Chapter 2009: Unease
Xia De replied, "I can only promise to take your people back to the Perennial World and protect them from this catastrophe."
"What about the rest of the Fifth Mainland?" Lu Yin asked.
Xia De sighed. "As fellow humans, we would like to save them as well, but we simply can’t. Keeping the Perennial World safe is already considered acceptable. You should know that in the past there were the Six Mainlands, but now, only this broken Fifth Mainland remains. Even the Fifth Mainland will soon disappear. Humans are simply not Aeternus’s opponent. We can't help you."
Lu Yin’s smile had already disappeared. "It's a shame that people call you Hero Xia. You are actually meeker than anyone."
Xia De laughed. "I would willingly die to protect the Perennial World, but not this Forsaken Land. Lu Xiaoxuan, I know that you want to threaten us with the people you’ve captured, but you’re being too naive. A new child is born into the major families every few decades, or at worst, every few hundred years. The people that you’ve captured are not invaluable. Our bottom line is to allow your people to escape into the Perennial World. Forget about trying to drag us into this war.
"The Perennial World is humanity’s last line of defense. Why did Progenitor Hui deploy the Ceaseless Impetus sourcebox array in the Perennial World instead of here in the Fifth Mainland? Because he clearly foresaw that the Fifth Mainland would fall.”
Lu Yin lifted his head. "That’s nonsense. Progenitor Hui didn’t place Ceaseless Impetus in the Perennial World, but behind the Mother Tree. You’re the ones who moved the Mother Tree away from here."
Xia De indifferently answered, "That was the Lu family, which makes it your problem, not ours."
"Fine. Just do as you promise. Let people from my Fifth Mainland take refuge in the Perennial World." Lu Yin did not bother continuing to argue. In the past, the Lu family had indeed ruled over the Fifth Mainland, and only the Lu family knew the truth behind their actions.
Xia De nodded. "Absolutely. I can agree to this much. We’ll allow a group from your Fifth Mainland to travel to the Perennial World. You can join them."
Lu Yin threw back his head and laughed loudly. "I’d simply be marching to my death!"
"If you stay here, you’ll still die." Xia De did not deny that the four ruling powers would continue to go after Lu Yin, as it was impossible for them to ignore Lu Yin. After all, Lu Yin alone was worth much more than all of the people he had captured.
Lu Yin sighed. "So in the end, my death is still inevitable."
Shortly after their conversation, Lu Yin left to make his way to the Innerverse, his heart heavy.
Aeternus had invaded, and stellular energy was being drained from the true universe. All humans were suffering from a terrible loss in strength, and Lu Yin was powerless to stop it. All he could do was make sure that some people were able to safely escape to the Perennial World with him.
However, Lu Yin had no intention of going to the Perennial World through the passage at Sky Creation Academy. He would get there through Jupiter.
How could he just give up and accept his own death? He planned to take the Great Eastern Alliance with him and hide out in the Perennial World. A day would eventually come when he and his alliance would rise again.
Arch-Elder Zen and the other Semi-Progenitors could only go through Sky Creation Academy. Lu Yin prayed that more people would be able to find a means of escape and that the various seeds would be able to pass on the Fifth Mainland’s legacy.
However, there was no choice but to fight tooth and nail before they escaped from their homeland. None of the Semi-Progenitors would flee without putting up a fight either. Escaping was the last resort, and the Fifth Mainland would use every means available to resist this disaster. Lu Yin had the same determination. Even if he knew that he would lose and that he might have to pay with his very life, he simply could not retreat without putting up a fight.
"Do you no longer want the Second Nightking?" Kui Luo's voice entered Lu Yin’s ears. The old man had appeared at Lu Yin’s side after he left the Technocracy.
Earlier, Lu Yin had sent a message to Kui Luo through a wireless jincan, informing the old man that he was in the Technocracy. There was no other way that Kui Luo could have found Lu Yin so quickly.
Lu Yin had been confident enough to meet with Xia De for several reasons. To begin with, Lu Yin did not fear Xia De. Second, he knew he could escape at any time. Last, but most importantly, Kui Luo had been nearby. Even if Lu Yin had been forced to escape to the Daosource Sect ruins, he would have eventually returned to the exact same place that he had left. The Perennial World’s four Semi-Progenitors would make sure to catch him when he reappeared, so Kui Luo had been Lu Yin’s true means of escape.
Lu Yin lamented, "The Second Nightking wasn’t working for me willingly, but rather was being controlled by the Sealed Cage Technique. Since he’s been in contact with the Bai family, he’s most likely fallen back under their control, so I wasn’t confident in trying that."
Kui Luo understood such worries.
"Besides." Lu Yin frowned. "He showed that he couldn’t be trusted when we were in Shamrock Enterprise’s hidden world. That was when I decided that I needed to find someone to replace him."
"True enough. You can’t use someone who isn’t loyal. You do need to look for a replacement." Kui Luo sighed. As he was speaking, he realized where the conversation was leading, and he shot Lu Yin a disgruntled look. "What are you trying to pull by telling me this? You can’t be thinking of getting me to act as his replacement."
Lu Yin’s face was the definition of innocence. "I would never do that. Why would you think such a thing of me? You’re my most respected senior.”
Kui Luo stared at Lu Yin for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Boy, don’t even bother. When this old man was toying around with the four ruling powers, you were still figuring out where to drink milk. I can see right through your lies. Let me tell you now: don’t even dream of me ever replacing the Second Nightking as your bodyguard. It’s impossible.”
Lu Yin sighed. "Senior, you think too much."
"Humph!" Kui Luo snorted disdainfully.
Lu Yin was left speechless. This old guy was really smart. Lu Yin could only inwardly curse himself for saying too much.
Of course, the more powerful his bodyguard was, the better. It was impossible for Lu Yin to use a bodyguard who was weaker than his previous one. First, there had been Liu Ye and Fei Hua, and then the Second Nightking. The next person had to be a Semi-Progenitor. It was too bad that Kui Luo was too smart. Lu Yin needed to find someone who was a bit less astute.
"Where are you going now?" Kui Luo's voice sounded less than friendly. He felt that Lu Yin kept treating him as a bodyguard. Even when the Lu family had been enjoying their prime, Kui Luo had never acted as Liu Xiaoxuan’s bodyguard, so there was no need to mention Lu Yin. At best, Kui Luo would offer a bit of protection when the occasion required it, but he was first and foremost a free man. He would never bind himself to another’s service.
Lu Yin looked to the south. "The Neoverse. There’s someone I want to pick up.”
"No. There are Semi-Progenitors fighting all across the Fifth Mainland. It’s too dangerous everywhere, no matter if you try to go to the Neoverse, the Cosmic Sea, or even the Outerverse. I’m planning to take you to the Perennial World and preserve the last flame of the Lu family. As difficult as it was to listen to Xia De's words, he was being honest. We can no longer stay in this place," Kui Luo said softly.
Lu Yin raised his chin. "Even if that’s the case, I have to go. I need to pick up my woman."
Kui Luo arched a brow. "Lan Xian? Isn't she still in the Outerverse? Right, we’d better move quickly and bring Lan Xian over. We can’t risk her getting killed by any of the Seven Skygods."
"Not Lan Xian. I'm not interested in her. My true wife is named Ming Yan, and she’s currently in the Neoverse."
"Wife? You’re married?"
"Not yet, but we will be soon."
"What about Lan Xian?"
"When you see Ming Yan, don't mention Lan Xian. Not a single word. I never once had anything to do with Lan Xian, and we only met once."
Kui Luo muttered to himself, "Sure enough, you’ve got the same bit of lust and greed as your old man. I remember hearing him say things like that back then too."
Lu Yin was stupefied. Kui Luo could never be trusted to watch what he said. If there was literally any other choice at all, Lu Yin would never allow Kui Luo to get anywhere close to Ming Yan due to the old man’s love of stirring up trouble. Unfortunately, the old man was the only way to move Ming Yan out of the Neoverse.
Kui Luo was a Semi-Progenitor, and thus his speed was incomparable to the Second Nightking’s. Kui Luo was able to reach Chaos Flowzone in a blink of an eye, and he instantly shot by Chaosgod Mountain.
As they passed by, Lu Yin saw that Chaosgod Mountain had already been reduced to ruins. Chaos Flowzone lay close to the Starfall Sea, and it had already become a battlefield.
Lu Yin stared at the ruins of what had once been Chaosgod Mountain. He had asked Thousand Eyes to keep an eye on Chaosgod Mountain, but he had no idea what had happened to the man in recent days. Hopefully, he had been able to escape.
All the corpse kings that the Neohuman Alliance had kept hidden within the Fifth Mainland had been sent out to participate in the war, and the ensuing chaos covered the entire Human Domain. Without receiving any support from outside the Starfall Sea, the Neohuman Alliance would have eventually been destroyed within the Fifth Mainland, but things had changed. The levels of stellular energy and star energy were dropping, which was weakening all the humans in the Fifth Mainland. As the fighting dragged on, humanity faced a worsening situation.
After passing by Chaosgod Mountain, Kui Luo led Lu Yin into the Cosmic Sea, and continued right on towards the Neoverse.
As they moved towards the Neoverse, Lu Yin tried to call Ming Yan, but he was unable to connect. His heart dropped, and he started to panic.
"Hurry, Senior! Faster, faster, faster!" Lu Yin urged.
Kui Luo grew puzzled. "What's wrong?"
"I can't get a hold of Ming Yan! She’s in Black Street, which is where the Semi-Progenitors are fighting." Lu Yin was badly flustered.
Kui Luo was startled. "The Semi-Progenitors? That’s a problem. A battle between Semi-Progenitors will spread out too far."
He gritted his teeth and shot across the Cosmic Ocean, making his way towards Black Street at his top speed.
Interstellar waste that had been scattered across the universe had been gathered in the Neoverse’s eastern region. The masses of trash had numerous slice marks through them, and the spatial fabric of the Neoverse seemed like it was on the verge of completely shattering. This was the result of many powerful cuts.
In the distance, Undying God looked up, the same lazy expression on his face as usual. He faced an incoming blade head-on, not bothering to even dodge. The blade brushed against his body, but it was unable to cause even the slightest bit of damage.
"Your sword skills aren’t bad, and I can even see a shadow of Xia Shang’s abilities." Undying God casually moved about without attacking or retreating.
Xia Ji was facing the Skygod, and the human clenched the hilt of his knife. He had already known that the Seven Skygods were difficult opponents. They were all ancient monsters, and no one knew how strong any of them were, or even the full extent of their skills. However, Xia Ji had not expected to struggle so much even against a Semi-Progenitor incarnation of one of the Skygods.
Space was upended, and a gigantic blade appeared. It was large enough to block out the stars, and it dropped down in a vicious attack.
Undying God just sighed when he saw it. "Why bother? Even Xia Shang's knife skills were useless against me, so there’s no need to mention yours. If he were still alive, I’m sure that he would warn you to not use weapons in a fight against me."
Xia Ji’s inner world merged with his Triple Blade Will, and the slash caused the entire eastern region of the Neoverse to tremble.
Outside the eastern region, Kui Luo waved a hand to disperse the shockwaves from the attack. "What a violent attack."
Lu Yin's pupils fluctuated. If an attack like that landed on Black Street, how could anything block it?
"Hurry up! Get to Black Street!" Lu Yin pressed.
Kui Luo grew solemn as he did his best to hide himself before he entered the eastern region of the Neoverse. He beelined straight for Black Street.
The endless blade continued its descent. Xia Ji had steeled his resolve. He was determined to finish this fight against Undying God.
Finally, Lu Yin arrived at Black Street, carried by Kui Luo. A single glance showed him that Black Street had been destroyed, and it had even been sliced apart into four or five different chunks. Blade energy filled the area, and countless spatial cracks were constantly opening and closing. Space could no longer stabilize itself.
Overhead, a droplet of the mysterious liquid was continuing to absorb stellular energy. It still showed no sign of slowing.
All of the color drained away from Lu Yin's face. He immediately released his domain in all directions. He turned to see an Azure Mansion, but this building had already completely collapsed.
He rushed straight over and found Ming Yu lying outside the ruins of the Azure Mansion. She was surrounded by the dead and dying whose bodies were covered with terrible wounds. Black Street had been completely wiped out.
Lu Yin suddenly hesitated. He did not have the courage to move closer after seeing Ming Yu's body.
Kui Luo waved a hand, and the remaining debris of the former Azure Mansion rose. Scarlet blood stains and a pale, bloodless face were fully revealed. It was none other than Ming Yan.
Lu Yin's pupils instantly constricted, and he crossed the distance between him and Ming Yan in a flash. He dropped down and carefully picked her up into his warm embrace. Her hands were as cold as ice, and she was stiff like a corpse. Although she weighed very little, Lu Yin felt as though he was holding a mountain as he cradled her motionless body.
At that moment, Lu Yin's mind had gone completely blank. He stared at Ming Yan in a daze. He could not figure out what he should do, or even what sound to make.
Was she dead?
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