Chapter 2609 – Bureau Director
Lu Yin"s words only drew a cold sneer from Yun Wu. "How absurd. How could there be traces left behind in the void? Do you expect all of us to just take your word for it? Or do you think that everyone will believe you just because you mentioned Senior Xu Wuwei"s name?"
The other members of the Cloudview clan were not fully convinced either. Xu Wuwei"s name carried a great deal of weight, but that was not enough for them to blindly trust Xuan Qi.
Even Yun Yun felt the same way.
Lu Yin raised a hand and once again used Spiral Domain.
This time, everyone"s eyes grew large in surprise. Spiral Domain was Xu Wuwei"s signature technique, and while it was very mysterious, it was also known for being impossible to avoid. Countless people sought to learn this battle technique, but all of them had failed. Yun Yun was no exception. It was even because of Spiral Domain that Yun Wu had secretly developed a crush on Xuan Qi.
The sight of Spiral Domain would shock anyone from the Voidforce Universe, and Yun Wu was no exception.
"Dimensions are indeed similar to landma.s.ses, and people leave traces behind when they travel through either one. Just now, when using Spiral Domain, I noticed something strange; why would you need to enter the void inside your own home? It’s only a few steps, and yet you choose to travel to that location through the void. Can you explain that?" As Lu Yin spoke, he stared at a specific corner of the garden.
Yun Wu"s expression changed dramatically, and she spun around. Lu Yin used his voidforce energy to peel back the void in that corner, revealing a scarlet eye.
Everyone"s faces changed drastically.
Yun Yun"s face fell, and she shouted, furious. "Auntie!"
Yun Wu instantly appeared next to the eye and s.n.a.t.c.hed it. She tried to escape, as she had never expected to be discovered.
She was a cautious person. Every time she contacted Aeternus with the scarlet eye, she had torn through the void. She also always hid the eye in the void in that particular corner so that no one would realize how frequently she visited that place in her garden. She had been reluctant to keep the eye in her cosmic ring, as she had been afraid of unexpected incidents.
Her caution had not been misplaced. After all, since she did not leave her home, it made no difference if she kept the scarlet eye in her cosmic ring or in the void in the garden. It was all the same.
Unfortunately for Yun Wu, Lu Yin had accessed her memories, which was how he knew her actions like the back of his hand. After bluffing with Xu Wuwei"s name, Lu Yin had easily exposed the scarlet eye, exposing the woman.
Why did Aeternus’s spies insist on using the scarlet eyes as their communication methods? Lu Yin had never been able to understand that. After all, there was no way for a person to protest their innocence after they were discovered with one of the scarlet eyes in their possession. The only possible answer that Lu Yin could come up with was to avoid the possibility of eavesdropping. Calls with communication crystals could be intercepted, but those made with the scarlet eyes could not.
Another possibility that he had considered was that the eyes represented the spies’ ident.i.ty. If Aeternus conquered the Voidforce Universe, it would be impossible to prove who supported Aeternus and who resisted them, aside from the scarlet eyes that Aeternus recognized.
Yun Wu grabbed the scarlet eye and instantly fled at top speed. Out of everyone present, only a single elder reacted. The moment Yun Wu tried to escape, that elder made his move. A spear appeared out of nowhere, and it was covered with a vast amount of voidforce energy.
Yun Wu turned pale as a b.u.t.terfly danced through the void. It possessed equally impressive amounts of voidforce energy. While Yun Wu was personally weaker than the elder, her b.u.t.terfly possessed as much energy as the elder’s spear.
With a bang, the voidforce puppets collided, and the surrounding mountains and land were destroyed as the void warped from the impact. Shockwaves swept across the Cloudview clan’s territory.
The elder took a step back and beckoned for his spear to return, before once again thrusting the weapon forward.
Yun Wu had also been knocked back. She spat out a mouthful of blood as she threw a cold glare at Lu Yin. Her b.u.t.terfly spread its wings to block the spear, and at the same time, Yun Wu prepared to tear through the void and escape.
"Aren"t you underestimating Spiral Domain?" Lu Yin"s voice reached the woman’s ear.
Yun Wu"s pupils contracted, and Lu Yin’s bone pike appeared right in front of her eyes, pointed between her eyebrows. The killing intent radiating from the weapon left Yun Wu’s scalp tingling with fear.
Her autumn b.u.t.terfly landed and made no attempt to launch any further attacks. The spear appeared and stabbed Yun Wu"s shoulder, pinning her to the ground. The woman’s blood flowed across the land.
Yun Yun watched, feeling incredibly torn by the strange developments. The aunt that she had respected since childhood had just been unveiled as an Aeternus spy.
As for the rest of the members of the Cloudview clan, they stared at Xuan Qi in awe. This young man had actually forced Yun Wu to submit. Was that the true power of Spiral Domain?
Lu Yin retrieved his bone pike.
The Cloudview clan elder stared at the young man for a moment before stepping forward. When he arrived at Yun Wu"s side, he said, "Little Wu, you"ve disappointed me greatly."
Yun Wu looked up at the elder, her eyes filled with loathing. "If not for that child, you never would have been able to defeat me!"
The elder shook his head. "Why betray humanity?"
Yun Wu sneered at the man. "Humans shouldn"t even exist! The Aeternals are the only race that should exist in any universe! They are immortal, unfettered by emotions, and can do as they please. But humans? They age, they get sick, and they die. They lie, manipulate, and possess those revolting emotions."
"Silence!" Yun Yun shouted, "Elder, take her away. She"s gone mad."
The elder sighed before grabbing Yun Wu and leaving.
The other clansmen remained silent. Discovering a traitor within a family never generated good feelings.
Lu Yin watched as Yun Wu was taken away. Her words had demonstrated just how completely controlled by Cheng Kong she was, as well as how blindly faithful to Aeternus. Lu Yin wondered if there was any way to undo such control. Also, how would the family deal with Yun Wu? Even if she had been controlled, how would they make amends for her crimes?
"Yun Yun-"
Lu Yin wanted to say something, Yun Yun interrupted him. "Brother Xuan Qi, thank you."
Lu Yin sighed. "What will happen with her?"
Yun Yun looked grim, though she said nothing.
Behind them, one member of the Cloudview clan said, "All traitors who are discovered and captured are supposed to be handed over to the Bureau."
"We captured her ourselves. This matter has nothing to do with the Bureau," someone else countered.
Yun Yun frowned. "Go back."
The other members of the clan all left.
Lu Yin looked at the woman next to him. "Will you send her to the Bureau?"
Yun Yun met Lu Yin"s eyes. "No."
Lu Yin said nothing. He had already expected this answer. In the Perennial World, Humility"s Gate enjoyed far greater influence and respect than the Bureau did in the Sixverse a.s.sociation. Even with that being the case, when a spy had been discovered within the Liu family, that person had been executed on the spot rather than handed over to Humility"s Gate. Lu Yin did not expect things to be any different in the Voidforce Universe.
This was not even just regarding the Cloudview clan, as Lu Yin believed that any family in the Voidforce Universe would internally handle any uncovered spies. No one would be willing to turn exposed traitors over to the Bureau. According to what Lu Yin had learned from Xu Lie, this refusal to cooperate was one of the reasons why the Bureau was so ineffective.
"You"re not going to hand her over to us? I can"t allow that," a voice suddenly rang out.
Yun Yun and Lu Yin"s expressions changed, and they looked up to see a man floating in the air. Neither of them had any idea how long the man had been there for.
Not even Lu Yin had noticed the man at all.
"Is that you, Senior Xu Wuji?" Lu Yin exclaimed in surprise.
Sure enough, it was Xu Wuji. Lu Yin was surprised by the man’s appearance.
Yun Yun bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Senior Xu Wuji."
Xu Wuji landed nearby. He was still wearing the same sungla.s.ses and sipping on a drink. He sized Lu Yin up. "Impressive, lad. It wasn’t a waste of Senior Xu Wuwei’s time to teach you his Spiral Domain."
Lu Yin curiously asked, "Senior, what brings you here?"
Xu Wuji drained the rest of his drink in one gulp. "That’s all because of you, kid. The Void Pa.s.s is gone now, so I’ve been wandering around, looking for a place to quietly relax. I just happened to see something happening over here, so I thought I"d watch. I wasn"t expecting…"
The man chuckled. "Girl, I already heard everything. That woman is a spy, isn"t she?"
Yun Yun looked pained as she bowed again. "Senior, you came here out of concern for my Cloudview clan, didn"t you?"
Xu Wuji replied, "Well, the Cloudview clan did help me once in the past. In Xu Xiangyin’s absence, I just wouldn’t feel right not stopping by and checking on things after sensing a battle. I was just pa.s.sing by."
Yun Yun bowed yet again. "Might I ask that you not take Yun Wu away, Senior?"
Xu Wuji removed his sungla.s.ses and leaned close to stare at Yun Yun.
Yun Yun met the man’s eyes, her own eyes determined.
Xu Wuji stared into the young woman’s eyes for a moment before finally sighing. "Alright, I"ll do you this favor, but from this point on, I no longer owe your Cloudview clan anything."
Yun Yun sighed. Yun Wu was not a worthwhile use of Xu Wuji’s favor, but Yun Yun could not allow Yun Wu to be taken away. This was not because Yun Yun wanted to protect Yun Wu; the woman’s death was actually inconsequential. Rather, if Yun Wu was executed after being labeled a traitor, the Cloudview clan would suffer tremendously, and they might even crumble into ruin.
Xu Xiangyin would not be able to protect the Cloudview clan for long in such a situation, and the clan would struggle to recruit another powerful Void Morphora. The Cloudview Clan could not afford to bear such a cost at the moment.
Yun Yun could only do her best to maintain the current state of affairs for the Cloudview clan.
"I won"t take her away, but I do need to consider how to deal with her," Xu Wuji continued, "Of course, I also won"t publicize this matter."
"Thank you, Senior." Yun Yun felt truly grateful.
Xu Wuji then turned his attention to Lu Yin. "By the way, how did you discover that traitor?"
The Void Suprema had only arrived after the clash between the b.u.t.terfly and the spear had taken place, so he had only witnessed Lu Yin use Spiral Domain to suppress Yun Wu.
Yun Yun quickly shared the entire series of events, and she even handed the scarlet eye over.
Xu Wuji appeared surprised, and he scrutinized Lu Yin. "You can use Spiral Domain to detect traces left in the void?"
Lu Yin humbly replied, "Just barely."
Xu Wuji"s face twitched. "How long has it been? Not only have you learned Spiral Domain, but you can even use it to pick up on spatial traces. We never even considered that possibility. Kid, would you like to join the Bureau?"
The sudden question startled Yun Yun, and she quickly gave Xuan Qi a warning look. The Bureau was not an organization anyone wanted to work for.
Lu Yin was also taken aback. "Senior, are you part of the Bureau?"
Xu Wuji replied, "I"m the Voidforce Universe"s Bureau Director."
"This junior could never refuse Senior"s gracious invitation," Lu Yin answered politely.
"Hahaha!" Xu Wuji laughed. He had naturally picked up on the warning that Yun Yun had tried to deliver earlier. "You little brat, I just helped you, and you"re already trying to undermine me?"
Yun Yun sighed. "Senior, you are fully aware of the situation regarding the Bureau. Big Brother Xuan Qi, he… he isn"t suitable."
Xu Wuji huffed coldly. "I think that he suits it just fine. Using Spiral Domain to find the infiltrators… I never thought of it before, but even if I had, it wouldn"t have made any difference. There’s no way we could ask Senior Xu Wuwei to find spies for us. However, with this brat around, we might be able to catch a few more spies."
Yun Yun quickly grew anxious. "Shouldn"t this be discussed with Senior Xu Wuwei?"
Xu Wuji glared at the young woman. "This is just a small matter, so what"s the need to discuss anything? If Senior Xu Wuwei disagrees, we"ll talk then. Alright, that settles it."
The man then pulled out a pair of sungla.s.ses and handed them over to Lu Yin. "Take these. They’re the symbol of my Voidforce Universe"s Bureau. As long as you wear these, you represent me, Xu Wuji."
Lu Yin was taken aback. He stared at the sungla.s.ses in his hand. Was this really how things were?
"Put them on," Xu Wuji ordered.
Lu Yin felt incredibly awkward. He glanced over at Yun Yun, but she avoided his gaze.
Joining the Bureau had been a part of Lu Yin"s plans, but the sungla.s.ses were not. Wearing them seemed a bit… embarra.s.sing.
Reluctantly, with Xu Wuji"s repeated prodding, Lu Yin finally put the sungla.s.ses on.
Xu Wuji immediately appeared quite satisfied. "Good! That"s the spirit I"m looking for. As long as you’re wearing my Wuji gla.s.ses, you can go anywhere in the Voidforce Universe and investigate anyone."
He patted Lu Yin on the shoulder in an approving manner. "The Bureau should be pa.s.sed along to ambitious young people like you. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the others, who will be under your command from now on."