Chapter 2409: Aid

The Fifth Mainland’s entire military force had been ordered to assemble in several different locations. Semi-Progenitors then used their inner worlds to transport people from the gathering points to the entrance of the Starfall Sea. It would have taken far too long for people to gather directly at the Starfall Sea, given the various regions that they had to travel from.

In the Outerverse, Wendy Yushan left Zenyu Star. Accompanying her were Liu Ye and Fei Hua, who both frequently chose to remain on Zenyu Star instead of the Heavens Sect.

“You don’t have to take part in this battle,” Fei Hua told Wendy Yushan. The woman was gradually becoming an overprotective older sister.

Wendy Yushan stared in the direction of the Starfall Sea. “Everyone has their own responsibilities. I also have people whom I want to protect.”

Several weaves away, Hai Dashao and Hai Feng slowed to a stop and looked behind themselves. “Qiqi, you can come out now.”

There was no response.

Hai Feng flicked at the seemingly empty space, and the gesture created ripples in the void that quickly revealed Hai Qiqi’s figure. “Why did you use so much strength, big brother? That hurt!”

Hai Feng scolded her sternly, “The assembly of the Fifth Mainland’s entire military forces is not part of some game. Go back.”

Hai Qiqi rolled her eyes. “Don’t bother with the lies. The last time Lu Yin sent out a mandatory summons, no one had to do anything at all. Everyone who went even got to enjoy watching a Progenitor-level battle. I’m not falling for it this time, and I’m not missing out on any of the action.”

Hai Daoshao’s voice rose in frustration, “Stop messing around! War is a matter of life or death, and it’s not something that you should be joking about.”

Hai Feng’s expression grew serious. “As the commander of the Lu Elite Troops, father has already faced death many times while fighting on the Perennial World’s rear battlefield. Before he left for that place, he entrusted us with your safety. You’re not allowed to follow us. Go back now.”

“I’m not going back! I know Lu Yin very well, and he’s only making this fuss to mess with us. There won’t be any fighting this time around either. I’ll ask him right now, since you don’t believe me.” Hai Qiqi pouted and argued as she pulled out her gadget. However, her call did not connect even after half a day.

At that point, Hai Dashao grabbed her and dragged her back.

Hai Qiqi was not the only one with such thoughts. A fairly large percentage of people believed that the latest conscription notice was nothing more than a military drill. With both the Sixth Mainland and Astral Beast Domain currently under the Heavens Sect’s authority, as well as the truce with the Perennial World that allowed for trade and travel between the two places, there did not seem to be anything that could cause a war.

“What a waste of time. If we used this time to cultivate instead, we might have a couple more Envoys.” Cultivators began gathering outside Heavens Sect, one of the designated meeting points. The plan was for Semi-Progenitors to transport them to their final destination by carrying them in their inner worlds.

“Exactly. Dao Chosen Lu is abusing his status to mess with us time and time again. There’s no repercussions for him to fear at all,” someone replied in a helpless tone. They were not trying to slander Lu Yin and were just venting their irritation at having their cultivation disturbed. Naturally, everyone had their own cultivation methods and plans.

“Silence!” A shout pierced the chatter, instantly ending all conversations. Everyone turned to see a distraught-looking old man. He was Elder Qin of the Blaze Realm, whom Lu Yin considered to be Ku Wei’s rival bootlicker. “How dare you speak ill of the Dao Chosen when he has dedicated his entire life to protecting mankind? If not for the Dao Chosen, everyone in this entire region of the universe would already have become slaves of Aeternus. If not for the Dao Chosen, all of you would have been captured by the Perennial World and made into cannon fodder on the rear battlefield. If not for the Dao Chosen, how would any of you have ever managed to see the Heavens Sect that you’re standing in front of right now?”

“All of you are ungrateful bastards! How long has it been since the Dao Chosen did all that to save your pathetic lives? Barely any time has passed at all, but you’ve already forgotten about all of his sacrifices and meritorious deeds! In this universe, the Dao Chosen represents the heavens! He is our ruler and our protector. Watch your attitude, and use some common sense to realize that you should show the proper respect and sincerity when speaking about him. All of you should take a good look at yourselves and reflect on your failure to appreciate the Dao Chosen…”

The crowd stared on blankly as Elder Qin spoke for a good half an hour, scolding them the entire time. Not once did the man repeat even a single sentence as he praised Lu Yin to the heavens. Most people started to slowly back away from the old man as he ranted.

The Ghost Monkey was appalled at how much Elder Qin’s bootlicking abilities had improved. No, there was no way in hell the Ghost Monkey would ever allow this old man to actually meet Seventh Bro. Ku Wei already far surpassed the Ghost Monkey’s abilities, and having another rival would be too challenging.

As the Ghost Monkey observed Elder Qin’s tirade, his eyes blazed with determination to eventually surpass the old man.

At this time, a couple was enjoying a sumptuous meal at an elegant restaurant on Earth. Towering above the restaurant was an enormous statue of Lu Yin that stood nearby.

The man gracefully dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. He affectionately addressed his companion, “Dana, today is the twenty third day of our vacation in the Outerverse.”

“Is that so? We’ve already visited so many scenic parts of the Outerverse, but there are still so many more that I want to see. I’m sorry, Ian, but I don’t want our vacation to end yet.” Dana smiled sheepishly. All traces of the tomboy who once wore crop tops, low cut V-necks, tight leather pants, and knee-high boots were gone. Replacing them was a refined, elegant-looking woman who possessed a gentle demeanor and gorgeous smile.

Ian’s expression grew apologetic. “I’m very sorry, but it might be best to put our plans on hold for a while.”

Dana was unsurprised. “Are you planning to return to the Allied Forces’ Third Legion?”

Ian remained somber. “We can always resume our trip in the future, but for now, the Third Legion needs me. The Dao Chosen would only announce a universal conscription if war is already upon us, which means that duty calls.”

Dana chuckled as she reached across the table and interlaced her fingers with Ian’s. “Then you need to go. Regardless of your decisions, I’ll always support you.”

Ian gave a firm nod. He was no longer the assistant to the First Legion’s commander, Liuying Zishan, as he had risen to become commander of the Allied Forces Third Legion, which was an important position within the Heavens Sect.

The man was truly grateful to Lu Yin for his current position. His life had completely turned around after he had met Lu Yin on Earth. No matter how high Ian’s status rose, he would never forget what Lu Yin had done for him. He had sworn allegiance to Lu Yin, and his loyalty would never sway, not even if he was threatened with death.

Gradually, people gathered at the various designated locations throughout the Outerverse, Innerverse, Cosmic Sea, and Neoverse.

Two days later, Master Shan arrived at the entrance to the Starfall Sea. As he raised a hand, a sphere of light appeared and flickered. From that orb, battleships and people started to emerge.

This sphere was a hidden world. Some Semi-Progenitors used their inner worlds to transport the armies, while others instead chose to use hidden worlds. The manner of transportation did not matter, as long as the troops were safely delivered.

Li Zimo stared out. From his position, he was able to see the blocked entrance to the Starfall Sea, and the sight caused shock to cover his face. If this was the location of the upcoming battle, then it meant that humanity was about to face the Aeternals again. Furthermore, it appeared that humanity would be the instigator this time around.

Every person who realized where they were had the same thought, and expressions of shock, trepidation, and dread appeared all around. Most people had thought that this conscription would be the same as the last one, and the truth facing them quickly triggered fear and nervousness. Most of the people who had gathered here had fought in the last battle against Aeternus, and they had personally experienced the absolute despair and hopelessness of fighting against the Aeternals. Word of the location for the new battlefield quickly spread across the Fifth Mainland.

No one made any efforts to stop the news. It was better to let people know beforehand that they would be facing Aeternus. While this guaranteed that there would be more deserters, those who remained to fight would have a much better attitude, and this greatly benefit humanity’s army overall.

Before long, Elder Gong arrived with another large group of people. Numerous battleships, each carrying many cultivators, appeared.

Elder Gong and Master Shan exchanged knowing glances. With so many cultivators congregating in one location, it was guaranteed that there would be squabbles and fights. However, these men did not need to concern themselves with such issues. As soon as the fighting started, all internal conflicts would cease.

“Li Zimo, you traitor!” someone shouted. The voice rang out from someone on a sword-shaped spacecraft, the design of which was unique to the Sword Sect. The person calling out to Li Zimo was a girl named Liu Ying. Just like Liu Ling, Liu Ying was also one of Liu Shaoqiu’s cousins. She glared at Li Zimo, her face red from anger.

The light of distant stars illuminated Li Zimo’s apologetic expression as he met Liu Ying’s furious eyes. He did not say a word.

Liu Ying continued angrily, “You were actually Lu-”

Before she could even finish the sentence, someone hurreidly whisked her away.

Li Zimo’s identity had been revealed long ago. By this point in time, everyone who knew of him also knew that Lu Yin had sent him into the Sword Sect as a spy whose goal was to learn and share the sect’s secrets. It was due to Li Zimo’s efforts that Lu Yin had always been one step ahead of the Sword Sect.

After being exposed, the Sword Sect had stopped treating Li Zimo the same. Even though Lu Yin had united the entire Fifth Mainland and forced the Sword Sect into submission, the sect did not allow Li Zimo to remain a sect member. At the same time, they did not dare to push too far in trying to punish Li Zimo either.

As for Liu Ying, it was an open secret that she was obsessed with Li Zimo.

The Sword Sect disciples stared at Li Zimo with cold eyes. While none of them dared to berate him given his relationship with Lu Yin, they also no longer accepted the man as a part of their sect.

Li Zimo gave a silent bow towards the Sword Sect’s spaceship. It was directed towards Elder Lianxin, who had been his master while he was in the Sword Sect. She was the person from the Sword Sect whom he was most indebted to.

A voice entered his ear. “I’ve never blamed you. When Lu Yin nearly killed me, you saved my life. This next battle will not be simple, so take care of yourself and survive.”

It was a message from Elder Lianxin.

Li Zimo bowed a second time, the regret in his eyes even stronger than before. After a moment, he turned and left.

Liu Qianjue watched the young swordsman’s shrinking figure. Banishing Li Zimo from the Sword Sect had actually been a great loss for the sect. Li Zimo’s talent for the sword was no worse than Shaoqiu's. Losing him was a true pity.

One day later, the jiao arrived, and it carried two gigantic sourceboxes that it was delivering from the Lockbreaking World. When Xiu Ming had first heard that Lu Yin was planning to dismantle the Six Ancient Spirit Array, the Array Grandmaster had almost attacked Lu Yin out of pure reflex. Eventually, with much difficulty, Xiu Ming had managed to find two suitable sourceboxes, which had saved the prized sourcebox array from being destroyed.

Everyone was startled by the size of the two sourceboxes, including the Semi-Progenitors. Sourceboxes of such a size were impossibly rare.

Another day passed before Grandmaster Gu Yan arrived, and with him came the five sealing planets.

Seven sourceboxes were placed into Grandmaster Gu Yan’s care. Lu Yin had taken exceptionally quick action. Only three days had passed since he had left the Perennial World, and he intended to open the entrance to the Starfall Sea in just two more days. He was not certain how much longer the Dominion Realm would be able to endure for. They might be able to last anywhere from a few days to even a few years. No one could say for sure.

An entire crowd of Lockbreakers flocked to Grandmaster Gu Yan to observe how he set up the sourcebox array. Unfortunately, everyone beneath the Array Master level had absolutely no idea what the man was doing, and Array Masters were only able to understand a tiny fraction of what they observed.

Even Realm Array Masters found it challenging to understand what was happening. Only Array Grandmasters were capable of truly understanding Grandmaster Gu Yan’s actions, and thus they were the only ones to truly benefit from watching the old man set up the sourcebox array.

Both Grandmaster Xiu Ming and Highsage Grandmaster had followed Lu Yin, and the two men stared intently at the array as Grandmaster Gu Yan set everything up.

"Dao Chosen, someone has requested a meeting. She claims to have something to report regarding this battle that is of paramount importance." The Second Nightking delivered a message in a respectful tone.

Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. “Who is it?”

“A woman named Zi Jing.”

This was a surprise. Zi Jing was the president of the Cyberstars Network, as well as the mastermind behind the integrated network that connected the entire Fifth Mainland. She had convinced Grand Marshal Shui Chuanxiao to sacrifice half of Endless Weave so that humanity could be connected via a universal network. Lu Yin had met the woman on several occasions in the past, and he had a decent impression of her. She had also helped him before, so he wondered why she was looking for him at this time.

Was it really related to the upcoming battle?

“Let her come,” Lu Yin said lightly.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Zi Jing arrived very quickly, and Lu Yin turned around to face the woman. “What’s the matter?”

She smiled at him. “I’m here to provide the Dao Chosen with some aid.”

Lu Yin felt confused. “What kind of aid?”