Chapter 2734 – Return
Lu Yin stomped a foot down. "Shut up!"
The jiao looked as though it had been wronged.
"Brother Lu, your mount is quite impressive." Chu Jian was still admiring the jiao.
Lu Yin casually responded, "Well, I don"t think it"s that great. It’s too stupid."
Chu Jian continued to observe the jiao, evaluating it. "Brother Lu, Master"s tea ceremony is quickly approaching. You should attend."
"If I don"t die on the Endless Frontier, I will do so."
Chu Jian commented, "I don’t believe that Brother Lu will die so easily. Given your ability to face off against even peak powerhouses, you should be able to survive your encounters on the Endless Frontier. I look forward to seeing you at the tea ceremony. Also, you should take the jiao with you and give it to Master. Master will quite like it.”
This was not the first time that Lu Yin had heard this, as Sage Yuan had also told Lu Yin that he should offer the jiao as a gift to the Great Sovereign.
Lu Yin smiled. "Very well, I’ll see you at the tea ceremony."
Chu Jian nodded. "I"ll see you there. I hope that you can join the Endless Frontier within three days and that you won’t make things difficult for me.
"Also, Master sent another order: half of the Origin Universe’s peak powerhouses are required to help protect the Sixverse a.s.sociation. The four ruling powers are already sending four of their people. What about you, Brother Lu?"
Lu Yin replied with a question of his own, "While I am on the Endless Frontier, if the Origin Universe is required to send powerhouses to reinforce the Sixverse a.s.sociation, will anyone target my Heavens Sect?"
Chu Jian smiled. "You needn’t worry about that. Brother Lu. Master has personally declared that no one can enter the Origin Universe without permission. Your Heavens Sect will not face any threats from the Sixverse a.s.sociation, though that does not mean that it will be protected from others in your own Origin Universe."
Lu Yin hesitated.
"The jiao will count as one powerhouse!" Chu Jian declared. "However, it needs to attend Master"s tea ceremony, so it can only help defend the Sixverse a.s.sociation after that. That leaves one more peak powerhouse who needs to be sent. I’ll leave that choice up to you, Brother Lu."
With that, Chu Jian left.
Lu Yin stared at the suddenly empty s.p.a.ce. The Fifth Mainland’s crisis had finally been resolved.
With the pa.s.sage open, it was impossible for Sovereign Shao Yin to force the Origin Universe to join the Endless Frontier. Because of the dispute that had resulted from opening the pa.s.sage, both Luo Shan and Lu Yin were being punished and sent to the Endless Frontier, which showed the Great Sovereign’s position on the matter.
Was there anyone in the Sixverse a.s.sociation who would still target the Heavens Sect?
Unfortunately, just because there was no threat from other universes, that did not mean that Lu Yin could lower his guard towards the four ruling powers.
Half of their Progenitors were being sent to reinforce the Sixverse a.s.sociation, which left them with no more than three or four Progenitors. Even if Lu Yin asked Arch-Elder Zen to a.s.sist the Sixverse a.s.sociation, Senior Brother Mu Xie, the jiao, Master Shan, and Cloudflow would still stay behind to protect the Heavens Sect. As for Progenitor Smoke, there was no telling how the woman would act. Balance could indeed be maintained.
Furthermore, the four ruling powers would not dare to start a war without prior authorization after this lesson from what had happened with Lu Yin and Luo Shan.
In the end, the situation had not devolved into all-out war, though hostilities would eventually reignite.
Sovereign Shao Yin was the instigator of the entire crisis, and thinking of the man caused killing intent to fill Lu Yin’s eyes. The Sovereign was even more despicable than that old dog Sage Yuan.
It should not be a big problem for Lu Yin to protect himself during his time on the Endless Frontier, as the Aeternals had no intention of killing him. However, things became a bit tricky when Lu Yin considered his alias of Xuan Qi. That ident.i.ty could only stay in seclusion for so long.
As Lu Yin considered matters, Bai w.a.n.gyuan and several others crossed through the spatial pa.s.sage and returned to the Fifth Mainland.
Everyone stared at Lu Yin, who met their gazes. All of them remained silent.
At this time, Mu Xie, Nong Yi, and Progenitor Smoke all arrived as well.
Xia Shenji shot Nong Yi a cold look. "You will be heading out to help protect the Sixverse a.s.sociation."
Nong Yi was terribly confused. "What is a Sixverse a.s.sociation, and why am I protecting it?"
Specter Progenitor shared a few details, which caused Nong Yi to instantly blow up. He refused to go.
However, he was threatened by Bai w.a.n.gyuan and the four ruling powers’ other Progenitors. Progenitor Nong wanted to ask Lu Yin for help, but Lu Yin could not offer any a.s.sistance. Half of the four ruling powers’ Progenitors were also going, and Lu Yin needed to send some powerhouses himself. If Nong Yi did not go, Mu Xie would be forced to do so.
It was impossible to force the four ruling powers to send any additional Progenitors, just as it was impossible for them to force Lu Yin to send more people.
"Where"s Long Er?" Progenitor Smoke suddenly asked, causing Bai w.a.n.gyuan and others’ expressions to contort.
"He died."
Progenitor Smoke was startled, as were Mu Xie and Nong Yi. "Progenitor Long died?"
Lu Yin clenched a fist. Just as he had thought, the strange eye that he had grabbed had belonged to Progenitor Long. A Progenitor had indeed fallen.
This was the reality of war. How could even a Progenitor ensure their survival?
"How did he die?" Progenitor Smoke asked, sadness filling her eyes. Even if she had been upset with Progenitor Long’s decision to join the four ruling powers and target the Lu family, he had still always been very respectful to her, and she struggled to accept news of his sudden death.
Bai w.a.n.gyuan shared the story, and everyone listened quietly, feeling the cruel reality of war.
Progenitor Smoke gritted her teeth. "Cheng Kong!"
Mu Xie mourned the loss. "Even Progenitors can die. No one is truly invincible, not even the Origin Progenitor. Junior Brother, you must be careful while on the Endless Frontier."
Lu Yin nodded. "I know, Senior Brother."
"Two more Progenitors still need to be sent to reinforce the Sixverse a.s.sociation. These two will have nothing to do with our four ruling powers. You decide who you will send," Xia Shenji stated coldly.
"I"ll go." Progenitor Smoke immediately replied.
Everyone turned in surprise, as no one had considered trying to force her to go.
"Xi Wei." Bai w.a.n.gyuan could not stay silent. He and the rest of the four ruling powers were eager to see Lu Yin lose some Progenitors, whether it was Mu Xie, Arch-Elder Zen, or even the jiao.
Progenitor Smoke sighed. "I"m fed up with all of your scheming. Aeternus is our enemy, and yet you nearly incited a war involving no less than ten Progenitors. Long Er even died as a result. I intend to help protect the Sixverse a.s.sociation, as that is at least better than staying here and watching you hand the Origin Universe over to the Aeternals."
She then left without speaking another word to anyone else.
Ever since Progenitor Smoke had returned, while she had occasionally helped Lu Yin, most of the time, she had maintained a perfect neutrality. No matter if the four ruling powers plotted against Lu Yin, or if he schemed against the four ruling powers, she had not interfered.
She had been just as removed from the final battle that had nearly erupted.
As she had mentioned, she was completely fed up with the current situation, and she wanted to devote her efforts to fighting the Aeternals.
Progenitor Long’s death also could not be ignored. Progenitor Smoke wanted to avenge Progenitor Long. Regardless of the man’s behavior, he had always treated Progenitor Smoke as a senior, and she needed to get revenge for his death.
"Hmph, let her go. That leaves one more Progenitor. Lu Xiaoxuan, you need to send one," Xia Shenji said in a cold voice.
Lu Yin glanced over. "Get lost."
Xia Shenji"s eyes turned even colder. "What did you say? You don"t plan to send anyone?"
Lu Yin frowned. "When did you become the Great Sovereign"s lackey? These are the Great Sovereign"s orders. Whether or not I obey them is none of your business."
"You!" Xia Shenji became furious.
Bai w.a.n.gyuan stared at Lu Yin. "Lu Xiaoxuan, if you draw the Great Sovereign’s ire, things will not end well for you. You are a member of the Lu family, and the Great Sovereign was the one who ordered your family to be exiled in the first place. In the eyes of the Great Sovereign, you should also be exiled."
Lu Yin glanced over. "I told you to get lost."
"Are you really not going to send anyone?" w.a.n.g Fan was unable to hold back, and he also spoke up.
Lu Yin sneered. Without even looking at the Progenitor, he asked Mu Xie to take charge of the Shenwu Continent while he returned to the Heavens Sect.
After seeing Lu Yin’s behavior, Xia Shenji struggled to not simply attack the brat.
w.a.n.g Fan was caught off guard. "Mu Xie is still protecting the Shenwu Continent. What about what just happened?"
Bai w.a.n.gyuan"s eye twitched. "It was all an act, part of the show that Lu Yin was submitting to Luo Shan. The falling out between Lu Yin and Mu Xie and Nong Yi was all a lie. He really did have the entire thing planned out."
"That guy is too dangerous," Xia Shenji said through gritted teeth.
"What if the Heavens Sect sends no one?" w.a.n.g Fan asked.
Bai w.a.n.gyuan felt a headache coming on. They were unable to force Lu Yin to send a Progenitor, and if he really did refuse to send reinforcements, then it would cause trouble for the entire Origin Universe. Would the four ruling powers need to send one more Progenitor?
"If the brat is willing to go to the Endless Frontier and accept the Great Sovereign’s punishment, then he should also be willing to obey the rest of the Great Sovereign’s orders," w.a.n.g Fan commented.
Bai w.a.n.gyuan felt increasingly stressed about the matter. w.a.n.g Fan was correct, but if Lu Yin did the unbelievable and drew the Great Sovereign’s wrath, they did not want to risk being punished alongside Lu Yin.
The truth was that Lu Yin did not need to send anyone at all. Chu Jian had mentioned that the jiao counted as one Progenitor and that it would only be required to take action after the Great Sovereign’s tea ceremony. As for the second Progenitor, Progenitor Smoke had already volunteered, which settled the matter for Lu Yin’s side. All he needed to concern himself with was getting to the Endless Frontier within three days’ time.
Lu Yin also had absolutely no intention of revealing any of this to the four ruling powers, as he preferred to keep them guessing. If they got scared, it would be even better if they ended up sending one more Progenitor.
There was nothing wrong with protecting the Sixverse a.s.sociation, and if the four ruling powers had one less Progenitor, then the Heavens Sect would be in even less danger.
Lu Yin had planned to ask Arch-Elder Zen to go and a.s.sist the Sixverse a.s.sociation, but Progenitor Smoke had volunteered, which preserved another Progenitor for the Heavens Sect. With this, Lu Yin no longer feared the four ruling powers trying to take action against the Heavens Sect, as even without Lu Yin, there were enough powerhouses to protect the Heavens Sect from the four ruling powers.
With those matters settled, what should he do with the strange eye?
Keeping the eye to study on his own was pointless. Progenitor Long had tossed the eye away just before his death, which suggested that the only place where he could learn more about the eye was the White Dragon Clan.
This thought caused Lu Yin to stare off into the distance. It was time to return to the White Dragon Clan.
After Long Xi used the blood essence to improve her cultivation, Lu Yin had imprisoned her for many years within Zenith Mountain, and he wanted to repay her for that.
Three days was enough time to make the visit.
It had been several years since the Aeternals had completely abandoned the Perennial World, and during that time, the Perennial World had developed extremely quickly.
Lu Yin unleashed his domain, finding that there were more cultivators than he remembered, as well as more smiling faces.
Unfortunately, this was just on the surface. Without the threat of Aeternus, humanity would have more internal conflicts, and the number of fights and wars would not be much less than in the past.
It had always been difficult for people to enter the Perennial World from the Fifth Mainland. It had started becoming a real problem when the Time Poison had appeared and had only gotten worse since then. This would continue until one side finally conquered the other.
Lu Yin made no attempt to hide his arrival in the Perennial World.
He soon appeared in the mountain valley beneath the w.a.n.g family’s floating continent, as it was the only entry to the Perennial World from the Fifth Mainland.
He rode upon the jiao, and it brandished its teeth and claws as it released a roar that echoed far into the distance.
All of the Perennial World’s cultivators stared blankly for a moment before many grew extremely excited. "It"s Lu Yin! The one who helped us defeat Aeternus! Lu Yin!"
"Dao Monarch Lu! Dao Monarch Lu!"
"Greetings, Dao Monarch Lu."
"Blessings upon you, Dao Monarch Lu."
"Dao Monarch Lu is invincible!"
…
Lu Yin had not expected to still be so popular in the Perennial World, but much of what he had done could not be concealed by the four ruling powers, even if they were his enemies.
There was no way for them to refute the fact that Lu Yin was the vanguard that had led the charge that had resulted in the Aeternals’ defeat, nor that he had paid a steep price in doing so. People were not stupid, and they knew better than to believe everything the four ruling powers said.
Even so, most of the people that Lu Yin could see were cultivators who were part of the four ruling powers, so even if they looked at him with excitement and admiration, they were still his enemies.
He stood on top of the jiao and looked around. "I"m back."
Fanatical cheers rang out, but after a sharp shout sounded, everyone instantly fell silent.
"Dao Monarch Lu, this is the Perennial World. What are you doing here?" w.a.n.g Zheng said. He was the w.a.n.g family’s patriarch, and Lu Yin had appeared directly underneath the w.a.n.g family’s continent. The four ruling powers had almost had a final showdown with Lu Yin just a few days ago, so how could the w.a.n.g family tolerate the man’s presence? It was only natural that w.a.n.g Zheng sounded aggressive.
Lu Yin looked up at the w.a.n.g family floating continent, and he released a ma.s.sive burst of power.