Star Odyssey

Chapter 2749: Finishing the Job

There was no way that Cheng Kong was the person who had attacked Lu Yin at the Shangsan Festival. No matter how powerful Cheng Kong might be, it would have been impossible for an Aeternal powerhouses to remain hidden from the Lost Clan in that place and attack Lu Yin. Additionally, if Cheng Kong had been the attacker, Lu Yin would have died to those eighty one slashes.

However, this time, Lu Yin was undoubtedly being attacked by Cheng Kong.

The emperor of the Big Stone Empire suddenly opened his eyes, and his head turned to stare at Lu Yin through lifeless eyes. The body slowly walked over to Lu Yin, and a hand rose up. As the hand rose, a long blade appeared in its grip.

Lu Yin's face grew pale, and beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. The emperor was clearly dead, so Cheng Kong had to be controlling the corpse.

"I let you go once. This time, I’m going to finish the job," the strange voice stated.

It was the second sentence that Cheng Kong spoke, and the last words that Lu Yin might ever hear.

The emperor's blade fell, and for a moment, Lu Yin felt that not only was his body being controlled, but even his instinctive defensive reactions were disabled. This blade was able to kill him, and Cheng Kong had absolute control of Lu Yin’s body.

Lu Yin could only think, and his thoughts were screaming in warning.

The body housed a person’s thoughts, but Lu Yin’s body could not move. All he could do was watch as the blade fell.

Suddenly, the small saber that Lu Yin had hung around his neck floated up, and blade qi gushed out from it like water. Inch by inch, the blade in the emperor’s hand was eroded, followed by his body, but the blade qi continued to spread out. It coalesced and shot out in one direction. It was a single powerful blade slash.

In the small data center, eighty one slashes ripped through the area. Each one was powerful enough to tear the void open, but the surroundings did not suffer the slightest bit of damage.

Lu Yin clearly saw the eighty one slashes, and he also knew that he could not avoid them no matter what he tried. It was no different from when he had endured them in the Lost Clan’s universe.

However, this time, Cheng Kong was the one who was struck by the eighty one slashes.

As the final blade fell, invisible ripples spread out, and Lu Yin abruptly regained control of his body. He looked up and saw that space had shattered. The endless darkness of the Hollow filled the area overhead, covering the entire sky of the Big Stone Universe.

Lu Yin's scalp went numb, and he instantly fled. He did not dare run through the spatial lines, out of fear of being swallowed by the Hollow.

Only after he was a good distance away from the data center did he turn and look back, only to see that the Hollow had erased the entire area. There was nothing to be seen at all, other than the emptiness of outer space.

Lu Yin feared that, without the saber acting to protect him, he would have died just then!

He had never imagined that Cheng Kong would suddenly appear in the Big Stone Universe and try to kill him.

The Aeternal had not appeared by chance. Lu Yin had even been told that he had been allowed to live once, but that he would be killed here.

Had Cheng Kong been referring to the attack in the Sixth Mainland?

Lu Yin felt that the attack in the Sixth Mainland had been rather odd, as with Cheng Kong’s strength, Lu Yin should have been left completely helpless. Despite that, he had somehow escaped. It had seemed obvious to Lu Yin that he had been allowed to escape, but this time, Cheng Kong had seemed determined to kill Lu Yin.

Had Cheng Kong been forced to allow Lu Yin to escape because of some particular reason or an order from someone?

Had Lu Yin survived because of Blackless God?

Blackless God was the first person that Lu Yin thought of, as well as the promise to not harm Lu Yin for 100,000 years. Because of that promise, Blackless God had not hesitated to cooperate with two other Skygods to attack the Three Monarchs Universe.

What had happened? Was Cheng Kong still around? Lu Yin did not dare to linger, and he ran straight back to the Gemini Universe.

Lu Yin was certain that Cheng Kong was unable to use the power of space, so he fled along the spatial lines. As long as Cheng Kong did not have control of Lu Yin, it should be impossible for the Aeternal to find Lu Yin.

He wanted to get in contact with Sage Bodhi and report what had happened in the Big Stone Universe.

Lu Yin touched his chest, discovering that the saber had vanished.

He suspected that Mu Ke had left the saber for Lu Yin, but there had never been any contact between the two, so why would the Arborean leave the small saber for Lu Yin?

"If not for that blade, I would have died."

If Mu Ke had really given the saber to Lu Yin, then his strength might not be what rumors claimed, and the man’s power might be completely unfathomable.

In both the Sixverse Association and Aeternus, there were too many mysteries that Lu Yin still needed to unravel. However, at this point in time, the most important thing was to report the death of the Big Stone Empire’s emperor. Lu Yin could not risk letting Sovereign Shao Yin frame him for the man’s death.

After Lu Yin arrived in the Gemini Universe, he immediately sought out the twin elders and asked them to show him to their universe’s data center. He needed to speak with Sage Bodhi.

Lu Yin immediately reported what had happened, and in Proximity, the Sage let out a long breath.

Proximity had been trying to get in contact with the Big Stone Universe’s data center, but they had not been able to do so. They had known that something had happened and had sent investigators, but those people were not nearly as fast as Lu Yin.

"How did you survive Cheng Kong’s attack?" Sage Bodhi asked.

Lu Yin replied, "I have my own means."

This answer was not good enough for the Sage. The Sixverse Association hated Cheng Kong even more than the Seven Skygods themselves.

While the Seven Skygods were unbelievably powerful, that was just for direct combat. In contrast, Cheng Kong was cunning and sneaky, and they could even control people. The losses the Sixverse Association had suffered at Cheng Kong’s hands exceeded even the Seven Skygods’. The number of peak powerhouses killed by Cheng Kong also exceeded the two or three that common rumors claimed.

Sage Bodhi and the other peak powerhouses with access to more reliable information had not shared that information with anyone.

Cheng Kong was acknowledged by the Sixverse Association as the Aeternals’ most reliable executioner. Even if the Three Sovereigns were targeted by Cheng Kong, the Aeternal would wait for the perfect opportunity, and not one of the three would be able to survive.

Given the situation, it seemed obvious that Cheng Kong had found or created an opportunity to kill Lu Yin in the Big Stone Universe, which was outside of everyone’s expectations. Even so, Lu Yin had managed to survive.

Sage Bodhi did not doubt that Lu Yin was telling the truth. The young man’s history meant that it was basically impossible for him to collude with Aeternus, and there was also no reason for him to put on such a show with Cheng Kong.

"I understand. The Big Stone Universe’s data center will be rebuilt as quickly as possible. However, regarding officially purging the Big Stone Universe, that is impossible to do for the time being, as there is no way to verify that Cheng Kong has left that universe," Sage Bodhi sent back.

There was nothing that Lu Yin could do about that, as it truly was impossible for anyone to determine whether Cheng Kong was dead or alive.

Lu Yin still felt like he was in grave danger, and he had even mobilized the power in his chest, just to prevent his body from being controlled by Cheng Kong.

Powers like runes were unable to sense Cheng Kong, and even Lu Yin’s perception of space was useless. However, by using the power within his chest, Lu Yin was essentially creating an independent universe around himself. With that, as long as Cheng Kong drew close to Lu Yin, it should be possible to detect the Aeternal’s presence.

After sending the report to Sage Bodhi, Lu Yin left the data center. The Gemini Universe was also not safe for him.

He found a random place to rest. No one knew his location, and regardless of how powerful Cheng Kong might be, nothing could be done to Lu Yin unless he was located.

However, if Cheng Kong was capable of tracking Lu Yin down, then a trap would not have been set for Lu Yin in the Big Stone Universe’s data center.

Moreover, after being attacked by the eighty one slashes, there was no chance that Cheng Kong had escaped unscathed. Even the Seven Skygods would be wary of such a powerful attack.

After a while, Lu Yin’s communication crystal trembled, and a stranger’s voice addressed him. "Lord Lu, I am calling you at Sage Bodhi’s command."

Lu Yin quietly asked, "What’s happened?"

"The location of the Big Stone Universe’s data center has vanished, and no trace of Cheng Kong has been found. It is impossible to verify the claim that the universe has been purged of all Aeternus influence."

"I know that, but if it is verified that Cheng Kong is dead, I should receive the credit for that," Lu Yin clarified.

"Of course. If there are no traces of Cheng Kong after this, and no one else is able to offer better proof for Cheng Kong’s demise than you, Lord Lu will be awarded with the credit for Cheng Kong’s death." The woman who was speaking with Lu Yin had a unique innate gift that allowed her to sense the power used in the past in places she visited.

When she had arrived at the previous location of the Big Stone Universe’s data center, the woman had been able to sense that it had been swallowed by the Hollow from just a bit of the residual power. She had also sensed an unfathomable blade qi, as well as Cheng Kong's Bubble Fantasy.

According to the woman’s understanding, no one, no matter how powerful the peak powerhouse might be, could survive the blade qi that she had sensed. Cheng Kong should not be an exception either.

However, since there was no way to confirm Cheng Kong’s death, she could not give Lu Yin the credit for killing Cheng Kong, though if proof was found, the credit would go to Lu Yin.

If Cheng Kong had really died at Lu Yin’s hand, then his contribution to the Sixverse Association would be unimaginable.

"There is one more thing I should tell you, Lord Lu," the woman continued, though she then hesitated for a moment. "There is no reason to mourn the emperor’s death."

Lu Yin arched a brow. "Why?"

"Our investigation revealed that the emperor of the Great Stone Empire was in contact with other universes and that he had even secretly left the Endless Frontier to search for other parallel universes. He wanted to seize the opportunity provided by an official purge for his universe to lead some of his people to escape from the Big Stone Universe and flee from the Endless Frontier. Such deserters deserve death."

Lu Yin remained silent. So that was what had been happening. It was no wonder why the emperor’s behavior had seemed so strange to Lu Yin.

While the man could have allowed the camphor bug and the bestowal art carrier to continue restraining each other, it was natural for the emperor to hope for his universe to be officially purged, as that would mean there was no war in his universe. In such a situation, he could lead his people away, and even if he was discovered by the Sixverse Association, as long as they left the Big Stone Universe while the universe was officially purged of all Aeternus influence, they could not be regarded as deserters.

Should the emperor have been condemned to death for such a thing? Lu Yin did not believe so.

No one wanted to live on the Endless Frontier, let alone in a universe like the Big Stone Universe where no one could ever reach the level of a peak powerhouse.

It was valid for the emperor of the Big Stone Empire to want to leave the universe and live somewhere else where his descendants could enjoy a stable life, but for the Sixverse Association, such goals were crimes and deserved death.

The Sixverse Association wanted everyone who lived on the Endless Frontier to stay on the front lines of the war and die to protect the Sixverse Association.

Given this new information, it seemed possible that the Big Stone Universe had encountered the Sixverse Association before Aeternus and that they had been forcibly annexed to the Endless Frontier.

The emperor’s attitude towards the Sixverse Association had also been fake.

Lu Yin felt that it was a pity that the man had died, as he would not have exposed the man’s actions or goals. Everyone had the right to live.

It was impossible for the Big Stone Universe to be officially recognized as having purged all Aeternal influence for the time being, so Lu Yin decided to continue on to the next parallel universe.

He already understood that essentially one out of every three connected parallel universes would be much more challenging than the other two. This was how the Lilliput, Gemini, and Big Stone Universes were connected, and of the three, only the Big Stone Universe had a battlefield with peak powerhouses. This made it far more difficult to officially purge three adjoining universes, but it also seemed quite likely that the next universe that Lu Yin could visit would not be as difficult as even the Gemini Universe.

He decided that it would be best to continue on to another universe.

However, before that, Lu Yin would need to speak with Sage Bodhi again and learn the rules for purging three adjoining parallel universes. The situation in the Big Stone Universe was something that no one had expected.

Lu Yin shared his concerns, and the woman that he was speaking to through his communication crystal took a moment to think before informing Lu Yin that what he wanted to do was acceptable.

There was a ninety nine percent certainty that Cheng Kong was no longer in the Big Stone Universe, but because it was impossible to prove, the universe could not be officially verified as purged. Allowing Lu Yin to continue on to the next parallel universe to attempt to purge it could be considered a special permission; otherwise, his only option would be to enter the other universe that the Gemini Universe was connected to and officially purge that one. However, the Umbral Universe was an even greater challenge than the Big Stone Universe.

Lu Yin had asked for permission to return to the Big Stone Universe and then continue on to the next adjoining universe from there.

However, the woman quickly called Lu Yin again. "Dao Monarch Lu, Sovereign Shao Yin has sent you a message through Proximity. Are you willing to hear it?"

Lu Yin hesitated, and his expression fell. If Sovereign Shao Yin was sending him a message, it would not be good for Lu Yin. The Sovereign would not reach out to Lu Yin with good news.

Even so, it was important to hear it. "Tell me."

The woman spoke slowly, her voice dropping slightly. "Wendy Yushan has accidentally entered the Endless Frontier. It's unclear which parallel universe she is in, but it must be one of the following three..."

There was a brief pause, and Lu Yin’s face fell. While he appeared calm, internally, he was anything but.

His greatest fear had just been realized. He had initially been unwilling to allow Wendy Yushan and Zhuo Daynight to enter the Sixverse Association, fearing that someone would use them to threaten him. However, both women had been determined, and Lu Yin could not force them to remain in the Origin Universe. He had wanted to ask them to return after spending some time in the Sixverse Association, but as time passed, he had forgotten to speak to them about it.

He had also not expected someone with a status like Sovereign Shao Yin to actually do such a despicable thing.