Star Odyssey

Xu Wuwei still had a bit of grease around his own mouth, but at this moment, it did nothing to detract from the man’s majestic demeanor. "Forget it. Go back and tell Shao Yin that, if he wants to see Xuan Qi, to come himself. Xuan Qi will not go to the Extreme Yin Realm. That is my decision."

Shao Gu did not dare to waste any more words. She summoned all her strength in order to rise to her feet, still panting as she bowed low to Xu Wuwei. "This- this junior understands. I will take my leave now."

Lu Yin had not said a single word once Xu Wuwei arrived. And now, he watched as Shao Gu feebly left. It was the scene of a weak person who had lost all of their dignity before a true powerhouse, who also had to thank that powerful being for showing mercy.

"What a waste." Xu Wuwei shook his head and reduced the haunch of meat to nothing.

Lu Yin was grateful. "Thank you, Senior, for rescuing me."

Xu Wuwei gave Lu Yin a strange look. "Hearing you call me senior makes me feel like my life was just shortened."

Lu Yin stared at Xu Wuwei and saw the surprise and various questions in the old man’s eyes. However, there was nothing that even resembled irritation. "Senior, do you know?"

Xu Wuwei sighed. "I can’t help but admire you, Dao Monarch Lu."

Lu Yin’s smile turned bitter. "Senior Lord Xu told you?"

"Lord Xu told only me," Xu Wuwei replied.

Lu Yin sat back down. With his true identity exposed to Xu Wuwei, there was no need to continue with the act. Lu Yin’s status meant that he could be regarded as Lord Xu’s peer, much less Xu Wuwei. Of course, if cultivation alone was considered, Lu Yin still lagged far behind the old man.

However, status was something in and of itself, and Lu Yin represented the Origin Universe.

Xu Wuwei stared at Lu Yin. "If I had not heard it directly from Lord Xu himself, I would have never believed it. So of what you’ve told me, what’s true, and what’s a lie?"

Lu Yin did not answer immediately, and he instead took a moment to think before replying. "The fate of countless people in the Origin Universe rests in my hands. When I first came into contact with the Sixverse Association, Sage Yuan arrived, insulted me and my universe, and even connected my Heavens Sect to the Endless Frontier. That allowed the Aeternals to enter the Origin Universe to destroy my Heavens Sect.

"The four ruling powers want to destroy me, and Sovereign Shao Yin took every step possible to suppress us. The Three Monarchs Universe wanted to conquer the Origin Universe and make Luo Shan the ruler of our universe. At that time, the Heavens Sect had very few Progenitors. There were not enough for us to fend off the four ruling powers, let alone the Sixverse Association.”

Lu Yin looked at Xu Wuwei. "At that time, Sage Yuan was capable of undoing the entire Heavens Sect. The four ruling powers would have obeyed any order that he gave, and the Heavens Sect and I were teetering on the edge of a cliff. Survival was the only thing that I could think about, as if we fell, it meant death."

Xu Wuwei stared intently at Lu Yin. "So, you decided to enter the Sixverse Association on your own to learn more about it?"

Lu Yin stood and moved to look outside the bell tower. "There was no other way."

Xu Wuwei was impressed. "When I first saw you, I didn't like you, and I even felt disgusted by you. I don't like people who are entangled in struggles for power and authority or people who plot and scheme against others. I hate when people try to take advantage of me or use my Voidforce Universe as a stepping stone to rise up.

"Fortunately, you never tried to use the Voidforce Universe. Even if Lord Xu did help you, you spoke to him directly and admitted your true identity to him.

"Truthfully, there are not many people like you in this megaverse."

Lu Yin grumbled a bit. "Who wouldn’t want to have someone powerful backing them up? Even I would love to have someone as powerful as the Great Sovereign behind me. With that sort of backing, if you don’t like someone, then you can just beat them up without worrying about the consequences. Even if a beating is impossible, threats can still work.

"I would also love to have no worries or fears and strut about as an arrogant child of the heavens.

"I want to compete with my own peers, not be forced to bow to this senior today and that one tomorrow.

"I also want to stand with my back straight, such that even if a powerhouse tries to force me to bend, there will be someone who will allow me to stand tall.

"I want to tell everyone where I go that my name is Lu Yin, or that they can call me Lu Xiaoxuan. I don’t want any other name. Long Qi, Yu Hao, and Xuan Qi are all made up.

"I want to be rid of my mountainous burdens and not be responsible for others and forced to carry their favors, hopes, and debts."

Lu Yin’s voice dropped low. "But I can't do those things. I am bound by too many responsibilities. I have too many tasks that I must accomplish, too many favors to repay, and too many debts that must be avenged.”

Lu Yin then looked back at Xu Wuwei. "I have many heavy responsibilities that I am forced to bear. Because of this, I was willing to set aside my personal hatred for a time and join forces with the four ruling powers to drive Aeternus’s forces from the Origin Universe. I have willingly sacrificed much for mankind, and I have done things that I did not wish to do. I am not forced to do them, as I force myself. I don’t blame others, and I also don’t expect them to understand me, though I do know that there are always a few who will understand and help me. There are many such people in the Origin Universe, but there are also many in the Sixverse Association. In the future, there will be even more. Senior, my gratitude towards you is true, and I, Lu Yin, am willing to apologize to you for deceiving you."

With that, Lu Yin offered a deep bow, but Xu Wuwei stretched out his hand and stopped Lu Yin from bowing. He raised the young man back up and smiled at him. "I don't blame you—I simply admire you. You are still so young, but you have taken on every burden, most of which should not be your responsibility."

Lu Yin's expression fell slightly. "With more experience and exposure to the truth of things, one naturally takes on additional responsibilities."

Xu Wuwei shook his head and sighed. "The Origin Universe has given rise to the greatest glory that humanity has ever seen. At its height, any peak powerhouse from that universe could have run rampant across the Sixverse Association. None of them could have ever imagined that the Origin Universe would one day be entrusted to a child like you.

"You must be cautious about Sovereign Shao Yin. He is too cunning, and while his title of Sovereign might be revoked at any moment, he has been in such precarious situations several times before. To recover from one of those instances, he sacrificed your Lu family to stabilize his position."

Lu Yin grew confused. "Are you referring to when the Lu family was banished?"

Xu Wuwei nodded. "Sovereign Shao Yin has failed terribly on the Endless Frontier on several occasions, but he has always been saved by the Great Sovereign. The last time was the same, but Sovereign Shao Yin saw through the Great Sovereign's heart and suggested that the Lu family be exiled and forced to take responsibility for the failings of the Heavens Sect. Not many people know about this, but those of us who do all look down upon him for it.

"Among others, Lord Xu, Great Elder Shan Gu, and Mu Shen all feel the same way. Sovereign Shao Yin is only a Sovereign today because he sacrificed your Lu family."

Lu Yin had not known about any of this. There were too many hidden details regarding the Lu family's exile, including both Wang Fan and Sovereign Shao Yin. Lu Yin really wanted to get to the bottom of things.

Xu Wuwei walked to the edge of the bell tower. "Sovereign Shao Yin is most likely seeking you out because he wants to take advantage of Xuan Qi’s reputation for capturing spies."

Lu Yin did not believe that his identity had been discovered yet, which meant that Xuan Qi’s greatest value to Sovereign Shao Yin was his ability to uncover spies. As for Evernight, no matter how desperately Sovereign Shao Yin wanted the card, he would not dare to touch it, as doing so would invoke the wrath of the entire Lost Clan. It was more trouble than what it was worth.

Lu Yin expected Sovereign Shao Yin to take several days to arrive at the Red Zone, possibly even longer. Because of this, he anticipated being able to use the opportunity to ask Xu Wuwei some cultivation questions, particularly about sequence particles.

However, before Lu Yin could even open his mouth, Sovereign Shao Yin appeared. He had arrived unexpectedly quickly.

Seeing the Sovereign be in such a rush made Lu Yin even more curious about why Sovereign Shao Yin wanted to meet with Xuan Qi. What did the man want?

Sovereign Shao Yin appeared atop the bell tower in the Red Realm, still wearing his golden robes, but keeping his aura restrained. He smiled as he greeted Xu Wuwei. The two men seemed to get along quite well.

Xu Wuji stood to the side, his hands clasped, and Lu Yin stood next to the Void Suprema. The difference in status between the four present men was more than obvious.

"Before this, I had assumed that you didn't particularly care about Xuan Qi. You were not concerned enough to deny the Lost Clan when they tried to poach him," Sovereign Shao Yin said as he glanced over at Lu Yin.

Xu Wuwei pulled out another haunch of meat from the void and bit into it. It appeared to be delicious. "Until he is able to protect himself, it would be better for the child to not roam about. It's not safe."

"What? Is my Extreme Yin Realm unsafe?" Sovereign Shao Yin’s brows rose.

Xu Wuwei chuckled as he stared at Sovereign Shao Yin through narrowed eyes, though he said nothing.

Sovereign Shao Yin stared at the Void Suprema for a bit before laughing. "Old man, you are still so protective of your people. Don't worry, I won't harm him. Rather, I will offer him my help, should he need anything."

Xu Wuwei lowered the roasted meat and wiped the corner of his mouth. It was rare for him to stop eating. "Sovereign Shao Yin, you actually requested a junior to see you. Honestly, I am panicked by such unusual behavior."

Sovereign Shao Yin grew solemn. "This is a matter of the highest importance. If not for this, I would not be in a rush to meet with him. This concerns traitors."

Lu Yin’s eyes glinted. Was the Sovereign really seeking out Xuan Qi in order to hunt down spies? However, the question still remained whether the Sovereign wanted real spies captured, or ones who had been framed.

Lu Yin merely asked the question in his own mind, but Xu Wuwei was blunt about his concerns. "Is this really about a spy, or are you just looking to frame someone as a spy?"

There was nothing subtle or polite about the question, and Xu Wuji wanted to cheer when he heard them. Luckily, he had asked Senior Xu Wuwei for his help, as Xu Wuji knew that he was not capable of going against Sovereign Shao Yin.

The Sovereign’s expression changed, though only for a moment before he quickly recovered. "Of course the spy is real. I’m not even the one making the accusation. It’s simply that this spy has an exceptional status, and the accuser lacks strong evidence. This is why I want to ask Xuan Qi to help with the investigation. As long as evidence can be found, I will personally report Xuan Qi’s accomplishment to the Great Sovereign."

The man then turned to look at Lu Yin. "What do you say, Xuan Qi? Capturing spies is your responsibility and mission, as you have sworn to perform this duty."

Lu Yin looked back at Sovereign Shao Yin. "If the person truly is a spy, then I am obligated to capture them no matter what."

"Wonderful. As long as you help me confirm that the suspect is a spy and find corroborating evidence, I, Sovereign Shao Yin, will definitely give credit for this capture to Xuan Qi before the Great Sovereign. All you need to do is tell me your request. Even if the Great Sovereign refuses to grant it, I will do my best to fulfill it," Sovereign Shao Yin promised.

Xu Wuwei frowned. "You say a lot, but who is the suspected spy?"

Xu Wuji was also curious to hear the answer, as he could not imagine who could force out such a strong reaction from Sovereign Shao Yin.

Sovereign Shao Yin stared at Xu Wuwei. "This matter is incredibly sensitive, and to prevent any news from leaking, it’s best that I don’t say, Brother Wuwei."

Xu Wuwei let out an odd laugh as he pulled out another haunch of meat. He said nothing as he continued eating.

Sovereign Shao Yin continued, saying, "I will definitely give you a proper explanation afterwards, Brother Wuwei. However, before things are settled, this matter must be kept perfectly secret, so I must ask for Brother Wuwei's forgiveness."

Xu Wuwei continued to enjoy his meat, ignoring the Sovereign. The man kicked his legs up and crossed his ankles, looking incredibly relaxed.

A dangerous light flickered across Sovereign Shao Yin's eyes. There were many people in the Sixverse Association who did not care for him, and he knew that Xu Wuwei was one of them. While the two men maintained a polite facade, if they were both on the Endless Frontier, neither would make any effort to save the other if they were in danger.

However, Sovereign Shao Yin actually needed a favor from Xu Wuwei at this moment, which was nearly unbearable. He hated the disgusting old thing.

If not for Xuan Qi, the Sovereign would have already left.

Suppressing his anger, Sovereign Shao Yin softly said, "Brother Wuwei, you know very well that capturing certain spies cannot be made public. In this particular case, this spy’s status is special enough to draw even the Great Sovereign’s eye. I ask that you please understand."

The Sovereign then suddenly turned to Xu Wuji. "As the Voidforce Universe’s Bureau Director, Xu Wuji, you should understand the rules for capturing spies."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel