Chapter 2493: Know Your Crime

"You are far too weak compared to me. Know your place," the middle-aged man stated slowly.

Zi Jing grabbed hold of Lu Yin's arm and pushed him away while glaring fiercely at the middle-aged man. "Ke Jian, if you want me to return with you alive, let him go!"

Ke Jian grew puzzled. "Why do you care about him?"

Zi Jing's face flushed red. "He saved my life."

Ke Jian glanced at Lu Yin. "Do you two have feelings for each other?"

At this moment, CyNet World trembled, and Ke Jian's expression grew serious. "A Semi-Progenitor from this universe has sensed us."

The pearl on his chest glowed white, and power flowed out of the pearl and down his arm. He then raised that hand and tore through the void. He quickly grabbed hold of Zi Jing and Lu Yin, and all three people disappeared into the rift.

After they were gone, Qing Ping stepped out and stared at the empty tower. Safe travels, Junior Brother.

…

There were countless parallel universes that made up all of reality, and some chose to divide the megaverse into individual universes. Time and space served as the coordinates of these megaverses, which could expand infinitely.

If one looked at a map that had numerous parallel universes, the larger the parallel universe was, the greater the resistance one would encounter when trying to enter it. There would be hardly any resistance when entering a small parallel universe, such as the one that had held Aeternus Nation.

After Ke Jian tore through the void while carrying along Zi Jing and Lu Yin, power continued to flow out from the white pearl on his chest, protecting the other two from the void while propelling them forward. Almost instantly, they appeared in a place that was much brighter than the top of the tower in CyNet World.

They had arrived in a place that was full of metal and bright lights that shone down onto their faces from all different directions. Lu Yin and Zi Jing were suspended in mid air.

Ke Jian appeared above them and kneeled. "I've brought them back."

Lu Yin was taken aback. Regardless of Ke Jian's personal strength, he had just displayed a level of power equal to a Semi-Progenitor’s. The fact that he was behaving so respectfully indicated that he was facing a Progenitor-level powerhouse.

There was no one that he could see in front of Ke Jian. Rather, there was a single black pearl that emitted a mysterious and eerie glow.

A voice suddenly erupted like a clap of thunder. "Zi Jing, do you know your crime?"

"Zi Jing, do you know your crime?"

"Zi Jing, do you know your crime?"

Voices fell one by one, each filled with conceit and superiority. They were not echoes but distinct words of different individuals.

Zi Jing's face grew ashen, and she fell to her knees in the same manner as Ke Jian. "Zi Jing knows her crime."

"Why did you flee?" One resounding voice rang like the tolling of a doomsday bell and exploded within her ears.

Caught off guard, Zi Jing coughed up blood. Blood leaked from her mouth, ears, nostrils, and eyes as she collapsed to the floor and confessed, "Zi Jing knows her crime."

"Why did you flee?" Another voice thundered. It was so forceful that it nearly took on a physical form. Zi Jing was crushed beneath its weight, but another invisible force appeared from below, forcing Zi Jing to endure the pressure from two different directions. She coughed up blood again. "Zi Jing knows her crime."

"Why did you flee?"

"Why did you flee?"

"Why did you flee?"

The voices continued to explode in a series. Each spoken word crushed Zi Jing while also tearing her clothing. Her once pure skin was now cracked and bleeding. She looked truly pitiful.

"Enough!" Lu Yin finally spoke up. Were these individuals nothing but mindless parrots? They did nothing but repeat the same lines over and over again.

Zi Jing's face was deathly pale, and she did not dare to even raise her head.

Ke Jian looked down at Lu Yin, surprised that the young man had spoken at all.

Lu Yin was using the Mask of Death to conceal his face and hide his identity by slightly altering his appearance. He was revealing the strength of an Enlighter, which made him appear to be an average cultivator.

As soon as Lu Yin spoke, silence filled the space. A beam of light shone down, revealing a set of numbers in midair: 276,653.

"How dare a weakling speak up in this supreme land! Ke Jian, who is he?" one voice boomed, accompanied by a powerful force that slammed Lu Yin to the ground. It was a level of pressure equivalent to a peak Enlighter’s.

Ke Jian ducked his head. "Zi Jing insisted on his safety. The two have feelings for each other."

Lu Yin lay on the ground and faked struggling to raise his head. "Don't make things difficult for Zi Jing! She's already returned and has even confessed to her crimes."

"Audacious!" one voice shouted. The pressure intensified, tearing both people’s clothes and forcing both Lu Yin and Zi Jing to spit out blood. "Weaklings are not qualified to speak here!"

Zi Jing yelled, "Let him go! I'll do anything you want, just don't hurt him."

"How pathetic. We humans have long since abandoned such emotions. You lowly beings are not even qualified to forsake your emotions, ultimately leaving you to be burdened by them.”

"Zi Jing, do you want to protect him?"

Zi Jing gritted her teeth, blood dripping from her mouth. "Yes."

"And if he dies?"

"Then I’ll join him."

"Fine, we will allow him to live." The moment these words were spoken, a black hole appeared behind Lu Yin, and he was tossed into it.

Lu Yin did not put up any resistance. In fact, he was unable to resist given the circumstances. Due to Zi Jing’s great importance, the person interrogating her had to be a high-ranking individual of the Transcendent Universe. As part of the Sixverse Association, the Transcendent Universe absolutely had more than a single Progenitor-level expert, which meant that, if Lu Yin were to expose himself, the results would be far from pleasant.

Fortunately, they were unable to detect his actual strength. Still, that made sense, as not even Progenitors were able to sense Lu Yin’s true power. Even though the Transcendent Universe had developed their powerful cultivation technologies, leading them to head down a different path of human evolution, that did not mean that their path was able to surpass the means of cultivators.

With a loud thud, Lu Yin crashed to the floor. Endless cheers echoed around him as a bright light once again shone onto him. He looked up and glanced around. Was he in an arena?

"He's here! The sixth challenger has arrived! What kind of display of slaughter will he present us with? Will he be torn into pieces to satisfy your madness? Or will he instead kill the beast, demonstrating the power of humanity? Let the show begin!" a deafening voice echoed throughout the arena.

Lu Yin slowly rose to his feet as a metal cage opened up behind him. Once it was fully open, a loud roar rang out.

He turned around and saw a strange creature that resembled a tiger, which was over ten meters long and formed from a skeleton of white bones. Flames surrounded the creature, and it stared at him in a menacing manner.

Lu Yin looked at the creature's abdomen and saw chunks of meat inside the bones. He then looked up to see that the beast had more than one head.

It appeared that he was the sixth to challenge this creature.

Elsewhere, Zi Jing stared up at a display that showed her Lu Yin's situation. Her face turned pale as she shouted, "You promised to spare him!"

"Zi Jing, are you willing to be loyal to the Transcendent Universe?" a voice boomed.

Zi Jing quickly replied, "I am willing!"

Back in the arena, the beast roared as it took off, charging at Lu Yin so quickly that it left afterimages behind as it raised sharp claws to strike.

This beast had a power level of over 300,000, and it far exceeded the level of strength that Lu Yin was displaying. He managed to dodge the attack, but the claws still left deep gashes on his arm.

"Zi Jing, are you willing to put forth your utmost efforts to complete the task given to you by this universe?"

"I am!"

Lu Yin constantly dodged the large beast’s attacks, and blood leaked from wounds across his arms, legs, and even his stomach. The watching crowd had been stirred into a frenzy, and they threw out chunks of bloody meat, further stimulating the beast. The look of cruelty in its eyes grew even more intense, and it started to move faster.

Lu Yin’s brow furrowed. He maintained control of his body and suppressed his aura. Given the current strength that he was revealing, this next attack should tear his stomach open.

Right as he thought of this, the beast swiped its claws horizontally. Lu Yin lifted a foot to evade the attack with a battle technique, but blood still spilled from his stomach. His abdomen had been torn open, and it was a very severe injury.

"Zi Jing, can you abandon your pathetic emotions to serve the Transcendent Universe? Can you dedicate yourself to the Transcendent Universe?"

"I'm willing!" Zi Jing yelled. "Now release him!"

In the arena, Lu Yin stared at the giant beast that stood before him. He would not be able to dodge the next hit without revealing his true strength. Blood dripped from the corner of his eyes, staining his vision red.

The beast let out a roar of rage as it raised its claws high and slashed them down.

Countless people cheered, eager to see bloodshed. This was the reason they were in the arena. In this place they could howl and scream, displaying the cruel, sadistic aspect of human nature.

The beast's claw descended, cracking the floor of the arena.

Everyone stared at the beast's claws. Blood? There was none to be seen. Where was the person?

Lu Yin had been transported once again. This time, he appeared within a liquid that could treat his wounds.

Looking at a display, a woman was scanning his body. "His injuries are severe. He almost died. Healing time is five minutes."

"Send him to be tested after that. Given his physique, he should pass," Ke Jian stated from where he stood nearby.

The woman answered respectfully, "Understood."

Soon, the woman left.

Lu Yin stared at Ke Jian.

Ke Jian walked over, and only then did Lu Yin get a good look at the man. At the same time, Ke Jian was carefully examining Lu Yin.

"I admire your type of cultivation, as it meshes well with our cultivation technology. However, you are too weak to let me see the true strength of your civilization," Ke Jian stated.

Lu Yin weakly asked, "What about Zi Jing?"

Ke Jian’s voice turned cold as he replied, "She is a highly valued asset given the fact that she has comprehended a critical technology. As for you, you have also been given a high value. If you perform well, you may even eventually be accepted by us. Starting from now on, you are one of the Energy Research Group's guards. If anyone asks, just tell them that you belong to us."

The man stared at Lu Yin for a moment. "If the technology that Zi Jing is developing can achieve a breakthrough, she will become a very important individual in our Transcendent Universe. As for you, you will enjoy something that your civilization has never experienced. Becoming an Envoy, a Semi-Progenitor, or even a Progenitor will no longer be a mere dream for you. Even if you are nothing more than a bug, we can still allow you to obtain the power of a Progenitor."

With that, Ke Jian turned and left.

Lu Yin's eyes lit up, as this meant that he passed the test!

From this point forward, he would officially be a member of the Transcendent Universe, which meant that he had acquired a proper backstory for his identity!

The injuries that he had suffered in the arena were nothing more than external wounds that Lu Yin had self-induced by tearing his skin in a manner that mimicked the beast's claws. Even if he had stood still, that beast would have never been able to injure him.

His injuries healed in just a few minutes in the healing liquid, which Lu Yin found to be quite impressive. This universe seemed to have quite advanced healing abilities.

The woman returned to check on Lu Yin's vital signs and then had him taken away.