Chapter 867: Hong Ying

Alfonso wanted to share with everyone that Lu Yin had actually already killed Gui Bing, but right at that moment, someone else arrived. It was a middle-aged man, and he immediately said, “Everyone, we’ve discovered who the strongest powerhouse guarding the execution grounds is.”

Everyone looked at the newcomer expectantly.

He announced in a low voice, “Hong Ying.”

The expression of everyone within the crowd changed, and Alfonso’s face also went pale. “Hong Ying? The direct heir of Grand Martial Realm’s Flying Horse Manor who’s also Madam Hong’s disciple? That Hong Ying?”

The middle-aged man nodded helplessly.

The crowd grew desperate.

“Why is it her? She’s the Flying Horse Manor’s direct heir, but despite that, why didn’t she go to the Starfall Sea or the Cosmic Sea? Why did she stay here? And why does she have to be guarding the execution grounds!” someone bellowed in despair.

“Hong Ying is the disciple of a World Imprinter. She’s a Cruiser who’s completed nine cycles, and her crimson spear is invincible. Once, she went to the Starfall Sea’s Grayweed Continent where she killed two peak Hunters and badly injured Lan Baobao, who’s an expert in the Top 100 Rankings and received the title of Marquis. She has also killed Lan Yu and verbally challenged Arbiter Lan Si. She’s an extremely ruthless character.”

“There’s not just that—there are also rumors that this woman’s crimson spear is actually a power vessel itself, and that it’s unusually powerful to boot.”

“She’s one of the Grand Martial Realm’s most powerful existences and is second only to their Realmling. We’re doomed! With her around, just who can rescue those people from Astral-3? Our only hope is for an Enlighter to help. Only then will we have some hope.”

…

Lu Yin was surprised—Lan Yu had died? If he recalled correctly, Lan Yu was the younger brother of Lan Si, who was the Ten Arbiters’ Divine Fist. This Hong Ying was indeed ruthless, and she had even severely injured Lan Baobao.

Hai Qiqi cried out and urgently asked, “Lan Baobao was severely injured? Is she alright?”

Alfonso answered, “She’s not dead, but her younger brother, Lan Yu, is.”

Hai Qiqi’s expression turned ugly. Lan Yu and Lan Baobao. Even though she had not liked Lan Yu, he had still died.

Hai Qiqi tugged at Lu Yin and pursed her lips. “Get revenge for Baobao, alright?”

Lu Yin patted her hand. “Alright, I promise.”

The middle-aged man heard their words and looked at them in astonishment. “This is…?”

Alfonso finally had an opportunity to introduce his two guests. “This is a senior who I bumped into on my way here. If not for him, I would have died at Gui Bing’s hands. That’s right, Gui Bing is dead. He was killed by this Senior.”

The gathered cultivators were shocked. “Gui Bing is dead?”

The middle-aged man looked at Lu Yin with a grave expression. “May I know how to address you?”

Lu Yin replied, “You can call me Seventh Bro.”

The middle-aged man was momentarily stumped before a hint of dissatisfaction flashed through his eyes, though it was quickly concealed and he smiled. “So it’s Seventh Bro.”

He then looked at Hai Qiqi. “And this is?”

“Call me Sister Qi,” Hai Qiqi said flippantly. She wasn’t in a good mood at this moment.

The middle-aged man’s eyes narrowed, and a few others were also quite disgruntled by the two people’s attitudes. They felt that Lu Yin’s duo were too impolite and that they should not behave in such a manner even if they had joined the rescue mission.

“Where does Seventh Bro cultivate? I don’t believe I’ve met you before, and it doesn’t look like you’re very old either. Since you were able to kill Gui Bing, have you been granted a title?” someone asked.

Alfonso hurriedly replied, “Senior’s age may not look like it, but he has just emerged from a hundred years of seclusion.”

The crowd suddenly understood the situation.

“When will you guys move to rescue the survivors? I have no time to waste,” Lu Yin indifferently said. He still needed to escort Hai Qiqi to the Starfall Sea before he could rush back to the Outerverse, as he did not want to end up trapped in the Innerverse.

The middle-aged man was not happy with Lu Yin’s brusqueness, but since this person had killed Gui Bing, the man did not dare to offend Lu Yin. “We still have to wait for one more person. When he arrives, we’ll have a greater possibility of saving them.”

“Leave Hong Ying to me,” Lu Yin said confidently.

The crowd was stunned.

Alfonso was a bit shocked as well. Even though he was confident in Lu Yin’s power, Hong Ying’s battle results were simply too overwhelming, and she was not on the same level as Gui Bing.

The middle-aged man laughed. “Seventh Bro is underestimating Hong Ying. Seventh Bro might be able to deal with her, but we’re also afraid of holding Seventh Bro back. Let’s wait for that last person to arrive. With everyone’s cooperation and Seventh Bro’s strength, the possibility of rescuing them will be much better.”

It could only be said that this missing person was able to make them feel at ease. It was also obvious that this middle-aged man did not believe in Lu Yin’s strength despite him trying to sound like he was praising Lu Yin.

Lu Yin frowned, though it was perfectly normal that these people would not trust him. Rather, it would be more abnormal if they believed that he could deal with Hong Ying after their first meeting. However, he really did not want to wait any longer.

“Seventh Bro, rest assured. The person we’re waiting for will arrive no later than tonight. And with nightfall, the conditions of the rescue mission will become even more advantageous,” the middle-aged man said.

Lu Yin nodded helplessly.

As the radiance of the ceiling stones dimmed, its change indicated that the day was about to come to an end.

Alfonso’s voice rang out with delight. “They’re here! That person is here!”

The crowd hurriedly stepped forward to welcome the person.

Hai Qiqi felt that the whole affair was quite strange. “Who could be this popular?”

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed as he looked into the distance. A sharp group of rune lines were quickly approaching them, and he was surprised to see that this person’s power was not weak. They were actually quite close to becoming a Hunter.

Could these people have been waiting for this person? Although their power was not weak, they were still far from being a match for Hong Ying. If Lu Yin did not guess wrong, then Hong Ying was likely at the same level as Autumnfrost Qing, whose power could even surprise an Enlighter.

As the person drew closer, Lu Yin got a clear look and was surprised to see that it was Yan Hua, who was an expert from the Sword Sect.

This person had also participated in the contest on Planet Pyrolyte. Although Lu Yin had not really crossed paths with this person before, he had seen this person’s fights on the network. Yan Hua’s six lined battle force was especially eye-catching, and his battle style was swift and explosive, which had been very captivating to watch.

When they saw that Yan Hua had arrived, Alfonso and the others all moved forward to welcome him, all of them constantly mumbling something.

Through their conversation, Lu Yin was able to learn that Yan Hua had actually received a title: General Yan.

Titles were given from the Champions' Stage in the following order: General, Marquis, King, and Arbiter. Although General was the most common title, obtaining a title from the Champions' Stage meant that they had accomplished no simple task.

Before coming over, Lu Yin had Possessed a Sixth Mainland cultivator and bumped into Ling Que, who had received the title of General. There was a great disparity between Yan Hua and Ling Que’s strength, but they had both been granted the title of General. This meant that either the disparity between General and Marquis was too great and that Ling Que did not qualify to become a Marquis, or that titles were not just about an individual’s power and also took other aspects into consideration as well. Right, Lu Yin had also heard that titles depended on one’s military contributions.

The crowd surrounded Yan Hua, and Alfonso moved back beside Lu Yin and apologetically said, “Senior Seventh Bro, I’m truly sorry to have made you wait so long.”

Lu Yin curiously asked, “Is he powerful?”

Alfonso nodded and enviously answered, “His name is Yan Hua, and he’s a disciple from the Sword Sect who wasn’t very famous in the past. He’s from the same generation as the Ten Arbiters, but his strength only slowly improved as time passed, so he was ignored by many people. However, when the Sixth Mainland launched their invasion, he relied on his Lightning Sword Technique to step into the Explorer realm and used it to entrap several Sixth Mainland Hunters on one battlefield, allowing many of his comrades to safely retreat. He made a huge contribution with that move and was granted the title of General Yan. Some said that he might not be inferior to the Sword Sect’s strongest heir at the moment, Liu Shaoqiu.”

Lu Yin was surprised to hear this story; an Explorer using his strength to trap several Hunters was not as simple as it sounded. Of course, trapping and defeating one’s opponents were two different matters. However, since the opponents were Sixth Mainland cultivators, being able to trap them was already enough to prove that this Yan Hua’s power could match up to the top few in the Top 100 Rankings.

It seemed like this person was a late bloomer.

It was no wonder why this group had been so adamant about waiting for Yan Hua to arrive before they were willing to move out. Since Yan Hua was able to stall Hunters, and more than one at that, then he might be able to stall Hong Ying for just long enough to allow them to rescue Astral-3’s survivors.

The sky was covered with yellow sand, and the dark night sky seemed to be suffused with the color yellow. The wailing wind screamed as it blew past their ears, and it was even accompanied by the pungent stench of old blood.

In the distance, the sight of the irksome giant statue taunted them. When Lu Yin looked at it, he saw what Madam Hong, a World Imprinter, looked like. She was the one who had destroyed Astral-3, and this woman was someone on the same level as Ancestor Autumnfrost.

“Time’s up. Kill one person,” announced a tremendous voice that reverberated through the sky. Following it, a Sixth Mainland cultivator flew up. He was carrying a machete that he aimed at a student tied to a pillar. The executioner’s lips curled up into a cruel smirk, and he raised the blade that glittered with a cold light.

“Go!” Alfonso and the others charged out from beneath the ground as one unit as a thread of lightning shot through the void. It formed a sharp point that streaked over, and the Sixth Mainland cultivator who had been about to execute an Astral-3 student had his head sliced clean off.

On the ground, the Sixth Mainland people did not show any surprise. Instead, a cold arrogance appeared on their faces as they moved to fight against Alfonso’s group. In just a few moments, Alfonso and the rest were about to be utterly defeated.

The survivors from Astral-3 who were still tied to the pillars grew desperate, and some of them even hoarsely cried out, begging the would-be rescuers to escape.

More cultivators appeared all around them, and they were actually not all from the Sixth Mainland. Some were Fifth Mainland cultivators who had pledged their loyalty to the Sixth Mainland. These people had cast their dignity aside, and the Innerverse’s defenders hated these traitors even more fiercely than the Sixth Mainland cultivators.

The middle-aged man was not weak, but even though he was a Cruiser, he was still suppressed by a Cruiser expert from the Sixth Mainland. Once his opponent’s imprint appeared, the middle-aged man was no longer even able to hold on to the weapon in his hands, and it was flung away.

Hai Qiqi leaped up, and her domain appeared in the shape of a turbulent sea. As the Sea King's daughter, she was on the same level as an Imprinter’s descendant. Although she was just an Explorer, her domain complemented her battle techniques from the Sea King’s Dome, which led to extraordinary battle prowess.

Lu Yin also moved out, and he effortlessly killed two Sixth Mainland cultivators. He then raised a hand, and with one wave, an intense gale swept out and caused all one hundred pillars to collapse. At the same time, everyone from Astral-3 who had been tied to the pillars were all released.

The Sixth Mainland cultivators were surprised, as these pillars had not been made from average materials, and even an Explorer would find it difficult to destroy them. There was an expert in this group.

From a hidden location, Yan Hua was also shocked at this development.

But before he could consider the situation any further, a crimson spear shot up from underground and pierced through a cultivator before fiercely stabbing at Lu Yin.

As soon as Lu Yin acted, Hong Ying had felt that something was amiss, as this person had caused her heart to palpitate.

Lu Yin’s eyes flashed, and he considered leading Hong Ying away from the battle.

At that moment, lightning flickered through the sky and formed swords of lightning that rained down into the ground, trapping Hong Ying. Then, the lightning swords became dazzling as the lightning connected sky and earth. They had formed a prison isolating a small area, and its power was enough to cause the void to quiver and nearly split open.

Yan Hua had acted. “Everyone, retreat!”

As soon as they saw that Hong Ying was trapped, Alfonso and the others were delighted, and they all retreated immediately.

The Sixth Mainland cultivators hurriedly gave chase, but Yan Hua’s Lightning Sword Technique rapidly flickered through the crowd, trapping and isolating many other Sixth Mainland cultivators.

Lu Yin’s brows rose. This Yan Hua truly was not weak, and the flash of his Lightning Sword Technique was astounding.

Unfortunately, it was a pity.

The lightning swords that had trapped Hong Ying broke apart one by one until the entire trap exploded and the lightning dissipated in all directions.

Alfonso and the others’ pupils shrank. Not good!

Yan Hua was surprised. Could he actually not trap her?