Chapter 2203: The Old Servant
Kui Luo"s expression grew slightly more serious, as no matter what else, he was still up against the Xia family’s powerful techniques.
The Divine Martial Armor condensed on the blades as they swept out, and the waterfall was cut apart. The sharp aura severed the Dragon Gate, and upon seeing this, Kui Luo instantly released his spiritual force again. His only advantage over the other Semi-Progenitors was his spiritual force.
The spiritual force seemed to add greater depth to the Dragon Gate, and as soon as that happened, Xia Ziheng was smashed back down into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall.
Xia Ziheng"s looked up and let out a roar. He was helpless against Kui Luo"s spiritual force.
"Wen Lai, I know that you’re here! This person helped that Lu b.a.s.t.a.r.d escape! Every last one of the four ruling powers wants him dead! If you just stand aside and watch, my ancestors will definitely look into this matter!" Xia Ziheng roared.
Wen Lai was Headmaster Wen’s name.
The fight was taking place in the Virtue District, so it was quite close to Virtue Archives. How could a battle between two Semi-Progenitors not be noticed by Headmaster Wen? On top of that, Virtue Archives actually had two Semi-Progenitors.
Even so, Headmaster Wen did not appear.
Kui Luo warily glanced around. He was well aware of the fact that Virtue Archives’ Semi-Progenitors had already noticed the situation, but he also knew that they did not want to get involved. As long as Kui Luo did not truly threaten Xia Ziheng"s life, the powerhouses of Virtue Archives would be happy to see the Xia"s family suffer a bit.
Xia Ziheng roared again, but Headmaster Wen still did not appear. The trapped Semi-Progenitor glared up at Kui Luo, and the image of a ma.s.sive knife appeared behind him. The endless blades of his inner world started to shine with the Divine Martial Armor that shrouded them.
Kui Luo"s eyes went wide. Clearly this old man was quite diligent, and there was no denying he had inherited a Progenitor’s blade intent. This had likely come from the Xia family’s Progenitor.
Xia Ziheng"s eyes grew bloodshot as he stared at Kui Luo. The knife rose up once more and slashed down.
Kui Luo hurried to retaliate with more spiritual force
This single attack broke the Dragon Gate, allowing Xia Ziheng to escape from Kui Luo’s inner world. Xia Ziheng immediately turned to look in a specific direction, which was where Tong Yu was fleeing with the rescued old man.
The Semi-Progenitor released an enraged attack. He could not allow the old man to escape, as losing a captive would make him a joke amongst the four ruling powers.
The Semi-Progenitor’s attack fell as a blade dropped.
Tong Yu looked back, and her death energy surged as she did her best to block the attack.
“Stop, just leave.” A calm voice entered Tong Yu’s ears, and Progenitor Smoke moved past the golden-eyed woman. A hand rose, and fog surged. The blade disintegrated and disappeared bit by bit before falling down, as soft as a drifting leaf.
Xia Ziheng"s pupils instantly shrank. There was another powerhouse present.
However, Xia Ziheng had never seen Progenitor Smoke before, and she had also noticed Headmaster Wen’s position as well, so she had disguised herself. Given Progenitor Smoke’s strength, no Semi-Progenitor could see through her.
Xia Ziheng could only watch as the old man disappeared. The Semi-Progenitor’s eyes were bright red as he turned to look at Kui Luo, who had a creepy smile on his face. "Old man, it looks like all the life-saving measures that your Progenitors gave you have been used up. So let’s see just how you get out of my Dragon Gate alive this time!"
Instantly, the Dragon Gate reappeared.
However, Headmaster Wen finally showed himself at this moment. He really could not continue to sit back and watch, as he would not be able to defend his actions any further.
"Kui Luo, it’s been a long time." Headmaster Wen offered a bland greeting.
Kui Luo’s eyebrows rose high. " Wen Llai, do you really want to help him?"
Headmaster Wen stared back at Kui Luo. "We can"t allow him to die so close to my Virtue Archives."
The headmaster then glanced towards Xia Ziheng. "Besides, you are also a criminal wanted by all four of the ruling powers. It"s time to bring you to justice."
Kui Luo laughed loudly. "When did Virtue Archives become the four ruling powers" lackey? You can continue to play this game on your own, but I’m not joining you."
With that, Kui Luo started to leave.
Xia Ziheng raced over after being freed, and he instantly caught up to the headmaster. "Wen Lai, we have to capture him! That old man helped that Lu b.a.s.t.a.r.d escape, and he has a close relationship with the Lu family."
Headmaster Wen shook his head. "Even if the two of us work together, we wouldn’t be able to capture Kui Luo. There’s a reason why he’s managed to survive for so many years despite being pursued by your four ruling powers."
Xia Ziheng was not willing to accept this outcome, as he had suffered a terrible loss this time. He might not have been injured, but he had still been forced to use the blade qi that he had been given by his ancestor, which had been intended to be a life-saving measure. Using it when his life was actually in danger would immediately alert Xia Ziheng’s ancestor, but he had been forced to use it to escape from Kuo Luo. Using such a treasure against the b.a.s.t.a.r.d was not an equal trade.
However, Wen Lai was also right. With the strength of Kui Luo"s spiritual force, even if the two of them teamed up, they would not be able to stop the old man from leaving.
You old b.a.s.t.a.r.d, sooner or later, we’ll ask a Progenitor to deal with you!
Wait, why is Kui Luo here? Didn"t he flee to the Forsaken Land through the New Corridor?
Headmaster Wen looked towards the direction where the old man had escaped to. The headmaster did not care about Kui Luo, as the old man was nothing but a cancer to the Perennial World. However, a Progenitor’s blade qi had been blocked, which should not have been possible. Who had done that? Wen Lai had not been able to see anything.
Who could know that person’s ident.i.ty?
"Wen Lai, why didn"t you show up sooner?" Xia Ziheng demanded as he glared at Headmaster Wen.
Headmaster Wen casually answered, "I came when I noticed."
Xia Ziheng was furious, but there was nothing that he could do. He could not act against Wen Lai.
Headmaster Wen turned to look at Xia Ziheng. "That man is not a traitor from Star Alliance, let alone a Redback. He’s someone from the Lu family, isn’t he?"
Xia Ziheng frowned. "He’s a traitor from Star Alliance."
Headmaster Wen’s voice turned cold. "I"ve seen that man before. When Lu Xiaoxuan visited Virtue Archives, he brought a young attendant and an old servant with him. That man is that old servant. You took advantage of my Virtue Archives, and I will not forget this."
Xia Ziheng had not expected Headmaster Wen to recognize the old man. "So what if he is from the Lu family? Can’t there be Redbacks in the Lu family? Throughout the history of the Perennial World, no fewer than ten Redbacks have appeared within the Lu family. On top of that, we all have a responsibility to destroy any remnants of the Lu family. Consider your actions carefully, Wen Lai."
Headmaster Wen merely let out a contemptuous snort before turning around and leaving. He did not say another word.
Xia Ziheng"s eyes flickered, but he was not concerned about Virtue Archives. They already had the means to deal with those people.
On the other hand, who had blocked that attack? An unknown Semi-Progenitor?
That should not be possible. While Xia Ziheng was not comparable to the Semi-Progenitor from the Xia family’s direct line, he was still far above most Semi-Progenitors, and Xia Ziheng’s attack had contained a Progenitor’s blade intent. That attack was impossible for even Kui Luo to block, so who had done that? Were there still such powerful experts from the Lu family around?
This possibility caused Xia Ziheng’s mood to drop, as they could not allow any powerhouses from the Lu family to remain.
It was also a complete mystery as to what had happened to the army that had been sent to the Forsaken Land.
Far away, Progenitor Smoke returned to the pocket dimension within the mirror, and Lu Yin stored the mirror back in his cosmic ring. He had Tong Yu keep an eye on the surroundings while Lu Yin personally went to help the old man.
The old man shook Lu Yin"s hand away, and he said in a hoa.r.s.e voice, "You people have tried everything to get me to talk, but it’s useless, so just stop trying. I’m already dying, and I have nothing to say to you."
The old man’s body trembled, and he fell to the ground.
Lu Yin quickly checked on the old man’s conditions, and what he found caused his expression to grow ugly.
The old man’s body was riddled with countless injuries. His organs had been destroyed, and his meridians had been shattered. Not only had his cultivation been destroyed, but toxins and other substances had also been forced into his already injured body. While all of this might still be possible to treat with potent enough medicines, the true tragedy was that the old man’s vitality had been cut off. He was no different from a living corpse, and there was absolutely no chance of saving him. The only reason why the man could still speak or move was entirely due to his impressive willpower.
"Who did this to you?" Lu Yin asked quietly. He looked calm, but a terrifying intensity filled his eyes as he stared at the old man. All kinds of different powerful emotions a.s.saulted Lu Yin at this moment.
The old man just sneered and said nothing. He laid on the ground and stared at the sky. He would never see his young master again, and would also never be able to seek vengeance.
Lu Yin moved over next to the old man and silently sat down. The various emotions that flitted through his eyes were a mirror of the old man’s.
"Are you in pain?" Lu Yin hesitantly asked. He kept his voice very casual.
The old man showed absolutely no reaction, and he simply ignored Lu Yin.
Finally, Lu Yin"s face crumpled. "I"m sorry that I only came now."
The old man finally looked over at Lu Yin and saw his face. Excitement flashed across the man’s face, only to be instantly replaced with fury and hatred. "How long are you all going to try to deceive me? Do you really think that I’d believe that you’re the young master? You won’t succeed! It’s been too long, and the young master has unmatched talent. He stands above all who have come before, and he will one day return and bring back the Lu family! You and all the other traitors will be executed, and they will take back this Perennial World! It won’t be long now."
Lu Yin raised a hand and brought out his Champions’ Stage, and it slowly floated closer.
The old man"s pupils constricted sharply as he stared at the Champions’ Stage in pure disbelief.
While the four ruling powers could copy a person’s appearance, they could not copy a Champions’ Stage. The aura that they gave off was unmistakable; this was truly a Champions’ Stage.
"I remember you. When I was a child and I fell, you were the one who caught me and kept me from getting hurt. When I was hungry, you would steal food for me. Whenever I was punished, you would accompany me through everything." Lu Yin and the old man stared at each other, and when Lu Yin saw the old man’s bloodshot eyes, his voice grew gentle and apologetic. "I"m so sorry, I can’t remember your name any longer! I"m so sorry I’m only here now!"
The old man looked at Lu Yin as tears streamed down the young man’s cheeks. He stared blankly at Lu Yin, and raised a hand to touch Lu Yin"s face. "Young Master… you- are you really my young master?"
Lu Yin reached up to hold the old man"s shriveled hand. "I"m so sorry!"
The old man"s eyes suddenly flared, and he s.n.a.t.c.hed his hand back, and he even pushed himself away from Lu Yin. "No, you aren’t my young master! You’re lying! You’re lying to me yet again! You aren’t my young master."
Sadness welled up from the bottom of Lu Yin’s heart. How many tricks and lies had this old man lived through over the years? He was unwilling to acknowledge Lu Yin’s ident.i.ty even after seeing the Champions’ Stage. Lu Yin had thought that he had struggled and survived through difficulties during his time in the Fifth Mainland, but he realized that the surviving va.s.sals of the Lu family who had been trapped in the Perennial World had lived far worse lives. They had been forced into Star Alliance or narrowly escaped death, while those imprisoned in Crimson Garden had been driven insane. All those in hiding who supported the Lu family were hopeful but also terrified.
Seeing the hatred and fear etched on the old man’s face, Lu Yin let out a slow breath and then pulled a piece of paper from his cosmic ring. He unfolded it, and seven handprints could be seen on it. There were small prints and large ones, but they were the handprints of the Seven Heroes from when they had sworn themselves to be siblings. "Do you remember ?"
The old man stared at the handprints in a daze and then started to quiver. Tears spilled from the old man’s eyes, and his face flushed a strange red. Suddenly, the old man’s hand flew out, and he grabbed Lu Yin"s arm. "Young Master? Is it really you?"
Lu Yin pulled the old man into a hug. "It"s me! It’s been so many years, and I’m so late!"
The old man’s mouth fell open, but he could not say a word. All he could do was weep, heartbroken.
The old man wept, letting everything out. It was impossible to know how many lies and tricks he had suffered over the years and how many times he had been betrayed by others. This was the real reason why the old man’s vitality had been cut off, as his heart had already died.
Upon seeing Lu Yin and understanding who he really was, it was as though the old man had regained hundreds of years of life.
However, that was nothing more than a facade. The old man’s vitality had already been cut off, and there was no way for him to keep living. He was completely different from Ming Yan, as while she had been terribly injured, her vitality had remained intact.
OMA"s Thoughts
NOTICE TO CHAMPIONS:
It"s been three years since the first chapter of Star Odyssey was released on Wuxia World. Since then, we"ve released 2201 public chapters (you all have no idea how badly that odd number bothers us...). During at least the past two years, I know that there have been people asking for more free chapters (always great for readers) and for the VIP tiers to be changed or more tiers to be added.
We have not been ignoring those requests. For the last year, OMA and the rest of the team have been working on building a buffer for today. Starting today, each of the recently reworked, renamed VIP tiers will gain access to more, or even double, chapters than ever before. As if that weren"t enough, we"ve even added another tier for those asking...
We hope that these changes will benefit all of you, and to be honest, I"m looking forward to cutting back on the workload a bit after today.
Translated By: OMA
Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox
TLC"ed By: OMA
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