Chapter 1740: Limited Time

Just two days after Lu Yin left Astral-10, a major event occurred in the Outerverse.

The Outerverse had technically already been given to the Sixth Mainland, but due to time and logistical limitations, it had been impossible for them to take control of the entire Outerverse in one move.

This meant that the Great Eastern Alliance still had time, and the border to the west was under Shui Chuanxiao’s supervision and constantly being patrolled.

In addition to the Fourth Division of the Allied Forces that patrolled the border, Yuan Shi was also present there.

One day at the Great Eastern Alliance’s border, the Fourth Division’s commander, Sigmund Mathers, looked out to see more and more people from the Sixth Mainland approaching in the distance. He quickly grew pale and immediately sent an urgent message to En Ya.

Sigmund Mathers had originally been a part of the Lu Office of Defense, and he had been posted in Grandtop Weave. However, as the Great Eastern Alliance had grown and acquired additional people with talent and qualifications, Sigmund Mathers had been transferred and made commander of the Allied Forces’ Fourth Division. This was completely unrelated to his skills as a commander or his strength; he had been given this position purely because he was someone whom Lu Yin could trust.

More and more people started to appear at the border. They were from the Di family, the Mojiang family, and the Autumnfrost family. Members of the Bloodburn Realm’s Yan family, the Blood Homage Realm’s Nong family, and the Blackblood Realm’s Sightless clan also showed up. There were even cultivators from the Sage Martial Realm’s Cloud Valley, Grand Martial Realm’s Justice Manor, and more. Altogether, these people represented followers of all three of the Sixth Mainland’s Progenitors.

Ancestor Autumnfrost, Justice Manor’s Cemetery Keeper, Ancestor Sightless, the Cloud Valley Master, and the Nong family’s ancestor were all present. Their arrival caused space itself to tremble.

The Allied Forces’ Fourth Division remained silent. Not a single soldier dared to move before the presence of so many powerhouses.

Sigmund Mathers’ face went pale as he stared out at space. His battleship’s device to measure power levels had actually exploded a bit ago, so he had known that an unimaginable powerhouse was approaching.

Each of these experts alone could eliminate the entire Fourth Division with the twitch of a finger. Their lives were not their own at this moment.

Fortunately, Yuan Shi quickly appeared and dissipated the pressure that had been sweeping towards the Fourth Division.

"For so many experts to appear from the Sixth Mainland, do you have something to say?" Yuan Shi’s expression was solemn as he spoke.

Ancestor Sightless, the Cloud Valley Master, and the Nong family’s patriarch were all Cosmic Imprinters, which meant that they were at the same level of strength as Yuan Shi. He had no confidence in being able to defeat any of them since cultivators from the Sixth Mainland held an innate advantage against anyone from the Fifth Mainland. With three such powerhouses present, Yuan Shi was under unbelievable pressure.

The Cloud Valley Master glanced at the Fourth Division of the Allied Forces. Wherever his eyes fell, the soldiers grew terrified. They felt as though they had just been sliced with a sharp blade, and no one dared to look at the man.

Finally, the Cosmic Imprinter looked at Yuan Shi. "Leave the Outerverse. My Sixth Mainland is taking control of this entire place."

Yuan Shi frowned. "Given the size of the Outerverse, even if your Sixth Mainland wants to take it over-"

But before he could finish speaking, the Cloud Valley Master interrupted him, saying, "Whether or not we can take control of the entire place has nothing to do with you. Leave the Outerverse within a month. Any who remain after that time will be treated as submitting to the Sixth Mainland.”

Yuan Shi's expression grew even more somber.

It was impossible for the Fifth Mainland’s forces to completely abandon the Outerverse in a single month as there were just too many people in the Great Eastern Alliance. There were countless people in the eastern weaves who wanted to leave the Outerverse, as they did not want to be ruled by the Sixth Mainland. How could all of these people be moved away in a month with just the one Astral River Ark that they had access to? Doing so even in one, two, or even ten years would be a challenge.

There were also countless people in the western weaves who had wanted to flee the Sixth Mainland, but had not had time.

"Is this your decision or that of your Sixth Mainland’s Daosource Sect?" Yuan Shi asked.

The Cloud Valley Master casually replied, "The Daosource Sect’s."

"A month is impossible." Yuan Shi refused.

The Cloud Valley Master’s expression grew sharp. "My Sixth Mainland has already given you so much time, and yet you have not left. One more month is all you get."

Yuan Shi shook his head. "I just told you that a month is impossible. If you try to force this, my Fifth Mainland will treat it as a provocation."

The Cloud Valley Master just laughed, and a sword appeared in his hand. It was covered with golden patterns, and suddenly, a terrifying aura swept towards Yuan Shi.

The Cloud Valley Master’s aura was fierce and peerless while Yuan Shi’s was vigorous.

When the two auras clashed, space trembled, and stars moved.

At this moment, Ancestor Sightless stepped forward. He was another Cosmic Imprinter, and his entrance into the fight meant that Yuan Shi was instantly suppressed by the Cloud Valley Master and Ancestor Sightless.

Yuan Shi clenched his fist. He was alone here, and he could not stop the Sixth Mainland by himself.

The Sixth Mainland was going to completely ignore his presence. He had already received the information that Lu Yin had learned in the Technocracy; the Sixth Mainland had asked First Edition City for support in the Outerverse in the form of androids, and everyone understood that this had to mean that they were planning to go to war against the Fifth Mainland. With that matter exposed, the Sixth Mainland had cast aside all restraints. They wanted to move against the Fifth Mainland.

The hatred between the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands ran too deep and had existed for far too long. The Sixth Mainland had won the ancient war and covered the Fifth Mainland’s sky. On the other side, the Fifth Mainland’s Progenitor Hui had put into play a scheme spanning countless years that had resulted in a calamity for the Sixth Mainland; their entire homeland had been destroyed.

The hatred between the two Mainlands far exceeded the grudges that existed between the Human Domain and the Astral Beast Domain.

The Fifth Mainland had only agreed to give the Sixth Mainland the Outerverse because they needed the Sixth Mainland’s three Progenitors to keep Aeternus outside of the hole in the barrier that protected most of the Fifth Mainland.

Each side was incredibly familiar with the other, and the Sixth Mainland was eager to take total control of the Outerverse. Their next goal was to move on and seize control of the Innerverse, and then even the Cosmic Sea and the Neoverse.

There was no going back.

There was no way to resolve such animosity of the two in the short term, not to mention a cure for greed.

Both sides were completely on edge.

Sigmund Mathers’ fists were clenched tightly. The moment a battle broke out, his Fourth Division would be done. They did not have the strength to stand up to the Sixth Mainland’s powerhouses.

At this time, someone coughed, and Nong Laohan stepped forward awkwardly. "Um… we never finished our discussion, so why start fighting already?"

The Cloud Valley Master and Yuan Shi both looked at the old man.

"What else is there to even talk about?" The Cloud Valley Master's voice was frigid. He had always looked down on Nong Laohan, as the man was simply lucky. When it came to actual strength, the man was worthless.

Nong Laohan was a true legend in the Sixth Mainland. His luck was truly heaven defying, and he had encountered countless lucky opportunities. This was the reason why he had managed to become a Cosmic Imprinter. As for his battle strength, few people had ever seen him fight, and it was generally well known that he was weak at fighting. He had only been brought along as a bit of support.

Nong Laohan said, "Cloud Valley Master, have you already forgotten what Bluedome Elder told us? After all, the leader of the Great Eastern Alliance is Lu Yin."

The old man then turned towards Yuan Shi. "We need to talk to Alliance Leader Lu."

The Cloud Valley Master’s face twisted in distaste—Lu Yin? He was just a child.

"That's right. Let us speak with Alliance Leader Lu," Ancestor Sightless agreed.

It was hard for the Cloud Valley Master to interfere after two Cosmic Imprinters spoke out.

Yuan Shi had not expected to hear such a request. Even though Lu Yin was very famous and held a very high status, he was still just a junior. He was not qualified to take part in decisions that could affect the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands. Why did these people want to talk to Lu Yin?

"Lu Yin? What is there to say to him?" Yuan Shi asked.

Nong Laohan smiled. "You’re Yuan Shi, correct? Although you are a true powerhouse, you are nothing more than a protector. You don’t have the authority to decide whether the Great Eastern Alliance stays or leaves. Have Alliance Leader Lu come speak with us, and he might just willingly join my Sixth Mainland, haha."

Yuan Shi could not understand the Sixth Mainland’s intentions at all. "You must give your word that you will not attack Lu Yin."

Nong Laohan solemnly replied, "Even if war does break out, we can give Lu Yin a bit of time to leave in safety, as long as he is not the first to attack."

Yuan Shi thought for a moment and then asked the Fourth Division to call Lu Yin. After all, Lu Yin was the leader of the Great Eastern Alliance, and Yuan Shi was also not good at making decisions.

Only a brief bit of time had passed since people from the Sixth Mainland had appeared at the Great Eastern Alliance’s border, but Lu Yin had already received a report. As soon as he received the news, he had instantly shifted course for the Outerverse.

At the same time, he had reached out to Wang Wen, Shui Chuanxiao, and his other advisors. He hoped that they could find a way to stall for as much time as possible so that the Great Eastern Alliance would have a better chance to move into the Innerverse.

Lu Yin had not expected the Sixth Mainland to move against him so quickly.

Wang Wen and others felt similarly helpless at the news. They were all brilliant people, but they could not counter a move like this. The Sixth Mainland had dispatched multiple powerhouses, and it was obvious that they had already made a decision. No matter what they tried to do against the Sixth Mainland, it would all be useless.

Beep beep beep!

Lu Yin’s gadget beeped, and he quickly answered the call.

"The Sixth Mainland wants to talk to you. Will you come?" It was Yuan Shi.

Lu Yin solemnly answered, "Of course I’m coming. Before I get there, I must ask Senior to try to avoid fighting with them, as it’s likely that the Sixth Mainland wants to start a war."

"I’ve already reported this matter to the Hall of Honor, and the Neoverse will send experts as well. The three Progenitors are all outside the Starfall Sea, and without them, the Sixth Mainland doesn’t have much of an advantage over my Fifth Mainland, even if war does break out," Yuan Shi explained.

"This junior already knows." Lu Yin hung up.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Aside from the Sixth Mainland’s three Progenitors, they also had quite a few Envoys, but Lu Yin had no idea how many Semi-Progenitors they had.

The Fifth Mainland had once had seven Semi-Progenitors, but Lingzhi Mavis had died, so there were only six left. The Astral Beast Domain and the Technocracy were considered to be peers of the Human Domain, and it did not seem likely that the Sixth Mainland would be much weaker even with the absence of their Progenitors. This meant that the Sixth Mainland must have been keeping their Semi-Progenitors hidden, especially those who intended to try to become Progenitors themselves.

If war erupted between the Sixth and Fifth Mainlands once again, the Great Eastern Alliance would bear the brunt of the damage, which would not be good for Lu Yin.

He did not want the war to start.

There were both small and big plans in play. While Madam Hong and others could use people like Qing Tan and other means to scheme against Lu Yin, in the face of the entire Sixth Mainland’s movements, such plots were not even worth mentioning.

While Lu Yin waited for the Second Nightking and Liu Huang to meet up with him, he stared at a star chart. This was a very important matter, and he needed a plan that oversaw the entire situation. However, what could he do? How could he avert this crisis?

…

More than ten days later, Lu Yin rushed to the Great Eastern Alliance’s border at his top speed to meet with the Cloud Valley Master and the other Sixth Mainland powerhouses.

Upon seeing the majestic number of runes that filled space before him, Lu Yin realized just how many experts the Sixth Mainland had sent. This was not a force that the Great Eastern Alliance could stop, and it would be difficult for even the full power of a united Innerverse to stop this army.

The Cloud Valley Master and others immediately noticed Lu Yin, and they all stared at him.

None of them had ever seen Lu Yin before, but they had all heard of him, and they had watched him fight during ZENITH. This child was a true legend, but what concerned the three Cosmic Imprinters the most was the peerless battle technique that Lu Yin had gained from the Nine Cauldrons Region in the ruins of the Fifth Mainland’s Daosource Sect. That, and the God of Death’s inheritance that Lu Yin had received.

Lu Yin had single handedly defeated all of his peers in his generation. This was a level of strength that only future Progenitors could possess. Thus, it was not surprising for Lu Yin to already have such impressive bearing.

"Lu Yin greets his seniors." Lu Yin’s face carried an indifferent expression as he met all of the old men in the emptiness of outer space. He carried himself with unparalleled confidence, and he faced the Cloud Valley Master and others with a calm arrogance.

The Cloud Valley Master coldly asked, "Are you Lu Yin? Junior, take your Great Eastern Alliance out of the Outerverse within a month, or else my Sixth Mainland will attack. Anything that remains after a month will be treated as part of my Sixth Mainland."

A smile appeared on Lu Yin’s face. "A month is not enough."

"You don’t get to decide if it's enough or not," the Cloud Valley Master coldly retorted.

To the side, Nong Laohan was staring at Lu Yin with open curiosity. A young man like Lu Yin was truly rare. Still, the most important thing to him was that Lu Yin had stolen something from the Nong family.