Chapter 2138: Suing For Peace

Lu Yin nodded. While he had learned where the Hall of Honor’s Champions’ Stage had come from, he still had no idea how to actually use it. Even more mysterious was how an innate gift had somehow become a physical object. Did that require one to first become a Progenitor? Who was actually the master of that Champions’ Stage?

Lu Yin believed that if the Champions’ Stage was successfully used, the champions summoned would be extremely powerful. If not, there would have been no reason for Patriarch Lu Tianyi to have left it in the Fifth Mainland. Still, why did it not work?

"Alright, don't dwell on that Champions’ Stage too much. If it can’t be used, then it can’t as it’s likely broken. For now, let's wait for news from the Astral Beast Domain. There cannot be any problems, or else we’ll be dealing with another passage to the Starfall Sea. While you can use the power left behind by Progenitor Chen, you can't influence the Astral Beast Domain, right?" Arch-Elder Zen said.

Lu Yin felt a bit helpless. Progenitor Chen's power had only been left within the Human Domain, so he really was unable to attack the Astral Beast Domain.

While Lu Yin was practically invincible within the Human Domain, as soon as he left, he returned to his original level of strength.

"How much stellular energy have you gathered?" Qing Ping asked.

Lu Yin made a decision. "There hasn’t been enough time, so we weren’t able to gather very much."

Qing Ping looked outside of the main hall. "I don't want to wait any longer. I intend to make the trip as soon as possible."

"Missing the moment you’ve chosen for a breakthrough isn’t good. Instead of waiting, it would be better for you to just go, but don’t let anyone find out who you are," Arch-Elder Zen said.

Lu Yin asked, "Will you be going to the Perennial World from the place I returned to?"

He had not been very concerned about this detail in the past, but he had just made a decision: he would return to the Perennial World with his senior brother. Not only would they be able to protect each other, but Lu Yin also intended to sneak into Crimson Garden and rescue some of the people from Star Alliance as well.

The New Corridor had been destroyed, so the four ruling powers had no idea of the recent developments in the Fifth Mainland. As soon as that information reached them, they would realize that the best way to threaten Lu Yin was with the survivors of the Lu family who remained captive.

Just because the people from the Heavens Sect era would not employ underhanded methods, it did not mean that the four ruling powers would restrict themselves in the same manner. Lu Yin needed to make sure that he could not be threatened in the future.

Thinking of the people in Crimson Garden who had been driven insane, Lu Yin felt a hint of panic. There were also some people in Star Alliance from the Qiming family. When Lu Yin had been exposed and fled, some of the Lu family’s former vassals had taken action to help him, and he did not want to abandon them.

Arch-Elder Zen said, "It’s a sourcebox array left by Progenitor Hui. When the Lu family first led people to move the Mother Tree and leave the Fifth Mainland, it was decided that if the Fifth Mainland was ever truly threatened, there needed to be a means for some people to get to the Perennial World."

"Is there a way to take a bunch of people?" Lu Yin was surprised at this insinuation.

Arch-Elder Zen glanced at Lu Yin’s cosmic ring. "Zenith Mountain."

Lu Yin understood and was rather moved. Zenith Mountain was a treasure that had been left behind to ensure that, even in the worst-case scenario, some people would always be able to escape from the Fifth Mainland. Despite that, the Hall of Honor had still given it to Lu Yin. This showed just how highly they had valued him after ZENITH, or rather, how highly Arch-Elder Zen had valued him.

Lu Yin had been deemed important not only because he had proven himself peerless within his cultivation realm, but also because of his master, Mister Mu.

"Senior brother, I'm going to the Perennial World with you," Lu Yin announced.

Both Arch-Elder Zen and Qing Ping were caught off guard. "You want to go?"

Lu Yin nodded. "I have to."

"It will be extremely dangerous," Qing Ping warned.

Arch-Elder Zen had never considered that Lu Yin might actually wish to go to the Perennial World at this time. Inheriting Progenitor Chen’s power meant that Lu Yin was essentially invincible, as long as he remained within the Fifth Mainland’s Human Domain. Despite that assurance, he wanted to leave and return to the Perennial World. If he was exposed there, escaping would not be as simple as the last time.

Lu Yin felt helpless about this choice. "I know that it'll be dangerous, but there are certain things that I absolutely have to do there. Don’t worry, I have a way of making sure that not even a Semi-Progenitor can see through my disguise. I should be safe as long as I don’t run into any Progenitors."

Previously, the Mask of Death had not been enough to hide Lu Yin from a Semi-Progenitor’s inspection, but if he used the new energy source that lay within his chest, it was more than possible. He had verified this by asking Progenitor Smoke to test it out.

Even that woman had failed to see through the Mask of Death, and Lu Yin believed that not a single Semi-Progenitor could possibly be more powerful than Progenitor Smoke.

Even though Progenitor Smoke was restricted to using the power of a Semi-Progenitor, she was still a genuine Progenitor, and she even controlled one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas. When it came to her perception and experience, there were likely no Semi-Progenitors who could compare to the woman.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

These details flashed through his mind as Lu Yin looked at Qing Ping. He was very curious about something that Senior Brother Qing Ping had said in the past. Once the man became a Semi-Progenitor, he had claimed that he would be invincible among his peers, which would provide a great deal of assurance to both Qing Ping and Lu Yin.

"If you wish to accompany me, you may, but I will only wait one month for you. If you are going, be in the Neoverse at that time," Qing Ping said before leaving the main hall.

Arch-Elder Zen pondered the matter, considering whether or not he should make the journey as well. There was nowhere left in the Fifth Mainland for him to see, but the Perennial World was completely different.

It might be best for him to go too.

With the decision to return to the Perennial World made, there were certain preparations that Lu Yin needed to make. For example, he needed to interrogate some of the people from the army that the Perennial World had sent after him.

He had not cared about those people in the past, and he had simply incarcerated them. With the exceptions of the various Semi-Progenitors and Lu Jia, Lu Yin had not given much thought to his captives. However, his impending trip to the Perennial World made it different.

The first person to come to mind was Elder Qing Xing. The man was someone with an extensive network in the Perennial World.

Also, there was Wang Su. Since she had not participated in the Dao Chosen selection, Lu Yin had actually forgotten about the woman.

Still, she was one of the Perennial World’s Junior Progenitors and was much, much more powerful than Wang Yi. However, Wang Yi had participated in the Dao Chosen selection while Wang Su had not. Lu Yin grew curious about this matter.

Furthermore, neither Xia Shenfei nor Long Tian had joined the expedition to the Fifth Mainland, and Lu Yin wanted to know why.

If he was going to visit the Perennial World, then he needed a strong alias. He needed an identity that would not draw him any attention from the four ruling powers, but one that would also allow him to do so when needed. Lu Yin could not even imagine what sort of identity would fit his criteria, and only by questioning the people from the Perennial World would he be able to find out.

In particular, since Elder Qing Xing was a member of the Hidden Earth Society, he should be able to provide an adequate answer.

However, if Lu Yin was in the Perennial World, then what about Hen Xin and Jue Yi? If both of them remained in the Fifth Mainland while Lu Yin left, there would be no one who could keep the two men in check. However, Lu Yin could not just go after either of the gatemasters without proper cause, especially not when given their statuses within the Fifth Mainland. In particular, there would be dire consequences if he simply eliminated one of the two men.

Lu Yin did not believe himself to be a vicious person, and he would not kill someone without what he deemed justifiable cause.

Even more importantly, Lu Yin was waiting for a shipment of star essence from the Technocracy. Even if he wanted to rush to leave, he could not leave without collecting those resources.

"Dao Chosen, your servant wishes to speak with you," the Second Nightking called out.

Lu Yin looked over. "Come in."

The Second Nightking entered the main hall and respectfully offered Lu Yin a wireless jincan. "Xu Qing gave this to your servant before meeting with you, and he asked that I deliver it to the Dao Chosen when he was alone."

Lu Yin's eyes flickered as he took the jincan. "In that case, head on out."

The Second Nightking quickly withdrew from the main hall. His attitude towards Lu Yin had completely transformed compared to the past.

Previously, the old man had been forced to serve Lu Yin because of the Sealed Cage Technique. If he had found an opportunity, the Second Nightking would not have hesitated to attack Lu Yin. For example, in Shamrock World, Leaf King had revealed the Second Nightking's intentions. The old man had willingly allowed himself to be trapped after being attacked by Leaf King.

With the appearance of the Perennial World’s army, the Second Nightking had defected to the Celestial Frost Sect’s Bai family. This was not merely because they were able to seize control of him with the Sealed Cage Technique, but also because their strength far exceeded the Second Nightking’s, while Lu Yin had been much weaker.

However, the Second Nightking had since personally witnessed Lu Yin execute Wang Si without relying on any external powers or reinforcements. Even if the old woman’s inner world had been shattered, it was not something that a three-tribulation Envoy should be capable of doing.

The Second Nightking had already developed true, heartfelt respect for Lu Yin.

The Daynight clan had originally been slaves of the Celestial Frost Sect’s Bai family. This meant that newer clan members, like Zhuo Daynight, were fundamentally different from those of the older generations, like the Second Nightking. The Second Nightking easily submitted to greater powers because he had been a slave since birth.

As Lu Yin looked at the wireless jincan, a message quickly came through. "Alliance Leader Lu, it's been a long time. I am Skymender."

Lu Yin was not surprised by who was contacting him. "I’ve heard a great deal about you for a long time, Master Skymender."

"And I’ve heard you mentioned too many times to even count, Alliance Leader Lu." Skymender was quite laid back, and he smiled as he sent his messages.

A smile appeared on Lu Yin’s face as well. "That's quite an honor for this junior. I wonder, how do I rank on your Celestial Vanquisher’s List now?"

"Hahahaha, you must be joking, Alliance Leader. Your Human Domain also has a list of important targets to eliminate in my Astral Beast Domain. Is my name on it? Or Yao Di’s?" Skymender laughed.

"The imperial advisor is overestimating this junior if you are comparing me to a senior like yourself."

"Alliance Leader Lu, you’re an intelligent person, so you should already know why I’ve reached out to you." Skymender abruptly ended the banter and changed the subject.

Lu Yin's eyes grew cold. "It's hard to be sure, so I’ll have to ask you to clarify things for me."

Skymender remained calm from where he sat in the Astral Beast Domain. "The Human Domain has reestablished the Heavens Sect, and without the threat of Aeternus, not to mention the true purpose of the Technocracy, it’s only natural for your troops to set their sights east."

By that, Skymender was naturally referring to the Astral Beast Domain.

Sure enough, that had been Lu Yin’s original intention. "Pretty accurate."

Skymender asked, "Alliance Leader Lu, have you already seen the congratulatory gift that my Celestial Beast Empire sent you?"

"The Extreme Path. It doesn’t matter. We’ve defeated Aeternus once and driven them out, so we can do so again."

"The threat of the Aeternals and your other enemies are on a totally different level. I know that you’ve inherited the power that Progenitor Chen left behind, which makes you invincible within the Human Domain. However, that power does not extend to my Astral Beast Domain. If the Extreme Path is opened, an endless swarm of Aeternus’s monsters will flood the Astral Beast Domain, and having that threat so close to you will change things," Skymender retorted.

Lu Yin replied, "Imperial Advisor, were you worried that I wouldn’t understand your message? Or did you call me just to spell things out explicitly?"

"Of course not. I’m old, and I just want stability. Your Heavens Sect has more than a dozen Semi-Progenitors, and if such a force attacks my Astral Beast Domain, we will be helpless. This is why I’m suing for peace." Skymender’s tone suddenly became very blunt.

This change in approach surprised Lu Yin. He had not expected Skymender to directly mention the words “suing for peace.” The moment these words were relayed to Lu Yin, their bargaining positions were reversed, and Lu Yin moved into an undeniable advantage.

"Imperial advisor, you hope to sue for peace even when you hold such an undeniable threat?" Lu Yin expressed his surprise.

Skymender sighed. "Truthfully, we don't want to deal with Aeternus either. If this weren’t the case, in the twenty years that you were missing, how could the Human Domain have survived if it was attacked by both the Aeternals and my Astral Beast Domain? Things have not changed since then, and unless we are forced, we have no desire to open that sealed path and allow Aeternus access into the Fifth Mainland.

"Of course, all of this is with the understanding that Alliance Leader Lu can make any request of us. I believe that several Semi-Progenitors should have already entered the Astral Beast Domain by now, and they should be very close to the Extreme Path’s exit. I’ll be honest with you, Alliance Leader Lu—the Extreme Path is a very fragile spatial corridor, but luckily, it’s well hidden. There’s no access to it from the Sixth Mainland’s side, but if it is opened from our side, a connection will instantly form. I may not be able to deal with your powerhouses given the strength of my Astral Beast Domain, but destroying the seal on the Extreme Path is of no issue."