Chapter 2581: A Tough Match

Ke Jian frowned as a sudden burst of white energy swept across Gods' Origin.

"I must obtain these materials, regardless of the cost," he declared. All of Gods' Origin trembled beneath the pressure that accompanied his words.

The people kneeling in worship were overcome with terror, and they started begging for mercy.

God of Mirrors, God Taiyi, and the rest of the true members of Gods’ Origin felt the sudden surge of suffocating pressure that crushed all the nearby furniture. Even the people themselves were almost forced to the ground.

Lu Yin quickly spoke up. "Senior Ke Jian, these are my friends."

The words caused Ke Jian's expression to harden, and he retracted his overwhelming aura.

God of Mirrors and the others let out sighs of relief as they looked at Ke Jian with open fear. "The strength of a Semi-Progenitor is terrifying."

Lu Yin apologized, "Senior God of Mirrors, I am genuinely sorry. Senior Ke Jian didn't intend for that to happen, but he is also under immense pressure."

Ke Jian interjected, "I come from the Transcendent Universe."

Xuan Qi was clearly taken aback by the statement, but Ke Jian just continued on, saying, "There's no need to hide such things. Compared to a mere Heavens Sect, the help that my Transcendent Universe can offer is much greater. If they are exposed, all of them can leave with me."

God of Mirrors looked perplexed. "What is the Transcendent Universe?"

"Have you ever heard of the Sixverse Association?" asked Lu Yin slowly.

God of Mirrors and God Taiyi both took several steps back in shock, wary expressions on their faces. "The people whom the Heavens Sect commanded be captured?"

Ke Jian snorted disdainfully, and Lu Yin started to explain a bit about the Sixverse Association to God of Mirrors.

Before long, the man grew to have some understanding of the situation.

"Should anything go wrong, Senior Ke Jian has promised to take you away. What do you think?" Lu Yin proposed.

God of Mirrors frowned in contemplation.

Ke Jian did not press the man, and he instead waited patiently for an answer.

Almost half an hour passed before God of Mirrors finally spoke. "If we go to the Transcendent Universe, will Gods' Origin retain our freedom?"

Ke Jian’s expression relaxed. "Of course. The Transcendent Universe won't place any sort of restrictions on you. If you don't wish to remain in our universe, I can also make arrangements for you to be moved to a parallel universe. Although it would be small, you would also be the masters of such a place."

"How much of these materials do you need?" the God Taiyi asked.

Lu Yin turned to Ke Jian.

Ke Jian answered with utter seriousness, "The more, the better."

God of Mirrors inhaled sharply. "If we gather sufficient resources, will we be provided with any benefits? In addition to taking us to the Transcendent Universe, I mean."

Ke Jian narrowed his eyes, "What kind of benefit are you seeking?"

God of Mirrors looked to Lu Yin, who replied, "I'm not from the Transcendent Universe, so I can't negotiate for you. However, as your friend, I will say that I hope that you will gather as much as possible. The Transcendent Universe is much, much more powerful than this universe. If you aren’t caught gathering these materials, then Madam might even allow you to replace the Heavens Sect. At least, that’s not impossible."

Ke Jian glanced at Lu Yin.

What ruthless ambition

. "I will make that request on your behalf when I return, but before that, are you confident that you can gather enough of the required materials?"

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

God of Mirrors answered confidently, "The resources on the list you have given us are plentiful in our Origin Universe, Senior. Even if they are controlled substances, we can still gather a fair bit without exposing ourselves. If we spare no cost, we can even obtain several times more than you have listed for your requirements."

He then curiously asked, "Does the Transcendent Universe not have these materials? Given that my Gods' Origin can gather so much of what you require, the Cosmic Sect, the Court of Seven Names, or several other groups would be able to do the same. These materials don't seem particularly hard to come by."

Ke Jian, filled with confidence from God of Mirrors' words, quickly left to consult with He Ran.

Lu Yin, however, remained behind.

God of Mirrors inquired, "Dao Monarch, these materials..."

Lu Yin reassured the man. "I already have them. There's no need for you to worry."

God of Mirrors nodded, but God Taiyi hesitated. "Are we really going to the Transcendent Universe?"

Lu Yin asked in a teasing tone, "What? You don’t want to leave?"

God Taiyi responded with a bitter smile, "Of course I'm reluctant to leave."

Lu Yin offered some advice, "Don’t worry, all of us will come back here. Besides, none of you will be leaving just yet."

Lu Yin planned to devour the Sixverse Association one bite at a time. He did not have any intention of confronting the entire Sixverse Association, but he also would not allow them to control him, either.

After a day, Ke Jian returned with He Ran's offer.

"If you provide us with sufficient resources, we can reserve a seat for Gods' Origin on the Ruling Council," Ke Jian stated.

The offer confused both God of Mirrors and God Taiyi, so they looked over at Lu Yin, who appeared ecstatic. "Did Madam He Ran really say that?"

Ke Jian affirmed, "Of course."

Lu Yin quickly explained to God of Mirrors just how generous the offer was.

"Additionally, the moment you are exposed, the Transcendent Universe will whisk you all away. Not even Lu Yin will be able to stop you from leaving. The power of two black energy converters is enough to hold him back," Ke Jian stated in a voice that overflowed with confidence.

God of Mirrors then brought up several additional questions, but Ke Jian was able to answer all of them. It was clear that He Ran desperately needed the materials on the list, as well as the fact that she was losing patience.

"One last point." God of Mirrors took a deep breath as his tone grew increasingly somber. "We will only complete this deal with Zi Jing."

Ke Jian's eyebrow quirked in curiosity, "Zi Jing?"

God of Mirrors nodded.

Ke Jian quickly glanced at Lu Yin before nodding. "Agreed."

God of Mirrors let out a breath of relief. "That's reassuring. We trust your reassurances, Senior. My Gods' Origin will immediately start gathering the materials that you have requested."

Internally, Ke Jian heaved a sigh of relief. Things were finally settling into place. The Transcendent Universe had scoured numerous parallel universes, but they had failed to find even a single one of the materials that they required, aside from the universes that belonged to the other members of the Sixverse Association. At best, they had managed to locate a portion of the materials, but never all of them.

It had been a difficult journey that had eventually led them to discover that the required resources could be acquired from the Three Monarchs Universe. However, the sudden disappearance of Monarch Mu had become a source of immense frustration for He Ran. Finally, they had finally stumbled upon all that they needed in the Origin Universe.

While what they were doing broke the Sixverse Association's policy of non-interference with the Origin Universe, what of it?

Ke Jian was unaware of what purpose the materials would serve, but judging from He Ran's behavior, he was certain that they would elevate the Transcendent Universe to new heights.

For such a goal, small sacrifices were a negligible concern.

With the deal sealed, Ke Jian requested a demonstration of Gods' Origin's powers, as he was intrigued by what he had heard.

Ke Jian’s shocked reaction to witnessing people from Gods' Origin conjure myriad weapons, homes, mountains, and even rivers from nothing was greatly satisfying to God of Mirrors and the rest. Even a Semi-Progenitor was astounded by their abilities.

Ke Jian’s shock was not at all faked, and he felt as though his understanding of the megaverse had been overturned. Was it truly possible to create something from nothing?

The power to create from nothing did not exist in any part of the Sixverse Association. What was the deal with this Gods' Origin?

When he next met with He Ran, Ke Jian reported everything that he had witnessed.

He Ran was similarly surprised. "They can create something from nothing? Xuan Qi, do you understand how they are capable of this?"

Lu Yin respectfully explained, "This is the power of the Rune Progenitor, though I don’t know much about it myself. If you wish to learn more, you could bring Gods' Origin here to the Transcendent Universe."

The corners of He Ran's mouth curved upwards. "Intriguing... Such a power exists?"

Lu Yin was soon sent back to the Sixverse Academy, taken there by You Teng.

Ke Jian also shared God of Mirror's conditions with He Ran, but she just laughed. "This is Xuan Qi trying to be clever. He’s trying to leverage the value of Gods' Origin in order to enhance Zi Jing's influence and give her a greater voice in the Transcendent Universe."

Ke Jian frowned. "Should we give him a warning?"

He Ran's expression grew contemplative. "There’s no need for that. Leave him be. After all, she's his lover."

Despite He Ran’s words, some doubt could be heard in her voice. Was it possible that her assumptions could be wrong?

She had already suspected that Xuan Qi and Zi Jing were not truly lovers, as their interactions seemed too deliberate. However, after seeing the risk that Xuan Qi was taking for Zi Jing, it seemed possible that their relationship was indeed genuine.

...

After returning to the Sixverse Academy, Lu Yin enjoyed a brief moment of peace until Xu Yue arrived.

She wanted to make trouble for him.

"Xuan Qi, get out here!" Xu Yue shouted.

Lu Yin stepped out. "What's the matter?"

Xu Yue bared her teeth. "You took advantage of us and used our attack on Ling Gong as a distraction to kidnap Wendy Yushan so that you could win the seat at the Great Sovereign's tea ceremony. How do you plan on settling this debt?"

Lu Yin rolled his eyes. "I never told you to target Ling Gong. What does your choice have to do with me?"

Xu Yue grew increasingly furious. "You are completely despicable!"

Lu Yin glared at the girl. "Are you talking about me? In the Arboreal Sanctuary, if not for your interference, I would have obtained an innate gift from that lightning tree. I used to think that you hated me because I disrupted your trial, but I’m honestly starting to think that someone might have ordered you to sabotage my chances of acquiring a decent innate gift in order to ruin my chances of joining the Arboreal Realm."

Xu Yue seethed with rage. "You- you're spouting nonsense!"

Lu Yin smirked. "I’ve already done you a favor by not making any trouble over that matter. Leave, and stop bothering me."

"Not so fast! That seat should belong to my brother!" Xu Yue gritted her teeth.

"Nonsense." Lu Yin proceeded to ignore the girl.

Xu Yue clenched her fists. "You're asking for a beating!"

As she spoke, she summoned a stone mace into her hand and leaped forward. "Everyone says that you're skilled with the Stone Gate's battle techniques, but I don't believe it! Let me see for myself!"

At that moment, a long spear flew over from a distance, and it was aimed straight at Xu Yue. She whirled around and knocked the spear aside with the stone mace. "Who's there?"

Lu Yin looked over and saw Ling Gong approaching from the distance. The spear fell back into her hand as she directed a cold stare at Xu Yue.

The girl was shocked to see Ling Gong. "You? How are you here?"

Ling Gong pointed the tip of her spear at Xu Yue. "I'll deal with you first, and then your elder brother."

The spear twirled and then transformed into a flash of white light that stabbed at Xu Yue. The girl merely arched a brow and sneered. "You’re seeking death!"

The stone carved a path through the air.

The stone mace sweeps the world.

Clang!

There was a thunderous bang that sent sparks scattering in all directions. Each tiny ember warped space with its passage before leaving deep scorch marks where they fell.

Both Xu Yue and Ling Gong were forced back at the same time. Their blows were evenly matched.

Xu Yue was from the Voidforce Universe, and she focused on cultivating voidforce energy. Her cultivation with that energy made her the equivalent to an Envoy from the Fifth Mainland. While Ling Gong had yet to become an Envoy herself, she was famous for being a Realmbreaker. At the peak of the Ten Arbiters' fame, she had only been a Hunter, but she had been able to hold her own against Enlighters. After completing her forty third cycle as an Enlighter, she was well-equipped to challenge Envoys.

This was the strength of the Ten Arbiters, the geniuses who had suppressed an entire generation.

If not for Lu Yin's meteoric rise to power, the Ten Arbiters would have been the greatest legends of their generation in both the Innerverse and Outerverse, given that none of them were in any way inferior to the geniuses from the Neoverse.

Since they were fighting in the Sixverse Academy, Xu Yue was unable to use an energy converter, while Ling Gong was unable to use her smoke or any of her normal equipment, such as her microarray weapons. This was a true test of the two women’s individual abilities.

The two fought vehemently at a speed so fast that the people drawn to the commotion were barely able to make out anything.

Xu Yue's expression turned somber. She had not expected this woman to be such a difficult opponent. When they had clashed in the Origin Universe, Shao Qingfeng had exposed himself first, which had pulled the Fifth Mainland's attention to the trial. Xu Yue and Xu Ji had been worried about attracting the Lingling clan's attention, so they had ambushed Ling Gong with a sneak attack. Upon facing Ling Gong in a fair fight, Xu Yue was shocked to find herself struggling to gain the upper hand.