Chapter 3554: Myriascale Mantle

Lu Yin smiled over at Yue Ting. "Yue Susu told me that the Sima Chamber of Commerce had nothing to do with Yue Cheng’s death. Is that right?"

Yue Ting no longer had any idea of what might have happened at Buyi City. All he wanted was to send this harbinger of disaster away. This man had dared to challenge even the High Seraph. He had no other rivals in the entire Spirit Nidus. Even with Feng Chengzhu’s presence, Yue Ting did not feel any sense of protection.

"Nothing to do with it, absolutely nothing. If you don’t believe me, Third Boss, I will swear to you that Yue Cheng’s death had nothing to do with my Sima Chamber of Commerce," Yue Ting immediately vowed.

Lu Yin nodded. "Yue Susu was also afraid that I wouldn’t believe her, so she told me that if I doubted her, I could speak to you in person. That’s why I’m here."

Yue Ting shot a vicious glare at Yue Susu.

That wretched girl, she set me up!

"Third Boss, you can rest assured that I will thoroughly investigate Yue Cheng’s death, but I will swear to you here and now that I had absolutely nothing to do with it. Please, know this to be true," Yue Ting begged.

Lu Yin refilled his wine glass. "It appears that you truly had nothing to do with what happened. I’m not one to blame the innocent, so I’ll set this matter aside for the time being. However, there’s something else that I need to speak with you about."

Yue Ting’s heart froze. At this moment, he did not dare to even breathe too loudly. He hunched forward slightly, his face showing nothing but respect.

The man in front of him was far more terrifying than Yi Shang and his Chamber of Commerce or even the Gate of Laws. The seven major powers would not touch Yue Ting because he had the High Seraph’s backing, but the Third Boss was different.

From the moment that the Grandverse Manor had appeared, it had openly operated as a rebellion that aimed to overthrow the High Seraph. This Third Boss cared nothing about whether Yue Ting lived or died.

"I quite admire you," Lu Yin said with a smile, much to Yue Ting utter bewilderment.

He was completely dumbfounded, and even Feng Chengzhu stared blankly at Lu Yin, unable to make sense of what he was saying.

"You calculated every step of the way, and you even had your own daughter take the fall for you, discarding her the moment your goal was achieved. There was never any hesitation. Yue Ting, you truly fit the world of cultivators," Lu Yin praised.

Yue Ting’s face turned ashen, and Feng Chengzhu stepped in front of the man in a protective manner, her eyes never leaving Lu Yin. "Third Boss, this matter has nothing to do with you, does it?"

Lu Yin's expression instantly grew cold. "I'm speaking to Yue Ting. What does that have to do with you? Keep your mouth shut."

A drop of wine fell from Lu Yin’s hand as his index finger swept up, flicking that droplet at Feng Chengzhu. It did not move fast, but the void was locked down, and nothing could move.

It was just a single drop of wine, and yet it felt as vast as an ocean.

Feng Chengzhu was capable of dodging it, but she chose not to. If she failed to block just a single drop of wine, how could she protect Yue Ting? That was her task, even if she wished the man dead.

She raised a hand and reached out to grab the droplet.

As soon as she made contact, her arm trembled, and her entire sleeve instantly disintegrated. Feng Chengzhu’s eyes grew sharp as she channeled the force through her legs, shattering the floor below and instantly destroying the Sima Chamber of Commerce’s entire headquarters.

Yue Ting was sent flying by some unseen power. He smashed into the ground with enough force to spit out blood.

Lu Yin flicked his finger again, this time sending several drops of wine at Feng Chengzhu.

Her pupils shrank, and her sequence particles appeared around her. They wrapped around her arms as she used the ninth-ranked sequence technique, Infinite Strength.

She was another who had pursued the path of physical strength, having cultivated the Law of Infinite Strength. On top of that, she had undergone a beast-form Spirit Rebirth.

"I’ll return it to you," Feng Chengzhu spat as she threw a palm strike at Lu Yin, the wine rippling in her hand.

Lu Yin remained seated and simply raised his left hand to meet the palm strike.

The two hands never touched. They remained mere inches apart, but between them, the wine trembled. Each vibration sent terrifying power rippling into the sky above with enough force to shake the stars. Shockwaves radiated out from the heart of the Clearflow Realm, leaving a distinct mark on the universe.

Countless people throughout the Clearflow Realm felt their hearts being squeezed by an unbearable grip that suffocated them. When they looked up, they could see the ripples of force visibly shooting high into outer space.

Crack!

The ground beneath Feng Chengzhu's feet shattered a second time, and she released a larger number of sequence particles. Infinite Strength intensified her power as she clashed against Lu Yin.

Lu Yin was unmoved in his seat, and he calmly poured another glass of wine with his right hand. His outstretched left hand’s five fingers slowly started to curl inward, which forced Feng Chengzhu’s hand to clench as well. Immense power continued to pressure her sequence particles.

Infinite Strength augmented a cultivator’s physical strength with sequence particles. There was no denying that Feng Chengzhu’s strength was growing exponentially. As someone who had undergone a beast-form Spirit Rebirth, her body could endure immense strain.

Lu Yin's arm was shrouded with Wielder - Indestructible battle force, and it was also withering as he used Extremes Must Be Reversed. His finger clenched, crushing the sequence particles and forcing Feng Chengzhu's hand to bend into a fist as well. Bits of scale armor spread across her body, which was continuously morphing and changing as she returned to her true beast-form.

Lu Yin’s inner universe was released, and Infinity flowed. There was a resounding boom as the wine hanging between the two hands scattered entirely. Lu Yin grabbed hold of Feng Chengzhu's fist with one hand, only to discover that the fist was incredibly hard, to the point of being nearly indestructible. The scale armor that had appeared was nearly as hard as Golden Roc’s defenses.

Suddenly, the scales merged together to form a sword that abruptly thrust at Lu Yin.

The two were already mere inches apart, and the sword thrust gave Feng Chengzhu the perfect opportunity to seize the advantage.

“myriascale sword?” Shan Xian exclaimed.

Lu Yin's eyes flashed, and from within his inner universe, a faint solitary figure sitting atop a mountain suddenly appeared: Codex 16.

The lonely figure pointed a finger at the myriascale sword.

The myriascale sword halted before Lu Yin's eyes, restrained.

Feng Chengzhu was stunned. "How is that possible?"

Pain throbbed in her arm as she was forced down by Lu Yin. It was as though an unbearable weight was pressing down upon her.

Her myriascale mantle had transformed into the myriascale sword, which she had thrust forward. As her Infinite Strength sequence particles were dispersed, she could no longer endure; she dropped to one knee.

Her myriascale sword trembled, and the finger attack of the lonely figure atop the mountain—Codex 16—slowly shattered. As the sourcebox array broke apart, the myriascale sword dropped. It landed directly on the stone table with a subtle clang.

While the blade was certainly incredibly hard, it was also unexpectedly light.

A smile spread across Lu Yin's face. He continued to hold Feng Chengzhu down with his left hand, while his right hand poured some more wine. He took a sip and then set the glass aside so that he could pick up the myriascale sword and inspect it.

“What an impressive treasure, serving as both an armor and a sword. Your attack was rather impressive.”

Seeing Feng Chengzhu be crushed by one hand left Yue Ting's mind utterly blank. He had already known that the Third Boss possessed extraordinary strength, to the point of being regarded as invincible, and yet Yue Ting had not believed the man’s strength to be quite so absurd.

After all, he was protected by Feng Chengzhu, a powerful Ortuser who had once fought for the title of Seraph. She was famous in the Primal Beastland, as she was one of the former Grand Mountain Lords.

It was unbelievable for her to be overpowered by just one hand.

Yue Ting was not alone, as even Old Tao and the others were shocked.

Every time they saw Lu Yin take action, they felt a sense of awe that could not be quelled. Even those who had personally witnessed the battle at the Umbral Deep could not suppress the shock that they felt.

As for Yue Susu, Ye Yan’er, and the others who had joined Lu Yin more recently, the shock was even greater. After all, Lu Yin had not fought against Yi Shang or the other old monsters at Buyi City, which meant that this was the first time that they were able to see Lu Yin’s overwhelming power.

Yue Susu was well aware that anyone who was sent to protect her father had to be an incredible powerhouse who was reaching the end of their life, just like her master, Shan Xian.

The fact that Lu Yin could suppress Feng Chengzhu with one hand meant that he could do the exact same thing to Shan Xian.

Shan Xian felt miserable. Just how had this young man cultivated? At Buyi City, he had blocked Zhan Ming’s knives, which had raised both Zhan Ming and Yi Shang’s wariness, but when Lu Yin faced Feng Chengzhu, Shan Xian realized that Lu Yin was at least as strong as Emperor Wu. After all, there was a historical record of Emperor Wu facing off against three Seraphs on his own without being defeated, and it appeared that Lu Yin was capable of doing the same.

Feng Chengzhu’s pupils flickered. Even with her full strength, she was being suppressed. She had not suffered such humiliation in a very long time.

She struggled just to lift her head and look at Lu Yin, who was idly toying with the myriascale sword. "Yue Ting, you truly fit the world of cultivators. You perfectly embody its deceit, cruelty, and ruthlessness. But unfortunately, there’s one thing you don’t understand."

Lu Yin slowly turned to face Yue Ting, his gaze ice-cold. "The cultivation world exists because of people. And as people, we have limits. We should hold onto at least a shred of affection, a fraction of sentiment. Not just for ourselves, but for others as well.

"If you live only by deception and betrayal, you’ll never rise beyond the cultivation world. You’ll remain trapped within it."

Yue Ting’s mind went completely blank, and his strength fled his body. He dropped to his knees and started begging. “Third Boss, I was wrong! I was wrong! I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have allowed Susu to go to her death. I shouldn’t have abandoned her. I shouldn’t have. I know I was wrong. This was entirely my fault...”

Yue Susu closed her eyes. She could not even find the desire to shed tears.

Lu Yin continued to examine the myriascale sword. Had he been speaking to Yue Ting? Of course not. That man did not deserve to hear advice from Lu Yin, and he did not even understand who had been addressed. Still, Lu Yin had spoken out loud.

With his left hand, he had rendered Feng Chengzhu completely powerless. Finally, Lu Yin released his grip.

“This person is under my protection, yet I am unable to keep him safe. I will leave his fate for you to decide, Third Boss,” the woman said. As she spoke, she glanced at the myriascale sword in Lu Yin’s hand, and then continued, “However, I do have a request that I ask of you, Third Boss.”

Lu Yin coldly retorted, “What gives you the right to request anything of me?”

Feng Chengzhu wanted to respond, but could not find the words.

“Even when you attacked me with your myriascale sword, you never revealed any intention of killing me. Because of that, I will hear what you have to say,” Lu Yin informed the woman in a flat tone.

Feng Chengzhu heaved a sigh and looked over at Yue Ting. “The myriascale mantle that that man wears was my father’s. Yue Ting is unworthy of wearing my father’s armor. I request that you remove it from him. As for who receives it after that, it doesn’t matter. It simply should not remain with him.”

Yue Ting did not dare to utter a single word. He simply continued to desperately beg with his eyes.

“You can remove it yourself.”

Feng Chengzhu let out a breath and then slowly stood back up. She had no strength left in her right arm. Her earlier confrontation with Lu Yin had left an indelible impression on her.

Step by step, she slowly walked over to Yue Ting and removed the myriascale mantle from his body. She looked at it, clearly reminiscing, as she approached Lu Yin and handed the armor to him.

Lu Yin did not hold back. He had already seen how the myriascale sword in his own hand, which had come from Feng Chengzhu, was able to transform into the myriascale mantle, yet the armor Feng Chengzhu offered him was clearly much stronger.

“Is your father a Dukkhan?”

“Yes.”

“This is quite impressive,” Lu Yin said as he put armor away.

Feng Chengzhu watched in silence. She hoped to see this Third Boss wear her father’s armor, as this was the only person who was truly worthy of it.

“By the way,” Lu Yin commented as he looked up at Feng Chengzhu. “You just told me that this matter has nothing to do with me and is an internal matter of the Sima Chamber of Commerce. You are absolutely correct.

“Come here.”

Yue Susu slowly walked over from where she had been standing nearby.

Feng Chengzhu looked over at the woman. This was Yue Ting’s daughter, the child who had been abandoned. In Feng Chengzhu’s eyes, Yue Susu was someone to be pitied.

Yue Susu walked behind Lu Yin while staring at Yue Ting.

In a voice that held both a bit of hope and a great deal of pleading, Yue Ting said, “Susu, your father didn’t mean it! This was all my fault—everything is my fault—but it was all for the sake of the Sima Chamber of Commerce and our Yue family. Susu, please forgive me! Forgive your father, Susu...”

Lu Yin poured another glass of wine for himself. “It’s your decision.”

Hearing Lu Yin’s words, Yue Ting’s pleas grew even more pathetic. He had never imagined that scheming against his daughter and abandoning her in pursuit of a better life would turn fate against him so quickly. Now, his daughter would ultimately decide his fate.

How had things come to this?

At this moment, Yue Ting could think of no other option but to continue begging.