Star Odyssey

Chapter 1557: Experience

n's second time at Honor Mountain, so he was not very familiar with CyNet World.

A few of the people who Lu Yin asked for directions recognized him, and they just stared at him blankly in silence as they watched him walk away. Most of them thought that they had seen a ghost.

As soon as he entered CyNet World, Lu Yin started making his way towards a soaring tower that loomed in the distance.

At the top of the tower, Zi Jing was watering some flowers. As soon as she noticed Lu Yin's domain spreading through the area, she casually admonished, "That's not a polite way to greet an old friend."

Lu Yin's expression changed, and his domain vanished. He picked up his feet and tore through the void to instantly appear at the top of the tower.

Zi Jing turned around to look at Lu Yin. She appeared calm, though there was a faint smile on her face as she waved her hand, inviting him in. "Would you care for a cup of floral tea?"

Lu Yin replied, "I have something urgent that I need to take care of. Specifically, I wish to contact my family."

"Have a cup of tea. We won't waste any time." Zi Jing smiled.

Lu Yin could only nod and sit down at her insistence.

Compared to when he had last visited this place, Lu Yin's mindset had changed greatly. This was not only because this was his second visit to CyNet World, but also because he had traveled to the Perennial World. There, he had faced several Semi-Progenitors, and he had even been pursued by one more than once. The current Fifth Mainland held little that could surprise Lu Yin.

As he silently enjoyed the aroma of the fragrant tea, Lu Yin observed Zi Jing. This woman always made the people around her feel calm, and her aura was very suitable for the flowers and plants in her garden.

"I'm really am in a great hurry," Lu Yin pressed.

Zi Jing took her gadget out of her cosmic ring. "You've changed."

Lu Yin smiled casually. "Everyone's been telling me that after I returned."

Zi Jing smiled back as she handed Lu Yin the gadget.

Lu Yin accepted it and then disappeared. He could not speak to the people that he needed to call in front of Zi Jing. Naturally, the first person he wanted to call was Ming Yan.

He had not been able to think about it in the Perennial World, but as soon as Lu Yin returned to the Fifth Mainland, he had been unable to stop himself from worrying about Ming Yan's situation. How had she discovered that Aru was actually Baruda, and just where was she?

When Lu Yin had been at the observation station above Jupiter after leaving Earth, Lu Yin had made a note of the contact information that Ming Yan had used to call him.

A soft ringing sound came from the gadget as Lu Yin waited anxiously for it to connect. Every moment that passed increased his nervousness, as he was afraid that Ming Yan would not pick up.

After a few more beeps, the gadget connected, and Lu Yin nervously asked, "Yan'er?"

"Big Brother Lu, is that you?" Ming Yan's voice was heard, and she also sounded anxious.

Lu Yin let out a sigh of relief. "Yan'er, it's me."

"It really is you, Big Brother Lu!" Ming Yan was excited, and the two quickly changed to a video call. Ming Yan's image appeared on the display.

Lu Yin had not seen Ming Yan in a very long time, but the same unforgettable feeling was still present. In particular, Ming Yan's eyes resonated with Lu Yin's.

"Brother Lu, Yan'er thought that I would never be able to see you again in my life." Ming Yan's eyes had gone red. She had always been prone to revealing her weaknesses before Lu Yin.

Lu Yin frowned. "Yan'er, where are you now?"

Ming Yan pursed her lips and then explained what she had gone through. Lu Yin's eyes grew cold. "You left the Shenwu Continent by following Gu Yue's instructions, but you ended up being betrayed and captured by the Azure Mansion?"

Ming Yan nodded. Seeing Lu Yin's anger left her heart in a flutter, and her face grew pale. "Big Brother Lu, please don't misunderstand! Yan'er doesn't want you to feel sorry for her. I-"

Lu Yin quickly interrupted, "I know. But right now, I want you to tell me who betrayed you."

Ming Yan ground her teeth. "Yan'er has already dealt with her."

Lu Yin was surprised.

Ming Yan continued speaking, and she continued her story about how she had taken control of Black Street, and also about how she had discovered that Bu Laoweng was a traitor to humanity.

Ming Yan's adventure was in no way inferior to Lu Yin's own, and her story sounded more like a legend than real life. A weak woman who developed a split personality because of the Neohuman Alliance's Vitality Poison had become capable of controlling that very same poison to decide the lives of others.

Lu Yin had trouble fully believing Ming Yan's tale. While he felt that his own story sounded like fiction, Ming Yan's experiences did not fall far behind them.

"It's not only that, Brother Lu—Yan'er is now able to help you! Not only do I control Black Street, but also Bu Laoweng. I have been using the old man to gain information regarding the Neohuman Alliance," Ming Yan proudly stated.

Lu Yin's expression grew worse as she continued. "Yan'er, you need to stop that and return to the Shenwu Continent immediately."

Ming Yan was completely taken aback. "Why, Big Brother Lu?"

Lu Yin's voice grew sharp, "The Neohuman Alliance is much more than what you believe it to be. What you know is nothing more than the tip of the iceberg. Do not go near them."

Lu Yin was remembering Long Xian and Shaman God had once said. Aeternus seemed to be emotionless, but the depths of their schemes were truly terrifying. They were able to create traitors and Redbacks without those people even realizing what they were doing. Then, once the plot was revealed, those people would be forced to join Aeternus. Those monsters were terrifyingly cunning.

The people of the Fifth Mainland mostly understood the Neohuman Alliance to be one of the universe's Three Dark Hands, but still an organization that was greatly inferior to the Hall of Honor. However, Lu Yin knew the truth, and he fully believed that the Neohuman Alliance possessed more than enough strength to wipe out the entire Hall of Honor.

The Progenitor of Secret Techniques had once destroyed Aeternus Nation, but in doing so, he had been injured. Lu Yin was no longer surprised by that event. The Neohuman Alliance possessed a terrifying background and power.

Ming Yan had been trying to use Bu Laoweng to gather information about the Neohuman Alliance, but doing so was simply courting death.

When she saw Lu Yin's stern expression, Ming Yan whispered in an offended manner, "But Yan'er just wants to help Big Brother Lu."

A bit of the tension finally left Lu Yin's eyes, and his voice softened. "Yan'er, just listen to me on this. Immediately leave Black Street and get rid of any possible connection you might have established with the Neohuman Alliance. Don't have anything to do with them."

Ming Yan hung her head. "Big Brother Lu, my royal father was killed by them."

Lu Yin was startled by this response, and he had no words.

"You were also almost killed by them. I know that I don't have the strength to deal with them, but I at least-" Ming Yan lifted her head to reveal her determined expression. "Yan'er wants to do this."

Lu Yin's fingers trembled. "Do you understand just how dangerous they are?"

Ming Yan smiled. "Brother Lu, do you know what Yan'er is to them?"

Lu Yin was confused by the question.

Ming Yan's hair turned white, and her voice instantly became cold and hard. "I am their natural enemy."

Lu Yin was startled. This white-haired Ming Yan was not easy to deal with.

"Are you looking down on me?" The white-haired Ming Yan stared at Lu Yin with cold eyes.

Lu Yin's mouth went dry. "No."

"If you are able to deal with them, then so am I. Even if I die, I will die before you!" White-haired Ming Yan loudly declared.

Lu Yin was stunned; what was that supposed to mean?

"Don't look at me that way. I control Black Street as well as an overseer. I am able to tap into the Neohuman Alliance's entire intelligence network. Do you think that all of this happened by mere happenstance? I, Ming Yan, also controlled the lives of countless people when ruling the empire," the white-haired Ming Yan stated.

Lu Yin sighed. "You don't know anything about them."

"I don't need to, but they also know nothing about me. I have never once pushed to gain information, and I am extremely cautious in all matters regarding them," Ming Yan said.

Lu Yin coughed. "I want to talk to the other one."

"That's not necessary." The white-haired Ming Yan instantly refused, though her gaze kept drifting back to Lu Yin to see his reaction. Finally, her hair changed colors and became black again.

"Lu, Big Brother Lu, I'm sorry. She came out by herself," Ming Yan apologized quietly.

Lu Yin shrugged. It was really hard to talk with someone who had a split personality.

"Yan'er misses you, Big Brother Lu." Ming Yan could not resist saying this.

Lu Yin replied, "I miss you, too, Yan'er. I'll visit Black Street and find you."

Ming Yan quietly agreed, "I'll wait for you."

After that, she stared at Lu Yin for a bit before reluctantly ending the call.

Lu Yin stared at the white clouds before him and let out a long breath. He absolutely did not want Ming Yan to participate in anything that was related to Aeternus, but Ming Zhaoshu's death was not something that Ming Yan could let go of. Also, Lu Yin had been attacked by them near Earth, and Ming Yan's warning had actually saved him. Without her call, it would be hard to say what would have happened to Lu Yin. Because of those incidents, Ming Yan must have done her best to learn more about the Neohuman Alliance.

The fear of loss meant that it was impossible for Ming Yan to stop.

It looked like Lu Yin would have to personally visit Black Street in order to fully understand the situation. His expression hardened, as it turned out that Bu Laoweng was also in Black Street at this moment.

Lu Yin glanced down at the gadget and called the next person that he needed to speak with: Wendy Yushan. Was she Lu Yin's family? Given her strength, Lu Yin should not be worried about her, but he was.

The Great Eastern Alliance was not invincible.

When she saw Lu Yin appear on her display, Wendy Yushan was pleasantly surprised. "So you're back?"

"You knew that I'd be back?" Lu Yin replied, mildly surprised.

Wendy Yushan suppressed her astonishment and casually said, "You would never die that easily."

Lu Yin smiled. "You know me well. How have you been since I left?"

"Things have been okay," Wendy Yushan replied.

At that moment, a person walked out from behind Wendy, and Lu Yin was surprised to see who it was. "Ling Gong?"

One of the Ten Arbiters, White Knight Ling Gong, had appeared behind Wendy Yushan.

Ling Gong stared at the image of Lu Yin on the display, clearly amazed to see him. "You really are hard to kill."

Lu Yin felt the need to ask, "Why are you two together?"

Ling Gong indifferently answered, "Is it that strange? I ordered her to come, so she came."

Lu Yin arched a brow; Ling Gong's arrogant tone was still as unpleasant as ever.

Wendy Yushan explained, "The White Knight invited me to visit her Lingling Clan to train."

"She hasn't done anything to you?" Lu Yin stared at the two women.

Ling Gong became upset. "Lu Yin, what's with that look in your eyes?"

Wendy Yushan had no idea how to respond. "She's treated me very well."

Lu Yin nodded. "As long as you're doing fine. I'll leave you two be. I need to call Wang Wen next."

"Wait!" Ling Gong called out as she stared at Lu Yin. "What's your cultivation base reached?"

Lu Yin's lips peeled back to reveal a wolfish grin. "Enough to beat a hundred of you!"

Wendy Yushan was startled, but Ling Gong was infuriated. However, before she could say anything in response, Lu Yin had ended the call. He looked up, feeling quite good.

When Lu Yin thought back to his interactions with the White Knight, the woman had always been very obnoxious, and he could not help but feel as if she deserved to be beaten. She had threatened him in the past and had even kidnapped him before.

Lu Yin had driven Yuhua Mavis to the point of disgust with his overwhelming strength until she had no fight left in her. Now he wanted to give some trouble to Wen Sansi. Compared to before, when he had looked up to the Ten Arbiters from an inferior position, their roles had reversed.

However, Lu Yin did not actually notice this change himself. This was because he had been suppressed by others for far too long. When he had finally become the champion of ZENITH, he had immediately broken through to ten lined battle force.

With this reminder, he felt that it would be a good idea to look the Ten Arbiters up.

Even as he thought about this, Lu Yin called Wang Wen. It was time to get to business.

Lu Yin had been absent from the Fifth Mainland for nearly two whole years. Although he had Possessed San Liang during his time in the Perennial World and learned that the Great Eastern Alliance had not changed much due the Outerverse having the support of both Arch-Elder Zen and the Chief Justice, Lu Yin still needed to speak with Wang Wen to learn about the details of the alliance's affairs.