Chapter 1708: First Protector Of Mt. Microcosms

"Since ancient times, the Neohuman Alliance has always been humanity’s greatest enemy. That’s how it’s always been. Miss Balsam, do you think that we humans will eventually be able to completely eradicate the Neohuman Alliance?" Lu Yin suddenly asked.

Balsam replied, "Given Alliance Leader Lu’s attitude and behavior, it’s impossible for the Neohuman Alliance to have any place in the Innerverse or the Outerverse. This is a matter that stems from you yourself. Wherever you go, the Neohuman Alliance will cease to exist."

Lu Yin looked at Balsam. "You have that much confidence in me?"

Balsam answered with a smile, "I can clearly sense how you feel about the Neohuman Alliance.”

She then suddenly changed the topic, "Actually, Shamrock Enterprise is able to cooperate with the Great Eastern Alliance, and the stellular energy pills that we’ve been researching can be made a top priority. Alliance Leader Lu, you can use the pills with the Great Eastern Alliance’s forces to test out how effective they are."

Lu Yin suddenly lifted a hand and spread his fingers.

Balsam was confused.

Lu Yin explained, saying, "5,000. First, give me 5,000 of the stellular energy pills."

Balsam was stunned. "5- 5,000? But Alliance Leader Lu, you haven't even tried one out yet."

Lu Yin waved a hand dismissively. "There’s no need. I have the funds, so first give me 5,000 to equip the Lu Elite Troops and the colossal giants. Actually, I’m also making plans to form another army called the Redemption Army, so 5,000 might not be enough. Let’s make it 10,000 pills."

"10,000 is too many, Alliance Leader Lu. This-" Balsam was trying to get Lu Yin to try the pills himself, but Lu Yin was acting like a rich man. To him, it did not matter how well the product worked, as money was not a problem.

However, Balsam was interrupted by Lu Yin several times whenever she tried to rebut him. Finally, Lu Yin seemed to remember that all of his financial transactions were supposed to be handled by Qiong Xi’er, so he introduced Balsam to Qiong Xi’er and left Qiong Xi’er with only one request: buy as many stellular energy pills as she could.

Balsam had not even considered having business negotiations at this time, as she had only visited Lu Yin in order to check on him and his stellular energy pills.

Lu Yin's actions were completely outside of Balsam’s expectations, but she was still somewhat suspicious. Could the lost pill be connected to Lu Yin?

Lu Yin was aware that his behavior would rouse Balsam’s suspicions, but he had no other option. Of the two stellular energy pills that he had been given, one had been Enhanced until it became Sapling, and the other had been fed to Sapling. It was better for Lu Yin to brush it off with a distraction. In that case, even though Balsam would most likely still be suspicious, Lu Yin would be able to avoid giving the concrete answer that she wanted.

Lu Yin’s status and strength meant that he was not afraid of the mysterious Leaf King, but it was still best for him to remain hidden in the dark. He was not certain of the true reason why Leaf King had created the stellular energy pills, but Lu Yin did not want Sapling to be discovered and suffer an accident.

However, Lu Yin did not have the time to deal with Leaf King at the moment. After he returned from the Technocracy, he would settle things with not only Shamrock Enterprise, but also Aurora Enterprises and the Sword Sect. He would resolve everything at once.

As far as Lu Yin was concerned, Aeternus was his greatest enemy, followed by the four ruling powers. But between the two, the powers that ruled the Perennial World were also the most urgent threat, so everything else would have to be postponed until that matter was handled.

While Lu Yin focused on scouring Basong Flowzone for corpse kings, the Hall of Honor’s overseers were having a council meeting. The sole topic of their meeting was about Lu Yin’s reward.

The Neohuman Alliance had always been the Hall of Honor’s worst enemy, and they were treated as a greater priority than even the Astral Beast Domain, the Technocracy, and the Sixth Mainland. This was particularly true for Arch-Elder Zen and the other Semi-Progenitors who were aware of Aeternus’s existence, and they were personally dedicated to the destruction of the Neohuman Alliance.

Lu Yin had just eliminated the Neohuman Alliance’s headquarters for the Innerverse and Outerverse, which was too impressive of an accomplishment.

Thus, several of the overseers were discussing what rewards were to be given to him.

Their goal was not to merely reward Lu Yin for his actions, but also to encourage others to do the same and exterminate the corpse kings. This was vitally important, and Arch-Elder Zen had personally made a point to mention it, which was the precise reason why the overseers had convened.

"The Great Eastern Alliance is under Lu Yin, but it is not subordinate to the Hall of Honor. In truth, they should not be rewarded by us. The Neohuman Alliance is the enemy of the entire Human Domain, which means that the Great Eastern Alliance is duty-bound to exterminate all corpse kings. Providing too rich of a reward will only cause others to see the Hall of Honor as being biased towards its Honor Chosen. There are forces in both the Innerverse and Outerverse that have destroyed corpse kings, but when have we ever provided rewards for such actions? This is unfair." This was the position that Overseer Nan Yuan took; he represented the Seven Courts, which were also hostile towards Lu Yin.

Old Man San Shang retorted, "How can the corpse kings that have been wiped out by the organizations in the Innerverse or Outerverse possibly compare to what the Great Eastern Alliance just accomplished? They destroyed their headquarters in the Innerverse and Outerverses!"

"The Great Eastern Alliance has claimed that they’ve destroyed the Neohuman Alliance’s headquarters for the Innerverse and Outerverse, but that doesn’t necessarily make it true. It’s possible that they simply destroyed a base that had a few more corpse kings," Mr. Right said.

There were two or three overseers who resisted the push to reward Lu Yin and the Great Eastern Alliance. "If that’s your attitude, then what's the purpose of this meeting? Is this a discussion on whether or not to grant rewards?"

Mr. Right and Nan Yuan looked at each other, as they could not deny that the council meeting had been convened at Arch-Elder Zen’s direct orders that a reward should be given for Lu Yin’s recent actions. They were supposed to be discussing what would be given, not whether or not Lu Yin should be rewarded at all.

Yang Ji suddenly spoke up. "Why don't we provide him with a hidden world?"

“No!”

“No!”

Nan Yuan and Mr. Right both refused in perfect unison.

Hidden worlds were only available in the Honor Zone, and they were not allowed to exist in the Innerverse, the Outerverse, or even the Cosmic Sea. If the Great Eastern Alliance received one, then they could justifiably take their military into the Honor Zone itself, which would mean giving the Great Eastern Alliance entry to the Neoverse.

While Nan Yuan did not believe that the Great Eastern Alliance had the strength to present any sort of threat to the Court of Seven Names, Lu Yin’s rampant ambition was evident for everyone to see. If the Great Eastern Alliance was allowed access to the Neoverse, no one could predict what would happen in the future. Even if the Great Eastern Alliance was not a threat to the Seven Courts, the thought of their presence in the Neoverse was revolting.

In particular, given Lu Yin’s strong support from the Hall of Honor, the closer his forces moved to Mt. Microcosms, the more nervous the Seven Courts became.

Yang Ji was the master of the Light World, and he had made the suggestion because he naturally believed that a hidden world was the most important thing to have. Also, Yang Ji hoped to be able to approach Lu Yin through his new position as an overseer. Arch-Elder Zen himself had ordered the overseers to reward Lu Yin, which suggested that Lu Yin was supported by the pinnacle of the Hall of Honor itself, making Lu Yin’s backing much more impressive than what Yang Ji had initially believed. It would doubtlessly be beneficial to maintain a friendly relationship with such a person.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Several of the overseers argued throughout the entire morning, and no decision could be reached. Finally, Zi Jing spoke a few rare words. "He likes money, so just give him money."

Several of the overseers were taken aback. Money? When had such a vulgar topic ever been broached on the overseers’ council? They were the peak that ruled the entire Human Domain and represented humanity itself! Still, the proposal had merit, as everyone who knew Lu Yin also knew about his love for money. His dedication towards securing more star essence was famous throughout the universe.

Yang Ji was actually rendered speechless for a bit. He had hoped to secure a hidden world for the Great Eastern Alliance, but once money was mentioned, he had no idea how to refute the proposal. Did Lu Yin really want just money? This was very confusing!

"Then give him money," Nan Yuan stated decisively. To the overseers, money was nothing more than a number, and granting funds was much better than giving the Great Eastern Alliance direct access to the Honor Zone.

Mr. Right also agreed.

The others found it difficult to voice any objections.

In the end, the overseers decided that Lu Yin’s rewards for leading the Great Eastern Alliance to destroy the Neohuman Alliance’s headquarters would be one billion star essence.

This was not much for the Hall of Honor, but it was more than what Lu Yin had plundered from the Blaze Realm or even the Ross Empire. It was a substantial sum.

Lu Yin was thrilled when he received the news. This was a sudden windfall for him, as he had not expected to receive a reward from the overseers’ council. Also, a billion star essence was a great deal of money, so he was even happier.

The Great Eastern Alliance had suffered substantial casualties while cleansing Basong Flowzone, especially the Allied Forces, which had suffered the greatest losses. Still, even when all of the losses were tallied up, ten million star essence were enough to cover their losses, let alone a billion.

The overseers are very friendly! Lu Yin thought. He was being rewarded for cleaning up Basong Flowzone, and when he returned from the Technocracy, regardless of whether or not there was proof of the Sky Creation Academy and the Neohuman Alliance collaborating, Arch-Elder Zen had already promised Lu Yin a reward. That one would certainly not be disappointing.

Actually, the mission that Lu Yin had asked to join was fake from the get go! He had Possessed and controlled the corpse king that he had recorded, which meant that the entire mission had no real foundation. Lu Yin wondered who Arch-Elder Zen would arrange to travel to the Technocracy with him.

The Hall of Honor had done its best to provide a proper reward to Lu Yin, and the Great Eastern Alliance’s image improved a great deal due to their actions against the Neohuman Alliance. In contrast, Aeternus Nation remained silent.

The corpse king with a power level that exceeded a million soon returned to Aeternus Nation, and it met with Mr. Feng, who led the corpse king into a dark tower to meet with Shaman God.

"A hide that was able to daze you for a moment? That kid really has everything. If I’m right, that should be a piece of Progenitor Wushang’s hide." One of Shaman God’s dolls floated in the air as it spoke.

An indifferent and surly voice replied, "Shaman God, I hope that Aeternus Nation will still exist by the time your plan bears fruit."

Shaman God’s voice grew cold. "Why? Do you believe that that child is able to destroy my Aeternus Nation?"

"He captured the corpse king that was monitoring the Lost Radiance Academy, so he must have found something. He already has the God of Death’s inheritance, the blood of the Lu family, and the Rune Progenitor’s technique. No one can guess what the child will accomplish in the future."

"The more powerful he becomes, the better. Do you see the four ruling powers as mere livestock? The more powerful the kid becomes, the worse off the four ruling powers will end up. However, I'm very curious—just how did he know that our headquarters for the Innerverse and Outerverse was beneath the Red Moon Dynasty?"

"He’s visited Gaia’s Swamp, and Lǜ Yan is a prisoner there."

"Lǜ Yan knows about Basong Flowzone?"

"It’s possible."

"If I had known that, I would have killed him back then."

"It's not too late even now. This debt that must be collected."

…

Arch-Elder Zen moved quickly, and just ten days later, while Lu Yin was still in Basong Flowzone, a person arrived who had been dispatched from the Hall of Honor to meet up with Lu Yin before going to the Technocracy.

Lu Yin saw an old man with open curiosity in his eyes, and Lu Yin offered a respectful bow to the man. "Junior Lu Yin greets Senior."

The old man observed Lu Yin. "Are you Lu Yin? The very same Lu Yin who unified the Outerverse and is currently trying to conquer the Innerverse? You look very ordinary. Your appearance is not nearly as exaggerated as the rumors claim."

Lu Yin smiled. "To Senior, all juniors must be quite average."

The old man smiled back. "Child, I was not insulting you by saying that you look ordinary. What do you think of this old man?"

Lu Yin was taken aback, and he hesitated for a while before answering, "Senior’s prowess is unfathomable."

"Hahaha, that's ordinary! To speak plainly is to appear as ordinary to this old man, which was a compliment to you," the old man explained in a very serious manner.

Lu Yin bowed a second time. "Thank you, Senior, for your praise."

The old man nodded. "This old man is the First Protector of Mt. Microcosms. You might not have heard of this position before, so I’ll explain it thus: I’m the guardian of Mt. Microcosms, and I don’t concern myself with anything else."

Lu Yin was surprised. "Guardian of Mt. Microcosms? San Liang was your subordinate?"