Star Odyssey

Shenwu's Sky had kept a member of the Lu family hidden away. In theory, Lu Yin could kick up a fuss for Shenwu's Sky, but that would be meaningless. Going to war was not an option, and the fact that Lu Yin wanted to avoid open war meant that Shenwu's Sky could simply claim that they had forgotten to return Lu Xun and brush the whole thing off. In fact, they could give any excuse they wanted.

Lu Yin could only suppress the frustration mounting within his heart, promising himself to resolve things whenever the opportunity arose in the future.

He put away his wireless jincan and turned to Lu Xun. "Where is the Lu Sanctum’s treasury?"

Lu Xun was surprised. "The Lu Sanctum’s treasury?"

Lu Yin nodded.

Lu Xun stared at Lu Yin intently, carefully observing him for a while. "Regarding your identity as the young master, I received a bit of information from Xia Xing, as well as a little from the person who just left. Can I confirm what they told me with you?"

Lu Yin replied, "Of course. You can confirm what you were told with anyone you wish. I can also take you to the Fifth Mainland, which you know of as the Forsaken Land."

"There’s no need for that. All I need is a communication crystal that can connect me to someone from Realmless," Lu Xun requested.

She could not be certain that what she was seeing and hearing was actually true. She had grown far more skeptical after Lu Yin inquired about the Lu Sanctum’s treasury so quickly after hearing her story.

Lu Yin was caught off guard by the request. "You have a contact in Realmless?"

Lu Xun explained, "Many members of our Lu family have hidden within Realmless. They were sent there to find Realmless's headquarters and eliminate the threat."

Lu Yin chuckled. "In that case, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but Realmless has already been destroyed."

Lu Xun became confused. "Realmless is gone?"

Lu Yin briefly recounted what had happened to Realmless, which left Lu Xun completely stunned. "You’re telling me that Xia Shenfei, Xia Xing's son, found the superficial headquarters of the Realmless and destroyed it, while you discovered their true headquarters?"

Lu Yin handed the woman a communication crystal. "I don't know who you want to contact from Realmless, but let's hope that they answer."

He then moved some distance away to give Lu Xun a bit of privacy.

The old woman glanced at Lu Yin’s distant silhouette and then shifted her attention to Skymender. Tightly clutching the communication crystal in her hand, she started trying to contact someone.

Her mind raced. If Realmless had truly been annihilated, then was that person even still alive?

Each breath felt like years were passing as she waited nervously. Her eyes went wide when the communication crystal suddenly trembled in her grip.

"How are you?" she asked.

No image appeared from the other communication crystal, only a voice, which asked, "Who are you?"

"Qin Mountain of the Sky, Maple Red Moon Dew." Lu Xun replied with eight words.

Suddenly, the image of a face appeared from the communication crystal. It was of an elderly man, and his eyes betrayed his turbulent emotions as he stared at Lu Xun. "Elder, is it really you?"

Lu Xun’s eyes locked with the elderly man’s. "Lao Hui."

"It is me, Elder! You're still alive?" The old man felt both elated and exhilarated at this moment.

Lu Xun was also unable to contain her joy. "You're also alive! That's wonderful, just wonderful!"

"Elder, weren't you banished with the main family? This-"

Lu Xun cut the old man off, "We'll discuss such matters later. First, I need to know, what happened to Realmless?"

Nervously swallowing, the old man proceeded to share everything that had happened to Realmless. His story practically echoed Lu Yin's, though Lu Hui was ignorant of the fact that Lu Yin was the one who had discovered Realmless's true headquarters. The old man believed that Xia Shenfei had destroyed Realmless's headquarters. The incident had created a massive stir in the Perennial World, and it had also elevated Xia Shenfei's status above his peers. Even if Bai Shaohong were still alive, his reputation would pale in comparison to Xia Shenfei’s.

As Lu Xun listened carefully to everything that the old man shared, her eyes involuntarily flickered over towards Lu Yin. She eventually interrupted the old man. "Has the young master truly returned?"

The old man affirmed, "Yes, the young master has returned. What’s more, he did so in a grand manner. His mere presence has caused the four ruling powers to hesitate to take any action. On top of that, the young master pushed into the New World and drove Aeternus out of the Perennial World, surpassing even our main family’s previous accomplishments."

Lu Xun found this quite strange. "If the young master has returned, then why haven't you sought him out?"

The old man sighed. "Who can vouch for my connection to the Lu family? I once caught a glimpse of the young master while in the Lower Realm, but he almost immediately disappeared into the void while riding atop the jiao. Unless I become a Semi-Progenitor, there's no way I can contact the young master. If I fail to connect with him and my enemies discover my true identity, then I'll be done for."

Lu Xun nodded. She understood the current situation.

How could an ordinary cultivator keep up with the speed of a Semi-Progenitor or a Progenitor? The young master had forced the four ruling powers to agree to a truce, which meant that they had regarded him as a threat on the same level as a Progenitor. Even if Lu Xun managed to regain her previous cultivation, it would be impossible for her to catch up to the young master while he was traveling.

"I will inform the young master of your situation. For now, remain hidden," advised Lu Xun.

The old man nodded. "I understand, Elder. It's wonderful that you're still alive. Our Lu family will undoubtedly regain our former glory with the young master’s guidance."

After ending the call, Lu Xun went to find Lu Yin.

With his back still to the old woman, Lu Yin asked, "Is that person another member of our family?"

Lu Xun sighed. "Realmless always stayed neutral, so the main family decided to eliminate it. However, locating their headquarters was no easy task. They sent various people to infiltrate Realmless, but the main family was banished just a short while after. That's why Lao Hui remained hidden within Realmless for so many years."

"Are there many others like him?"

Lu Xun nodded before explaining, "Our family ruled the Perennial World, and while many people only ever saw our family's splendor, that was because they did not realize the many actions that we took in the background. If not for the main family's exile, Realmless would not have survived for this long. Humility's Gate was only established by Progenitor Mu Xie after our Progenitor approved the matter and supported it. Our family has played a significant role in countless similar events over the years. We have sacrificed a great deal, but outsiders have only ever seen our dominance over the Perennial World. They have remained oblivious to everything else."

Naturally, Lu Yin understood this situation. He ruled the Fifth Mainland and led the Heavens Sect, overseeing countless tasks. If not for his need to consider what was best for the Fifth Mainland, he would have long since obtained the star essence that he needed. He had been the one to propose opening the entrance to the Starfall Sea and creating a second battleground on which to face Aeternus. He had been the first to venture into the New World, carrying the future of humanity.

Despite his various actions, few had witnessed them.

There were times when people would only receive as much as they gave, but outsiders would only see the gains without understanding the sacrifices that had been made.

Lu Yin stared at Lu Xun and asked, "Do you believe that I am who I say now?"

Lu Xun apologized. "I'm sorry, Young Master. I was overly suspicious."

Lu Yin replied, "No, I should apologize to you. As a direct descendant of the main family, I should have protected all of you, but you were all forced to live in constant fear and worry. I promise you, it will never happen again."

Lu Xun's body trembled and she bowed deeply to Lu Yin. "I believe you, Young Master.

"The family’s treasury is accessible from Qin Mountain, in what is currently known as the Northern Stone Forest."

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. "The Northern Stone Forest?"

Lu Xun confirmed, "Yes, but it’s in a pocket universe, and a key is needed to access it. Without that key, forget the four ruling powers—even Progenitor Tianyi cannot get in."

"A key? The coordinates?" One of Lu Yin's memories was triggered.

Lu Xun nodded in affirmation.

"Then, where is the key?"

Lu Xun clenched her fist and raised her head, fixing her gaze on a particular direction above as she revealed, "Although my memories are fragmented, when the main family was exiled, I distinctly remember Qin Mountain piercing through the void and heading in that direction. The key is in Qin Mountain."

Lu Yin followed Lu Xun's gaze, and saw Planet Ominion.

Lu Yin frowned. "Are you absolutely certain that’s the direction it went?"

Lu Xun firmly nodded and said, "Yes, I’m absolutely certain. My duty was to protect Qin Mountain, so I would never be mistaken about such a thing."

Lu Yin's head began to throb. If the key was in the hands of the four ruling powers, then he could have come up with another plan to obtain it. However, the key actually turned out to be in Qin Mountain, which had fallen to Planet Ominion, which was Nutjob Lu's territory.

Lu Yin was far warier of Nutjob Lu than he was of the four ruling powers. Nutjob Lu had a profound understanding of the Lu family, and from Nong Yi, Lu Yin had learned of Nutjob Lu's incredible age. Wan Zhiyi had commented that Progenitor Tianyi had once declared that if he were to perish, he would make sure to take the madman with him. There was no doubt that Nutjob Lu was extremely dangerous.

That man was not simply a madman; he was also an incredibly powerful lunatic who would do anything to kill Lu Yin, even if it meant dying in the process.

It was nearly impossible to obtain the key from such a person.

"What does the Lu Sanctum’s treasury hold?" Lu Yin asked, not willing to take the risks if the reward was insufficient.

Lu Xun thought back. "During our last round of inventory, not many resources were left."

Lu Yin instantly felt a mixture of disappointment and relief.

"There was only about 10 trillion star essence remaining," the old woman stated.

Lu Yin was certain he had misheard. "What was that? How much?"

Lu Xun repeated, "There was no less than 10 trillion star essence."

Lu Yin's breath grew a bit ragged, and his eyes became bloodshot.

Ten trillion… 10 trillion!?He had never obtained such an enormous amount of star essence at one time.

10 trillion star essence was more than enough for him to repair the Origin Progenitor's sword, and he would certainly have some left over for future use. This was a massive amount, no less than double what Lu Yin had received from the Astral Beast Domain.

Even if he plundered the entire Fifth Mainland without any regard for the consequences, he would never be able to acquire that much star essence in the short term.

"How can there be so much?" Lu Yin wondered. He felt a complicated mix of excitement, anticipation, as well as a faint bit of reluctance and irritation.

Such a large quantity of star essence felt like he was practically being forced to find the key to the Lu family’s treasury.

Lu Xun was not sure why there was such a complicated expression on Lu Yin’s face. "Our family controlled the Perennial World, and others were required to periodically send tribute to us. Sects and families were required to send large sums of resources to meet the requirements of our Lu family’s cultivation."

Lu Yin let out a sigh. 10 trillion star essences… It was really too much, but it was also a good thing. He would happily accept such a windfall.

However, despite his wishes, he needed to face reality.

He looked up towards Planet Ominion. Without the key, forget the full 10 trillion—he would not even be able to obtain ten star essences from the Lu Sanctum’s treasury. Only after the key was in his hands would the Lu family’s treasury rightfully become his.

After moving a bit away from both Lu Xun and Skymender, Lu Yin reached out to a certain someone: Wei Rong.

Four years ago, when the two regions of the universe had first connected, Wei Rong had arrived in the Perennial World. Given his exceptional abilities, he had gradually made a mark that the four ruling powers had noticed. The man had claimed that, given ten years, he could shake the bedrock of the four ruling powers’ very foundation.

More than three years had passed since that day. It was time to enlist Wei Rong’s help.

"Dao Chosen, as of now, there are still many secrets that I'm unable to access given my current status. However, this subordinate believes that it's time to sacrifice a few pawns," Wei Rong responded.

Lu Yin's eyes flickered. "Are you referring to…?"

"Yu Chen," Wei Rong instantly replied.

Lu Yin silently considered the suggestion.

"I understand that you are reluctant to abandon anyone, Dao Chosen, even your former enemies. However, there are some things that simply need to be done. Sacrificing a pawn to overturn the entire chessboard is absolutely worthwhile," Wei Rong explained.

Lu Yin ended his call with Wei Rong. Without any hesitation, he then reached out to Yu Chen.