Chapter 3999: Targeted

Time kept rewinding, with the scenery rolling back. However, even when it finished, the place in the chamber was still empty.

This proved that the occupant had left more than three days earlier.

Lu Yin had been in the Blackmarsh for more than a month.

“When did the person here leave?” Lu Yin asked, looking at the nearest skeleton, who was also the strongest in the underground chamber. It possessed the strength of a peak Dukkhan.

The skeleton met Lu Yin’s gaze with empty sockets that were pitch black. “I don’t know.”

“Then when did you realize that they were gone?” Lu Yin asked again.

The skeleton gave no reply.

At that moment, Unbroken Time’s broken needle completely shattered, and the barrier of chaotic time and space erupted. A terrifying force swept upwards towards the surface.

There, Little Lotus King and Ning Xiao were startled by the sudden eruption of power, and they both hurriedly dodged to the side.

Streams of chaotic time and space thrashed about, instantly spreading across the sky above the Blackmarsh. It looked like a gigantic monster had appeared.

The abrupt change horrified countless people, and they were quickly overcome with despair.

But just the next moment, a surge of consciousness shot into the sky from deep underground as well, and it sliced the universe apart, releasing a visible shockwave. The chaos was scattered, and the original sky reappeared above the Blackmarsh.

The sudden fluctuations of despair and hope left everyone thinking that the incident had only been an illusion.

Only Little Lotus King, Ning Xiao, and the others who had been fighting could not resist staring into the underground depths. They had watched that sudden surge of consciousness erupt into the sky. Just a glance had been enough for them to recognize it as a power that they could not resist. It was a flood that had overwhelmed the entire universe with its vastness.

Farther away, Xue Zhan, Jian Heng, and the others were also peering into the depths beneath the Blackmarsh. They had also seen the consciousness surge up from underground. Also, where had that terrifying chaotic time and space come from? Why had there been such a terrifying surge of consciousness?

A person slowly rose up from the depths, gradually entering their sight. It was Lu Yin.

Little Lotus King and the others narrowed their eyes.

Him?

In Blackmarsh City, Yu Sheng and the others who were staring into the distance blurted, “Mr. Lu?”

The Ortuser was stunned, but he still offered a slow bow. “Greetings, Mr. Lu.”

Yu Sheng then regained his senses and called out, “Greetings, Mr. Lu.”

“Greetings, Mr. Lu...”

More and more voices echoed across the Blackmarsh, forming a rolling wave of sound.

Little Lotus King drew a deep breath and then also slowly bowed. “Greetings, Mr. Lu.”

Ning Xiao, Xue Zhan, Jian Heng, and all of the other prodigies bowed as well. “Greetings, Mr. Lu.”

Ji was excited. “Greetings, Mr. Lu!”

None of them had ever expected Lu Yin to appear in the Blackmarsh. His presence was a far greater shock than the sudden surge of consciousness.

No wonder why that consciousness was so powerful; it was his

.

Lu Yin was widely acknowledged throughout the Nine Odysseys Megaverse as a supreme powerhouse who was second only to the Immortals. Nothing that he did would surprise people.

Lu Yin nodded in quiet acknowledgment of the greetings. “Carry on. No need to mind me.”

Little Lotus King and the others staring up at Lu Yin glanced at one another. “Those are Fugui’s clothes...”

“No way!”

“Could it be?”

None of them had been able to see through Lu Yin’s disguise when he had altered his appearance, but they could readily tell that his clothes were identical to Fugui’s.

It was impossible for them not to, given how invested they had become in Fugui.

In Blackmarsh City, Yu Xiang'er stared at the distant form of Lu Yin in a daze. She also recognized his clothes in an instant.

Those are Fugui’s clothes. How?

“My lady, is he-?”

Yu Sheng softly ordered, “Silence.”

Elsewhere, Ling Guang and his sister exchanged glances while staring numbly at Lu Yin.

They had both recognized his clothes as Fugui’s as well.

Lu Yin... is Fugui?

Lu Yin tapped the void with a finger, creating ripples that pushed Little Lotus King and the others aside.

They did not bother trying to resist and simply allowed themselves to be carried away. They knew that any sort of resistance would be pointless.

Ji alone braced himself with his full strength, but he was still pushed back.

Lu Yin’s power was simply irresistible.

Once all lines of sight were blocked, a gate appeared beside Lu Yin, and Greater Sancte Awe Gate stepped out.

“Silent Death?”

Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. “One of them escaped, likely the skeleton that created this Silent Death base. When I first arrived in the Blackmarsh, that skeleton must have sensed me, as it fled very quickly.”

“Has it marked you?” Greater Sancte Awe Gate was surprised.

Lu Yin thought for a moment. “Very likely.”

It was only after he chased Cheng Xue’s skeleton to the Blask Marsh that Lu Yin had learned that Greater Sancte Green Lotus himself had been marked by Silent Death. In other words, by the time that Lu Yin had learned that he could be marked by the skeletons, it had already occurred. The only exception to that was if the Netherfiends had been hiding beneath the swamp instead of Silent Death.

His actions would have been completely hidden from the Netherfiends, but the possibility that Silent Death was hiding underground had not changed anything, even if they had detected Lu Yin. The fact that Lu Yin was in the Black Swamp meant that, not only was he investigating the region, but Greater Sancte Awe Gate was also paying attention. Knowing that, even Silent Death would have been extremely cautious.

The fact that Greater Sancte Awe Gate could not detect Silent Death was one matter, but being able to restrain them after they were found was something else altogether.

In the possibility that Silent Death was hiding under the swamp, Lu Yin had been betting that they would not dare to move. Even while knowing that he was watching them, they would hesitate, as Lu Yin’s observation was still far better than Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s. Silent Death had also most likely been gambling on whether or not they had truly been under observation, which was why Lu Yin had continually stirred things up, even going so far as to arrange the competition to determine the First Scion to take place here. He had Silent Death to keep guessing on whether or not he had found them.

Silent Death dreaded Greater Sancte Awe Gate, and they feared that moving would reveal their traces. Ultimately, everyone had needed time to prepare their own schemes.

That was why Lu Yin had still entered Blackmarsh City in disguise, just as originally planned.

All the while, he had hoped that the Netherfiends were the ones hiding underground, as absolutely no one would have sensed his presence in that case.

Unfortunately, things had not gone as hoped. It had been Silent Death hiding, and their leader had successfully escaped. That being was much too cautious, and they had fled as soon as they sensed that Lu Yin had arrived, despite the invaluable treasures in the underground chamber.

That individual had gambled that Silent Death had not been discovered, but they were also not able to risk being caught. Thus, they had left the treasures behind, as the leader of Silent Death had been afraid of provoking Greater Sancte Awe Gate and not being able to escape.

All that could be said was that too little was known about Silent Death. If Lu Yin had learned that he had been marked sooner, he would have never traveled to the Blackmarsh alone.

He had done all that he could, but nothing would have changed the final outcome.

The good news was that he had still revealed Silent Death’s most carefully hidden base, and the loss of the spirit treasures there was undoubtedly a heavy blow.

It had not been easy to gather this many sourceboxes, even over the course of countless years. Whatever the purpose of the sourcebox array that Silent Death had been preparing was, there was no chance that it was anything good for the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. Disrupting that plan was absolutely a win.

“Silent Death does not actually possess great power. They fear the Greater Sancti and don’t dare to overexpand. It seems that most of their efforts have gone into finding spirit treasures,” Lu Yin said.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate nodded. “It’s no wonder why Silent Death left no traces for so many years. They never planned to do anything more. Their sole single goal was to prepare a spirit treasure formation. They did nothing beyond that.”

“I am curious. Silent Death hid underground by using a barrier of chaotic time and space to keep the treasure hunters from discovering them, but how did that barrier escape your notice, Senior?” Lu Yin had been puzzled about this matter. When he had found the hidden chamber, he had not found anything that could have fooled an Immortal.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate frowned. “If it was as you say, then it certainly should not have been able to avoid our detection... unless that skeleton took something specific with it.”

Lu Yin started to mull over that, but he did not dwell on the subject for long. “While that skeleton got away, this should still be a heavy blow to Silent Death. If we had also managed to drag Yong Heng out, it would have been perfect.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate met Lu Yin’s gaze. “Are you confident?”

Lu Yin shook his head: “No. Silent Death hides behind the power of the Death Megaverse, while the Netherfiends rely on the dead Immortal, Qi Xu. The fact that Yong Heng has managed to hide from both of them is no simple matter. He is even more cautious than that skeleton, so all I can do is try my best.

“I’ll leave this place to you, Senior.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate nodded. “I will summon all the Spirit Treasure Formation Grandmasters here to deduce the purpose of the formation. You should focus on your task.”

Lu Yin left and went straight to the city lord’s manor in Blackmarsh City. After giving a single order, he went into seclusion.

Yu Sheng was extremely deferential. “No one will be allowed to disturb you, Mr. Lu.”

He then gave orders that no one was permitted to even enter the city lord's manor, not even himself.

Yu Xiang'er and the others stared in the direction of the city lord's manor with complicated expressions. For a time, they were unable to accept the situation: Fugui was Lu Yin.

But what exactly was Lu Yin doing here?

What secrets did the Blackmarsh conceal?

Yu Sheng wanted to know, as did Little Lotus King and the others. They even abandoned the battle to determine the First Scion so that the prodigies could return to Blackmarsh City, where they waited for Lu Yin to emerge.

They understood why they had been sent to the Blackmarsh; clearly, it was related to Lu Yin.

They had been used, and at the very least, they needed to find out what they had been used for.

The saddest thing for a person was not being used, but rather not even knowing what they had been used for.

That was what Little Lotus King and the others could not accept. Their pride would not allow it.

Similarly, Yu Xiang'er could not accept that the average cultivator who had accompanied her turned out to be the famed, peerless Lu Yin.

To make matters even worse, Lu Yin already had connections with the Seven Fairies, and the situation left Yu Xiang'er’s mind in turmoil.

Her little maid was especially nervous. She had once asked Fugui if he was schizophrenic; would she have to pay for that?

Honestly, why did Mr. Lu have to go and pretend to be Fugui? What kind of name is that? Wasn’t he just setting others up for trouble?

Regardless of what others were thinking, Lu Yin sat alone in the city lord's manor, releasing his Karmic Dao and merging it with the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm to search for Cheng Xue.

She had taken advantage of the eruption of chaotic time and space to escape from the underground chamber. Lu Yin had deliberately let that happen, as it was also his own chance to find Yong Heng.

Far away from the Blackmarsh, a figure emerged. Lu Yin’s voice reached them, and the person grinned. “Very well. She won’t get away.”

That person was none other than the Great Master.

Lu Yin knew that he had been marked. In the future, he could not be the one to take action; he could only serve as bait or do nothing. Regardless, someone else would have to make a move, and the Great Master was the most suitable candidate. Her comprehension of the power of time and her incredible combat strength allowed her to handle many diverse situations.

In the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, the Great Master was one of the strongest cultivators, and she could be considered second only to Lu Yin.

With the Great Master on the trail, unless Yong Heng never revealed himself at all, they were bound to catch his trail eventually.

The commotion in the Blackmarsh drew a great deal of attention from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. No one had expected trouble to erupt in that swamp even before the war with the insects was fully resolved.

As news of what had transpired in the Blackmarsh spread, strange yet familiar terms kept being discussed.

Bones. Every human had them, but the bones being discussed were not what most people imagined them to be.

The name of Silent Death also stirred a few people’s memories.

Certain families and sects quickly accessed their ancient records, searching for any hint regarding Silent Death.

While the group had always kept a low profile, after so many years of existence, if the Netherfiends had learned of Silent Death, it was impossible for everything regarding them to be perfectly concealed.

In particular, with a traitor like Yong Heng, who knew how much he might have exposed.

Finally, the Greater Sancti knew of Silent Death’s existence. As long as something existed in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, it was impossible for it to remain completely hidden from the Greater Sancti.

Not to mention, the massive spirit treasure formation beneath the Blackmarsh also brought certain matters to the surface.