Star Odyssey

Chapter 2804: True Appearance

The only detail that might rouse a bit of the four ruling powers’ suspicion was the name “Xuan Qi,” which was something that Lu Yin had overlooked. If he ever encountered another situation in the future where he needed to disguise himself, he would take care to not choose a similar name.

More than a month passed, and only a few days remained before the two-month deadline that Sovereign Shao Yin had given Xuan Qi.

The Sovereign looked at the Yinyang and frowned. Had Xuan Qi absorbed too much of the power of Extreme Yin?

At this thought, the Sovereign stepped out and saw Xuan Qi sitting within the Extreme Yin energy. The young man’s face was pale, and blood could be seen at the corners of his mouth.

Sovereign Shao Yin was startled, and he quickly checked the young man’s condition.

Lu Yin opened his eyes. "There’s no need. This junior has simply absorbed too much of the power of Extreme Yin, and I suffered some backlash from not being able to endure the energy."

Sovereign Shao Yin's eyes flashed. "Let me check."

Lu Yin quickly pulled back. "Please don't force me, Senior Sovereign. Everyone has their own secrets, and I don't wish for others to know mine."

This did not strike the Sovereign as odd, as it would be more strange if someone like Xuan Qi did not have any secrets. There was no denying the difficulty involved in cultivating to a level approaching that of a peak powerhouse, and yet Xuan Qi was already fast approaching that level despite the extremely short amount of time that he had cultivated for. How could such a person not have any secrets?

Even so, Sovereign Shao Yin had no intention of digging into Xuan Qi’s secrets.

"You’re suffering from the power of Extreme Yin’s backlash. You won’t be able to use much of your strength for some time, but this won’t prevent you from going to the four ruling powers to assist in their investigation." Sovereign Shao Yin did not care about what happened to Xuan Qi, as long as he completed his task.

Lu Yin nodded. "Of course. You don’t need to worry, Senior Sovereign. The scheduled date is almost here, and I will go help the four ruling powers’ investigation. It will not be difficult."

The two tacitly understood that what was being referred to as an investigation was nothing more than a sham. Sovereign Shao Yin was simply trying to make use of Xuan Qi’s reputation, while Lu Yin was going through the motions. Sovereign Shao Yin’s schemes were no concern of Xuan Qi’s, and even if he was injured, it would not change anything.

"Then rest for two days. You will only have half a month to work with the four ruling powers after you arrive there. The tea ceremony is just over a month away, and I hope that you won't disappoint me," Sovereign Shao Yin said as he glanced at Lu Yin before leaving again.

Lu Yin let out a breath, as he had done it.

The backlash was completely fake, though it was true that he had absorbed a tremendous amount of Extreme Yin power. The dark sky over the landmass in his chest had expanded, though he did not know what it was capable of, as he had not tried it out yet.

He glanced around. This Yinyang was a wonderful place, and if he had the opportunity in the future, he would return and absorb all of the Extreme Yin power here.

While Lu Yin was focused on his own cultivation, the Sovereign’s disciples had continued to fight and struggle, stealing and absorbing Extreme Yin energy, but no one had approached Lu Yin.

While the Yinyang seemed a bit small, it was actually a massive region, and there was no need for people to be too close to each other.

The next day, Shao Gu arrived.

She looked rather upset, and it appeared that her master had told her to get close to Xuan Qi, which explained her dark expression. There must be something wrong with his head, to just up and leave without a word.

Shao Gu did not dare to approach Xuan Qi, as she was worried about accidentally ruining her master's plans.

She suddenly remembered her first encounter with Xuan Qi and how he had not shown her master proper respect.

This was on her mind as she approached Xuan Qi.

Lu Yin opened his eyes and asked. "What are you doing here?"

Shao Gu felt that Xuan Qi’s tone had grown increasingly harsh. She could remember hearing someone say that Xuan Qi was a kind and humble person, but she could not see even a hint of that. In fact, Shao Gu only saw a coward who fled at the first sign of trouble. It made no sense for him to have reached his current level.

"Master asked me to come see you. Should you need any help, just let me know." Shao Gu took a deep breath before answering with a charming smile.

Lu Yin somberly replied, "There is something that I would like to ask for your help with, as it’s something that only you can do."

Shao Gu's eyes lit up, and she moved closer, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Just tell me. I’ll make sure to accomplish whatever you require."

Lu Yin grew extremely serious. "I'm hungry, so please help me find a leg of meat, just like what Senior Xu Wuwei enjoys."

Shao Gu was flabbergasted.

"Right, it needs to taste exactly like what you remember," Lu Yin finished.

A hideous expression appeared on Shao Gu’s face, and she turned around to leave.

That haunch of meat would haunt her for the rest of her life. That bastard!

...

Two days later, Xu Wuwei arrived in the Extreme Yin Realm to check on Lu Yin's state. "It's rather serious. You won’t be able to use any of your strength for the time being."

The man then turned to glare at Sovereign Shao Yin. "What kind of teacher are you? What happened to Xuan Qi?"

Sovereign Shao Yin coolly replied, "This happened because he rushed in his cultivation. I have nothing to do with this."

Xu Wuwei’s eyebrows shot upwards. "Are you saying that this is Xuan Qi's fault? Look at all of your disciples! How many of them have suffered this kind of backlash? Xuan Qi is the only one, so why are you trying to dodge responsibility? You must have not told him some of the instructions.

“Xuan Qi, we’re leaving. Don’t come back here ever again, and don’t cultivate the power of Extreme Yin either. If he doesn’t care enough to help you properly, there’s no reason to do as he asks.”

Lu Yin nodded obediently as he moved to stand behind Xu Wuwei, and Sovereign Shao Yin became furious. "Xu Wuwei, don't joke around."

Xu Wuwei grew even more upset. "How is this a joke? Why have none of your own disciples suffered any backlash, just Xuan Qi? Look for yourself! Don’t you see? He nearly died. Xuan Qi has arrested many spies and accomplished great things for humanity. Both the Arboreal Realm and the Cyclic Universe have tried to steal him from us, while he was placed in charge of both the Transcendent Universe and the Three Monarchs Universe’s bureaus. You already know just how important he is, and yet you almost killed him due to your own selfishness! Just who is joking around?"

Sovereign Shao Yin was truly angry now. While he was cunning and sneaky, he was not nearly as eloquent as Xu Wuwei. After hearing the Void Suprema’s words, Sovereign Shao Yin had started feeling like he was at fault.

Even worse was the fact that Xuan Qi never once said a thing, even if it was obvious that he had been over eager.

Sovereign Shao Yin glared at Xu Wuwei, who still remained stubborn.

The two stared at each other for a long time before Sovereign Shao Yin finally surrendered. "A Divine Yin Awl, to show my sincerity."

Lu Yin felt confused. A Divine Yin Awl? It sounded impressive.

Xu Wuwei smiled. "That will work. You accept responsibility for your faults. Don’t even dream of passing the blame onto others. Xuan Qi is completely innocent."

Lu Yin's face twitched, and he even blushed.

Sovereign Shao Yin did not want to even look at Xu Wuwei, so with a wave of his hand, a cone-shaped weapon appeared from the void. The power of Extreme Yin twined about it as it slowly spun in place.

Lu Yin's eyes lit up. This was a real treasure. He could tell at a glance.

Xu Wuwei chuckled as he pushed the Divine Yin Awl towards Lu Yin. "Take it. You’ve received this from Sovereign Shao Yin, and it is a true treasure. This has been refined with pure Extreme Yin power, and it is powerful enough to injure even peak powerhouses. Use it well, as this is not just a life-saving item. More importantly, you can use it to cultivate Sovereign Shao Yin’s Extreme Yin. Right, Sovereign?"

Sovereign Shao Yin replied, "As long as you have the requisite talent, this Divine Yin Awl possesses enough energy for you to cultivate to my level."

Lu Yin's eyes lit up. What did this mean? It meant that this treasure could be Enhanced. He had finally found another treasure that was worth upgrading.

Xu Wuwei laughed. "In the end, you’re quite generous, haha."

Sovereign Shao Yin had no more patience at this point. "Shao Gu, take Xuan Qi where he needs to be. Brother Wuwei, please leave as well. I'm going into seclusion."

Xu Wuwei nodded. "Of course. Xuan Qi, just follow Shao Gu. Oh, Shao Gu, did the leg that I roasted taste good?"

Shao Gu was completely grossed out, but she did not dare to show anything. Instead, she simply bowed to Xu Wuwei. "Greetings, Senior."

Xu Wuwei laughed and patted Lu Yin on the shoulder. "Go on. By the way, you can reveal your true appearance. There’s no need to hide with Sovereign Shao Yin behind you."

True appearance? Shao Gu was startled. Was Xuan Qi in disguise?

Sovereign Shao Yin remained calm, as he had already seen through the disguise.

Lu Yin smiled. "I understand, Senior."

He looked over at Shao Gu, who glanced at Sovereign Shao Yin. She bowed again to Xu Wuwei, and then tore through the void and led Xuan Qi away. They were heading towards the Perennial World.

...

Lu Yin had not expected to be taken back to the Perennial World by Shao Gu. Clearly, there had to be a coordinate seal in the Perennial World, though Lu Yin could not guess how many people had left their mark on the seal. The only people he was aware of having done so were Sage Yuan and Shao Gu, but he did not know who else might have access to the seal. At the very least, neither Lu Yin nor Luo Shan had been granted access to the coordinate seal.

"You’re using a disguise?" Shao Gu gave Xuan Qi an odd look.

Lu Yin coughed, his lips still pale with telltale marks of the serious injuries that he had recently suffered. "What? Are you curious?"

Shao Gu's eyes lit up. "Very curious."

"I need some time to recover. The Extreme Yin energy is raging through my body, which is quite unpleasant," Lu Yin said as he found a place to sit down and rest.

Shao Gu did not try to rush him. "You just need to meet with the four ruling powers within two days. You can rest until then."

Lu Yin settled down in some mountains before looking around. He was in the Higher Realm.

Before he went to the Extreme Yin Realm, he had made a special trip to Aeternus Nation, taken Luo Lao'er away, and then left him in the Higher Realm.

Lu Yin had given the matter a great deal of thought, and he had come to the conclusion that the best person to portray Xuan Qi without a disguise was Luo Lao'er.

For starters, Luo Lao'er was very knowledgeable about the Sixverse Association, and he would not be exposed to the four ruling powers by that. Secondly, Luo Lao'er was thorough and cautious. During his time in the Transcendent Universe as a hostage, Luo Lao’er had done his best to join the Sixverse Academy. At the same time, he had even made some friends. Those people’s cultivation had been constantly improving, and even so, Luo Lao’er had always been able to keep his own secrets without anyone knowing a thing. This was because he had always been on guard against Luo Zang.

Lu Yin felt most comfortable sending someone who was cautious, thorough, and self-reliant.

The only thing that could go wrong was the fact that Luo Lao’er was at risk of being recognized by people from the Sixverse Association. Fortunately, the Great Sovereign’s orders meant that very few people could visit the Perennial World. Even those who could would most likely not recognize Luo Lao'er. He was just a random junior from the Three Monarchs Universe, so how would anyone not from that universe ever recognize him?

It was possible that Xia Shenji might recognize Luo Lao’er, given the time that the Progenitor had spent in the Three Monarchs Universe. The Progenitor might have coincidentally seen Luo Lao’er at some point, or he might have even sought out information about the young man because of Monarch Mu's disappearance. However, the current Xia Shenji was not the same Xia Shenji as before.

Luo Lao'er had also personally confirmed that he had never met any of Sovereign Shao Yin's disciples, which made things even better.

Lu Yin rested, and Shao Gu waited nearby. Lu Yin’s cultivation meant that he could easily leave without the woman noticing a thing, and he could even return with Luo Lao'er.

"Are you sure that you’ve never met Shao Gu before? That she won’t recognize you?" Lu Yin demanded again.

Luo Lao'er promised, "You don’t need to worry, Brother-in-law. Even if we did meet, there’s no way she would ever remember someone as minor as me."

Lu Yin grew serious for a moment. "I can’t promise you that this plan will be safe, and if you are caught, you might die. Keep your guard up."

Luo Lao'er slapped his chest. "Don't worry, Brother-in-law. I’ll find a way to complete this mission. Even if I die, I won’t betray my brother-in-law."

Lu Yin stared at the man and said, "Just stay alive."

Luo Lao'er nodded vigorously. He had been waiting for an opportunity like this for too long.

Monarch Mu was trapped deep underground in the Aeternus Nation where Luo Lao’er was staying. That woman had killed his mother, and yet he was unable to get revenge. The Feng Lei clan had been nearly destroyed by Monarch Mu’s family, and everything had occurred because Luo Lao’er had lacked the necessary strength.