Chapter 2506: Desecration
Shi Hong looked over at Lu Yin, who was leaning against a wall. She could not be sure whether he was telling the truth or not. It was indeed possible that he really was good at finding weaknesses and spotting flaws, which had allowed him to survive the various battles he had survived.
"Sister Hong, you shouldn't abandon Dragon Flash." One of the boys was unable to contain himself. He dreamed of learning that particular sword technique, but no matter how much he practiced, he had never been able to master it. He greatly admired the technique. How could it be seen through so easily?
Shi Hong drew a deep breath and blew it back out. "I won't give it up. I didn't execute it correctly and was too careless. After I return to the academy, I will continue to train with it."
As she spoke, Lu Yin set the tip of the sword onto the floor and spun the hilt with his fingers. The sword spun, reflecting light along its edge as it did so. The spots connected to form a single line.
The girl's swordsmanship was decent, but the critical aspect of the skill that she had used was not the rotating blade edge. Instead, it lay in the spots of light. The spots of light reflecting off of the sword were supposed to form a dragon, and that was the actual deadly aspect of the attack. Whoever had created the sword technique was a true expert, though the technique had likely been created on a whim. It had a flashy appearance, but it concealed a deadly killing intent.
The people of the Transcendent Universe did not use or create battle techniques… Lu Yin’s lips curled upwards as he stared into the distance. Things were getting interesting.
"Brother-in-law, you're amazing!. Other than its beauty, I can't see any value in that sword technique. Sister Hong seems very discouraged," Luo Lao'er commented as he approached.
Lu Yin asked, "How does the Voidforce Universe compare to your Three Monarchs Universe?"
Luo Lao'er sighed. "Brother-in-law, can you please stop comparing everything to my Three Monarchs Universe? We rank last in the Sixverse Association."
"Last?" Lu Yin raised his eyebrows.
"Yep. Dead last. If another powerful universe is discovered, our Three Monarchs Universe would be instantly dropped from the Sixverse Association. Why else would Monarch Luo’s son be a hostage for the Transcendent Universe?" Luo Lao'er asked, seemingly not too concerned with what he was saying.
"The six most powerful known universes form the Sixverse Association. Each universe has its own system, and there is only one criterion for joining the Sixverse Association." At this point, Luo Lao'er’s voice dropped low, "To hold back one of the Seven Skygods. At least, that's what my old man said."
"Who are the Seven Skygods?" Lu Yin asked curiously.
"Brother-in-law, you don't know about the Seven Skygods?"
"I've heard of them, but I don't know much about them."
"Well, to be honest, I don't either. All I know is that they’re Aeternus’s most powerful monsters. Did you see Destruction just now? General Qiu Zhan can't endure that beam even with a black energy converter, but the Seven Skygods can. Every single one of them is absolutely terrifying. My father and the other two Monarchs of my universe are only barely able to contend with one of them by working together, which is what allowed them to join the Sixverse Association. Without that, they wouldn't even be eligible."
Lu Yin had not known that dealing with one of the Seven Skygods was the minimum standard to join the Sixverse Association.
That was a rather high standard to meet.
Even if the Perennial World’s Progenitors were quite powerful, which one of them could confidently claim to be able to fight against one of the Seven Skygods by themselves? Not one of them. Not even Bai Wangyuan had been able to stop Undying God from forcing his way into the Dominion Realm. However, if those same Progenitors worked together, they were absolutely able to handle more than just one of the Seven Skygods. Despite that, the Perennial World was still not a member of the Sixverse Association.
Clearly, the Sixverse Association was not very friendly toward the Origin Universe.
The war finally ended.
When Qiu Zhan returned, he did not share the results of the battle with Lu Yin or any of the others.
After the battle was over, the Bestowal Carrier stopped moving. From a distance, it was clear that the carrier’s size had shrunk by a third.
Shortly after that, Shi Hong and the other two returned to the Transcendent Universe.
A few more days later, Lu Yin and the rest of the defenders received word that they were also allowed to return to the Transcendent Universe.
Everyone became ecstatic when they heard the news.
They had not stayed in the Cloudflow Universe for very long, but the multiple near-death experiences that they had all gone through were unforgettable. Everyone had changed. Those who had previously been afraid of death or wanted to escape had gained a temperament that could only be forged on the battlefield.
However, Luo Lao'er still referred to Lu Yin as "brother-in-law," which was a complete headache.
As the scenery changed around them, the group of defenders returned to the Transcendent Universe, appearing in the same large space where they had been gathered before being sent to the battlefield.
They had returned to the same place, but in less than two months, their numbers had been reduced by a third. The people who returned looked around at the familiar surroundings, their moods completely different after their time in this space.
"Finally, we're back." A girl wept with joy. Their recent experience had been nothing short of a nightmare.
"It feels good to be back here alive. I'm never returning to that damned battlefield again."
"I almost died! I need to contact my dad. He almost wasn’t going to ever see his son again."
"It was you! When that corpse king appeared, you pushed me forward. Go to hell!" Someone launched an attack the moment that everyone returned. One young man was glaring fiercely at another person who had fought on the same platform. Everyone reacted differently when facing death. Some wanted to sacrifice the lives of others to save their own. Despite all being on the same platform, everyone had needed to endure their own emotions. They had been on a battlefield, a cruel world full of death. After returning, things were different. In this safe space, they could resolve their grievances.
"Don't be ridiculous. You ran forward yourself. That’s not my problem." The young man who had been attacked scowled. There was a scar on his face, which was a memento of the battlefield. "Get lost. I need to get treatment."
"How dare you run away after nearly killing me! I won't let you go!" the first boy roared.
The scarred boy sneered. "You're nothing but the son of a low-ranking noble—how dare you act so presumptuously in front of me!"
"Ignore him. Let's just leave." A girl stepped forward and pulled the scarred boy away.
Many people who stood nearby cursed and swore. Mu Duo stepped forward, staring at the two people, though primarily focusing on the girl. "I remember you. You're the one who said that everyone should escape together. You were planning to desert the battlefield."
The girl's eyes shifted between anger and fear. However, she did not dare refute Mu Duo. Her family's status was greatly inferior to the Mu family’s.
The scarred boy glared back at Mu Duo. "That’s none of your business. In a situation like that, no one wants to die. Mu Duo, you're no saint either. You’ve done many things that you don’t want to be made public."
"At least I didn't try to desert the battlefield," Mu Duo shouted back.
Luo Lao'er stood next to Lu Yin, contempt clearly displayed on his face. "What is there to even argue about? It’s a natural reaction to fear death. Those who aren’t afraid of death are heroes, and I’m no hero. Brother-in-law, when will you introduce me to my sister?"
Suddenly, various displays appeared in the air above the gathered crowd. Everyone looked up to see various scenes featuring their platform from the most recent battle on the screens. Each and every action that had been taken by the defenders had been clearly captured.
From the beginning, Lu Yin had noticed that the Bestowal Carrier’s platforms were all being actively monitored. This allowed the Transcendent Universe to know the current status of each energy converter, as well as keep track of which platforms were active or not.
An invisible power suddenly grabbed the scarred boy and hauled him up into the air. A loud voice echoed out. "You betrayed your comrades during the battle. You are convicted for your crimes."
Fear contorted the boy’s face. "No, I didn't do it! He was just stupid! What happened to him has nothing to do with me! I'm innocent!"
Nothing that the boy said mattered. His efforts were completely useless, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
The girl who had been standing next to him went pale. She was soon lifted off the ground by a force as well. "You sowed discord and shook the morale of the army. You are hereby convicted of these crimes."
"Let me go! I didn't do it. I didn't—"
One after another, people were lifted up and taken away. Every action that they had taken on the battlefield had been recorded. No one could escape being punished.
In the end, more than a hundred people were taken away. All of them had committed various crimes, some of which were far more serious than others.
Luo Lao'er sighed. "Why bother? If we’re on a battlefield, it’s guaranteed that we’re being monitored. Am I right, Brother-in-law?"
He turned around, only to find that Lu Yin had vanished into thin air.
"Brother-in-law?" Luo Lao'er called out again, drawing the attention of Zuo Yu and several others, but no one knew where Lu Yin had gone.
Lu Yin had been teleported away. He had received a message earlier informing him that he would be meeting Zi Jing.
After arriving in the Transcendent Universe, Lu Yin had never remained in the same place for very long. He had spent the most amount of time in the Cloudflow Universe, and that was where he had learned the most about the Transcendent Universe.
Lu Yin met Zi Jing in a floating garden. A flicker of surprise and happiness could be heard in Zi Jing’s voice. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. How about you?"
"I'm fine. Did they send you to a battlefield?" Zi Jing asked.
Lu Yin bitterly answered, "I almost died. The fighting was too intense. I'm only an Enlighter, but we were attacked by Envoy-level corpse kings. If not for three people who suddenly showed up, I would never have seen you again. I was really lucky."
Zi Jing felt a bit disturbed. She had never known that the Dao Monarch was such a gifted actor. An Envoy-level corpse king? Not even Progenitors were capable of killing this man. "It's good that you're safe. Don't worry, I won't let you go to such dangerous places again."
"Where are we?" Lu Yin asked curiously. He looked around and saw a staircase leading up to a mysterious place that was hidden behind wispy white clouds. There were flowers blooming along the stairs, and there were also many strange creatures flying around, filling the air with their infectious laughter and jubilant cries.
The place seemed like pure land, an untainted haven.
Zi Jing whispered, "This is the most sacred place in the entire Transcendent Universe. It cannot be desecrated."
Desecrated? Lu Yin glanced at Zi Jing. Was this implying that he was about to meet some true big shot?
"Zi Jing, is this the man whom you have chosen?" A pleasant voice echoed from above. It sounded as clear as a flowing spring. Anyone who heard this voice would feel a deep sense of comfort, as though the voice was caressing their senses.
Lu Yin instinctively looked up. Whom did such a beautiful voice belong to?
As his gaze pierced through the clouds, he saw a pair of dazzlingly white legs that looked like they had been sculpted to perfection. Beneath the pair of bare feet were blooming flowers. The white clouds slightly drifted through the air, vaguely revealing a young woman in a white dress. Lu Yin was able to make out a pair of flawlessly beautiful eyes that shone like stars. At that instant, he forgot to even look at the girl's face, as his mind was captivated by those eyes. They were truly beautiful and flawless and perfect beyond words.
"Bold!" The clouds immediately moved to block Lu Yin's view.
Zi Jing dropped to her knees and started begging, "Please forgive him, Madam! He doesn't know the rules here!"
Lu Yin was perplexed. "What's going on?"
"Gazing up at me is a profound privilege. Daring to do so without permission is a heinous crime, which you have just committed." This time, the voice was accompanied by an indescribable pressure. It felt as though a pair of eyes were fixed upon Lu Yin.
His expression changed slightly. There was clearly a Progenitor-level powerhouse keeping an eye on this place.
He had only taken a single glance. Was it really necessary to make such a big deal out of that?
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