Chapter 964: Battle Borne Of Mutual Understanding
It was very normal for people to have Fifth Mainland cultivators as slaves, and many of the heirs of influential families had eccentric tastes. However, this was still everyone’s first time seeing someone walking while carrying a s.p.a.cecraft around.
Ling Que was also showing his true face at this time. Fortunately, he had spent most of his time in the Innerverse and rarely ever fought in the Cosmic Sea. Otherwise, he would have been instantly recognized.
It was extremely risky to alter one’s appearance in such a place, as the war had already dragged on for many years, and all sorts of things had occurred during this time. It was not uncommon for people to try to alter their own appearance, and both sides had long since come up with ways to deal with such people. Once they were discovered, it would not even be necessary to interrogate the person, as a bunch of experts would instantly surround and capture them.
Lu Yin was finally able to get a clear view of Starlight Island, and he saw countless rune lines covering the island and soaring into the sky. Although everyone’s power level had been suppressed to below 200,000, there were simply too many sources of rune lines.
Despite them being headed to an island, it was not small at all. Starlight Island was actually roughly the size of an entire continent.
Suddenly, the sky went dark as countless bolts of lightning fell down like raindrops, continuously blasting the ocean around Starlight Island. The seawater started to boil, and the sky constantly flickered back and forth between brightness and darkness. It was as if there were evil spirits at work.
This island was located in the Cosmic Sea, where the weather constantly changed without notice. This time, the lightning storm was very powerful, and even the average Limiteer might not be able to endure one of these strikes. Some of the bolts even twined together in the sky, causing their power to spike to the level where they could threaten Explorers or even Cruisers.
Lu Yin was rendered speechless by this sight, and he finally realized why so few people were willing to charge into the Cosmic Sea. If he had visited the Cosmic Sea at the Limiteer realm, he would have been in deep trouble.
He suddenly thought of someone: Ye Xingchen. That person had been hailed as an unparalleled Limiteer, and he had been just as famous as Mu Rong, Ling Que, and Lu Yin himself. Ye Xingchen had established a crew and roamed the Cosmic Sea, which was not a simple accomplishment at all. It was not easy to survive in this place.
Of course, Lu Yin did not presume that Ye Xingchen had survived by purely relying on his own abilities. A Limiteer with exceptional talent was not capable of such a thing, so he must have used some other method.
The bombardment of falling lightning lasted for quite a long time, during which Ling Que successfully carried the s.p.a.cecraft all the way over to Starlight Island.
n.o.body blocked their path, but this caused Lu Yin to become even more vigilant, as it showed there was some secret surveillance method protecting the island.
At that moment, a streak of lightning struck down off in the distance, and it illuminated a dark corner where a little girl was shivering.
The lightning slammed onto the island before being scattered everywhere, and coincidentally, one spark shot towards the little girl.
Her face went pale. In front of the lightning shard, her thin body looked incredibly fragile while the pulsing lightning seemed like some giant beast’s maw about to swallow her.
Lu Yin was just about to make a move, but Starsibyl suddenly made a move, embracing the girl. A wave of the woman’s hand caused the lightning to disappear.
Lu Yin was surprised when he realized that Starsibyl had moved out the moment the lightning bolt had appeared in the sky; she had actually antic.i.p.ated that the lightning would scatter and that a shard would fly out towards the little girl. This was divination, and this was her ability to take action in advance based off of the predictions that she made.
The child was frightened, and her face was pale. But after being saved, her expression turned grateful as she said something to Starsibyl.
Starsibyl’s image was just too perfect. She was exceptionally attractive, had impeccable manners, and a stainless reputation to the point where n.o.body would believe a claim of her behaving badly. The little girl was quickly won over by Starsibyl, and she quickly started calling the young woman “sister.”
“Yaya, where do you live? I’ll take you back,” Starsibyl gently offered as she tousled the girl’s hair.
The girl blinked with bright eyes and quietly answered, “Thank you, Sister.”
Starsibyl smiled, which left Ling Que stunned for a moment.
Lu Yin surveyed the surroundings, and another batch of lightning exploded. The vast majority of people had hidden themselves, and it was evident that the houses on the island had been built with the frequent lightning showers in mind. n.o.body was showing, but he did see some rune lines flash by from the corner of his eye, evidently from the Sixth Mainland cultivators who were observing them.
However, since Lu Yin’s group had pa.s.sed through the outer blockade to reach Starlight Island, the cultivators on the island would not be too extreme towards the three youths.
Due to how long the lightning storm bombarded Starlight Island for, the houses all had simple designs, and there were not that many people out on the streets. Even when there were clear skies, the atmosphere was no different. The truth was that, most of the time, the sky was clear.
Above the houses, the stars looked like there was a curtain shrouding them. It was a beautiful scene, but if one carefully observed the sky, then eventually, they would notice that the lights were not stars, though Lu Yin did not know exactly those were either. Still, he did not ask, and he would only question this matter after his small group managed to stabilize their situation.
Although Starlight Island was a base that the Sixth Mainland was using to invade the Cosmic Sea, the majority of the island’s population were actually natives. The Sixth Mainland had taken control of Starlight Island, but they simply ruled the top levels. n.o.body was concerned about a person like Yaya, who was from an ordinary family.
As the group of four moved along, they would occasionally see a Sixth Mainland cultivator who flashed by, but n.o.body paid the group any attention.
However, Lu Yin saw that there was a group of rune lines following behind them. They were not from a human, but rather from some kind of machine-like object that was continuously monitoring them.
They were not alone, as such monitoring objects were everywhere. At a rough glance, it actually looked like every part of Starlight Island was under surveillance.
It seemed that every cultivator who visited Starlight Island would be monitored, even if they were confirmed to be from the Sixth Mainland.
Yaya’s family lived rather close to the island’s edge, inside a boxy, five-story building. This structure even had lightning facilities installed on the roof, which an electric current would occasionally flash through.
“Sister, we’re here.” Yaya shot a cautious look at Starsibyl, and the little girl could not hide the envy and embarra.s.sment in her eyes.
Starsibyl touched the child’s head and asked her with some concern, “Where are the adults of your family?”
Yaya replied, “They went out to get some things, so it’ll take a few days before they get back.”
Ling Que suddenly piped up. “Why doesn’t Big Brother here stay behind here and protect you?”
Yaya jumped in fright and immediately took a step back.
Starsibyl grabbed hold of Ling Que’s shoulder and flung him away before smiling at Yaya. “Yaya, there’s no need to be afraid. That brother isn’t a bad person.”
Yaya blinked. “Anyone who’s with Sister isn’t bad.”
Starsibyl smiled. “Can this sister go in and have a seat?”
Yaya grunted in agreement and led Starsibyl into the house.
Lu Yin felt a blush of shame, and he felt like they were deceiving the child. He glanced over at Starsibyl, as there were truly many sides to this woman. She treated Lu Yin and Ling Que one way and this little girl a completely different way, but she still managed to join the two miens seamlessly.
Over the next two days, the three youths stayed in Yaya’s house. Meanwhile, outside, the machine with the weak rune lines continued to monitor them.
Lu Yin was constantly worried that someone would come out to check on them, but fortunately, no one did.
During these two days, he had discovered something strange. Yaya’s home was located close to the sea, and many Sixth Mainland cultivators would pa.s.s by the place as they headed out. He saw that all of the cultivators were youths, and almost no one from the older generation went by.
The cosmic phenomenon only suppressed one’s power level—there was no restriction concerning age.
To prove his theory, Lu Yin continued to observe the pa.s.sersby for another two days, but he saw that it was always the same.
He shared his observations with the others.
Ling Que rolled his eyes. “You must be mistaken.”
Starsibyl calmly replied, “He isn’t. Right now, the Cosmic Sea is indeed being contested by the younger generation.”
Lu Yin and Ling Que were both astonished. “Why?”
Starsibyl explained, “The weather in the Cosmic Sea is simply too bizarre. The Cosmic Sea’s Four Pirate Crews have paved the way forward by taking advantage of the weather to slaughter many people from the Sixth Mainland. At the same time, many of the older experts from the Sixth Mainland have killed too many of our people. Because of this, both sides are mutually restraining each other, and the situation has developed into a war of attrition. This stalemate has continued for years now, and both sides are finding it difficult to continue any longer, so both were forced to give way. We will not take advantage of this place’s weather, and the Sixth Mainland will not send out any powerhouses from the older generation. In short, both sides are sending out their youths to fight, and they will determine the direction of the war in the Cosmic Sea.”
Lu Yin quickly understood the situation, and he also realized why, back in the ruins of the Daosource Sect, he had heard people mention that various conditions were being used to lure the younger generation into joining the Innerverses invasion. It was not that the Sixth Mainland wanted to rely on numbers to gain victory, but rather, it was to push more people into the fight in the Cosmic Sea. The Cosmic Sea was one of the most crucial battlefields in the Fifth Mainland, and if the Sixth Mainland secured victory there, they would be able to make their way into the Neoverse, where there was no suppression from the cosmic phenomenon. At that point, absolute experts would appear and demonstrate their true strength.
Before the suppression from the cosmic phenomenon appeared, the Sixth Mainland had been able to overpower the entire Innerverse, and if not for the sudden appearance of the cosmic phenomenon, they would have long since fought their way into the Neoverse.
“Hold on, so only the Sixth Mainland’s younger generation is here on Starlight Island?” Ling Que asked.
Starsibyl did not deny anything.
Ling Que gritted his teeth. “Why didn’t you say something earlier? And here I’ve been living in terror.”
Starsibyl glanced to the side at him. “There’s a Realmling on Starlight Island.”
This sentence made Ling Que shut up, as there was not much of a difference between Realmlings and Imprinters to him, as they were both unstoppable existences.
Yaya walked in and served drinks to the three older people.
Starsibyl hurriedly put a smile on her face.
Ling Que smiled even more brilliantly, but Yaya was still afraid of him. She kept thinking that he was a bad person. Although Lu Yin did not really speak or smile, Yaya felt like he was the more reliable of the two men; at the least, Lu Yin did not seem like a bad person.
A child’s perspective tended to be quite innocent, and just like that, Ling Que had been deemed a bad person.
Starsibyl sighed as she watched Yaya leave the room. “Her parents are gone.”
Lu Yin and Ling Que were not surprised. Neither of them was foolish, and they had been able to tell the situation with one look.
Yaya had lied to them, but this was her own way of protecting herself. The child had even set out sets of adult clothing in the house, and she always acted as if there were adults in this house, all for her own self-preservation.
Although the child had never said anything, the three youths were able to tell that their presence made Yaya very happy as she hurried to and fro in the house.
“If this war ends, I’ll take her to the Starsibyl Sect,” Starsibyl said.
Lu Yin was astonished. “You’re quite kind.”
Starsibyl did not reply.
“I’m also willing to take her to the Lingling clan,” Ling Que said with a tinge of sadness in his voice.
Lu Yin instantly shot down that idea. “She won’t go with you. You seem like a bad person.”
“You’re the bad person! I have my cheerleaders. Just go and ask any of them about Ling Que’s reputation—which cheerleader won’t support me?” Ling Que was furious.
Lu Yin rolled his eyes. “They still prefer money and Mu Rong.”
Ling Que opened his mouth, but he found that he could not retort to Lu Yin. The comment also reminded Ling Que of an incident in the past that he did not want to think about.
Lu Yin also remembered that incident. Those cheerleaders were truly scary. He then thought of Big, Little Pao, Lulu Mavis, and his other friends. He wondered how all of them were doing. Lu Yin had too many friends from the Innerverse, and it was certain that some of them had died during this war. He just hoped that those few people had not died.
Lu Yin reminisced about the past and looked out the window. Eh?
He felt like he had just seen a familiar person.
Lu Yin looked over and carefully observed the familiar person’s face. His mouth then fell open, and he rubbed his eyes with an expression of disbelief on his face.
At this moment, a procession of Sixth Mainland cultivators were moving down the street as they cleared a path for eight cultivators who were carrying a large sedan chair. There was a youth lounging atop the sedan with his legs casually propped up. The young man was wearing a very comfortable expression as he munched on some fruit.
The youth was quite shifty-eyed, and with one look, one could tell that this person was a bad apple. He was just a Limiteer, but all of the surrounding cultivators treated him with a great deal of respect.
There was a young lord walking along beside the sedan, and he was the person who Lu Yin and company had seen slap the Cruiser while traveling to Starlight Island. At this moment, that young lord did not show any of his previous arrogance; rather, he was acting more like a sycophant. He licked his lips and smiled obsequiously while occasionally nodding his head and parroting what was said by the youth in the sedan. The young lord looked as though he was listening to the shift-eyed youth’s instructions.
The more humble and respectful this young lord behaved, the happier the shifty-eyed youth became. He did his best to act reserved when he smiled, but he just could not hide his inner delight. He looked like a rat who had become an immortal; the happier he smiled, the more wretched he appeared.
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