Chapter 2705 – Visitor
The eleven pearls suddenly shifted into a straight line that pointed in a single direction: towards the Sixth Mainland.
After a moment, the pearls fell to the ground and scattered all over.
"How is it?" Lu Yin asked.
Skymender wiped sweat from his forehead and looked over at Destina. The woman waved her hand, and the pearls flew into her grip. "There is a pearl in that direction."
"The Sixth Mainland, I know." Lu Yin stared at Destina. "I"m asking about the last pearl’s location."
Destina shook her head. "We can’t find it. Using Destiny’s power, it’s only possible to find the closest pearl. You must either find that one or destroy it. Otherwise, that’s all we’ll ever be able to find through divination."
Lu Yin had a sudden headache as he looked towards the Sixth Mainland. He also wanted to find that pearl, but it was impossible for the time being. Unless he led several Progenitors to invade and take over the entire Sixth Mainland, he would only ever be able to know that pearl’s general direction.
"Help me find the exact location of that pearl," Lu Yin ordered.
Destina replied, "We can only give you the direction. If you want to find its location, you’ll need to take one of the two of us there with you."
Lu Yin put the pearls away. This situation was not improving, but there was nothing that he could do about it. Aeternus had gotten directly involved, and they were the greatest enemy of all humanity.
Lu Yin asked them to remain in the Heavens Sect for some time, as he could not say when he might try to head into the Sixth Mainland with them. However, he had to first return to the Voidforce Universe. He could not continue to ignore his responsibilities there.
Before leaving, he stopped by Shenwu Continent to confirm that the pa.s.sage was still sealed and that everything was in order. There, he also spoke with his senior brother Mu Xie about aura energy.
The man had never heard of the power before, so he suggested that Lu Yin speak with Mister Mu about it.
Once again, Lu Yin was helpless. If he could find his master, he would have done so long ago.
For the time being, one of Lu Yin’s greatest concerns was the Heavens Sect’s various Semi-Progenitors. He had no idea which one would attempt to become a Progenitor first, but he was hoping that it would be Lu Buzheng or Cai"er.
…
Lu Yin had not spent much time away from the Voidforce Universe. It was perfectly normal for cultivators to be in seclusion for thousands of years at a time.
Still, for Lu Yin, it felt like he had been gone for a long time, as he only ever remained in seclusion for a few days at a time.
Once he was back in the Red Zone, Lu Yin checked in on the status of Cheng Feng"s interrogation.
He had already asked Ning Ran to stop torturing Cheng Feng for some time, as Cheng Feng had given Lu Yin the location of the Knowledge Nexus. For this reason, while Cheng Feng had been questioned, he had not suffered any torture.
Even so, that did not mean that Cheng Feng"s life was easy. His greatest torture was the knowledge that the people from his hometown had left and that the village no longer existed.
Aside from Cheng Feng, Ning Ran’s interrogations had resulted in the Bureau arresting several more spies while Lu Yin was in the Transcendent Universe and the Three Monarchs Universe. Unfortunately, all of the spies were insignificant.
Half a month after Lu Yin returned to the Red Zone, a man arrived who surprised Lu Yin.
"Buread Director Gan of the Arboreal Realm’s Bureau asks to visit the Red Zone."
The announcement echoed throughout the entire region.
Boss Guan, Skinner, and the other team captains were all startled, as this person was a very powerful expert.
Lu Yin looked up, an unhappy expression on his face, as this was not good for him.
Bureau Director Gan had already sent several invitations to Xuan Qi, asking the young man to a.s.sist the Arboreal Realm’s Bureau, but every request had been rejected. It was surprising for the Bureau Director to make a personal visit to the Red Zone.
The more determined Bureau Director Gan was, the less Lu Yin wanted to go to the Arboreal Realm.
Before Xuan Qi had joined the Voidforce Universe’s Bureau, none of the Sixverse a.s.sociation’s universes’ Bureaus had been in a good position. Lu Yin had never heard anything about Bureau Director Gan’s efforts in the Arboreal Realm, but the man was pushing way too hard to have Xuan Qi visit the Arboreak Realm; there had to be something more to the matter.
No matter what, it was impossible for Lu Yin to simply go.
However, he also could not ignore Bureau Director Gan, so Lu Yin stepped out to personally greet the Bureau Director.
"Junior Xuan Qi didn"t expect Senior’s sudden visit, and I’ve failed to welcome you properly. I hope that you will forgive me." Lu Yin spoke politely as soon as he arrived at the border of the Red Zone. There, he saw a refined-looking man with a smile on his face; nothing about his bearing could be regarded as imposing. There was nothing that gave away that this man was a peak powerhouse, but Lu Yin knew that he was addressing Bureau Director Gan.
The old man looked at Lu Yin and smiled. "Acting Bureau Director Xuan Qi, you’re being too polite. I was the one who arrived unannounced, and I have disturbed you."
Lu Yin smiled back. "Senior, it is an honor for the Red Zone to host your visit. Please, come in, Senior."
Gan smiled and nodded as he entered the Red Zone with Xuan Qi.
Within the Red Zone, every Bureau member bowed respectfully to Bureau Director Gan. It was a familiar sight to the man, as peak powerhouses received such respect wherever they went, and none of these people meant anything to him. The only person in the Red Zone who Bureau Director Gan had any interest in was Xuan Qi.
The two made small talk as Lu Yin led Bureau Director Gan through the Red Zone.
The Red Zone was a ruined city leftover from a race of giants, and the entire place had been decimated by Chen Le’s attack. However, for a cultivator like Bureau Director Gan, it was possible that such a place was more comfortable than a place with beautiful scenery.
"The Bureau has existed for many years, and it is not much younger than the Sixverse a.s.sociation itself. However, even after all these years, it has never been very effective. Brother Xuan Qi, you know the reason for this." The man suddenly looked over at Lu Yin and said, "Don"t be bothered by me calling you brother. I’ve heard that Xu Heng and several others address you as such."
Lu Yin smiled. "This junior is honored to be regarded so highly by Bureau Director Gan."
"Haha, I"ve already called you brother, so why do you still refer to yourself as junior?" Gan laughed.
Lu Yin turned to face Gan directly and said in a serious tone, "Brother."
"Haha, that’s much better. Speaking of this matter, there are quite a few people in the Sixverse a.s.sociation who refer to you as brother, and Xu Heng and I are not the only peak powerhouses to do so. How does Chen Le refer to you?" Gan suddenly asked.
This question caused Lu Yin’s mind to race, though he maintained a calm facade. "Senior Chen Le is a serious person. After asking me to take the position of Acting Bureau Director for the Three Monarchs Universe’s Bureau branch, he has always referred to me as Xuan Qi."
Gan nodded and essentially dropped the topic as the two men continued to move through the Red Zone. "If the day comes when humanity cannot stop Aeternus, this city will be the same future that mankind will face. Brother, do you think that future is possible?"
Lu Yin’s voice dropped low. "Yes."
"And that’s why I came to see you. I would like you to come to the Arboreal Realm to help me. Spies are too much of a threat to humanity, and I’ve honestly been quite surprised by your repeated rejections. Why? Are you disgusted by my Arboreal Realm after Mu San invited you to my universe?" Gan asked.
Lu Yin gave a bitter smile. "Of course not. Senior Mu San was very enthusiastic, and he even invited Senior Mu Ke, which was incredibly flattering. It’s just…"
He cut off in an embarra.s.sed manner, and Gan spoke up, clearly serious. "If you have any issues, just share them with me. If they can be resolved, I will make sure to do so."
Lu Yin looked over at Gan. "Brother, I must be blunt with you."
Gan nodded. "Speak freely."
Lu Yin replied, "I don"t want to get involved in any internal power struggles."
Gan"s eyes flickered as Lu Yin continued to speak. "Initially, I refused your invitation because I am the Acting Bureau Director in three different universes and am simply too busy. However, you should know about the recent events in the Transcendent Universe. The You family invited me to help them, and yet they used and took advantage of me to accuse Big Sister Ran of being a spy to force Lord Wei to reveal himself so that they could fight for control of the Transcendent Universe. During this time, I was also framed by them, and I was even painted as a target for the Three Monarchs Universe. Monarch Luo still has not found out who gave him the information about Luo Qian, and he is still investigating that matter.
"If Senior Chen Le hadn"t broken through to the Monarch realm and demonstrated his trust in me, I might still be having a difficult time with the Three Monarchs Universe. All of these issues were instigated by the You family, and yet they started off by inviting me to help their universe’s Bureau in the same manner as you, Brother.
"What has already happened is over and done with, but I don’t want to experience such things for a second time. It"s extremely unpleasant to be used as another’s tool."
His face calm, Gan stepped forward to walk past Lu Yin. With his back to the young man, the Bureau Director spoke. "You believe that I also intend to use you."
"I can see your sincerity, Brother, but I am still concerned," Lu Yin answered helplessly.
Gan sighed. "The You family has committed a grave crime. They have left you, someone who is so talented at uncovering spies, wary of your own colleagues. This has only served to increase the spies’ arrogance."
Lu Yin remained silent and simply observed Gan.
The man turned around to look at Xuan Qi with a smile. "Brother, I understand your concerns. Very well, I won"t press this matter. You can decide for yourself whether you accept my invitation or not, but just know that you will always have an open invitation to take up the role of Acting Bureau Director for my Arboreal Realm’s Bureau branch. If there is anything that I can do to help you, just reach out to me directly. With time, you will come to see clearly the difference between my Arboreal Realm and the Transcendent Universe."
After that, Gan left without making any further attempts to persuade Xuan Qi to accept his invitation.
Lu Yin heaved a sigh of relief. While Bureau Director Gan appeared to be sincere and might even genuinely hope to use Xuan Qi to hunt down spies in his universe, Lu Yin was extremely wary of Mr. Daheng. Gan had mentioned Chen Le, which had only served to raise Lu Yin’s guard. Logically speaking, no matter how cautious or thorough Mr. Daheng might be, it should have been impossible for him to make any connection between Chen Le’s matter and Xuan Qi, but Lu Yin would never lower his guard against such a powerhouse.
Additionally, if Lu Yin did visit the Arboreal Realm as Xuan Qi, he would most likely meet Mu Ke, which would create additional problems. How was Lu Yin supposed to explain his Mask of Death to the man?
He absolutely could not visit the Arboreal Realm.
After Gan left, Xu Wuji arrived, only to be surprised to learn that Xuan Qi had rejected the Arboreal Realm’s invitation in person as well.
Lu Yin gave the same reason, and Xu Wuji sympathized with him. He patted Lu Yin on the shoulder. "You were truly unlucky to have gone through such a thing. If Gan invites you again, I’ll help you reject him. On top of that, I’ll help protect you from the Cyclic Universe and the Lost Clan if they try to invite you to their universes."
Lu Yin was quite grateful.
After Lu Yin spent some time in the Red Zone, Zuo Gong arrived and delivered a message that Bai Qian was asking Xuan Qi to help gather resources from the Voidforce Universe.
In the past, He Ran had been the one trying to purchase resources, and she had asked Xuan Qi to use his connections with the Cloudview, the Xu Yang, and the Xu Yin clans to do so. At this time, Bai Qian was trying to do the same thing, and it was clear that these resources were needed for Zi Jing"s research.
Lu Yin agreed immediately.
Zi Jing"s research was very important, and Lu Yin was hoping that she would succeed. While it would benefit Lord Wei, Lu Yin would receive the same benefits.
Lord Wei had survived the You family’s machinations, but he had been greatly weakened in the process. Thus, Lu Yin was now considering targeting the Transcendent Universe.
Unfortunately, he could not get a firm grasp of Lord Wei’s strength. The man had already intimidated Sovereign Shao Yin, which suggested that Lord Wei was as strong as the Cyclic Universe’s Three Sovereigns. That was a level of power that Lu Yin could not fully understand.
At the moment, Lord Wei and Monarch Luo were the two people that Lu Yin wanted to understand the most. There was almost no information available on Lord Wei, while there was too much information on Monarch Luo. However, that information contained many contradictions.
One day, Chen Le sent someone to deliver a message to Xuan Qi, asking for his presence in the Three Monarchs Universe; there were spies that needed to be captured and interrogated.
Lu Yin understood that Chen Le wanted to speak with him about something, so he quickly made his way to the Three Monarchs Universe.
"Lord Wei already suspects me." Chen Le got straight to the point as soon as he saw Lu Yin.
Lu Yin"s heart skipped a beat. He was not ready to deal with Lord Wei yet, let alone be exposed to the Sixverse a.s.sociation. "What happened?"
Chen Le explained the matter, and Lu Yin realized that everything stemmed from when he had attacked the hidden research facility that had once been the site of the Energy Research Group’s efforts.
Very few people had been informed of where Zi Jing and the rest of the research team had been based, and the people from the Cloudflow Universe had been under constant surveillance. The Transcendent Universe most likely knew everyone that those people had been in touch with, as well as how strong they were.
The people of the Cloudflow Universe were completely incapable of breaking through the entire research facility and freeing Cloudflow, and their weakness meant that the only other possible culprits were someone from the Three Monarchs Universe’s Mo Courtyard, someone from the You family, or Aeternus.