Chapter 2722 – Shan Gu And Xu Jia
Shan Gu solemnly stated, "I, Shan Gu, Grand Elder of the Lost Clan, formally invite you, Xuan Qi, to join my Lost Clan and become an official member."
Lu Yin had Possessed many people from the Sixverse a.s.sociation, and he had also done a tremendous amount of research. While he did not feel that he knew much about the Lost Clan, he did know some of them.
It was widely acknowledged that the Lost Clan isolated themselves from the other universes, but just how xenophobic were they?
The Lost Clan were obviously willing to give their cards to outsiders, but it was practically unheard of for an outsider to be accepted as a member of the Lost Clan.
It was essentially impossible for any outsider to join the Lost Clan. At least, that was true according to all the information that Lu Yin had seen so far. It was possible that the records he had access to were incomplete and that they had left out certain confidential matters, but this also demonstrated just how rare it was for an outsider to be welcomed as a member of the Lost Clan.
Also, Lu Yin had heard the name of Shan Gu before. The man was just as famous as Lord Wei, Lord Xu, the Arboreal Ruler, and the other rulers of the various parallel universes. This man was the leader of the entire Lost Clan, a powerhouse who had lived for countless years.
It was completely outside of Lu Yin’s expectations for the old man that he had been speaking with to actually be Shan Gu. It was no different from saying that he had met the Voidforce Universe’s Voidlord during his time there.
Upon seeing Lu Yin"s stunned expression, Shan Gu smiled. "What? Do you not understand?"
Lu Yin laughed dryly. "So Senior is Grand Elder Shan Gu. Of course I’m surprised by that. This junior is nothing more than a mere junior. I never expected to one day meet the Lost Clan’s Grand Elder."
"Haha, if you can attract a Primeval card, then of course I would want to meet you. How about it, Xuan Qi? Join my Lost Clan. This would be much better for you than if you stayed in the Voidforce Universe. My Lost Clan will treat you as a distinguished guest. Just tell me whatever you want." Shan Gu"s voice grew very soft.
Lu Yin grew curious. "How can this junior be allowed to join the Lost Clan?"
Shan Gu pointed upwards. "The fact that you drew out a Primeval card is more than enough."
Lu Yin replied with a bitter smile, "That Primeval card appeared suddenly, but it never came out fully. How can you be so certain that this junior is responsible for that, Senior?"
Shan Gu stated, "If it wasn’t you, then why did Evernight flee?"
Lu Yin had nothing to say to that.
"Senior, since this junior has already joined the Voidforce Universe with Lord Xu’s personal consent, I cannot leave it casually. If I did, how would that be any less than a betrayal? Senior, please forgive me," Lu Yin replied.
Shan Gu said, "If Xu Jia agrees, would you be willing to join my Lost Clan?"
Lu Yin became confused. "Xu Jia?"[1]
"Xu Jia. Lord Xu of the Voidforce Universe. The man you know as the Voidlord. What? He didn’t even tell you his name? Oh, right, his name is considered taboo for his people, so very few people even know it," Shan Gu explained.
Suddenly, the man’s hand rose and patted Lu Yin"s shoulder. Lu Yin reflexively wanted to move away, but he forced himself to not react. This man was someone on par with Lord Xu, the Voidlord. This was someone even more terrifying than the Three Sovereigns. How could Lu Yin ever escape from this man? He was completely at Shan Gu’s mercy.
Once Shan Gu’s hand rested on Lu Yin"s shoulder, the old man immediately tore through the void.
After a moment, Lu Yin was able to once again clearly see his surroundings. Was he in the Voidforce Universe? This was a place that he had never visited before.
He was shocked by just how intense the ambient voideforce energy in here was. The energy even took on various forms and shapes, similar to the Rune Progenitor’s ability to create things from nothing.
"Xu Jia, an old friend is here! Come out and greet him!" Shan Gu shouted.
Lu Yin"s expression changed drastically. “Senior, are we here to meet Lord Xu?”
Shan Gu replied, "Don"t you need Xu Jia’s permission to join my Lost Clan? In that case, we’ll just ask him in person."
Lu Yin"s heart dropped further than ever. He had just mentioned Lord Xu as an excuse. He had not expected Shan Gu to actually meet with Lord Xu. This could be a potential disaster for Lu Yin.
Lord Xu knew that Xuan Qi was from the Origin Universe and that he had even been in contact with Wu Tian’s Sword Monument. However, the man had not asked Lu Yin any further questions at the Void Pa.s.s. Lu Yin had no idea what would happen when he met Lord Xu in the presence of Shan Gu. For a moment, Lu Yin’s mind was in chaos.
"Shan Gu? Why are you here, old man?" a familiar voice called out. It belonged to the exact same person that Lu Yin had met after crossing the Void Pa.s.s.
This man was the Voidlord.
Lord Xu stepped out, surprised by the appearance of Shan Gu and Lu Yin. "Why did you bring this child here? Did he get into trouble?"
Shan Gu stroked his beard with a hand. "You and I are old friends, so I won’t beat around the bush. Why don’t you give this child to my Lost Clan?"
Xu Zhu stared at Shan Gu. "Why?"
Shan Gu replied in a thoughtful tone, "He’s just a child, and I’ve even come to you in person to ask this, and yet you still want to know why? It appears that this child is truly quite important to you."
Xu Jia gave a small smile. "He’s not that important, but he is the descendant of an old friend of mine, so I need to take care of him."
Shan Gu grew curious. "Which old friend?"
"First, tell me why you want him. Is it because he’s offended your Lost Clan, or is it for some other reason?" Lord Xu was quite curious.
Shan Gu stared at the other old man before slowly saying, "This child partic.i.p.ated in my Lost Clan’s Shangsan Festival, and he attracted a Primeval card."
The Voidlord’s expression changed drastically. He was clearly stunned. "A Primeval card? Your Lost Clan really has Primeval cards?"
Shan Gu"s expression grew ugly. "Have you always believed that my Lost Clan was just bragging?"
"That’s impossible! Immemorial cards correspond to our realm, and while you possess terrifying strength, old man, and you’re certainly no weaker than me. Even the Great Sovereign is in our same realm, despite surpa.s.sing us both. We can clearly see a gap between ourselves and him, but if there are truly Primeval cards, then that makes me very curious. Just what realm is above our own? Who left this Primeval card? Please explain things to me." Lord Xu sounded quite anxious.
Shan Gu smiled. "I won’t lie to you. Sovereign Shao Yin and Xu Wuwei both witnessed this scene, so I believe that word will soon spread throughout the Sixverse a.s.sociation. However, I can"t answer your question. All I can do is rely on him.”
Lord Xu looked over at Lu Yin, as Shan Gu was pointing at him.
"Boy, can you answer my questions?" Lord Xu asked bluntly.
Lu Yin appeared quite confused. "This junior doesn’t even understand."
Lord Xu looked back at Shan Gu, who had grown very serious. "This child has attracted a Primeval card. If we want answers to these questions, then that card must be drawn out fully. This might even be an opportunity for humanity to defeat the Aeternals!"
"After so many years, has no one from your Lost Clan ever managed to attract a Primeval card?"
"If we had, do you think that we would be in our current situation? Do you think that we would have to show that brat, Sovereign Shao Yin, face when he visits my Lost Clan?
"We would already have ruined the Great Sovereign"s tea ceremony."
Lord Xu thought for a moment before saying, "But this child is not a member of your Lost Clan, so how could he have attracted that card?"
Shan Gu shook his head. "I don’t have an answer for that, either."
He then turned to look at Lu Yin. "He’s been adamant that he did not attract the Primeval card, but I am certain that it was him."
Lord Xu took a step forward and stared at Lu Yin. "Boy, tell me, what happened?"
Being the main focus of the rulers of the Lost Clan and the Voidforce Universe put a great deal of pressure onto Lu Yin. He had expected that a day like this would eventually come, but he had not expected it to arrive so soon. On top of that, this situation was not at all what he had expected. He had simply been partic.i.p.ating in the Shangsan Festival and not really doing much at all. How had just a few words managed to attract a Primeval card?
Faced with the pressure of the two powerhouses, Lu Yin could only share what he had said. Of course, he kept the matter of wanting to kill Sovereign Shao Yin and others from the Cyclic Universe, or anything else that might expose his true ident.i.ty to himself. Instead, he focused on his final words and what he had felt at that time. He had not really been thinking deeply at that moment, but had rather been simply reflecting on his thoughts that had come about after his trip to the Sixth Mainland. He had simply given voice to those musings.
Upon hearing Lu Yin’s account, Lord Xu’s expression grew odd. Could this child attract a Primeval card just by speaking a few words? No, that was impossible. He looked up at Shan Gu.
Shan Gu"s expression was also strange, and he was staring intently at Lu Yin, as though seeing an incredible person.
The old man’s reaction caused Lord Xu to believe that Shan Gu knew something.
"That"s all there was. I don"t know how this junior attracted the Primeval card," Lu Yin said with a bitter smile.
Shan Gu looked away and sank into deep thought for some time. "It appears that the Primeval card likes you a great deal, though that has nothing to do with what you said. You must have attracted it just by being there."
Really? Lu Yin immediately questioned this possibility.
Xu Zhu casually pushed Lu Yin a thousand meters away, and then turned his back to Lu Yin so that he could talk with Shan Gu. Lu Yin could not hear a single word.
Lu Yin had no idea what the two men discussed, but it seemed to be an argument.
Some time later, Lord Xu made another gesture, and Lu Yin was pulled back over, manipulated like a puppet on strings.
It was a very unpleasant experience, as there was nothing that Lu Yin could do at all. No matter if it was the Voidlord or the Grand Elder, if either man wanted to kill Lu Yin, they could do so without issue. No matter what Lu Yin tried, he would not be able to escape from these two men.
Both men stared at Lu Yin.
"Boy, you must have attracted that Primeval card. There’s no denying that," Xu Jia stated bluntly.
Lu Yin shrugged. "But this junior has no idea what attracted the card to me. Given another chance, I can’t promise that I could replicate that feat."
Shan Gu spoke up. "You actually can"t attract that card."
After a pause, he added, "At least for now. The best that you can do is attract a small portion of that card. Once you become a peak powerhouse yourself, you will be able to attract the complete card.
"What do you say, are you willing to join my Lost Clan? Xu Jia has already agreed."
Lord Xu gave Shan Gu a flat stare. "Don"t call me by some random name—I am the Voidlord."
Shan Gu shook his head. "It’s pathetic how some people won’t accept their own names."
Lord Xu’s eyes narrowed. "Xuan Qi, you can choose not to join them."
Shan Gu smiled. "Actually, being called the Voidlord isn’t too bad."
Only then did Lord Xu’s expression improve.
Lu Yin watched these two old men’s conversation. They had clearly come to an agreement, but how should he choose? His biggest concern at this moment was exposing himself, though Shan Gu’s next words changed that priority entirely. "Sovereign Shao Yin and Xu Wuwei both witnessed it."
This indicated that, when Lu Yin had tried to change his card, both Sovereign Shao Yin and Xu Wuwei had been present. And also, they had watched as the Evernight card appeared before him. Had they both been paying attention to him instead of the card?
There had been a bit of time between when Evernight appeared and when the Primeval card revealed itself. During that brief window of time, everyone had been focused on Evernight, as it would have been the center of attention.
In that case, Sovereign Shao Yin had to have seen through Lu Yin’s Mask of Death.
Had Sovereign Shao Yin recognized Lu Yin’s face? Lu Yin had always believed that if his disguise was seen through, his alias as Xuan Qi would become useless. If Sovereign Shao Yin had not recognized Lu Yin, then what was the point of the disguise?
Lu Yin’s fist clenched. Had he known this was going to happen, he never would have visited the Lost Clan.
He felt as though he had been completely exposed.
Shan Gu and Xu Zhu both continued to stare at Lu Yin. "It’s your choice, Xuan Qi, and it’s up to you alone."
Lu Yin continued to hesitate. On one hand, he continued to wonder whether Sovereign Shao Yin had been able to see through his disguise, while on the other, he was thinking about what to do regarding his current situation.
If Sovereign Shao Yin had seen through the Mask of Death, then joining the Lost Clan might be the best way to avoid the Sovereign. The greater Lu Yin’s value was to the Lost Clan, the less likely that Sovereign Shao Yin would be able to touch him.
"Do you hesitate because you are from the Origin Universe?" Shan Gu suddenly asked.
1. Xu Jia can also mean fake/false/unreal. ☜