Star Odyssey

Chapter 2802: Reasonable

Lu Yin felt that since the Great Sovereign already hated him to begin with, it was possible that Sovereign Shao Yin’s plan might just be allowed. If that were the case, Lu Yin would not be able to defend himself no matter how innocent he may be.

This plan was cruel, insidious, and could truly doom Lu Yin, though he could not help but wonder what Sovereign Shao Yin might think if he knew that he was asking Lu Yin to frame himself by cooperating with the four ruling powers.

Lu Yin struggled to not slap the man in the face and openly admit that he was Lu Yin.

He also felt that using his alias as Xuan Qi to build up a reputation within the Sixverse Association for hunting down spies had been an excellent decision. You Fang had used Xuan Qi to frame He Ran, and Sovereign Shao Yin wanted to use Xuan Qi to frame Lu Yin. This was quite the interesting development, and he needed to consider what he should do about it.

"What are you afraid of?" Sovereign Shao Yin demanded when he saw Xuan Qi thinking the matter over.

Lu Yin answered in an uneasy tone, "Lu Yin is the Heavens Sect’s Dao Monarch, and the ruler of the Origin Universe. He has multiple peak powerhouses under his command. If I slander- no, testify against him, I will end up in grave trouble if the evidence is not enough."

Sovereign Shao Yin immediately replied, "The evidence is unquestionably enough. All you need to do is verify the evidence and come up with the means that Lu Yin used to collude with Aeternus, as well as what they are trying to accomplish. That is your task."

Lu Yin understood that he was being asked to help cover up the lies that were being fabricated. Still, where were they getting their evidence from? Lu Yin had not cooperated with Aeternus and was not a spy, so what sort of evidence could they have against him?

Sovereign Shao Yin was not stupid, and he needed to deliver evidence to the Great Sovereign. If it was possible to readily see that the evidence had been manufactured, the Sovereign would not merely humiliate himself, but the Cyclic Universe as a whole.

Given the man’s confidence, just what sort of evidence had they found?

Lu Yin went ahead and asked, "What is the evidence?"

Sovereign Shao Yin frowned. "You’ll find out when you visit the four ruling powers. They will cooperate with you fully, so there’s no need to ask questions right now. No one can learn of this matter, not even Xu Wuwei or Lord Xu."

Lu Yin's eyelids twitched. Lord Xu? He looked at the Sovereign Shao Yin, who was staring into the distance.

Lu Yin was unable to fully understand this situation, but felt that things must be more complicated than they initially appeared. If the Sovereign was so certain that the evidence that had been gathered was sufficient to incriminate Lu Yin, then why not submit it himself? Xuan Qi was far from the only person in the Sixverse Association who hunted down spies, and any of the other Bureau Directors could also verify the evidence, such as the Bureau Director of the Cyclic Universe.

Why did Xuan Qi need to be the one to accuse Lu Yin? Was it just because of his fame? That might not be all there was to it.

Lu Yin could not unravel just what Sovereign Shao Yin wanted, and the young man’s instincts told him there was undoubtedly a problem with this situation.

This was much like matters regarding the Lu family’s exile, which had been hidden in layers of fog. Even after so long, despite there seeming to be a clear explanation for what had happened, there were still questions that could not be answered.

Despite being hated by Xu Wuwei and a number of other peak powerhouses, Sovereign Shao Yin had managed to stay in the Great Sovereign’s good graces in order to survive. The man’s cunning was clearly not simple, which meant that his schemes were more than they appeared.

"When will this junior go to the Origin Universe?" Lu Yin asked.

Sovereign Shao Yin replied, "The sooner, the better. The Great Sovereign's tea ceremony is fast approaching, and I want to be ready to present the evidence before then. Lu Yin has been granted the ninth seat at the tea ceremony, which is ridiculous. He is nothing more than a member of the Lu family."

Lu Yin considered the dates and realized that the tea ceremony was indeed very close, which meant that he needed to finish his own preparations.

He looked out from the bell tower towards Xu Wuwei.

The man understood what Lu Yin needed, and took a step forward to return to the bell tower.

Sovereign Shao Yin frowned. "Brother Wuwei, we have not yet finished talking."

Xu Wuwei showed clear irritation. "You still haven’t finished talking? I want to take Xuan Qi to train with the Spiral Domain."

Just as Sovereign Shao Yin was about to answer, Lu Yin spoke up, "Senior Sovereign Shao Yin wants to teach this junior the power of Extreme Yin."

Xu Wuwei was taken aback. "Sovereign Shao Yin, you want to teach Xuan Qi your Extreme Yin power?"

Sovereign Shao Yin had not expected Xuan Qi to openly admit such a thing. Was there something wrong with the kid's brain? Others would always keep their information regarding their own techniques and abilities a secret to be used as a trump card, yet Xuan Qi was readily sharing that information.

"I can teach him," Sovereign Shao Yin replied in a low voice.

Xu Wuwei was very impressed. "It's highly unusual for you to be willing to teach any outsiders the power of Extreme Yin."

He then turned to Lu Yin. "You are very lucky, as the power of Extreme Yin is incredibly powerful. If you can cultivate this method, it will provide you with benefits for the rest of your life. In particular, if you can incorporate this method with Evernight, the card will become even more powerful. Yes, you should indeed go with Sovereign Shao Yin to train, even if it will slow down your voidforce energy cultivation."

"Not yet-"

Before Sovereign Shao Yin could finish speaking, Lu Yin quickly interjected, "Hearing this, I will make sure to follow Senior Sovereign Shao Yin and learn the power of Extreme Yin."

Xu Wuwei turned back to Sovereign Shao Yin. "Old friend, I see that you have changed and become more reasonable. Not bad, not bad at all, haha.

"After all, Xuan Qi is the Acting Bureau Director for my Voidforce Universe’s Bureau, which means that if you are asking him to help you capture a spy elsewhere, you need to first offer him some benefits. The power of Extreme Yin will be very good compensation."

Sovereign Shao Yin frowned. "Cultivating the power of Extreme Yin is not so simple. Let’s first complete the task that needs to be done."

Xu Wuwei's expression fell. "How is that acceptable? Learning a new power will grant him another layer of protection. For Sovereign Shao Yin to personally be trying to capture a spy, this person must be at least a peak powerhouse, so how can Xuan Qi's strength be enough to protect him? I had initially wanted to help him reach the Void Morphora realm before allowing him to help you with your task."

Sovereign Shao Yin’s eyebrows rose sharply. How could he wait that long? There was no telling how long Xuan Qi would need to become a Void Morphora, but there was no doubt that it would be after the tea ceremony was concluded.

He looked back at Xuan Qi. "I can take him back to my Extreme Yin Realm to train there for two months, but no more than two months. If he succeeds in starting to cultivate the power in that time, he can resume after the task is completed, but if not, he will need to wait until after this task is completed, or even until he becomes a Void Morphora."

Xu Wuwei glanced at Lu Yin. "Two months is not nearly enough time."

Lu Yin replied, "This junior is willing to try."

Two months was truly a short amount of time to try to cultivate a new power or energy, but Lu Yin did not have any choice. The tea ceremony was fast approaching, and there was no avoiding the fact that Xuan Qi would be exposed as Lu Yin at that time. Two months to cultivate the power of Extreme Yin would have to be good enough.

Seeing Xu Wuwei’s reaction, it was clear that the power of Extreme Yin was impressive.

Lu Yin would not reject any form of power. According to Mister Mu, the union of various powers and energies in Lu Yin’s chest was a path that no one had ever walked before. No matter how Lu Yin viewed it, he was creating a universe. Since that was the case, it would not hurt to grant it more power.

Additionally, cultivating the power of Extreme Yin could grant Lu Yin a better understanding of Sovereign Shao Yin. The day would come when the two would face each other.

There was one other point as well. Lu Yin looked at Sovereign Shao Yin. If the man knew that Xuan Qi was actually Lu Yin, and that Lu Yin learned to cultivate the power of Extreme Yin, would the knowledge see the Sovereign killed by his own fury?

Even if only the last benefit were true, it was enough for Lu Yin to cultivate the power of Extreme Yin.

...

A blazing sun sat high in the sky. Down below, countless people gathered, their heads bowed in worship. "Greetings, Sovereign."

"Greetings, Sovereign."

"Greetings, Sovereign."

...

Their words filled the air, creating a wave that swept out in all directions.

A golden robe replaced the light of the sun, and the only color that was visible became gold.

Sovereign Shao Yin descended to stand at the top of a mountain. He looked around at the countless people kneeling in worship. At this moment, the one who was standing behind Sovereign Shao Yin was none other than Lu Yin.

Lu Yin also looked down at the people kneeling. All of the people were young, and their cultivation varied widely. However, even the weakest were as strong as a Hunter, and he could tell that there were some who were just as talented as the Ten Arbiters. There were people who were cunning and insidious, fools and wise men. This was the Extreme Yin Realm, which was Sovereign Shao Yin’s realm.

Each of the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages could have countless disciples. The most famous for their numerous disciples was Sovereign Ninth Lotus, who had disciples all across the Sixverse Association.

Despite not having a comparable number of disciples, Sovereign Shao Yin still had a multitude of followers.

At the forefront of the kneeling crowd, Lu Yin picked out Shao Gu. Her face was pale, and it looked as though she had been struck by something. Her face seemed drained of all blood, and she appeared terrified as she kneeled in worship.

"Rise," Sovereign Shao Yin calmly ordered. His voice echoed to fill the air.

Everyone moved in unison and immediately rose to their feet. Even so, their heads remained bowed, as they did not dare look at Sovereign Shao Yin.

"Look up."

Only after Sovereign Shao Yin spoke did the people down below dare to lift their heads. Instantly, they not only saw Sovereign Shao Yin, but also Xuan Qi, who stood behind the Sovereign.

Lu Yin kept his expression calm, showing neither humbleness nor arrogance. He calmly peered down at the massive crowd, a faint smile on his lips.

Shao Gu was not surprised by the sight of Xuan Qi, as she had been sent to the Red Zone to retrieve him. Unfortunately, she had been punished by Xu Wuwei.

"Xuan Qi, what do you understand about this realm?" Sovereign Shao Yin faced his countless disciples as he spoke calmly, his back to Lu Yin.

Lu Yin shook his head. "I don’t understand it."

"Shao Gu, tell him."

Below, Shao Gu stepped forward and gave a respectful bow. "Yes, Master."

She looked at Lu Yin. "Yin and yang both hang in this place, which is half Yin, and half Yang. The sun shines down on the earth, and the earth blocks the light, creating a place of yin underground. Down below, countless talented people who have been chosen by us aboveground, try to cultivate that yin energy. They do this down below because humans naturally turn to yang instead of yin. They cultivate underground and absorb the yin energy produced there by the presence of yang here. That energy they develop in their bodies is what we need. They eventually climb up, as the power of yin is drawn to yang. Those who rise up are called yin fodder.

"The moment they emerge from the yin underground and enter the yang continent, they are attacked by us, and these yin fodder is devoured. The yin energy is extracted from their bodies, and without it, they are reduced to nothing but ash. Those of us aboveground wait for them to emerge so that we can cultivate. This is our path.

"Everyone here has gone through the experience of rising up from underground and fight against our fate to become fodder, which is the path of cultivating Extreme Yin."

Lu Yin lifted his head to look up at the blazing sun. Only now did he see that the sun was brightly shining on the ground below, but leaving dark shadows everywhere. Was that a representation of yin and yang?

The ground lay beneath the sky, and underground were endless talented young people who had been chosen by Sovereign Shao Yin’s followers. How many were down there? They were truly countless. In order to rise back up to the light, all of those people absorbed yin energy in order to escape the earth. Upon rising up, they became yin fodder for the people on the surface, and were destroyed. This was the cycle of yin and yang, and only by robbing the yin energy of others could people cultivate the power of Extreme Yin and achieve a breakthrough.

It was a cruel competition. The loser died, while the winner lived. There was no room for compromise or mercy. This was the path of cultivation that Sovereign Shao Yin's disciples followed.

Sovereign Shao Yin's cold voice sounded, "People must live for themselves and cultivate for themselves, or else they are nothing more than food prepared for others to devour. Those who are underground and wish to rise up need to work hard to absorb the yin energy. The more they absorb, the more likely they are to rise up. However, the more they absorb, the more desirable they become for others.

"The yin energy that they all absorb forms a ladder for the successful ones to climb up."

Lu Yin wondered about something. "Do many of the people underground climb up at once?"

A smile crept across Sovereign Shao Yin's mouth. "Very few."