Star Odyssey

Chapter 3881: Departing Cause

The young man instantly realized that something was wrong. His grandfather’s attitude made it clear that he knew who Lu Yin was. Just what had he done in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse?

Just as the young man was thinking about that, Lu Yin took the communication device away and looked at the image of the old man.

When the old man saw Lu Yin, his face instantly grew pale. Thoughts of how this man had single-handedly destroyed the Autumnspring Slip and killed Cheng Gong across the domains instantly flashed through the old man’s mind.

The events of Skyveil City had spread across the entire megaverse in almost no time at all. While Loneswan Island was not a particularly strong sect, they were still regarded as a regional power. Thus, they had learned of the most recent events.

Lu Yin was acknowledged as being the most untouchable person in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

It was not that he was the strongest, but rather that he was the most untouchable. His combat strength approached the Immortal realm, but he lacked the restraints of an Immortal. He was able to act recklessly, and he could even disregard the Immortal Greater Sancti. Who would not fear such a man?

Had not both the Autumnspring Slip and the Cheng family been among the most powerful factions in the entire megaverse?

Skyveil City was the strongest in the West Domain, standing equal with the Rift of Suffering, the Dream Dominion, and the Scion Spire. However, did that mean that Skyveil City would dare to move against Lu Yin after what he had done? No. They would not even consider it.

If even Skyveil City was hesitant to act against Lu Yin, then clearly, a relatively small sect like Loneswan Island would do everything that they could to avoid offending him.

The old man had never imagined that his own grandson had fallen into Lu Yin’s hands.

He suddenly felt as though he had regained something precious, only to lose it again.

“I am Zhang Hongyun of Loneswan Island. Greetings, Mr. Lu,” the old man said respectfully, not daring to risk offending Lu Yin in any way.

Lu Yin nodded casually. “I need you to do me a favor.”

The old man replied respectfully, “Please tell me, sir.”

“Loneswan Island is in the South Domain, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“How far are you from Whither Peak?”

“It’s some distance away, but please just tell me what you need, Mr. Lu. My Loneswan Island is ready to do anything we can to serve you.”

Lu Yin grunted in acknowledgment. “Thank you. I want you to keep an eye on Cheng Gong’s corpse for me, especially his cosmic ring. No one is to take it away.”

The old man hastily replied, “Of course. I will contact the Island Master immediately.”

“Alright. When I make it to the South Domain, I’ll deliver your grandson to you.”

“I wouldn’t dare ask you to go to such trouble, sir. Wherever you go, my Loneswan Island will just send someone to collect him. Besides, it is the greatest blessing of Yu Shu’s life for him to follow you.”

Lu Yin casually tossed the communication device back to the young man.

When the old man saw his grandson reappear, his expression became extremely serious. “Yu Ahu, do your best to serve that senior, and do not offend him at all! Whatever he asks you to do, you do it! Do you understand?”

The young man was stunned. He had never imagined that his grandfather would behave in such a manner before Lu Yin.

Yu Shu had believed that his Loneswan Island had the means to negotiate his release with Lu Yin, so such subservience was completely unexpected to him.

They hadn’t even mentioned any terms or conditions yet, so why was he being ordered to unconditionally obey Lu Yin?

Once the call was over, the young man stared at Lu Yin in stunned silence.

Lu Yin threw Yu Shu back onto a Zenith Mountain and then vanished. When he next appeared, he was already in front of the Yu family’s gate.

His appearance there was extremely sudden.

The family’s gatekeeper was almost scared out of his wits by the sight of Lu Yin, and he quickly bowed low.

It was not long before Yu Jing personally arrived to escort Lu Yin into the Yu family’s home.

Word that Lu Yin was visiting the Yu family quickly spread throughout Skyveil City, and everyone turned their focus to the family’s estate.

Yu Jing behaved very tactfully. He showed Lu Yin around the residence, and he even did not hesitate to show him the treasury. The patriarch personally brewed tea, served Lu Yin pastries, and more. He treated Lu Yin so well that even Lu Yin felt a bit overwhelmed.

“I should have made a point to personally extend an invitation for you to visit my family, Mr. Lu. Who would have expected you to arrive before I could do so? That was inconsiderate of me, and I hope that you’ll forgive me.”

“You’re too kind, Senior.”

“My Yu family has offended you repeatedly in the past, I even tried to stop you from entering the Cheng family. That was my mistake, and I hope that you can let that go.”

“Think nothing of it. It’s all in the past.”

“My Yu family has a descendant by the name of Yu Xing, who must have caused you no small bit of trouble during your time in the Spirit Nidus. That was due to my family’s poor guidance, and I would like to apologize for that.”

“Yu Xing? Is that Old Yu of the Wisdom Domain?”

“That child was extremely rebellious. No matter what punishment you may see fit to deliver, please proceed. My Yu family will support you.”

“You’re too kind, senior. Yu Xing... is merely a bit clever.”

“You are magnanimous, Mr. Lu. You shame my Yu family...”

Yu Jing was being completely over the top with the level of courtesy that he was showing. The patriarch was completely disregarding his own position, and he was acting not as though he was speaking with a younger Ortuser but one of the Immortal Greater Sancti.

Greater Sancte Green Lotus had once complimented Lu Yin for being the fourth-strongest person in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, and Lu Yin was well aware that his strength warranted such a position. However, he had completely underestimated just how much his demonstrations of power had shocked others.

Baisha Tiancheng had been known for his endless scheming, but even he had ended up dying to the danger zones of his own carved sourcebox arrays.

Yu Jing and Jue Ling were both aware that Baisha Tiancheng had not been the kind of person who would ever be willing to take his own life, and yet he had done exactly that. The two patriarchs had watched as Lu Yin endured the merged danger fields of hundreds of sourceboxes without suffering so much as a scratch. Then, he had executed Cheng Gong from another domain. Both of those accomplishments were absolutely horrifying, and because of them, people felt like facing Lu Yin was no different from facing an Immortal Greater Sancti. The bottom line was that people were completely incapable of resisting both Lu Yin and the Greater Sancti.

The only advantage that anyone might have when facing Lu Yin was their status.

Lu Yin needed to think about the consequences that his actions might have for his home megaverse, and that prevented him from truly acting recklessly.

In the end, their concern was for Lu Yin himself. Their own statuses were not enough for them to straighten their backs in front of him.

Yu Jing was practically fawning over Lu Yin, which was the same sort of behavior that Old Yu had used when Lu Yin was in the Wisdom Domain. As far as Lu Yin was concerned, both men would acknowledge anyone stronger as their superior.

Old Yu had once pledged his allegiance to Yue Ya, as well as to Lu Yin. The man’s loyalty had constantly wavered.

“Senior, there’s something that I’d like to ask.”

Yu Jing quickly schooled his expression. “What would you like to ask, Mr. Lu? Please tell me. My Yu family will not withhold anything from you.”

Lu Yin looked at him. “The Cheng family possessed something that they referred to as their secret manual. I’m curious if your Yu family has something similar.”

Yu Jing froze, clearly hesitating.

Lu Yin arched a brow. “Do you not?”

Yu Jing quickly replied, “We do. Mr. Lu, have you seen the Cheng family’s secret manual?”

“I have. I would also like to see the one that belongs to your Yu family.”

Yu Jing gave a bitter smile. “While my Yu family does have a secret manual, if we show it to you, we will be approaching our own destruction.”

Lu Yin grew puzzled. “What do you mean by that?”

Yu Jing explained, “That’s because only the patriarchs of Skyveil City’s three great clans are allowed to view those secret manuals. Other than us, they are shared with Deathmound, specifically with the lord of the Reversed Speech Mountain, Li Guo.”

Lu Yin was surprised. “Is there a connection between those secret manuals and Deathmound?”

Lu Yin knew of the Reversed Speech Mountain.

Deathmound consisted of three mountains and seven peaks. Chao Yi, Long Yin, and Gu Jing were all peak lords, and the three mountains naturally had their own masters. Reversed Speech Mountain was one of the three mountains.

It was a complete surprise to Lu Yin that there was a connection between Skyveil City’s three great clans and Deathmound’s Reversed Speech Mountain.

Yu Jing sighed and shared some details from the past.

The West Domain had once seen a prodigy whose mastery of lockbreaking rose at an astonishing speed. He was able to master spirit treasure formations, and he even created his own at a faster pace than any other of the West Domain’s greatest geniuses throughout history, which had created quite a sensation. That man’s name was Li Guo.

Li Guo’s brilliance had drawn the attention of everyone in the West Domain. Every faction throughout the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse, even in the three other domains, had wanted the man to join them.

However, he had refused to leave the West Domain and had also refused to join any of the three great clans. Ultimately, he had become targeted by the three clans and forced to leave. It was only many years later that he had returned as the lord of Deathmound’s Reversed Speech Mountain.

The secret manuals belonging to the Cheng, Yu, and Jue families were all collected by Li Guo, through the assistance of the three great clans. Deathmound’s Great Master had personally given the order that no one but the three clans’ patriarchs were permitted to view those scrolls. Should anyone else view them, Li Guo would be given full authority to deal with the matter however he saw fit.

What did “full authority to deal with the matter” mean? It was quite simple. Ruler Garden served as a prime example.

Everyone who joined Deathmound carried deep and bitter hatred, and Li Guo was no exception. His enemies were Skyveil City’s three great clans.

As long as the man was given a chance, he would not hesitate to erase the three great clans.

The secret manuals would give him a reason to strike.

Lu Yin understood. It was no wonder why Yu Jing could not allow him to see the Yu family’s secret manual. If he did, he would be giving Li Guo an excuse to deal with the Yu family. Li Guo was not just one person; he represented Reversed Speech Mountain, as well as all of Deathmound.

Lu Yin understood just how powerful Deathmound was.

The Yu family would never stand a chance.

Lu Yin studied Yu Jing’s clearly nervous expression. There was no doubt that the man had kept some details about Li Guo’s story hidden.

Targeted. It was a simple word, and it glossed over an entire ocean of hatred. The reality had to have been far more cruel and despicable. At the very least, Lu Yin was certain of one thing: Li Guo had only been able to escape from the West Domain because he had accepted a Seed Transfusion, abandoning any future progress. How else could the three great clans have willingly allowed a peerless genius to just walk away?

There were times when Lu Yin simply could not understand why Deathmound specifically accepted people with such overflowing hatred. Was it their Great Master’s idea of justice?

“What if I insist on seeing the Yu family’s secret manual?” Lu Yin suddenly asked.

Yu Jing’s expression instantly changed, growing extremely ugly.

On one side, he had Lu Yin, and on the other, Deathmound stood. The patriarch had to choose one.

Lu Yin calmly stared at the man.

This was an unbearable form of psychological torture. Yu Jing could not give an answer.

Lu Yin chuckled. “That’s enough. I won’t make things difficult for you. Your Yu family hasn’t caused me any trouble, so I won’t cause you any problems. What Yu Xing did in the Spirit Nidus has nothing to do with you.”

Yu Jing heaved a sigh of relief and quickly bowed to Lu Yin. “Thank you, Mr. Lu.”

“Do you recognize this person?” Lu Yin showed Yu Jing an image of the man who had released the white bones.

Yu Jing instantly recognized the man whom the Cheng family had spent countless years searching for.

The three great clans had been hostile allies for a very long time, and thus they were well aware of the others’ affairs.

“That man is extremely important to the Cheng family. Publicly, they claim that he is a traitor who stole their family secrets. We suspect that he may have stolen the secret of their carving method, which is why we have also been searching for him. Every family and faction with any knowledge of this matter has been looking for him, but no one has found any trace of him.

“You could say that the man is the most wanted person in the West Domain.”

Lu Yin put away the image. “There hasn’t been even a single clue?”

Yu Jing shook his head. “Not one.”

Lu Yin fell into thought.

Yu Jing did not interrupt him and instead silently kept Lu Yin company.

The silence persisted until a young woman arrived to deliver tea. She spoke softly, inviting Lu Yin to drink. He returned to his senses and glanced at her. “What a lively young woman.”

The girl pursed her lips and took a few steps back. She did not dare to raise her head, which made her look very shy.

Yu Jing smiled. “This is my great-granddaughter. It’s a blessing for her to receive Mr. Lu’s praise. Come, hurry and greet Mr. Lu.”

The girl immediately bowed. “Yu Nan offers her greetings, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Yin nodded. “Good tea, and a good person too.”

Yu Nan’s cheeks flushed slightly, and her voice grew even softer. “Thank you, sir.”

Yu Jing smiled at Lu Yin. “Mr. Lu, Nan rarely interacts with any outsiders, so it is inevitable for her to be slightly awkward. Please don’t mind it.”

Lu Yin set his teacup back down. “I’ve heard that the Yu family’s Script Arrays are renowned throughout the Nine Odysseys. I’d like to see them for myself.”

Yu Jing was startled. “Sir, are you saying...?”

Lu Yin looked at Yu Jing. “I’ve also studied spirit treasure formations. I’ve already seen both Codex 15, Eternal Sorrow, and Codex 16, the lonely figure on the mountain. How many formations are part of the codices that your Yu family has?

“Did your family create them, or were they developed by the successive masters of the Spirit Nidus’s Wisdom Domain?”