The lightning bolts did not just flicker throughout Zenyu Star; they even spread out from Zenyu Star and shrouded the surrounding region of space.
Aden had not exerted any of his strength for so long that he had become a little excited by the prospect of a bet.
Lu Yin’s eyes filled with star energy, and he stared at the Hunter in shock. The number of rune lines on Aden actually surpassed what he had seen from Karthika. This person was indeed just a Hunter, but he was a Realmbreaker freak who could defeat an Enlighter. Aden was similar to Lu Yin’s own existence within the Limiteer realm. He was a Hunter that average Enlighters could not deal with.
What was especially noticeable was that his rune lines did not dissipate. Instead, they came together on one side of the shield like an immobile mountain. The front of this shield gave Lu Yin a feeling of imperviousness.
The corners of his mouth twitched, as he had gambled big this time. Even his gun’s offensive capability might not be able to break through this shield. Although Aden’s attack power might not match up to an average Enlighter, his defense was definitely freakish.
Suddenly, the lightning exploded as the prison completely collapsed. Aden’s body was enveloped in the roar of thunder as a giant shield appeared in front of him while the lightning imprinted a mark onto its face. The shield was completely awe-inspiring.
“Kid, the difference between us is too great. I’m not going to bully you, so I won’t use battle force. As long as you can break through this shield, I’ll consider it your victory,” Aden barked with a proud tone. This pride was not due to the suppression of realms, but was rather a confidence in his own ability. Even against an Enlighter, he would have this same unyielding spirit.
Lu Yin relaxed. The defense that the shield had demonstrated so far was absolutely terrifying. If Aden also used battle force on top of that, then Lu Yin would have no confidence at all as he did not believe that Aden’s battle force would be weak. Even Long Yun had been able to cultivate his battle force to seven lines, and in his youth, this person had definitely been an expert on the same level as Long Yun. It was almost certain that Aden had been a top-notch expert. A conservative guess placed Aden’s battle force at eight lines and possibly even at nine lines.
If that level of battle force was added to the already impressive shield, then it would be way too difficult for Lu Yin to breach Aden’s defenses.
Even when faced with an Enlighter like Nightqueen Qiuyu, Lu Yin had been confident that he could breach her defense. However, against Aden, his confidence wavered, which showed just how powerful the defense of this shield was.
This made Lu Yin think of Undying Yushan, who had been able to break through Aden’s defense. How could the old emperor have been killed by someone within the same realm? The Neohuman Alliance’s strength was clearly demonstrated here.
Lu Yin unhurriedly took out his gun, raised it, and aimed at Aden. “Senior, I’m coming.”
Aden looked at the gun with a dumbfounded expression. “Is that a power vessel?”
“Sort of. This toy’s killed three Enlighters so far,” Lu Yin solemnly informed him.
Aden was shocked, but then he looked excited. “Alright, since it’s a power vessel that can kill Enlighters, then let me test my thunder shield against it!”
Lu Yin didn’t hesitate, and the gun fired with a loud bang. The bullet tore through the void and directly slammed into the shield. The bullet was stalled by the lightning, but this was a bullet that carried the destructive strength of a power level that exceeded 200,000. The lightning was not enough to stop it, and the bullet still struck the shield.
In that instant, Aden took several steps back as his eyes went wide with disbelief. He stared at the surface of the shield in front of him and saw that, while the bullet had disappeared, the faint outline of a crack had appeared where the bullet had struck the shield.
Lu Yin took a breath of cold air, as his attack had not penetrated the shield. The same attack that had instantly wiped out Karthika, Lei Long, and Elder Wu was currently unable to pierce through this Hunter’s defenses. Aden was too monstrous, and he was definitely in the top-tier of his realm.
Aden was similarly overwhelmed, as his thunder shield had been able to stop Enlighters’ attacks in the past. It was precisely because of this that he was so full of confidence and had been willing to gamble with anyone. However, in the past, he had lost to Undying Yushan, which was also why he had been so shocked when he had learned of the old emperor’s passing. No one understood Undying Yushan’s strength better than Aden.
And yet, right now, a Limiteer junior had almost pierced through his shield with some toy gun, which toppled the giant’s views, even if that gun had already killed Enlighters.
Fortunately, the attack still had not been powerful enough to break through Aden’s defense.
Aden relaxed, and he was about to place his shield down when the muzzle of Lu Yin’s gun was aimed at him again. He subconsciously raised his shield. “Kid, are you breaking your promise?”
“Senior, this Junior never said that I’d only attack once. The gamble that we agreed to is whether or not I can break through your defense, not whether or not I can break through it in one strike. Junior is confident in breaching the shield if I strike at the same place again since it’s very likely that Senior’s shield requires some time to recover.” Lu Yin smiled.
Aden opened his mouth, but he could not retort. It was true that they had not agreed that Lu Yin could only fire once.
“Your power vessel has more attacks left?” Aden was astonished.
Lu Yin nodded. “Quite a few more, and it should be enough to break through your shield.”
Aden’s defense had given Lu Yin a pleasant surprise. With this Hunter around, even powerhouses like Nightqueen Qiuyu or Huo Houye would not be able to seek revenge as LuYin would have the time to react to them. This was a great gift from Undying Yushan, and Lu Yin was determined to bring this person under his wing no matter what.
Aden stood in place and stared closely at Lu Yin’s gun.
Lu Yin’s brows lifted. “Is Senior thinking of backing out?”
Aden sighed and then smiled bitterly. “A hundred years ago, I lost to Undying Yushan, and today’s even worse—I’m losing to a Limiteer junior. This Great Yu Empire has subdued me.” And with that, he withdrew his shield.
Lu Yin became ecstatic. “Senior is gracious in defeat. Not every Hunter can withstand that attack, and it should be known that even Enlighters haven’t been able to resist it.”
Aden looked at Lu Yin with a strange expression on his face. “Kid, Enlighters aren’t simple. Your power vessel is certainly strong enough to hurt one of them, but it’s not able to lock an Enlighter down. You must have ambushed them.”
Lu Yin did not feel embarrassed at such an accusation, as killing an Enlighter was already a proud achievement. As a Limiteer, he would not have been able to do such a thing without some tricks.
“For you to be able to ambush Enlighters, and three at that, means that you must have some other treasure that can keep lock Enlighters in place or somehow cause them to lose consciousness. Are you really from the Outerverse?” Aden was amazed.
Lu Yin smiled. “As real as they come.”
Aden’s shoulders shook. “Since I lost, I’ll head to Ironblood Weave for a visit with you. Speaking of things, that place is really not hospitable to life.” His face filled with respect. “Countless cultivators have dauntlessly advanced towards their deaths in that place, and their relatives, friends, and descendants have also died on that battlefield. The peace that your Outerverse enjoys this day is all thanks to those lives.”
Lu Yin’s face grew more solemn, and an utmost respect also arose within him for Ironblood Weave. It was not for reputation or wealth, but the soldiers in that place still willingly rushed to their graves. If not for the crisis this time, then he wouldn’t have even known that the place existed.
If the universe had one Ironblood Weave, then it could have a second and a third. These sort of battlefields were what garnered the most respect.
Lu Yin escorted Aden to King Zishan’s palace. There were only five days remaining before Lu Yin had to report for duty, so he had to quickly settle the various affairs of the Great Yu Empire so that he could leave for Ironblood Weave with some peace of mind.
One day later, Lu Yin ended a court meeting and stood up. It was time to borrow money once again.
Because of this sudden trip to Ironblood Weave, his future became unknown. Lu Yin only had 2,420 star essence remaining, which was not much, and it would be insufficient to deal with a potential crisis. He needed to go find the enchanting Madam Nalan and discuss with her some more.
She seemed to have already guessed that Lu Yin would approach her before leaving, and she had a ready smile as she welcomed him into her home and poured him a drink. “Why has Your Majesty come today?”
Of course it’s to borrow money, Lu Yin thought inwardly, but that would be a little too awkward to say aloud. Borrowing money while providing protection to the Nalan family felt a bit like bullying. “That—Madam, how have you been getting by here?”
Her eyes sparkled with an unconventional allure within them. “Is Your Majesty here to show your concern for me?”
Lu Yin coughed. “You could say that.”
The beautiful Madam Nalan tried to hold back her smile. “I’ve been alright. Your Majesty must have received the request for reinforcements, so I believe that you will soon head to Ironblood Weave. When do you plan to depart?”
Lu Yin replied, “I need to report to the stronghold within five days. It will take three days to travel from here to Ironblood Weave’s Seasons Fort, so I plan to leave tomorrow in anticipation of any possible delays.”
She nodded. “You should actually head out earlier. My Nalan family has also prepared a shipment of resources to send to Ironblood Weave, which is our own meager attempt to contribute.”
Lu Yin nodded, but he did not speak, and the atmosphere became awkwardly silent.
She stared at Lu Yin. “Is there any other matter that prompted Your Majesty to look for me?”
Lu Yin’s face appeared uncomfortable. “That… I wish to borrow money.”
Her lips raised, but she did not ask any further questions and immediately handed Lu Yin a cosmic ring. “Since the Outerverse’s major banks have a deficiency of star crystals, many people are unable to retrieve their money. Not even the Mavis Bank is spared from this deficiency, so I won’t give Your Majesty any cards.”
Lu Yin took the cosmic ring and examined the contents for a moment before his head snapped up in shock. “So much?”
There were 30,000 star essence in the cosmic ring that the Nalan genie had just handed him. The ring actually contained star essence instead of crystals, and it was far more than what the Enlighters Lu Yin had killed had managed to amass.
She replied, “I know that Your Majesty is lacking in money, but at the moment, my Nalan family has deposited too much money in the Mavis Bank, and we can’t retrieve most of it. As such, I can only give Your Majesty this amount at the present.”
“It’s already a very considerable amount.” Lu Yin was happy.
She replied seriously, “If this sum is enough to insure Your Majesty’s safety in Ironblood Weave, then it’s money well spent. Take this contribution as my Nalan family’s support for Your Majesty.”
Lu Yin promptly replied, “That won’t do, as it would be robbery. Let’s treat this as a loan since I’ve already asked to borrow from you. Rest assured, madam. If I am able to return alive from Ironblood Weave, I will repay your money, but if I can’t-”
Before Lu Yin could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Madam Nalan as she raised her glass. “May Your Majesty have a smooth victory and bring glory to humanity.”
Lu Yin concurred loudly and similarly raised his glass to clink his glass against hers.
The next day, beneath the watchful gazes of Hai Qiqi and many of the Great Yu Empire’s ministers, Lu Yin left along with Wendy Yushan, Aden, Huo Qingshan, ten newly-joined Cruisers, a hundred Explorers, and a war fleet. They all moved out to head towards Ironblood Weave.
The draft notice had stipulated that Lu Yin had to report within five days, so he, Wendy Yushan, Huo Qingshan, and Aden sat in one of the few spacecraft that the Great Yu Empire possessed that was able to rival a radiant-grade Aurora’s speed and set off ahead of the rest of the troops. They would pick up Ryan Merke along the way. The Merke family’s elder had instinctively declined when he heard that they were headed for Ironblood Weave, but he had been threatened into agreeing by Lu Yin.
If he went, then he would be the only possible casualty from his family. If he didn’t go, then his entire family would be condemned with the crime of treason.
These were Lu Yin’s methods, and they were efficient and clean.
Ryan Merke had been left with no choice. Although he was selfish, the Merke family was too important, and he could not abandon his entire family. Moreover, his death was not set in stone even if he went to Ironblood Weave, though only death awaited him if he refused to go.
Left without any other choice, Ryan Merke had finally agreed.
All the matters in Frostwave Weave had been settled, and Grandtop Weave didn’t require Lu Yin’s oversight. Although he controlled the Nine Stacks Sect and had used the sect to conquer Grandtop Weave, the Hall of Honor didn’t care about who Grandtop Weave belonged to. They only cared about whether or not the weave sent people to reinforce Ironblood Weave. Even if the families and sects in Grandtop Weave were unwilling, they were still required to send aid.
It wasn’t until Lu Yin picked up Ryan Merke that the powers in Grandtop Weave determined who they would send to Ironblood Weave.
