Chapter 2324: You Have My Blessing
Unlike most people’s reactions when they saw the tea that Zhao Ran served, there was no fear on Xu Qing's face. "Is this my punishment for attacking the Outerverse? Well, I guess it’s one way to end things."
After a moment’s hesitation, he downed the entire cup of herbal tea in a single gulp.
Zhao Ran blinked. "You can’t drink it like that! You won’t be able to taste anything!"
Xu Qing frowned. Taste anything? Why would anyone want to taste their method of execution? Wait, why is there also a cup in front of Lu Yin?
Everyone ended up misunderstanding Zhao Ran’s teas, and Lu Yin was growing increasingly fond of watching the entire process play out. Everyone’s mindset was different when they thought that they were staring at death. Elder Qing Xing had shown fear, Bai Teng had shown reluctance, and Xu Qing was also reluctant, though fearless as well. Of course, it was also possible that his calmness had all been an act.
Of all the creatures in the entire Astral Beast Domain, Xu Qing was one that Lu Yin admired the most, and he was also the most qualified to lead the Astral Beast Army. Even Shui Chuanxiao considered Xu Qing a peer.
Lu Yin picked up his own cup and took a sip of the tea. "It tastes very good. It has a clear taste to it. You’ve improved yet again."
Zhao Ran absolutely loved to hear Lu Yin praise the taste of her tea, and she far preferred such praise to personal compliments. In Zhao Ran’s mind, brewing tea was her way of helping Lu Yin. So, she turned to help Xu Qing and encouraged him to enjoy his drink. "Sip it slowly. It's delicious."
Xu Qing was flabbergasted. "This isn’t poison?"
Zhao Ran became upset. "It’s tea! I made some herbal tea! You're so rude!"
Seeing a smile that was not quite a smile on Lu Yin's face, Xu Qing realized that he had misunderstood the situation. He let out a dry cough. "My apologies. I was mistaken."
Lu Yin picked his cup back up and enjoyed another sip. "On the battlefield, there are merely opposing sides and goals. There is no hatred. Commander Xu Qing, you did your best to get rid of me, and I tried to do the same with you. We can be considered even."
Xu Qing stared at Lu Yin. "Does the Dao Chosen have orders for me?"
Lu Yin set his cup back down. "Let's be clear. You are the most qualified individual to lead the Astral Beast Army, but I'm simply not comfortable with it."
Xu Qing nodded. "I understand. In that case, how does the Dao Chosen plan to settle things?"
"Tell me the best option," Lu Yin shot back.
Xu Qing grew confused. "Me?"
Lu Yin stared at the astral beast. "It would be practically impossible for any human to command the Astral Beast Army. Given the fact that the species are so different, a human commander would be ineffective. If we rely on pure strength, the jiao would be the best choice, but look at the thing. Does it look like it could be a commander?"
Xu Qing could not help but look over into the distance where the massive jiao was currently picking its nose. The beast accidentally cut itself and became enraged. It opened its mouth to let out a roar, only to glance sideways in the same way a guilty child would.
Xu Qing was speechless. "I simply can’t tell you, Dao Chosen."
Lu Yin thought for a while. "How about this? We’ll say that the Astral Beast Army is worth as much as Yao Di and Skymender.”
Lu Yin’s expression suddenly grew very serious. "That means that if you don’t do a good job leading the army, those two will die."
Xu Qing's expression also changed. Rage filled his eyes, but just as he was about to respond to Lu Yin’s words, a smile appeared on the young man’s face. "It was just a joke. There’s no need to take things so seriously."
Xu Qing's expression changed yet again, and he blankly stared at Lu Yin. Xu Qing could not understand Lu Yin’s intentions at all.
"Since I've entrusted you with this task, I’ll naturally believe in you. I was just joking with you, so there’s no need to take it to heart," Lu Yin continued to say with a smile.
Xu Qing frowned. Lu Yin's mood was changing too quickly, and Xu Qing simply did not know how to react.
Xu Qing soon finished a second cup of Zhao Ran’s herbal tea and then left.
Lu Yin watched the commander’s back. A person’s state of mind had absolutely nothing to do with their level of cultivation.
There were Semi-Progenitors who were terrified of death, but Commander Xu Qing was capable of calmly facing death head on. This was something that even many normal humans were incapable of. Lu Yin had wanted to use Zhao Ran’s tea to uncover Xu Qing’s thoughts, but the attempt had revealed nothing.
"I’ve brought it, Dao Chosen." The Second Nightking’s voice suddenly broke the silence.
Lu Yin nodded and stood. As he made his way in a certain direction, he passed by the Second Nightking. "Did the Third Nightking contact you?"
The Second Nightking offered a deep bow. "Yes."
Lu Yin said nothing more, and he quickly moved out of sight.
The Second Nightking stood back up and stared at the stone table, his emotions turbulent. He had not expected the Third Nightking to still be alive. When he had first seen the Third Nightking, the Second Nightking had immediately been reminded of when the Daynight clan had been at its peak. The three Nightkings had wanted to take their clan into the Neoverse, but they had been refused. Instead, the Hall of Honor had sent them into the Astral Beast Domain.
However, everything had changed. The current universe was no longer the same universe that they had known.
The Third Nightking could not accept the numerous changes. He had left to wander the universe, highly wary of the Heavens Sect. This was because he understood that, no matter where he went, the Heavens Sect controlled it. It was impossible to escape from Lu Yin's control.
There were six people standing in a field within the Heavens Sect. All of them appeared quite nervous, and they clearly wanted to say something, but they also looked too nervous to speak.
As soon as Lu Yin arrived, all six people hurriedly bowed.
These six people were of all different ages, and there were youths and seniors. None of them were weak for their age, and one of the youths was even a member of the Universe Youth Council. While the title of Ten Arbiters had only existed for a single generation, this youth held the same position that the Ten Arbiters had once filled.
"We greet the Dao Chosen," all six said in unison.
Lu Yin glanced at the small group. "I came here to trade you for your fatesand."
The six remained calm, and one of the older men answered in a respectful tone, "The Second Nightking already informed us of what the Dao Chosen needs. You are welcome to it, as we are willing to freely offer up whatever the Dao Chosen may need."
Lu Yin smiled. "There’s no need for that, as all I want is your fatesand. Also, you don’t need to worry, as I will compensate you well for your troubles."
He then raised a hand, and all six people released their fatesand.
Fatesand would take a different form after entering each person’s body, but the form did not matter to Lu Yin, as he could absorb anyone’s fatesand.
When he had first absorbed another person’s fatesand, it had been when he had been fighting against the Sixth Mainland’s Hong Ying. It was at that time that Lu Yin had learned that it was possible to take fatesand from other people.
He had not particularly cared about fatesand for a long time, and he had even been discouraged from obtaining more after hearing Xuan Jiu say that gathering fatesand was a good way to draw Destiny’s attention, which had made Lu Yin very nervous. However, the power that he was cultivating within his chest incorporated fatesand, so gathering more fatesand would strengthen Lu Yin’s unique power.
As the six bits of fatesand entered his body, an invisible shockwave struck the ears of everyone within the Heavens Sect. At that moment, the six people closest to Lu Yin all lost consciousness, as did many others within the Heavens Sect.
Within Lu Yin’s chest, the overall form of the energy that he cultivated was shaped by the black and white death energy that formed a mist, while the fatesand formed a core at the center. It created what looked like a mainland drifting through space that was surrounded by an all-encompassing, utterly domineering power. Atop the mainland formed from fatesand sat the Withered Bark, which had gray streams of time flowing around it. All together, it was a very harmonious scene.
The six bits of fatesand slightly expanded the mainland.
Lu Yin had now gathered fifty bits of fatesand, which meant that there were still fifty eight that he still needed to gather. However, he had no idea where to search for the last bits of fatesand.
The six people that Lu Yin had met with had come from all across the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands, found after he had ordered a search for fatesand. Unfortunately, no matter how desperately people searched, it was possible that it would be impossible to find all the remaining bits of fatesand.
That reminded Lu Yin of Skymender. According to Lu Yin’s understanding, it should be possible to find fatesand by using the Book of Destiny.
"Get them taken care of and get them some proper compensation as I told them," Lu Yin softly said as he looked at the six unconscious people lying on the ground.
From a short ways away, the Second Nightking answered with a bow, "Yes, Dao Chosen."
They were in the final countdown until the New Corridor was repaired, but there were still a few matters that Lu Yin needed to see to in order to stabilize things further before the Perennial World arrived. Unfortunately, people were still flooding into the Heavens Sect from all corners of the Fifth Mainland, and Backyard was also operating at top speed to produce as many weapons as possible. At the same time, having so many people present in the Heavens Sect meant that there was an increasing number of arguments.
Everything that Lu Yin needed to deal with required time, and far more than just a few days. He needed at least a few years. Even more importantly, Lu Yin needed strength. A level of strength that would intimidate even the four ruling powers.
Lu Yin was eager to see the full combat strength of the entire Fifth Mainland gathered into one place. Just how impressive would it be?
Even when Lu Yin had participated in the massive battle against the Aeternals, the full might of the Fifth Mainland had not been gathered.
A shadow rose up from the ground and quickly appeared behind Lu Yin. "Seventh Bro."
Lu Yin hesitated. "I thought that you didn't want to see me."
This shadow was the Ghost Monkey, who had gone missing after word had been received that Lu Yin had conquered the Astral Beast Domain. No one had been able to find the Ghost Monkey anywhere.
"Congratulations, Seventh Bro. You now rule the entire Fifth Mainland," the Ghost Monkey said. His tone of voice sounded a bit different from before. He sounded less nervous and more secure.
Lu Yin turned around to look at the monkey. "Let's talk."
The Ghost Monkey lifted his eyes to solemnly stare at Lu Yin. "What more can I say?"
Lu Yin frowned. "You went and hid? So why did you show back up now?"
"Some things require closure," the Ghost Monkey replied.
Lu Yin stared at the Ghost Monkey. Closure? This sounded quite presumptuous, and not even Skymender would dare to speak to Lu Yin in such a manner. It seemed that this stupid monkey had been hiding quite a bit and that this would be his final confrontation with Lu Yin. Did the Ghost Monkey know something? He certainly seemed to think so. In that case, who could the Ghost Monkey have shared the information with? Yao Di? Skymender?
As Lu Yin’s mind raced, his expression grew darker and darker. It seemed that the Skymender and Yao Di had succeeded in keeping some things hidden from Lu Yin.
"So? What do you want to do now?" Lu Yin asked. He did not believe that the stupid monkey could cause any real trouble for Lu Yin within the Fifth Mainland, even if it had been born from Progenitor Wushang’s blood.
The Ghost Monkey stared at Lu Yin, and Lu Yin stared back.
After a long while, the Ghost Monkey closed his eyes. "Even when considering the entire history of the universe, there are very few people whom I actually admire. Even the masters of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas have nothing to do with me, and I don’t feel any admiration for them. But you, Seventh Bro, you are different. In fact, you are the only human being I admire, so-"
The monkey hesitated, seemingly firming his determination.
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed, but he did not speak.
"So, you have my blessing, Seventh Bro. I give up," the Ghost Monkey stated solemnly. He clearly looked quite relieved when he finished speaking, but he also looked frustrated and sad.
Lu Yin blinked. "I have your blessing?"
The Ghost Monkey answered in a mournful tone, "Seventh Bro, you’ve conquered the entire Astral Beast Domain, so the Celestial Ice Phoenix clan is now yours and not mi- mi- mine!"
The beast gritted his teeth as he continued, clearly forcing himself. "Congratulations Seventh Bro."
Lu Yin's eyes grew extremely wide. "What are you going on about? What about the Celestial Ice Phoenixes?"
"They’re yours now, Seventh Bro. Even though Progenitor Wushang gave them to me to be my harem, if it’s you, Seventh Bro, I can only admit de- defeat. Con- Congratulations, Seventh Bro, on getting your harem!" the Ghost Monkey was practically crying as he finished speaking.
"Is this why you ran away and hid?" Lu Yin was stunned.
The Ghost Monkey blinked. "Why else?"
Lu Yin’s face started twitching. What the hell? This idiot actually ran away and hid because of this? How could I ever do anything with the Celestial Ice Phoenixes? We aren’t even the same species!
Even worse, Lu Yin was in the middle of preparing for a potential war with the Perennial World, and the Ghost Monkey’s actions had made Lu Yin think that the little beast had kept important secrets hidden from Lu Yin. Lu Yin had even considered the possibility that the Ghost Monkey might be able to use the power of Progenitor Wushang himself!
The more Lu Yin thought about what the Ghost Monkey had put him through during the recent days, the more irritated Lu Yin became, and anger covered his face. "Get lost!"
With that, the Ghost Monkey was punted away and sent flying through the sky in a very impressive manner.
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