Chapter 2436: Please Proceed
"All of these people are weak and injured—they're practically cripples. No wonder Gu Yue refused to connect the two universes and kept us stuck outside. Hehe, now that I'm here, I'll take control of this weak universe! I, Attendant Wu, finally have the opportunity to rule a universe, hahaha!" As the man spoke, his voice grew louder, quickly attracting the attention of the guards.
"Who are you?" The guards took action and surrounded the Tower of Resonating Light.
Attendant Wu rose to his feet and arrogantly peered down at all of the guards. "Ants, I am Attendant Wu! Kneel before me!"
"How dare you!" The guards attacked.
Attendant Wu sneered. His eyes flashed as a mighty aura swept across Shenwu Continent, causing the entire continent to sway like a boat tossed by a storm. The ground shook and started to break apart.
Far away, in the imperial palace, Ming De's face grew tense. "A powerful enemy has appeared. Hurry and notify the Heavens Sect."
Half an hour later, in that same imperial palace, Ming De was on his knees. His jaw was clenched as he was forced to endure humiliation. Bei Hong stood behind the acting ruler, and further back stood the various ministers of Shenwu Continent.
Attendant Wu lounged on the throne, and he gazed down at the gathered crowd with open contempt. His eyes flickered to Ming De, and a spark of interest entered his eyes. "Tell me, who is the strongest in this part of the universe? How strong are they?"
Ming De lifted his head and opened his mouth to answer, but before he could utter a word, his body flew back and crashed against a pillar.
Cries echoed throughout the palace. "Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!"
Bei Hong stepped forward to help the man, but his body was instantly pressed to the floor by the power of Attendant Wu's overwhelming aura. The aura spread out in every direction, and the man forced the entire Shenwu Continent to bow down.
He seemed to be looking for something, or perhaps, testing something.
"Did I say that you could look up? Ants are not allowed to look at their master. Even if your master permits you to look, you can’t do so. This is the rule," Attendant Wu explained in a patronizing manner.
Ming De coughed up blood, and his body twisted as he suffered.
Attendant Wu merely glanced at the man before turning to Bei Hong. "Your status appears to be second only to his. Tell me, who is the strongest in this place, and how strong are they?"
Bei Hong remained sprawled on the ground, and he continued looking down as he replied, "The strongest is someone named Lu Yin."
Attendant Wu watched calmly.
"He is an Envoy," Bei Hong said.
Attendant Wu arched a brow as he murmured to himself, "An Envoy? The same realm as Gu Yue? I remember that it was separated into several stellular tribulations. Gu Yue mentioned that he had passed seven of those tribulations."
The man looked back at Bei Hong and raised his voice, "How many stellular tribulations has this Lu Yin passed?"
Bei Hong had no idea where Attendant Wu had come from, but everyone present believed that the man had entered Shenwu Continent from outside.
After the five sealing planets were removed, Shenwu Continent had received many visitors, though all of them had only been passing by or been on a specific mission. No one dared to act arrogantly in Shenwu Continent, as everyone knew that the place held a special significance to Lu Yin. Attendant Wu's actions baffled the residents of the Shenwu Empire, and his question further exacerbated their confusion.
Was there anyone from the Fifth Mainland who did not know about Lu Yin?
Bei Hong did not understand what was going on with Attendant Wu, but he still gave an honest answer. "I heard that he has passed five stellular tribulations, but some say that he has passed six."
"How many stellular tribulations exactly?" Attendant Wu was not satisfied with this answer, but he also was not overly concerned. Even if Lu Yin were a seven-tribulation expert, so what? It would mean that his strength was comparable to Gu Yue’s at best.
"Five stellular tribulations," Bei Hong replied confidently.
Attendant Wu scanned the crowd and asked, "Have any of you heard of the Three Monarchs?"
There were looks of confusion and everyone shook their heads.
Attendant Wu continued in a cold voice, "Then what about Gu Yue?"
Startled, Bei Hong looked up. There was instantly a loud boom, and the man’s body slammed into a pillar.
"Raise your head again, and you will be killed without mercy," Attendant Wu warned.
Bei Hong coughed several times, and blood poured from his mouth. His condition was now similar to Ming De’s. Seeing what had happened to the two men, everyone else in the room kept their heads low, terrified of the consequences of looking up.
"So, you know Gu Yue," remarked Attendant Wu as he glanced outside. These people knew of Gu Yue, but not the Three Monarchs. Gu Yue, oh Gu Yue. You've done quite well, blocking off the space-time passage between the Three Monarchs' universe and keeping the people of this universe in the dark. Unfortunately, you were too short-sighted, for the day of our arrival has come. The ants that you tried to protect know nothing of us, and that will lead to your greatest tragedy.
The strongest cultivator in this universe was only a six-tribulation expert, which could not even compare to Gu Yue. The strength of this universe had fallen too far. At this realization, Attendant Wu's eyes burned with excitement. "I shall be the king of this universe."
Ming De had not spoken a single word since Attendant Wu appeared, but the moment he heard Attendant Wu's declaration, mockery filled Ming Du’s eyes.
Bei Hong felt the same way.
Most of Shenwu Continent’s residents only had the vaguest understanding of the outside universe due to the five sealing planets. However, Ming De and Bei Hong were far more informed, especially Bei Hong. His son, Bei Qing, had become a prominent figure in the Great Eastern Alliance, and for that reason, Bei Hong’s knowledge of certain topics far surpassed Ming De’s.
What was Lu Yin’s cultivation realm? This question completely missed the actual point. Could Lu Yin’s strength be measured by his cultivation realm? Those with actual knowledge of the universe beyond Shenwu Continent understood that Lu Yin’s cultivation did not matter, as even Progenitors could only submit before Lu Yin.
"Go. Bring Lu Yin to me here," commanded Attendant Wu. His words left Ming De, Bei Hong, and everyone else completely speechless.
No one dared to lift their heads, which meant that Attendant Wu had unfortunately missed the magnificent expressions on everyone’s faces.
"Whoever brings Lu Yin to me will be rewarded by me," Attendant Wu commented indifferently, though a hint of arrogance could also be heard. He adjusted his expression and posture into a more regal bearing. It was extremely accurate and natural, as though he had practiced this millions of times in order to perfect it.
Bei Hong coughed softly and replied, "It is difficult for any of us to even approach Lu Yin, given our cultivation, but I can take you to his sect. With your invincible strength, you will surely be able to conquer all, and everyone in this universe will lower their eyes before you."
Attendant Wu looked at Bei Hong. "You're rather eloquent and quite insightful. You will be the emperor of this continent from now on. After I become the king of this universe, you will understand that serving me is the correct choice."
Having served four generations of emperors of the Shenwu Empire, it was only natural for Bei Hong to have a gift for words. "Yes, this small one will lead you to Lu Yin. It's not too far away, and given your power, such a distance is merely going around the corner."
Attendant Wu looked approvingly at Bei Hong. "Mmm. I will allow you to raise your head when speaking to me, but your eyes should never rise above my waist."
Bei Hong reacted as though receiving a great favor, and he answered as though he was completely overwhelmed with gratitude. "Being permitted to raise my head is my greatest honor. This small one shall lead you to Lu Yin right away."
A short time later, Attendant Wu and Bei Hong entered outer space.
Attendant Wu’s strength truly impressed Bei Hong, as the man used a tricolored power that circled around his body as he carried both himself and Bei Hong into space.
At the moment, all of the cultivators in the Fifth Mainland were either in the process of or had lost all of their stellular or star energy. Not a single person with the strength of an Explorer or above had been spared from this fate. Was it possible that this person's tricolored power used some sort of energy other than stellular or star energy?
"Curious?" Attendant Wu asked lightly.
Bei Hong used a respectful tone as he replied, "I admire your power, Senior. It is truly awe-inspiring."
Attendant Wu lifted his chin up proudly. "This is Monarch Essence. It’s only natural for the people in this universe to not know about it, though I must admit that this universe is far weaker than what I had imagined. Not a single person has cultivated the strength to venture into space without a spaceship."
Bei Hong replied, "This small one's universe is naturally incomparable to your own, Senior."
Through this conversation, Bei Hong understood that Attendant Wu came from some unknown region of the universe. Both the Perennial World and Sixth Mainland knew about the Fifth Mainland, which suggested that this person had most likely come from a parallel universe.
People would occasionally appear from parallel universes. After all, even Hunters could tear through the void and arrive in a parallel universe, if they were lucky. It was a relatively normal occurrence.
After confirming Attendant Wu’s origins, Bei Hong let out a sigh of relief. His greatest concern had been not knowing the man’s origins.
As for Attendant Wu’s true level of strength, everything would be made clear after they arrived at the Heavens Sect.
The Shenwu Continent had been relocated to the Innerverse. Due to what had happened with the Fifth Mainland’s stellular energy, people were only able to travel through spaceships, as even cultivators could no longer travel on their own. Attendant Wu's expression showed his contempt as he observed the state of the universe. He sped up and took Bei Hong into the Outerverse, headed for Frostwave Weave.
As soon as they arrived in Frostwave Weave, Attendant Wu hesitated and looked to the north. He could faintly sense a powerful presence that left his heart trembling. He shook his head, thinking that it had to just be his imagination as he continued forward.
They soon arrived and saw Earth’s solar system. From the distance, Attendant Wu saw the massive form of Ancestor Tortoise and the jiao, and the sight made his jaw drop. Just what were these beasts?
In his shock, the man turned to look at Bei Hong.
However, the moment that Bei Hong had arrived at the Heavens Sect, not even a shadow of his previously respectful attitude remained. He returned Attendant Wu's questioning look with a mocking gaze.
Attendant Wu's expression said everything; if the man actually possessed the strength to dominate the Fifth Mainland, then he would have never been taken aback by the sight of the jiao and Ancestor Tortoise. This person was not nearly as impressive as he believed himself to be.
Almost every person and creature in the Fifth Mainland had been affected by the problem with stellular energy, but Ancestor Tortoise and the jiao were two very rare exceptions. Similarly, Lu Buzheng was one of the few people who were unaffected.
After seeing the jiao and Ancestor Tortoise, the sight of the majestic Heavens Sect finally registered in Attendant Wu’s mind.
Given the terrifyingly large structure of the sect, as well as the presence of the two freakish monsters that lay next to it, even an idiot would understand that this was not some ordinary sect.
After seeing Bei Hong's expression completely transform, Attendant Wu turned to leave without another thought. However, there was already someone behind him: Lu Buzheng.
"Welcome, guest from afar," Lu Buzheng said with a cheerful smile.
Attendant Wu swallowed a mouthful of saliva. When did this person arrive? Where did he come from?
"Are you Lu Yin?" the man asked.
Lu Buzheng’s eyebrows climbed high. "This one is Lu Buzheng, gatemaster of the Heavens Sect's Lu Heavenly Gate. I’ve been waiting for your arrival for a long time."
Attendant Wu's pupils constricted, and he answered in disbelief, "The Heavens Sect?"
Lu Buzheng was caught off guard. "It appears that you have heard of us, so there should be no need for any further explanation. Please proceed, dear guest. The Dao Chosen has been waiting for you for some time."
Attendant Wu was stunned. The name "Heavens Sect" echoed in his mind, as it was impossible. That name should not even exist anymore! Right, it must be a different sect with the same name.
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