Star Odyssey

Chapter 2228: Uninvited Guest

"What are you going to do this time?" Progenitor Smoke asked sharply.

Lu Yin replied, "Well, this junior wants to go to the Higher Realm. Would it be possible to use your wei to create a replica of this junior that pretends to be in seclusion here in the academy?"

"Of course. That’s simple enough to do," Progenitor Smoke said.

Lu Yin coughed. "Of course, the replacement can’t be noticed or seen through by Headmaster Wen or anyone else."

Progenitor Smoke answered, "If you had asked me just a short while ago, the Semi-Progenitor level strength that I had access to would not have been enough to do that, but things are different now. You don’t have to worry—they won’t be able to notice anything unless they deliberately destroy the place where you’re undergoing seclusion. If that happens, you’ll be completely out of luck."

Lu Yin frowned. This was a good point. What if someone purposely attacked wherever he chose to go into seclusion? Headmaster Wen and the others from Virtue Archives would never do such a thing, but that was not necessarily true for the people from Shenwu's Sky. As soon as Xia Ziheng or anyone else from the four ruling powers started to have doubts about Yu Hao, they might be willing to act against him, even inside the academy. What should he do?

Lu Yin considered the situation for a moment and then looked back at Progenitor Smoke. "Senior, could you please help this junior to make someone else look like me?"

"This is something small enough that I can agree to help you given your diligence in helping me," Progenitor Smoke replied.

Lu Yin took out Zenith Mountain and quickly found Liu Shaoge.

After considering several different people, Lu Yin had realized that no one was more suitable for such a role than Liu Shaoge. The man was a natural when it came to blending in and keeping himself hidden. In fact, he was likely even better at such things than Lu Yin.

Liu Shaoge readily agreed, seeing as he was in no position to refuse.

Of course, a Seal of Death was also left inside the man’s body, as there was no other way for Lu Yin to trust Liu Shaoge.

After seeing Liu Shaoge adopt Yu Hao’s appearance, Lu Yin quickly shared everything that had recently happened while pretending to be Yu Hao. "The only issue is lockbreaking, but you can just refuse to do any of that because of physical discomfort or something."

Liu Shaoge gave a small smile. "Don't worry about it."

Lu Yin had to admit that Liu Shaoge was far more similar to Yu Hao than Lu Yin. Liu Shaoge was able to smile more naturally, and he was also more… hypocritical overall, at least in Lu Yin's eyes.

…

There was an unspoken rule among the four ruling powers in the Higher Realm, which was that the height of each of their headquarters could not be higher than the others.

There was the cloud that the Celestial Frost Sect sat upon, the peak of Dragon Mountain, the cage of the dragon imprisoned by Shenwu's Sky, and the orb of light that floated above the landmass that housed the Wang family. If a perfectly level plane was placed in the Higher realm and the heights of the four ruling powers were compared, then each of the four headquarters would be at the exact same height. None were the slightest bit higher or lower than any of the others.

Of the four headquarters, the landmass that belonged to the Wang family was the most difficult to reach because they lived on a hand. Rather, they lived on a landmass that was shaped like a hand that floated in the sky. Anyone who wanted to step foot onto that landmass would find that reaching it was a hundred times more difficult than simply entering the Higher Realm.

Not everyone qualified to step onto the Wang family’s floating landmass.

Lu Yin had no difficulties reaching the Higher Realm. Once there, he passed over mountains, lakes, and oceans, and he also saw various cities and towns. None of the cities were independent forces, as every one of them belonged to one of the four ruling powers. They were the only forces that were allowed to exist in the Higher Realm. Everyone else there was only support for the four ruling powers, providing servants, resources, mining efforts, food, and more for them.

Lu Yin could not help but feel rather impressed as he stared at the massive hand that floated high in the sky. "That should be an actual hand, though I have no idea who it could have belonged to. Only a colossal giant’s hand could be that big."

The hand-shaped landmass that housed the Wang family was not terribly large, and all who lived on it were members of the Wang family. If Lu Yin wanted to obtain the Wang family's portion of the restrictions that sealed the members of Star Alliance, then he needed to at least set foot on that hand.

He had not yet developed a plan to obtain their portion of the restriction method. The extent of his plans consisted of arriving and seeing what he could do. At this point, he could only take things one step at a time.

Next to Lu Yin, Elder Qing Xing commented, "I accompanied Junior Progenitor Bai Shaohong here to the Wang family’s home, but what I found most impressive about this place was not the landmass they live on, but rather the glowing ball above it."

Lu Yin looked up further and saw a sphere that looked like a sun.

"It’s said that that ball once burned a Progenitor to death," Elder Qing Xing explained.

Lu Yin's expression changed. "Burned a Progenitor to death?"

Elder Qing Xing replied, "It's a legend, and no one knows if there’s any truth to it or not. Still, each of the four ruling powers have their own foundation. Even the weakest of the four, the White Dragon Clan, can wake up the Ancestor Python. There’s no telling what the Celestial Frost Sect, Shenwu’s Sky, and the Wang family might be capable of doing when backed into a corner."

Lu Yin knew that the man was warning him not to enter the Wang family’s headquarters under disguise. If Lu Yin tried that, danger would strike everyone involved with him.

After hearing Elder Qing Xing’s warning, Lu Yin grew even more nervous, and he stared at the ball of light for a long, long time. "Let's go find Lei Wu."

Lei Wu was the member of the Hidden Earth Society whom Lu Yin had seen when he had Possessed an assassin many years ago. Lei Wu had been trying to enter Dragon Mountain, and he was originally from a city beneath the mountain. However, he had failed to gain the protection of the White Dragon Clan, so instead, Lei Wu had traveled to the Wang family’s headquarters. This was because one of the senior members of the Wang family was also a member of the Hidden Earth Society, and they could at least offer Lei Wu a bit of protection.

Another member of the Hidden Earth Society had become a high-ranking member of the White Dragon Clan, and while that person was not ranked high enough to determine the overall direction of the White Dragon Clan, they had still been influential enough to protect Lei Wu. Unfortunately, that person had died during the battle on Dragon Mountain, which had prevented Lei Wu from seeking refuge in the White Dragon Clan. The man had been left with no choice but to travel to the Wang family’s headquarters.

Lei Wu was Lu Yin’s key to entering the Wang family’s headquarters.

It was impossible for Lu Yin to force his way onto the hand-shaped landmass. The Wang family was a monstrous power with multiple Progenitors, so Lu Yin did not feel comfortable trying to sneak in even with Progenitor Smoke's power. He did not want his cover to be blown and all of his previous efforts to be destroyed in one risky gamble.

He had already altered his appearance again. Instead of looking like Yu Hao, Lu Yin now had the appearance of a very average-looking man. Lu Yin had taken on the appearance of someone from Lei Wu’s family.

Some distance in front of Lu Yin, directly beneath the Wang family’s headquarters, there was a massive cluster of multiple cities that were all interconnected. These cities were perfectly safe, as no fighting was allowed in the shadow of the Wang family’s headquarters.

In one of these cities in the urban cluster, Lei Wu felt completely exhausted.

After failing in the fight to gain control of his city, he had first gone to Dragon Mountain, hoping to receive the help of someone from the Hidden Earth Society. But instead, he had instead encountered an assassin. If that killer had not inexplicably committed suicide, Lei Wu would have died there.

As for the Hidden Earth Society member who had been a part of the White Dragon Clan, he had died during the chaos that had erupted on Dragon Mountain after Lu Xiaoxuan had been exposed. Lei Wu had then been forced to work for over a decade before he could travel to the Wang family’s territory and get in touch with the members of the Hidden Earth Society who were a part of the Wang family. It was only after completely depleting the Lei family’s wealth that Lei Wu had successfully obtained the opportunity to freely enter the Wang family's headquarters.

The struggles that Lei Wu had overcome in traveling from Dragon Mountain to the Wang family’s territory were unimaginable. Most of the people in his family had nearly died. The Higher Realm was simply too big and too dangerous.

Lei Wu had finally obtained the opportunity to freely enter the Wang family’s headquarters, and he would likely be placed in a city that belonged to the Wang family. Lei Wu could work towards taking control of that city, as he had before, but before any of that could happen, something terrible had occurred: a senior member of the Hidden Earth Society had reached out and asked Lei Wu to help bring someone into the Wang family’s headquarters.

The order absolutely stunned Lei Wu. Even an idiot would instantly understand that this person had evil intentions, and as soon as the Wang family went looking for them, Lei Wu would be discovered. Regardless of what happened to the person who wanted to sneak into the Wang family, Lei Wu would be done for.

Even if he was lucky enough to not simply be eliminated by the Wang family, it would never be possible for him to travel to a territory controlled by another one of the four ruling powers. For starters, the Lei family simply did not have the financial means to bear such a burden.

Lei Wu desperately wanted to refuse the request, but he was not even given the chance to do so by his senior in the Hidden Earth Society. The fact that Lei Wu had been approached instead of the Hidden Earth Society member who was already part of the Wang family made everything crystal clear: Lei Wu had been chosen because he was insignificant.

The Hidden Earth Society existed throughout the entire Perennial World, but just because it was a secret society where its members helped each other, that did not mean that the members were selfless. Between Lei Wu and the Hidden Earth Society member who had joined the upper ranks of the Wang family, it was easy to determine who could be more easily sacrificed.

"Grandpa, someone’s here." Lei Wu's grandson, Lei Yan, approached, a heavy expression on the young man’s face.

Lei Wu’s grandson had been a young boy when the two of them had been attacked near Dragon Mountain, but in the years since, the young man had risen up to become a Hunter. He had matured into a reliable-looking young man.

The Lei family’s struggles in the recent decades had left Lei Wu both physically and mentally exhausted. Lei Yan had also suffered from ailments, as the young man had simply endured too much.

The Lei family was quite large. The members of the entire family had been given the right to freely enter and leave the Wang family’s headquarters after they received approval. Their status in the city where they had settled down was quite good, and their home was massive, occupying an entire section.

At this moment, two strangers were standing outside the Lei family's mansion, and they were both staring straight at Lei Wu. The two people’s vision pierced through the void, allowing them to see Lei Wu very clearly, and they smiled at him.

Lei Wu's heart sank. The person that he was supposed to help had arrived. He wearily addressed the two strangers. "Please, come in."

He then turned and requested some tea to be served. No matter Lei Wu’s unwillingness to help, there were always certain niceties that needed to be addressed.

Soon, the two strangers entered the room.

Lei Wu greeted them with a smile. "Distinguished guests came to my door, but I was too far away to personally greet you at the gate. I hope that you will forgive this rudeness."

One of the strangers laughed. "Do you know us, Patriarch Lei?"

Lei Wu replied, "I don't know the two of you, but since you’ve been sent to me by our mutual organization, then you can only be friends. I wonder, which of you wants to enter the Wang family’s headquarters?"

The two men glanced at each other in surprise. "We both need to get up there."𝑖𝑛𝘯𝘳𝘦𝑎𝘥.𝘤𝘰𝑚

Lei Wu's expression changed dramatically. "I agreed to the society’s request to take one person, but I have no way to get two people in."

"Society? What society?" the other stranger asked curiously.

Just as Lei Wu was about to answer, he realized something: these two people were not part of the Hidden Earth Society!

The patriarch’s eyes flashed, and his expression quickly recovered. "Naturally, I’m part of a society of people living in these nearby cities who all want to curry favor with the Wang family. I periodically help other members reach the Wang family’s headquarters, and those who are lucky are able to stay. Those who aren’t lucky won’t even have their corpse returned. Were you two not sent to me by the society?"

"No, but we do want to visit the Wang family’s landmass," said the first stranger.

Lei Wu bluntly refused, "Since that's the case, I'm sorry, but I can't help you two. Please leave."

"There’s no need for this bullshit." The second stranger's voice was soft, but a terrifying aura suddenly enveloped Lei Wu and Lei Yan.

The two men grew pale, and they stared at the stranger in terror. "Ste- stellular energy?"

The first stranger shook his head in a helpless manner. "There are times where there’s no reason to be crude and rude. We need this man to get into the Wang family’s headquarters, and if some flaw is discovered in their behavior because of your actions, can you afford to take responsibility?"

"Hmph." The pressure disappeared.

Both Lei Wu and Lei Yan heaved sighs of relief. Their backs were already drenched. This was a major problem, as two unexpected guests had arrived.

"Se- Seniors, why have you come to see my Lei family? There are many other families in these cities who are also able to freely enter and leave the Wang family’s headquarters, and my Lei family is ranked at the very bottom." Lei Wu felt quite puzzled.

"We don't need to explain anything to you. If you don't take us to the Wang family’s headquarters, then the Lei family will disappear," the second stranger said. While his words were simple, they gave Lei Wu chills. It was quite clear that this man was not joking.

"I understand." Lei Wu had no choice but to agree.

"We want to wait here in your home for someone. While we’re waiting, everything needs to continue like normal. We won’t interfere in any of the Lei family’s activities, so just pretend like we’re not even here," said the first stranger. He then asked to be shown to some guest quarters to rest.