Star Odyssey

Fenglei Guanqin's eyes trembled. Stretching out from the depths of the darkness, an indescribable horror had seized hold of his heart. He felt completely and utterly powerless, as though his life was no longer under his control.

As he stared at the figure within the darkness, the patriarch’s mouth started to go dry. What was this person’s cultivation level? They seemed to just be a Demi-Monarch, but they were also capable of instantly defeating three peers. When had any such expert appeared in their universe?

The silver-haired woman from the Mu family did her best to conceal her presence, terrified of being discovered.

In the sky above the Fenglei clan, Fenglei Guanqin’s power swept over the three fallen Demi-Monarchs, confirming that the three people had all lost consciousness. While not dead, none of them would wake up anytime soon.

The patriarch approached the person inside the darkness and bowed. "I don't know who you are, but if possible, my Fenglei clan will definitely repay your kindness."

The person within the darkness descended. "Gather every member of your Fenglei clan. It's time for you to leave."

Fenglei Guanqin asked in confusion, "Leave?"

The dark figure calmly replied, "The Mo Courtyard has failed, which means that the next person to take action will be Monarch Mu."

Fenglei Guanqin's expression changed drastically. "Monarch Mu will attack us herself? How is that possible? She is a Monarch! Would she really stoop so low just because of Luo Qian?"

Luo Qian was Luo Lao'er's real name.

The other members of the Fenglei clan were watching from a distance, and fear filled their eyes. Luo Lao'er was no exception.

"She will definitely take action against you, but not because of Luo Lao'er. She’s moving because of the Lower King Domain." Lu Yin stepped out of the darkness as he spoke.

While most of the members of the Fenglei clan felt confused, Luo Lao'er's mouth dropped open. Brother-in-law?

Fenglei Guanqin was equally surprised. "Xuan Qi?"

Lu Yin smiled as he approached Fenglei Guanqin. "Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Lu Yin. This is my senior brother, Qing Ping. Patriarch Fenglei, time is short, so we must leave. The old woman from the Mu family has already escaped, and by now, she should have reported their failure to Monarch Mu. It’s likely that Monarch Mu will soon take action."

"What do you mean by that? Monarch Mu will attack our Fenglei clan because of the Lower King Domain?" Fenglei Guanqin could not make any sense of what he was being told.

Luo Lao'er stepped forward. "Brother-in-law, what’s going on?"

Lu Yin glanced around. "There's no time to explain now. We have only this one chance. Either come with me, or stay here to be exterminated by Monarch Mu. It's your choice."

…

At the same time, the silver-haired woman was indeed reporting the results of the attack to Monarch Mu. The Monarch was incredulous to hear about an unknown expert instantly defeating three Demi-Monarchs. Even Chen Le, who was known as the most powerful Demi-Monarch in the Three Monarchs Universe, could not do such a thing. While Chen Le could defeat three Demi-Monarchs, it was absolutely impossible for him to do so instantly. When had such a powerful expert arrived in the Three Monarchs Universe?

She was reminded of Xia Shenji. Could this matter have something to do with that universe? But that had to be impossible. From the moment that Xia Shenji arrived, Monarch Xing had constantly been monitoring the passage that connected the two universes, and there were no signs of it opening.

Could some powerful individual have arrived by accident? Or could they be someone from the Sixverse Association?

Monarch Mu reached out to Monarch Luo after deciding that she needed to reveal her plans. She had intended to eradicate the entire Fenglei clan in order to gather the necessary resources to send Xia Shenji back to his own universe. After that, they could unite the two universes while also granting the Three Monarchs Universe a backdoor in case of an emergency.

Monarch Luo thought for a moment. "You want to abandon the Three Monarchs Universe?"

Monarch Mu responded in a gentle voice that lacked the imposing aura of a Progenitor-level expert. She seemed charming. "Neither you nor I were born in this universe. I've received word from Sage Yuan that the Heavens Sect in the Origin Universe has already made it clear that they will not step back into the war with Aeternus. Even if Sage Yuan forces that Lu Yin person to compromise, it will most likely take a long time. After all, the Sixverse Association is already dealing with a great deal of pressure. If another one of the Seven Skygods is added to that burden, we won't be able to endure any longer. The better choice is for us to quickly cooperate with Xia Shenji to seize control of the Origin Universe."

"You agreed to that with Xia Shenji back then."

"Have we received any word of Zang'er?"

"Not yet, but Shao Qingfeng and He Shu have already returned to the academy. I believe that it will be the same for Zang'er. He is not someone destined to have a short life."

"That's good.”

"Do you agree to wipe out the Fenglei clan?" Monarch Mu continued after hearing some reassurance.

Monarch Luo answered in a low voice, "Yes, but leave a remnant of the clan's bloodline behind. We shouldn't completely annihilate them."

"Understood." Monarch Mu rose to her feet and took a step forward. Her eyes glittered with a cold light that contrasted sharply with undeniable beauty. Despite the woman’s appearance, there was no warmth to her at all.

The time had come for the Fenglei clan to meet their end!

Monarch Mu raced towards the Lower King Domain as fast as possible, even risking encounters with Aeternus’s powerhouses as she passed along the border. The only thought on her mind was to swiftly take care of the Fenglei clan once and for all.

However, upon arriving at the Fenglei clan’s home, she discovered that the entire clan had vanished. She only found three Demi-Monarchs lying on the ground, still unconscious. Even worse, all of the resources that the Fenglei clan had gathered and collected over the years had disappeared. Included among them were a considerable number of materials on the list that she had been given, and they were resources unique to the Lower King Domain that could not be found in any other universe. Extracting those resources was extremely laborious, which was precisely the reason why she had moved against the Fenglei clan. This was a secret that not even Monarch Mu’s sister had been aware of.

However, all of those resources were now gone.

Soon, Monarch Mu also started to receive word that many of the planets that were used for mining resources had been destroyed. The Fenglei clan could not have acted so quickly, which meant that the person who had instantly defeated the three Demi-Monarchs had to have done it.

Monarch Mu was absolutely livid. Her aura swept through the Lower King Domain in a surging wave, and she ordered the entire Three Monarchs Universe to search for the Fenglei clan.

…

As for the members of the Fenglei clan, they had already gathered in Aeternus Nation.

Qing Ping had accompanied Lu Yin to the Three Monarchs Universe, while Highsage Grandmaster had remained in Aeternus Nation.

The Fenglei clan members were astonished to see another Demi-Monarch-level expert meet them.

Fenglei Guanqin suppressed his shock as he waited for Lu Yin to explain matters.

Lu Yin provided a truthful explanation of his identity to both Fenglei Guanqin and Luo Lao'er.

Luo Lao'er was beyond stunned. "The Origin Universe? The legendary Origin Universe?"

Fenglei Guanqin felt his face twitch. This youth was the ruler of the Origin Universe?

Lu Yin smiled. "Calling me brother-in-law isn't too bad now, is it?"

Luo Lao'er’s eyes grew massive. "Brother-in-law, you're not playing a joke on me, are you? You’re only as strong as a Servant, right?"

"Wrong," Lu Yin replied, "I can fight against your father."

Luo Lao'er was lost for words. Even if Lu Yin had kept his true strength hidden, given his age, he should only be comparable to a Servant. Having the strength of a Demi-Monarch would already be enough to frighten Luo Lao’er to death, but Lu Yin was claiming to be comparable to Monarch Luo!

Lu Yin did not offer any further explanations regarding his strength, and instead, he shared an explanation with Fenglei Guanqin as to why the Mu family had been so eager to eliminate the Fenglei clan.

Before leaving the Three Monarchs Universe, Lu Yin had given specific instructions for the Fenglei clan to bring all of the resources that they had gathered in their cosmic rings. Anything that they could not bring along had instead been destroyed. This was to prevent the Mu family from obtaining the required resources, as that would allow Lu Yin to continue with his plan.

The truth terrified Fenglei Guanqin. He had assumed that the Mu family had targeted his clan because of Luo Lao'er. The patriarch had naively believed that, as long as Luo Zang was stopped, the clan would be safe. He had even planned to meet with Monarch Luo! The Fenglei clan was truly lucky to have met with Lu Yin, as they would have been completely annihilated otherwise.

"The Fenglei clan has already fled from the Three Monarchs Universe, which means that you’ll need to live in the Origin Universe from now on. Still, the situation in the Three Monarchs Universe needs to be resolved. Luo Lao'er, that’s going to be up to you."

Luo Lao'er felt confused.

It did not take Lu Yin long to share his plan. Fenglei Guanqin was the first to refuse. "No! If anything goes wrong, Little Qian will die. From everything that you’ve told us, Monarch Mu hates us to the bone right now. As soon as Little Qian shows up, it will be the end for him!"

Lu Yin said, "Monarch Mu only wants your resources, as they are extremely useful to her. Killing Luo Lao'er serves no purpose for her other than to waste her time."

Luo Lao'er muttered, "You don't need to be that blunt."

"But-" Fenglei Guanqin still wanted to object, but Lu Yin's gaze sharpened. An invisible pressure fell upon Fenglei Guanqin. This was the aura that Lu Yin had developed by fighting against Progenitors. He had been fearless even against Nutjob Lu, so how could a mere Semi-Progenitor hope to resist?

Fenglei Guanqin was completely suppressed. The overwhelming pressure that he faced was no less than the darkness that he had previously encountered in Qing Ping's Skyless.

At this moment, Fenglei Guanqin finally understood that the young man before him might truly have the strength to stand against Monarch Luo. The Demi-Monarch was facing an unbearable pressure. He was a Demi-Monarch, someone who was but a single step away from becoming a Monarch like Monarch Luo.

"Uncle, what's wrong with you?" Luo Lao'er looked at Fenglei Guanqin in confusion. The older man’s face had gone pale, and his back was soaked with sweat.

Fenglei Guanqin was the only one facing the pressure from Lu Yin. After a moment, Lu Yin retracted the pressure. "I saved your Fenglei clan. Do you really think that I did so just because you call me your brother-in-law?"

He looked from Fenglei Guanqin to Luo Lao'er. "We're all intelligent people here, so stop acting clueless. Luo Lao'er, I already told you in the Sixverse Academy that I don't like being used. Allow me to teach you another lesson today." Lu Yin paused for a moment before continuing in a deeper tone. "We’re mutually using each other."

Luo Lao'er's expression shifted when he noticed the changes in Lu Yin's expression. Luo Lao’er still had not fully adjusted to the fact that Xuan Qi was actually Lu Yin. The two identities were completely different.

Fenglei Guanqin took a deep breath. Sweat covered his palms. When he spoke again, it was in a respectful tone. "Lu- Dao Monarch Lu, is there no other way? Must Little Qian risk his life?"

Lu Yin's eyes grew sharp again. "This isn't a risk, but revenge. This is for your Fenglei clan, for Luo Lao'er's brothers and sisters, and even for himself."

He looked back at Luo Lao'er. "Do you want to remain a hostage forever?"

Fenglei Guanqin opened his mouth to say something, but not a single word came out. The lives of every single member of the Fenglei clan was at the mercy of this person's whim. The patriarch had no right to negotiate.

"I'll go," Luo Lao'er stated earnestly.

Fenglei Guanqin looked at the young man with a conflicted expression. "Little Qian…"

Luo Lao'er patted the older man’s back, feeling the sticky sweat. He turned back and stared at Lu Yin for a moment before smiling. "Brother-in-law, I’ll do whatever you say. After all, you are my brother-in-law, now and forever."

Lu Yin smiled and patted Luo Lao’er’s shoulder, just as he had done when he had first met Luo Lao'er. "I’ll protect you. No one will be able to harm you."

"Brother-in-law is so powerful!" Luo Lao'er flattered, reverting to his previous behavior.

While returning to the Origin Universe, Lu Yin had not only brought the Fenglei clan with him, but also an expert from the Transcendent Universe. Qing Ping had found the man before the attack on the Fenglei clan. Lu Yin intended to use the man to get to the Transcendent Universe.

It turned out that Monarch Mu had reached an agreement with the Transcendent Universe. That was the only universe that would give her such an extensive list of resources

Luo Lao'er's task was to make his way to the Transcendent Universe.

…

There were many small Bestowal Carriers throughout the Transcendent Universe. A beautiful woman sat cross-legged on one of them while revealing snow-white thighs. There were several people nearby who could not help but glance at the woman, lust filling their eyes.

Sitting across from the woman was a man whose appearance was a complete contrast from the Transcendent Universe’s inhabitants. He had a gloomy appearance, though his eyes were calm.