Star Odyssey

Chou Bao coldly stated, “Old Dian knew that he was risking his life when he chose to break this place’s rules. You can purchase his life with four Void Morphora-level corpse kings, but there are no exceptions to the New Inn’s rules.

“Look around at the people here. Do you think that they don't want to leave? Many of them have enemies who are long since dead, which means that they could enjoy living out the rest of their lives in the Voidforce Universe, but because of the rules, they can't leave this place. Their only option is to stay here at the New Inn until they die. Their lives are also lives.

“Four Void Morphora-level corpse kings can alleviate the hatred that they hold towards Old Dian for breaking the rules, but the rules cannot be allowed to be broken.”

Lu Yin glanced around. Every time Old Dian was mentioned, the staff’s expressions showed disgust and irritation. Which of them did not want to leave? Who would willingly wait for death in the New Inn? Waiting for death was an even worse torture than facing death itself, but all of these people still obeyed the rules and remained at the New Inn. They hated Old Dian for breaking the rules.

Four Void Morphora-level corpse kings was a steep price to pay, but the other people of the New Inn would only be able to suppress their dissatisfaction with Old Dian. That was as far as they were willing to go, and if the rules were broken again, the New Inn would fall apart.

Even before making the trip to the New Inn, Lu Yin had understood that it would be difficult to take Old Dian away. After arriving, he had realized that, unless the New Inn was destroyed, it would be impossible to succeed. Not even Xu Wuwei could take Old Dian away, as doing so would invalidate the purpose of the New Inn's existence.

Chou Bao continued to stare at Lu Yin. “Now, are you still willing to pay for Old Dian’s life with the lives of four Void Morphora-level corpse kings?”

Xu Wuji gripped Lu Yin's shoulder, “Don't be impulsive.”

Lu Yin smiled. “Of course. Fighting Aeternus is everyone's responsibility. Even if I had never met Old Dian, I, Xuan Qi, would still destroy four, forty, or even four hundred Void Morphora-level corpse kings, as long as it is possible for me to do so.”

Chou Bao's eyes lit up as he looked at Lu Yin, admiration filling them. “Give my regards to Senior Xu Wuwei.”

Lu Yin nodded.

Before long, Lu Yin and Xu Wuji left the New Inn.

“Xuan Qi, you’re far too impulsive. Aeternus's Void Morphora-level corpse kings are not easy to kill. As soon as we show up, they escape, but against opponents in the same realm of cultivation, corpse kings unquestionably hold the advantage, especially if they’ve mastered the Corpse King Transformation. Those are practically impossible to kill. If we run into one of the Seven Skygods’ avatars, even we Void Supremas would struggle,” Xu Wuji chastised.

Lu Yin just shrugged. “I didn’t have a choice, Senior. I was forced to agree.”

Xu Wuji was taken aback. "I thought that you were being truly righteous and noble."

Lu Yin chuckled. "That’s partially true, as I absolutely do want to annihilate Aeternus, and I’ll do everything I can to see that happen. However, I also want to survive."

Xu Wuji laughed loudly and tossed Lu Yin a drink. "Now that's more like it! I knew that something was off about you. How could anyone capable of outsmarting spies be so impulsive? Still, you now need to defeat four Void Morphora-level corpse kings, which won't be easy."

Lu Yin took a sip of his drink. "I can take things slow. Chou Bao never specified a deadline for me. Maybe I'll get lucky and stumble upon a few severely wounded corpse kings that I'll be able to eliminate one day."

"Keep dreaming." Xu Wuji chuckled.

While Old Dian was not able to return to the Bureau, Lu Yin had made an earnest effort.

After leaving the New Inn, he hurried back to where Chou Bao had captured Old Dian. A family lived there, and they were descendants of the Bai clan that was a part of the bloodline of Old Dian's mentor. The old man had kept an eye on this family for decades, waiting for his mysterious enemy to reveal themselves. Lu Yin felt that this enemy had likely leaked the news that Old Dian was working for the Bureau to the New Inn in hopes of pulling Old Dian away so that he could attack the family.

However, after considering the matter more carefully, Lu Yin felt that his initial suspicions were rather improbable. The family was nothing but ordinary humans, so even if the enemy discovered them, they would not go to extreme lengths to eliminate them. It was not easy to pass information to the New Inn, and Chou Bao was no fool. He would not allow himself to be manipulated.

Regardless, Lu Yin kept an eye on the family. Since he had failed to bring Old Dian back, he could only do his best to fulfill his promise to the man.

However, this also meant that Lu Yin now had another problem. He had been hoping to have Old Dian accompany him to the Transcendent Universe and assist him in rooting out spies there. Having a Semi-Progenitor present would offer Lu Yin a good excuse for various matters that would otherwise be impossible to explain. With Old Dian out of the picture, where would he find another Void Morphora?

Semi-Progenitors level experts were regarded as elites in any universe. Progenitor-level figures were beyond rare, but while Semi-Progenitor level experts were comparatively more common, their numbers were still extremely limited. It would not be easy to find one willing to follow him.

Even in the Voidforce Universe’s Bureau led by Xu Wuji, there was only a single Semi-Progenitor level individual, and even then, Old Dian had kept his strength hidden from his own colleagues.

Naturally, there was another Void Morphora hidden beneath the Bureau’s headquarters that no one was aware of, not even Old Dian. That person was most likely the guardian of the Red Zone, and their existence was a fact that Xu Wuji kept to himself.

In some ways, finding an available Semi-Progenitor-level powerhouse was even harder than finding a Progenitor-level figure. Those with the strength of a Progenitor had already reached the peak, while those with the strength of a Semi-Progenitor were still striving for that pinnacle. Thus, their time was far more limited.

Using only his identity of Xuan Qi to find a Semi-Progenitor-level expert who would be willing to follow him was extremely difficult, but fortunately, the You family had sent a timely letter to Xu Wuji. In that letter, the family invited Xuan Qi to assist the Transcendent Universe’s Bureau in hunting spies.

Xu Wuji returned to the Bureau headquarters and summoned the team captains and personnel to the top of the bell tower. For the first time, he showed interest in how the interrogations were proceeding.

Ning Ran reported, "We haven't had any luck with Yun Wu, and Yi Jun has not revealed anything beyond a list of names of people that she’s been in contact with. That’s all we’ve gotten from Cheng Feng as well. We’ve managed to extract various confessions from the other spies who have been arrested, and from that information, we’ve managed to arrest a couple more spies, but we’re not having the same success as before.

"Also, every last spy claims to be controlled by Cheng Kong."

Xu Wuji scoffed, "How could Cheng Kong be so free as to control so many people? At best, only one or two of these spies are really being controlled by Cheng Kong. Both Yi Jun and Cheng Feng are absolutely hiding things, so continue interrogating them. We need to get them to talk."

Lu Yin did not know what Yi Jun was hiding, but she most likely did not have anything terribly important to share. He felt that the most valuable information that the woman could provide was related to spies who were active on the Endless Frontier.

On the other hand, Cheng Feng was keeping Knowledge Nexus’s location hidden. He had already revealed that secret to Lu Yin, who had asked Cheng Feng to keep that matter a secret from the other people in the Bureau. Knowledge Nexus was extremely important, and it could even be considered a critical asset of the universe, as it was the place that enabled for information to be exchanged between the different universes of the Sixverse Association. If possible, Lu Yin wanted to look for this place in the future.

Of course, it would not be a big deal even if Cheng Feng did expose what he knew. Xuan Qi was the Acting Bureau Director of the Voidforce Universe’s Bureau, which gave him the authority to execute his own plans.

"How are you finding the Bureau, Xu Ji?" Xu Wuji asked.

Xu Ji respectfully answered, "The Acting Bureau Director is perceptive, and I have learned a lot under him."

Xu Wuji nodded approvingly. Xu Ji was one of the Voidforce Universe’s most talented youths, and he had even met Lord Xu himself. No one would underestimate the young man.

After looking around the room, Xu Wuji's eyes fell onto Lu Yin. "Today, I came here to tell you that the Transcendent Universe's Bureau has requested Xuan Qi’s presence to help them hunt down spies. Xuan Qi, what do you think?"

Lu Yin calmly responded, "The Sixverse Association's Bureau is a single organization. If the Transcendent Universe's Bureau needs my help, I won't hesitate to provide assistance."

Xu Wuji said, "The Transcendent Universe's Bureau is in a very different situation from us. There, the Bureau exists in name only, while the You family’s position in the Bureau is nothing more than a title. I can’t say what You Fang's goal for inviting you is, but if you don't want to go, I can turn down the invitation for you."

Lu Yin quickly replied, "Capturing spies is this junior's lifelong mission. We have already managed to eliminate a good number of spies here in the Voidforce Universe, which means that our primary task is currently to focus on the interrogations. The people we currently suspect to be spies can be left alone to run about for a while longer, as it will lure back spies who have already fled. After some time passes, we can move out and capture them. For now, I'll go to the Transcendent Universe and see if I can capture some spies there so that I can continue doing my part to serve mankind."

After considering the situation for a moment, Xu Wuji agreed. "Alright, as long as you are willing, that’s fine. Choose whoever you want to take with you."

Lu Yin answered, "Boss Guan, Skinner, and Xu Ji."

"What about me?" Xu Yue cried out in alarm.

"Quiet, Little Yue! The Bureau Director is here. Don’t be a brat," Xu Ji scolded.

Xu Yue stuck out her tongue before quickly ducking her head. Even so, her eyes flickered over to Lu Yin.

As for Lu Yin, he thought back to Xu Yue’s relationship with You Lele and quickly added, "You can come too."

Xu Yue was immediately satisfied.

"Bureau Director, we are currently missing a Void Morphora on our team, and the Transcendent Universe is not a safe place. I would rather not risk my life there." Lu Yin turned back to Xu Wuji.

Xu Wuji raised an eyebrow. "You want to a Void Morphora to accompany you?"

Lu Yin nodded, unperturbed by the possibility of Xu Wuji suspecting him for having ulterior motives over his excessive efforts in trying to bring Old Dian back. Who would not want a Void Morphora?

Xu Wuji rubbed his forehead. "It won’t be easy to find a Void Morphora willing to help you. Let me ask around and see if there’s anyone willing to make this trip with you, but don't get your hopes up. Every Void Morphora is trying to break through to the next level."

"If it’s impossible to find anyone, then there's nothing that we can do about it," Lu Yin said.

Xu Wuji left, looking for a Void Morphora to join the Bureau and accompany Xuan Qi, even only temporarily.

However, just as the man had suspected, not a single Void Morphora was willing to join the Bureau. All of them were either focused on their own cultivation or needed elsewhere. Who in the world was free enough to accompany Xuan Qi to the Transcendent Universe? Ultimately, Xu Wuji could only offer Lu Yin a bit of consolation and some resources.

Lu Yin bluntly asked for a white energy converter, only to have the request instantly shot down by Xu Wuji.

A white energy converter was no different from finding a free Semi-Progenitor. Even if the Transcendent Universe was willing to sell such a thing to Xu Wuji due to his status as a peak powerhouse, the man would have to pay a steep price for such a treasure.

"If you're that worried, just don't go," Xu Wuji said, rolling his eyes.

Lu Yin sighed in resignation. "Then just forget it."

"I do have one suggestion for you—since You Fang has invited you to the Transcendent Universe, ask him for a white energy converter. The You family should have some," Xu Wuji casually remarked. Of course, that was also not going to happen. Publicly, the Transcendent Universe admitted to only having thirty white energy converters in total. This was Xu Wuji’s hint for Xuan Qi to give up.

Since he had failed to obtain any real help from Xu Wuji, Lu Yin could only take Boss Guan, Skinner, Xu Ji, and Xu Yue with him to the Transcendent Universe.

While Lu Yin was making his various preparations, the You family had officially submitted a proposal to the Ruling Council to invite Xuan Qi to assist the Transcendent Universe’s Bureau to capture spies. The Ruling Council did not hesitate at all to report the matter to He Ran, and she instantly agreed to it.

"You’re willing to allow Xuan Qi to get closer to the You family?" Uncle Mo's voice rang out.

He Ran's expression turned heavy. "The You family only submitted their proposal as a formality. Even if the Ruling Council had refused, they still would have invited Xuan Qi.”

"Would the You family really openly defy the Ruling Council?"

"I can’t say, as no one knows how strong the You family truly is. For the moment, I just want to find out Xuan Qi’s attitude."

"I’ll bring him to you."

"That’s not necessary. We’ll just wait and see. The You family may have always been indifferent to the Ruling Council, but they have always been polite to me. Despite us having several plans that’s targeted them, they have never retaliated. This sudden invitation to Xuan Qi might really be because they want to capture spies.”

“What about Bai Qian? Has she had any contact with the You family recently?"

"No, I have been keeping a very close eye on her, and she has not had any contact with the You family. Also, they will never interfere in this sort of competition."