Chapter 2161: Lu Yin's Ambition
From Ancestor Lingtong’s memories, Lu Yin knew why Xu San was meeting with his master. However, due to the lessons that Lu Yin had learned after Possessing Liu Ye and speaking with Fei Hua, Lu Yin purposefully kept his mouth shut.
Once he was back in his own body, Lu Yin fell deep into thought. Ancestor Lingtong really could not be underestimated at all. Not only had he been aware that his disciple, Xu San, was Lu Yin’s follower since long ago, but the old man had also been aware that Xu San had reached out to Lu Yin and the Great Eastern Alliance for help. Even then, Ancestor Lingtong had remained silent, as his only reason for keeping Xu San around was for his own stellular tribulation.
Xu San had been accepted as a disciple because he had the exact same innate gift as Ancestor Lingtong. Thus, it was possible for Xu San to buy the old man a brief moment’s respite during a stellular tribulation. Aside from that single benefit, he had absolutely no concern for Xu San whatsoever.
On top of that, Lu Yin had learned that Ancestor Lingtong had absolutely no bottom line. When the true universe in the Human Domain had been drained of all stellular energy, the old man had entertained the idea of defecting to Aeternus. This man was quite dangerous to keep around.
In truth, many people had similar thoughts to Ancestor Lingtong. If there were not, then Aeternus would have never been able to create their Aeternus Nation.
Without Aeternus presenting any sort of threat to humanity, such people were no different from anyone else. However, as soon as the Aeternals returned to attack humanity, these people would very possibly turn traitor.
Lu Yin immediately sent a message to Lan Xian, asking her to keep an eye on Ancestor Lingtong. The man could not be allowed to develop further.
Lan Xian felt a bit confused when she received Lu Yin's message. Ancestor Lingtong? I think that I remember hearing something about his disciple once being Lu Yin’s follower. How odd.
Lu Yin quickly checked his cosmic ring. When he had Possessed the ancestor of the Meng clan, Lu Yin had only burned through 3 billion star essence, and that man had only been one cultivation realm beneath Ancestor Lingtong. Ancestor Lingtong was stronger, but he had been much closer to Lu Yin’s body during the Possession; despite this, the consumption of star essence had been much more excessive.
Thirteen billion. A total of 13 billion star essence had just been used up.
Lu Yin swallowed. This was just too much. He had only spent a brief amount of time Possessing Ancestor Lingtong, and he had even been relatively close to the man. And yet, a huge amount of star essence had been consumed.
There was only a single realm of cultivation separating Ancestor Lingtong and the Meng clan’s ancestor, but Possessing Ancestor Lingtong had been 10 billion star essence more expensive.
Lu Yin felt pained by this realization. He knew that Possession cost more the more powerful the target was, but Ancestor Lingtong had only recently broken through to the Cosmic Imprinter realm. He still needed to pass his seventh and eighth stellular tribulations to reach the same cultivation level as the Second Nightking. Just how much would it cost Lu Yin to Possess a powerhouse at that level?
He was also going with the assumption that his Possessions would be extremely brief.
Lu Yin had Possessed White Sage for quite a long time, but the man had only been a four-tribulation Envoy. Even then, Lu Yin had only consumed thirty billion star essence for that lengthy Possession. He could not even imagine how much it would cost to Possess Ancestor Lingtong for a comparable amount of time.
After all, in the future, if Lu Yin Possessed an optimal target, he naturally would not want to end the Possession too quickly.
No, his resources were still far, far from being sufficient. He needed more.
He looked to the west. The Technocracy was still gathering star essence to send to Lu Yin, and they had estimated that they would send several hundred billion more to Lu Yin. The thought of such wealth caused Lu Yin to swallow from the mounting anticipation.
He needed to take a break, as he could not roll his die for at least ten days.
Lu Yin made it a point to check with his senior brother Qing Ping that the man could wait for another ten days. Actually, it would have to be a bit longer than that before Qing Ping could attempt his breakthrough, as they needed to find a suitable location after arriving in the Perennial World.
…
The darkness of the prison felt oppressive. Water dripped down in a distant corner, and the occasional sound of clanging chains could be heard.
A prisoner was confined to a cell. Their head hung low, long hair concealed their face, chains bound their limbs, and blood stained their clothes. There was a wound on their right shoulder where the person had been stabbed, and there was no sign of the injury healing. Blood continued to drip from the wound, slowly puddling on the floor after dripping down the prisoner’s clothes.
Footsteps echoed through the prison, and the figure suddenly moved and raised their head to look out from the cell. A man’s clouded eyes met another pair of eyes that looked incredibly familiar. The prisoner said, "So, you’re finally here."
Lu Yin stood outside the cell and stared at the pathetic form of the prisoner. "Xia Ji, it’s been quite a long time."
The prisoner was indeed Xia Ji. He had been imprisoned at the same time as the people from the Perennial World, and this was Lu Yin’s first time seeing the man.
Xia De and Xia Ji had both been imprisoned, but for entirely different reasons. The four ruling powers as a whole were enemies with the Lu family, while Xia Ji had a personal enmity against Lu Yin. That was why Xia Ji had been isolated from the other captives, and it was also why Lu Yin had no plans to let him leave the place alive.
Wang Si had been the first of the prisoners to be executed, and Xia Ji was most likely to be the second.
The cell opened, and Lu Yin walked in close to Xia Ji.
The man picked up his head to stare at Lu Yin. "What? Did you come here to kill me?"
"You look tired. Does it make you uncomfortable to have to look up at me?" Lu Yin asked with a smile.
Rage and bloodlust covered Xia Ji's face as he glared at Lu Yin. "I should have killed you back then. I should have never hesitated!"
Lu Yin shook his head and looked down at the prisoner. "You never had the chance, as I ran away first. Now, you’ll never get the opportunity."
Xia Ji shot to his feet to attack, but he was easily slapped back to the floor by Lu Yin. "I already killed Wang Si, and your inner world’s been destroyed. What makes you any different from her?"
Xia Ji continued to glare at Lu Yin. "I contributed greatly during the fight against Aeternus. Aren’t you worried that you’ll be reviled by all of humanity for killing me without just cause?"
"I’m the one who forced the Aeternals out of the Fifth Mainland, so who accomplished more: you or me?" Lu Yin shot back.
Xia Ji roared in fury, rattling his chains as he struggled against them.
Lu Yin continued to mock the man. "All of this is just a waste of time. I’ve taken control of the entire Fifth Mainland, which means that you’re doomed. If not for you, those seventy two members of the Lu family would have never been targeted and killed."
Lu Yin’s expression grew increasingly angry as he continued speaking. "Everyone from Big Sis’s mercenaries treated me like family, and then seventy two of them were killed because of you. You schemed against us, and I know that you never imagined that you would one day face retribution for those actions."
Xia Ji roared, "But you didn’t die! You're not dead!"
"True, I didn't die, but that just means that you have to pay for your crimes now," Lu Yin replied.
Xia Ji glared at Lu Yin as though he wished he could devour the young man.
The man had never imagined that he would fall from being a glorious and respected Semi-Progenitor to a mere prisoner. He was a Semi-Progenitor, and he had once been one of the seven most powerful individuals in the entire Human Domain. He had been bold enough to scheme against the Cosmic Sect and Eversky Island, and he had even managed to defeat both Elder Gong and Highsage Grandmaster in a fight. He had hidden one of his clones as God of Magenta, who had risen up to become one of the most powerful elders in Gods' Origin.
One of his clones should have been able to cultivate Truesight to the pinnacle, while another should have been able to cultivate the Cosmic Art and receive the inheritance that Progenitor Chen had left behind. If he had gained control over the stars and planets in the Fifth Mainland, then he would have become truly invincible. The Fifth Mainland should have belonged to Xia Ji! Everything should have fallen to him!
And yet, in the end, this child standing in front of him—this beast, this bastard had seized the advantage and stolen everything from Xia Ji.
Insanity filled Xia Ji's eyes. They grew bloodshot as he glared at Lu Yin. The old man’s hatred rose to extremes that he had never known possible before. "I never believed in karma before, but now I really hope that it’s real. With all the people you’ve killed and how many people your family has ruined, I can only imagine the retribution that will one day rain down upon you!"
Lu Yin laughed loudly. "A magnificent Semi-Progenitor hopes that karma is real? Xia Ji, it seems that the faith you once held in Progenitor Chen’s invincibility has been completely shattered beyond all hope of recovery. If he were still alive and knew that he had a descendant like you, he’d probably drop dead out of anger."
"You bastard! Everything that you’ve obtained came from Progenitor Chen! Don’t you fear retribution from killing me, his descendant? Progenitor Chen isn’t dead! Progenitor Chen can't die! He’ll avenge me and kill you for me!" Xia Ji roared.
Lu Yin exhaled and then reached out to grab hold of Xia Ji's hair. "Long ago, before Progenitor Chen rose to power, he was hated by Shenwu’s Sky, and they wanted him dead. It was one of my Lu family’s ancestors who saved Progenitor Chen and offered him protection. Not so long ago, you allowed Xia Yi to kill his own children. How are you any different from Shenwu’s Sky from back then? Not only that, you wanted to betray Progenitor Chen’s family and return to Shenwu’s Sky. You’ve betrayed Progenitor Chen.”
"If there is karma, then it’s true that I owe Progenitor Chen a debt, but Progenitor Chen also owes a debt to my Lu family, so who can tell if there is any debt left? All I know is that Progenitor Chen wants to destroy Aeternus, and that goal is good enough. As for you-" Lu Yin paused for a moment. "You’re nothing more than a traitor."
"That’s bullshit!" Xia Ji raged.
Lu Yin sneered. "Don't try to tell me that you knew nothing about what happened between Progenitor Chen and Shenwu’s Sky all those years ago. Do you want to try to tell me that you inherited Progenitor Chen’s power and had access to Progenitor Chen’s Mausoleum for all those years, and yet never knew about his history? In the end, you betrayed Progenitor Chen and wanted to acknowledge your ancestors to return to Shenwu’s Sky. You never even thought about what Progenitor Chen would think of that."
Xia Ji fiercely replied, "Even if Progenitor Chen were still alive, after so many years, he would know that it’s time to recognize his blood and return to his clan!"
"You don’t understand anything about Progenitor Chen at all!" Lu Yin shouted back.
Xia Ji lost all control. "I am Progenitor Chen’s descendant! What are you? I've seen Progenitor Chen's memories! Practiced his Triple Blade Will and the Nine Clones Secret Technique! What have you done? You’re nothing but a thief who stole his power!"
"Progenitor Chen isn’t dead," Lu Yin said quietly.
Xia Ji was completely stunned, and his eyes grew dull as he stared at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin stared back at the older man. "Back when the Sixth Mainland’s Progenitor of Secret Arts tried to destroy Burial Garden and eliminate all of those ancient inheritances, his attempt was blocked. Aside from Progenitor Chen himself, who else could have done that? You know that retaliation was Progenitor Chen's power."
Xia Ji's pupils shrank to pinpricks, and he started to tremble as he stared at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin continued, "Progenitor Chen is still alive. How could someone invincible like Progenitor Chen die? He isn’t dead—he’s in Burial Garden, and he will eventually emerge. When he does, how many people from your Xia family will still be alive? Will you be among them?”
Xia Ji's face grew pale, and his trembling grew worse. Progenitor Chen was still alive? Yes, Xia Ji had already known that. He had seen the slash that had forced the Progenitor of Secret Arts back, and he had known that that was Progenitor Chen’s power. Xia Ji had been waiting for Progenitor Chen to return, waiting for Progenitor Chen to lead their family back to the peak. However, Progenitor Chen had not returned. Instead, it had just been Progenitor Chen’s power, which had been usurped by Lu Yin.
That power rightfully belonged to Xia Ji!
"Do you want to wait for Progenitor Chen’s return?" Lu Yin asked coldly.
Clarity returned to Xia Ji's eyes, and he once again focused on Lu Yin. "What do you want to do?"
Lu Yin let go of the man’s hair and looked down on Xia Ji from above. "What about you? Do you want to wait for Progenitor Chen’s return?
"Do you want to see Progenitor Chen?
"Do you want to feel his invincible power?
"Do you want Progenitor Chen to protect your family and lead you to the pinnacle?
"Do you want to see your Xia family dominate the Fifth Mainland?"
Each sentence struck Xia Ji's mind like a sledgehammer. The words Lu Yin spoke became engraved on the older man’s heart. His mind raced. He did dream of seeing Progenitor Chen and witnessing his ancestor’s invincible power. Xia Ji wanted his faith in Progenitor Chen’s invincibility to be restored so that he could once again walk down the path towards becoming a Progenitor.
As Xia Ji’s mind continued to race, he realized that he could not accept things. He could not accept failing after all of his years of planning and preparations. He could not accept failing to become a Progenitor. More than anything, Xia Ji could not accept dying at the hands of this junior who had stolen Progenitor Chen's power.
"What do you want?" Xia Ji roared, his chains vibrating from the strain as he struggled to reach Lu Yin. The man almost tore his limbs off in his struggle, and blood ran down the chains in a constant stream.
Lu Yin stared back at the prisoner. "I want to learn the Nine Clones Secret Technique."
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