ambitious. Even Enlighters weren’t able to control him, and their sect would definitely hold the lower position if they allied themselves with him.
Meng Tianlong turned to Yang Daynight and said, “Thank you for the Daynight clan’s help. However, there are some things that we must settle now, and we cannot entertain you. We hope that you won’t take offense.”
Yang Daynight didn"t care about the Vastdearth Sect’s att.i.tude. He had already achieved his goal, and so, he quickly left. As an expert from the Daynight clan, he felt that these Outerverse sects were beneath him.
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