Chapter 3551: Mind And Fist

All along, Lu Yin had thought that the Sima Chamber of Commerce was supported by the Gate of Laws, seeing as how the company specifically sought out materials that the Gate of Laws used to build sequence bases. Only after Yue Susu’s negotiations with Yi Shang had Lu Yin learned that, while those materials ultimately ended up with the Gate of Laws, they were not transferred over directly. Instead, everything was provided to the Ascendant Hall, which then passed the materials along to the Gate of Laws.

The agreement between the Chamber of Commerce and the Gate of Laws avoided both the Sima Chamber of Commerce and the Ascendant Hall.

The Sima Chamber of Commerce was backed by Ascendant Hall, but not the Gate of Laws.

Yue Susu had wanted to force Yi Shang to agree to stop competing with the Sima Chamber of Commerce for sequence base materials. It was not that Yi Shang had not wanted to agree, but rather that he was not qualified to do so. The Chamber of Commerce was required to find sequence base materials for the Gate of Laws so as to bypass the Ascendant Hall. If Yi Shang had complied with Yue Susu’s demands, he would have rendered himself unable to fulfill the terms of his agreement with the Gate of Laws.

Only when Zhan Ming had appeared and personally agreed had the matter been settled.

Yue Susu had set everything up. If Zhan Ming and Yi Shang had refused to agree to her demands, she might have died, but they would have gone down with her, as the relationship between the Gate of Laws and the Chamber of Commerce would have been exposed. When they agreed, Yue Ting had immediately stepped in and abandoned his daughter.

Everyone had their own plans, and they were all interlinked. If Lu Yin had not intervened and saved Yue Susu, he might have never been able to expose the relationship between the various organizations, and Old Yu might not have revealed himself either.

The old men were aware of each other’s various connections, but why should they share that with Lu Yin?

Only by allowing Yue Susu to survive could Lu Yin have exposed the truth.

He was quite impressed. "The Wisdom Domain, the Phantom Reach, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Gate of Laws, all working together, and yet never fully exposing the connections. Now that everything’s out in the open, congratulations. You’re all teaming up against the High Seraph.

"However, there’s one thing that I’m curious about."

He focused on Old Yu. "Old man, what brought you here to the Daquan Domain? Your Wisdom Domain shouldn’t have any involvement with the agreement between the Chamber of Commerce and Gate of Laws, which means that you shouldn’t have come at all, not unless you were already aware of their agreement."

Lu Yin had not known about Old Yu’s presence. But after the agreement between the Chamber of Commerce and the Gate of Laws was exposed, and since Yi Nan had also taken Yi Shang’s place as Seraph, Lu Yin had a suspicion that a key person was missing from the equation. He had simply decided to probe that feeling and see if anyone would appear. Unexpectedly, Old Yu had stepped out.

However, what the three men had exposed had not addressed the key detail that Lu Yin was considering. Old Yu was not the point of connection between the Chamber of Commerce, the Phantom Reach, and the Gate of Laws. Saying that he was would be contradicting Lu Yin’s instincts.

Compared to what he heard from the three men, Lu Yin trusted his own instincts more.

Even if they had told him the truth, there had to be something else that was still concealed, and that hidden detail was the key.

Old Yu stared at Lu Yin for a long time. "The Gate of Laws has always been hiding things from everyone. I’ve tested them multiple times, but I never managed to uncover anything.

"Even without clear answers, there have been speculations. Among the seven major powers, the Gate of Laws was the most likely to collaborate with another faction, with the most probable candidates being the Chamber of Commerce or the Sima Chamber of Commerce.

"What happened in the Hundred Grasses Domain would inevitably lead you, Lord Lu, to focus directly on the Sima Chamber of Commerce. Because of that, I specifically approached Zhan Ming, warning him to ensure that the Sima Chamber of Commerce avoided the spotlight, and he agreed with me."

Zhan Ming's eyes flickered as he glanced at Old Yu, who was also looking over. "You were already considering the same thing that I was thinking, so the reality of the matter is that I did nothing more than give him a reminder. The Sima Chamber of Commerce is openly supported by the Ascendant Hall, not the Gate of Laws, but I still needed to remind you.

"Because of that, the Sima Chamber of Commerce received a warning from the Gate of Laws, which was done for my benefit, as an attempt to confuse me. Because the Gate of Laws wasn’t working with the Sima Chamber of Commerce, you weren’t concerned about the possibility of me noticing them. However, that only made me more certain that you had nothing to do with the Sima Chamber of Commerce, and I then became even more strongly convinced that your best potential partner is the Chamber of Commerce."

"That is why I came here to the Daquan Domain, to confirm this detail. I knew that you would surely kick up a fuss, Lord Lu."

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. "Old man, were you plotting against me as well?"

Old Yu laughed and shook his head. "I didn’t expect something so unusual to occur during the selection of the official trade associations, but I was certain that, wherever you go, Lord Lu, things will become chaotic. I believed that there was a very good chance of everything being exposed."

"That’s why you’ve been watching from the shadows," Zhan Ming concluded, still looking at Old Yu.

Old Yu’s voice grew weary. "For years, your agreement with Yi Shang has remained hidden from everyone, while the High Seraph has always been wary of my Wisdom Domain. That has prevented me from even being able to see the materials that are used to make sequence bases. If not for that, I would have discovered your relationship long ago, and there would have been no need for all this trouble."

Zhan Ming stared at Old Yu for a long moment. "All these years, I’ve wanted to understand you and find out just what the Wisdom Domain really wants."

Yi Shang looked at the two. "It would be best to make things clear now. The High Seraph is ruthless and has been trying to monopolize the Spirit Nidus. One day, all of the Seven Seraphs will be under his control. We cannot allow that to happen. We are not working together to eliminate the High Seraph, but rather to secure a position among the Seven Seraphs in order to maintain a foothold in the Spirit Nidus."

Old Yu looked at Lu Yin. "Lord Lu, do you understand?"

Lu Yin clapped his hands and smiled. "I do, and I’m glad that you think this way. A completely unified Spirit Nidus is not something that the people of my Tianyuan Megaverse want to see. Gentlemen, however you want to deal with the High Seraph, I am in full support of it. Feel free to ask if you need any help."

Old Yu’s smile turned bitter.

Yi Shang and Zhan Ming’s expressions grew dark as they stared at Lu Yin.

Hearing such a comment from a Tianyuan Megaverse native would make anyone from the Spirit Nidus uncomfortable, but the fact that Lu Yin was willing to say it showed that he was not worried about the three men changing their minds.

Each of them was acting in their own self-interest. Unless the High Seraph completely withdrew from interfering in the competitions for the Seven Seraphs’ titles and abandoned his ambition to fully control the Spirit Nidus, these three would inevitably have to oppose him.

As long as the Spirit Nidus was not truly united, there would be hope of defeating it.

The biggest obstacle remained the High Seraph’s nearly invincible strength.

This thought caused Lu Yin to suddenly recall True God. Throughout the three megaverses, True God alone might stand a chance against the High Seraph.

While Lu Yin did not have much knowledge about the Consciousness Megaverse, he had heard that the High Seraph could not be defeated by any of the conscients there. His will was like Everstone itself, having combined with the sequence base. He was the perfect counter to the Consciousness Megaverse. As for the Tianyuan Megaverse, the Origin Progenitor had been suppressing his strength beneath the Immemorial Citadel for years, and he had not progressed in his cultivation for a long while. Only True God at his peak might be able to stand against the High Seraph.

If True God and the High Seraph fought and destroyed each other, it would be wonderful.

Of course, Lu Yin could only dream of such a beautiful outcome, as neither of the men were fools. They were wily old foxes who would scheme against each other, not use their fists.

Lu Yin also wanted to use his brain to remove the danger that was the Spirit Nidus, but unfortunately, his fists were insufficient for the task. No matter how smart he was, it would not be enough without the necessary strength.

"Since everything has been exposed and Lord Lu is now supporting us, that girl can now be dealt with," Yi Shang stated.

Behind Lu Yin, Shan Xian’s expression changed, and he moved to step in front of Yue Susu, which caused Zhan Ming to look at the old man. "Originally, you should have returned to the Gate of Laws to await your final moment. Unfortunately, since you have learned of this matter, I can no longer let you go. I’ll fulfill your wish—you can die in battle."

Shan Xian met Zhan Ming’s eyes. "I’m willing to take this girl with me to the Gate of Laws' graveyard, never to leave. Allow her to serve as a gravekeeper there."

Zhan Ming frowned as Shan Xian coughed up blood and looked over at Yi Shang. "Old friend, considering the fact that I once saved your life, allow this child to live out her days with me in the graveyard. Nothing of your affairs will be mentioned."

Yi Shang also stared at Shan Xian, his eyes flickering. "There are certain things that must never spread."

Sorrow filled the old man’s voice as he bowed his head. "I beg you."

Yue Susu grabbed Shan Xian’s arm, determination in her gaze. "Master, don’t beg these people. I’m not afraid of death."

Shan Xian’s voice betrayed his sorrow. "But you’re still so young. You-"

Yue Susu wiped away her tears. She was not crying because she feared death, but rather because she had been abandoned by Yue Ting.

"We, master and disciple, will go together. We don’t need to fear anything."

Shan Xian’s voice grew bitter. "This is all because I’m useless as a master. I can’t save you."

"Master, I’m also exhausted. Let’s just go together. It’s fine," Yue Susu whispered softly.

Yi Shang looked at Zhan Ming. "Do what you must."

A flicker of bloodlust appeared in the depths of Zhan Ming’s eyes as a throwing knife appeared in his hand.

"

Cough, cough.

Gentlemen, have you forgotten about me?" Lu Yin asked as he looked at Shan Xian and Yue Susu, who both turned back to stare at him.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Is there something else you wish to ask, Third Boss?" Yue Susu asked.

Lu Yin met the woman’s eyes for a moment before turning to Shan Xian. "If you wish to die, I won’t stop you, but if you want to live, I can lend you a hand."

Yue Susu and everyone else present was stunned.

On the other side, Zhan Ming spoke up in a low voice. "Third Boss, our cooperation cannot be exposed."

Yi Shang chimed in, "Third Boss, you want the Spirit Nidus to fall into chaos, but given our current strength, if this matter is exposed and the High Seraph takes action, we will not be able to put up any sort of resistance at all. You can’t want us to lose that easily, can you?"

Lu Yin turned to face them. "You’re right, I do want more chaos to fill the Spirit Nidus, but you are not yet qualified to make that happen."

"Then why allow them to live, Third Boss?" Yi Shang challenged.

Lu Yin pointed at Yue Susu. "This girl can help me make money."

Everyone was taken aback.

Make you money?

No one had expected such an answer from Lu Yin.

Make money? Was that really something that should be an invincible powerhouse’s goal? It sounded so childish, and it was clear that Lu Yin was mocking them.

Zhan Ming’s expression fell. "Third Boss, this is no place for jokes. We’re all on the same side, so there’s no need to make things difficult for us."

Old Yu stared at Lu Yin with growing intensity, but Lu Yin was unbothered. "We aren’t allies. If given the opportunity, I believe that not one of you would show any mercy to someone from the Tianyuan Megaverse. How you cooperate among yourselves is your business, and I can promise you that she won’t speak a word of this matter. Besides, even if she does, it won’t matter."

"How can you ensure that, Third Boss?" Yi Shang retorted.

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. "There are seven major powers, but how many of them do you actually represent?"

...

While flying through outer space, Yue Susu looked back at the Daquan Domain. All the events that had just happened felt unreal.

The last time that she had seen the domain from this angle felt like a very long time ago, possibly even from a different life.

She was currently sitting on a green leaf that flew through outer space. She and Shan Xian had been taken away by Lu Yin.

Yue Susu would never forget Lu Yin’s last comment before he had left the Daquan Domain. "If I want to take someone, no one can stop me."

It was such a simple statement, and yet the three men who stood at the pinnacle of the Spirit Nidus could do nothing but watch on helplessly as an entire group had left.

At that moment, Lu Yin had left a deep impression in Yue Susu’s heart. This was what true power looked like.