Star Odyssey

Lu Yin was astonished by You Fang's unshakeable confidence. "Is that why you are willing to grant me the power to monitor the entire Transcendent Universe, Senior?"

You Fang replied, "You’re answering pretty quickly, but your conclusion is wrong. I always intended to give you access to the surveillance system."

The man’s expression suddenly turned solemn. "After all, only by giving you what you want will I be able to see your true intentions."

The sight of the Transcendent Universe’s starry expanse was not much different from the Fifth Mainland’s. The sun of the You family's home planet soon dipped down to reveal the night sky, which let Lu Yin see one of Lele’s miniature bestowal art carriers hovering nearby in outer space. It subtly illuminated the planet, shining down upon billions of people.

As he looked up at the bestowal art carrier, he noticed that it was shaped like a rabbit. The strange shape gave Lu Yin a bit of insight into Lele's rather twisted sense of humor. The billions of people living on the planet had no option but to live with that bizarre moon.

Over the course of his day, Lu Yin’s interactions with both You Fang and Lele had given him the impression that both father and daughter were rather flippant about everything. They seemed to have no concerns and were extremely self-confident. In fact, their portrayed confidence was so extreme that Lu Yin would believe it if they thought that they were the true rulers of the Transcendent Universe.

How many black energy converters did the You family have secreted away? Lu Yin was quite curious about that. Furthermore, how much further had they developed the Bestowal Art beyond what they had released to the public?

"I made it look really cute, didn't I?" You Lele chirped, pointing up at the night sky as she suddenly appeared just outside the courtyard that Lu Yin had been given.

Xu Yue also arrived. "Lele, you are completely shameless! How is that pig cute?"

"It's clearly a rabbit! Stupid Yue Yue!" Lele responded furiously as she started chasing Xu Yue around.

Lu Yin closed his window. You Lele was really stubborn. She was keeping an extremely close eye on him. The You family had to have a deeper purpose in targeting him so openly, but Lu Yin had never dealt with such a situation before.

Truthfully, it was quite a pain to deal with people who were both intelligent and extremely confident, especially because the father and daughter duo had actually hit the nail on the head.

Normally, Lu Yin and the rest of the bureau would have to comb through the gathered data before they could determine where to start investigating.

Lu Yin went to meet with You Fang again, and he asked that the Voidforce Universe’s bureau members be granted access to the Transcendent Universe’s coordinate seal.

The man did not refuse, and he even personally led Xuan Qi to the coordinate seal and allowed the young man to leave a mark on it.

Each universe in the Sixverse Association had coordinate seals that foreigners were allowed to use to find and access the universe. In the past, Xuan Qi had not had a high enough status to qualify to use it, but that had more than changed.

Now, Lu Yin had gained open access to both the Voidforce Universe and the Transcendent Universe. He was also able to get to the Three Monarchs Universe with the members of the Fenglei clan. He was still missing access to the Arboreal Realm, the Lost Clan’s universe, and the Cyclic Universe.

In the following days, You Lele sat outside of Lu Yin's quarters every single day. She had no concern for appearances, and no one in her family reprimanded her for her behavior. She only watched Lu Yin, which was both exhausting and frustrating.

…

Tearing through the void, Lu Yin returned to Aeternus Nation.

The You family was absolutely convinced that Xuan Qi had an ulterior motive in approaching them, and since that was the case, there was no need for him to continue hiding things. He would allow them to figure things out—that is, if they were able to do so.

After arriving in Aeternus Nation, Lu Yin met with Luo Lao'er and took him back to the Transcendent Universe.

"Brother-in-law, can you really enter the Transcendent Universe on your own now? Not even I can do that!" Luo Lao'er exclaimed in surprise.

Lu Yin had brought Luo Lao'er to the Transcendent Universe so that he could get in touch with his mysterious information broker. As long as Lu Yin was in the Transcendent Universe, he would be able to use either his die's Possession by consuming the Transcendent Universe's resources, or he could use Luo Lao’er’s methods. At the moment, Lu Yin had none of the Transcendent Universe’s resources, so he hoped to be able to buy some hints on where to start investigating.

"He has it!" Luo Lao'er shouted as he stared at the information appearing on his dark green lens.

Lu Yin arched a brow. Was it actually possible to buy information on spies? "Is it really completely impossible to find out who this person is?"

"At the least, I can't find out," Luo Lao'er said helplessly.

Lu Yin's eyes flashed. It seemed that his first order of business was going to be to acquire some of the Transcendent Universe’s resources. Possessing people to obtain their memories remained his most reliable method of acquiring information. If Luo Lao’er’s information broker was able to sell information regarding spies, then this person had most likely already uncovered Luo Lao'er's true identity, and they might have even discovered clues regarding Lu Yin's true identity.

At this thought, Lu Yin quickly sent Luo Lao'er back to Aeternus Nation.

At the same time, elsewhere, illuminated by a dim firelight, a man appeared rather confused. "Luo Qian? Why is he buying information about spies? Has he returned?

"There's no reason for him to buy information about spies. If he’s doing that, then who is he buying the information for? The You family? Or could it be someone else?

"Monarch Mu has vanished, as has the Fenglei clan, but Luo Qian just returned out of the blue and tried to buy information on spies. Intriguing… Is the You family supporting him?

"In collaborating with the Transcendent Universe, the Three Monarchs are essentially cooperating with He Ran. That means that the You family might be the group that is currently going against the Three Monarchs."

…

Five days after arriving in the Transcendent Universe, Lu Yin decided to investigate the recent destruction of research data.

The research results had been destroyed by spies, which had led to Xie Wu, Zuo Yu, and several others being punished. If not for Lu Yin’s intervention, Zuo Gong would have been forced to step down from the Ruling Council, and Xie Wu would have died.

"I have some fated connection to this incident, and I am a man who believes in fate." Zuo Yu led Lu Yin and the rest of his team to where the records had been destroyed.

Naturally, if they were going to investigate the incident, they had to ask the people who had been directly involved.

"Where's Xie Wu?" Lu Yin asked.

Zuo Yu's expression fell. "He's returned to being He Shu's dog."

"He Shu took him back?" Lu Yin was surprised.

"Xie Wu has been with He Shu for many years, and he knows He Shu too well. If Xie Wu dies, He Shu wouldn’t care, but as long as Xie Wu is alive, He Shu will definitely keep him close." Zuo Yu’s voice dropped low. "He has betrayed your kindness."

Lu Yin chuckled. "It doesn’t bother me. We were never friends anyways."

"There's really no need to investigate what happened to the data. There aren’t any clues. The spy who destroyed the information has an innate gift related to concealment. There are some people who suspect that they might have a connection to the Cloudflow Universe," Zuo Yu said, sharing everything she knew with Xuan Qi. It was true that the Cloudflow Universe’s unique energy did have some properties that helped people to remain hidden, but Zi Jing had already mentioned to Lu Yin that everyone from the Cloudflow Universe had been placed under the Transcendent Universe’s surveillance, though this was a secret to most people.

The Transcendent Universe had thoroughly analyzed the Cloudflow Universe, which meant that the indigenous people of the Cloudflow Universe were unable to hide any of their actions from the Transcendent Universe.

Who had suggested that the destruction of the data might have been perpetrated by someone from the Cloudflow Universe? Did that person not have a thorough understanding of the Transcendent Universe? Or was it possible that they were actually trying to keep the true culprit hidden?

"Who suggested that someone from the Cloudflow Universe could be responsible?" Lu Yin asked.

Zuo Yu responded, "Quite a few people have been talking about it, and the rumors have already become quite widespread."

Lu Yin turned to You Lele. "Help me look into who first started spreading these rumors about a connection to the Cloudflow Universe. Use your family's influence, as there might be some problems if this person holds a high position."

You Lele's eyes lit up. "I didn't think of that. You actually do have a bit of skill when it comes to digging up spies."

Lu Yin just shook his head. This was not a skill, but the simple result of the sheer quantity of information that he had access to.

If he had not learned that the Cloudflow Universe had already been fully analyzed by the Transcendent Universe, he would have never noticed a problem with the rumors that were being spread.

This was precisely why information could be such a terrible weapon.

Zuo Yu did not really understand what the problem was, but she chose not to ask any further questions. After all, it was only a rumor that was being spread, so how could the person who had made the suggestion be a problem?

Zuo Yu also understood that she needed to watch her words whenever she spoke in front of Xuan Qi, as he was clearly someone who picked apart each and every word.

Once the group arrived at where the data had been destroyed, Lu Yin put on a show of examining the region, and he even had Boss Guan and the others take a look around. They wandered about, confused and uncertain of what they were looking for or what they were supposed to find.

You Lele blinked. "This place has already been combed over repeatedly. Do you really think that you're smarter than all of us?"

Xu Yue glared at her. "Be quiet!"

You Lele rolled her eyes and started muttering something about feeding Xu Yue dandruff.

At that moment, lines swept past You Lele’s body, and a grid of lines filled the region.

The girl’s pupils suddenly shrank as she stared at the lines that had suddenly appeared beside her. What was this feeling?

You Lele was not alone, as a surreal sensation hit everyone within the area of the grid.

Lu Yin used his voidforce energy to manifest the spatial lines that he could see with his innate gift, and for others, it was as if their eyes were being opened to a new world. For those who were unable to perceive voidforce energy, they only felt something strange that gave them a feeling of indescribable danger.

People always feared the unknown, and even intelligent people like You Lele, who enjoyed exploring the unknown, felt intimidated by the lines that had appeared. No one dared to move.

The lens that covered You Lele’s right eye started continuously flashing red, warning her of danger.

At the same moment, various monitoring systems were also triggered. The moment the Spiral Domain appeared, the entire region started to erupt.

Whenever the Transcendent Universe detected an energy that was beyond their knowledge, it would immediately be reported to the Ruling Council, as well as to peak powerhouses who possessed black energy converters.

It took mere moments for a shadow to descend, accompanied by the overwhelming pressure of a black energy converter that caused the void to start to warp.

Lu Yin understood that, while there were various drawbacks to energy converters, their greatest advantage was concealment. If a power converter was not equipped, no one would ever know if a powerful individual was right next to them.

"Senior, this junior is Xuan Qi, and I have been ordered to search for spies," Lu Yin said with a bow.

The man who arrived looked rather intimidating. He had an angular face, and all of the exposed portions of his arms were covered with scars. He examined the lines of the Spiral Domain and asked, "Is this Spiral Domain?"

"Do you know it, Senior?" Lu Yin replied.

The man nodded. "I've seen it a few times on the Endless Frontier. Are you the Xuan Qi who is the Voidforce Universe’s Acting Bureau Director who inherited the Spiral Domain from Senior Xu Wuwei?"

"I am."

The man looked impressed. “I heard that you had comprehended Spiral Domain, and in less than a year at that. I didn’t actually believe it before, but the proof is right in front of me. You are truly a prodigy.

“I am Wen Shi, the current guardian of the Transcendent Universe. If there is anything that you need, feel free to reach out to me. Spies are like rats, a terrible nuisance. If you can eradicate them, I'll be forever grateful to you."

Lu Yin solemnly replied, "I will not betray your expectations, Senior."

Wen Shi nodded, briefly glanced over at You Lele, and left.

From the moment Lu Yin released his voidforce energy, he had started silently counting. It had taken only five breaths for Wen Shi to arrive. Just five breaths.

In that case, how had a spy managed to destroy the research data? It would only be possible if Wen Shi had not been nearby at the time and had only rushed over after the data was already destroyed.

It was possible that he had not been nearby. After all, not even a Progenitor could cross the entire Transcendent Universe in an instant.

The grid disappeared.

Everyone else within its range was finally able to breathe normally again.

You Lele moved closer to Lu Yin, her eyes sparkling. "What is that power? I can’t understand it at all!"

Lu Yin casually brushed her aside. "Follow me."

"Acting Bureau Director, where are we going?" Boss Guan asked.

Lu Yin appeared determined. "I've found some tracks."

Everyone was surprised. So soon?

You Lele was incredibly skeptical. How could any developments have come so quickly?

Regardless of whether they believed him, Lu Yin led everyone along a strange path that led in a specific direction. He was deliberately following the path instead of traveling in a straight line. Since he had claimed that his Spiral Domain allowed him to see evidence of people’s movement through the void, it was important that he deliver a convincing performance.