“His name’s Lu Yin?” Zhi Yi asked.
Autumnfrost Qing responded, “Yes.”
“Use my name and notify everyone from the Sixth Mainland that I want to capture Lu Yin. Anyone who captures him will receive my personal recommendation to become the Progenitor of Bloodlines’ disciple,” Zhi Yi proclaimed.
Everyone was shocked by her words. Becoming the Progenitor of Bloodlines’ disciple was something that countless cultivators from the Sixth Mainland dreamed of. Even Shang Rong and Nan Yanfei were shocked to hear this order, as everyone wanted a chance to become a Progenitor’s disciple. No matter how low the probability of success might be, everyone would happily fight for such an opportunity.
The Progenitor of Bloodlines was one of the three Progenitors who stood at the apex of the Sixth Mainland. Anyone who obtained even a chance to approach the Progenitor of Bloodlines would become famous throughout the entire Sixth Mainland.
Everyone felt their blood rush to their brains as they engraved Lu Yin’s image into their minds: this man was a shortcut to a glorious future.
There was a complex look in Zhi Yi’s eyes; as far as she was concerned, Lu Yin was far more valuable than the Ten Arbiters. In fact, capturing him was even more important than achieving victory in the thunder region. His secret techniques were not overly important, as some secret techniques were solely hereditary and could not always be learned. Such techniques were not Zhi Yi’s first priority, especially since she had her own secret technique. Rather, she was much more concerned about Lu Yin’s physique—she was completely baffled as to how he was able to completely disregard Vitality Qi.
Vitality Qi was a mysterious technique that was unique to the Sixth Mainland’s Daosource Sect, and not many cultivators could control it. However, those who had access to this secret ability were essentially all peerless, and Lu Yin’s disregard of their unique ability had given Zhi Yi new hope for improvement.
Unfortunately, the Ten Arbiters had not revealed themselves anywhere else, as if they had, she would have been practically guaranteed to capture Lu Yin. Instead, she would need to rely on a fair amount of luck.
However, since she had announced a reward that involved an almighty Progenitor, the news would spread out at the fastest speed possible.
In a very short amount of time, every single Sixth Mainland cultivator within the thunder region had received the news that capturing Lu Yin would reward them with an opportunity to meet the Progenitor of Bloodlines.
What’s more, this news had evolved wildly as it spread through the entire thunder region. By the end, the original announcement had transformed into a story where the person who successfully captured Lu Yin might become the next member of the Daosource Three Skies as well as the Progenitor of Bloodlines’ disciple.
It only took a few days for this matter to send shockwaves throughout every part of the Cosmic Sea, and even the Fifth Mainland cultivators had learned of this announcement. Lu Yin’s name had spread across the largest area in the shortest amount of time possible.
In one specific region of the Cosmic Sea, there was a certain place with very strange weather. As far as the eye could see, in that area, everything was red. There, the seawater was unimaginably hot, and boiling magma flowed beneath the sea.
Currently, an endless amount of sword qi was surging out across the region, sweeping through everything. This place was filled with experts from the Sword Sect.
At the opposite end, the cultivators from the Sixth Mainland were no slouches either.
Liu Shaoqiu tightly clenched the hilt of his sword as blood dripped down from his wrist. In front of him was an Imprinter clan disciple who hailed from the Blackblood Realm. His innate gift, bloodline, and imprint were all very impressive, and he was also an Explorer just like Liu Shaoqiu. The two had been fighting for quite some time.
“Your Thirteen Swords are indeed impressive. However, there’s no way you’ll be able to beat me.”
Liu Shaoqiu gripped his sword hilt even tighter as his eyes unwaveringly stared at his opponent. “Just try me.”
After the Sixth Mainland had invaded the Innerverse, the Sword Sect had fully retreated to the Cosmic Sea. Over the past few years, Liu Shaoqiu had fought against many invaders, eventually receiving the title of General Qiu. He had survived numerous scrapes with death, and he had long since come to view death as inevitable.
Ever since the Sword Sect had retreated to the Cosmic Sea, Liu Shaoqiu had never once thought of returning to the Innerverse alive.
At that moment, a strange fish swam past the sole of the young swordsman’s feet. This fish’s body was long and narrow, much like an arrow, and it was also carrying something in its mouth. This was a mailfish, a species unique to the Cosmic Sea.
Within the Cosmic Sea, personal gadgets had a shoddy connection signal to the universal network, making them unreliable as a means of communication. Rather, the best method of communication here was through mailfish. Messenger fish had no natural predators within the Cosmic Sea, as no living creatures would want to eat the fish. They were perfect for sending messages quickly, as their speed was comparable to even Enlighters’.
Liu Shaoqiu and the disciple from the Imprinter clan both moved at the same time, both of them trying to catch the mailfish. However, since the mailfish was further away from Liu Shaoqiu, the Imprinter clan disciple managed to grab the fish first. He immediately retrieved the message from the mailfish’s mouth, and a look of unconcealable delight could be seen in his eyes.
Liu Shaoqiu was puzzled.
Across from him, the disciple from the Imprinter clan shared the message with Liu Shaoqiu. “Do you know this man?”
Shockingly, the message was Zhi Yi’s announcement that had been sent out to all the Sixth Mainland cultivators, and Lu Yin’s picture was included with it.
Upon seeing Lu Yin’s image, Liu Shaoqiu was completely stunned. More than five years had passed since Liu Shaoqiu had last seen Lu Yin, and the Sword Sect disciple had been so preoccupied by the events of the battlefield that he had nearly forgotten about Lu Yin. Due to the unending life and death pressure of numerous battles, five short years had felt like a century, and his life before the war was like another lifetime. As a result, Liu Shaoqiu had gradually forgotten about the various events of the past. However, with Lu Yin’s photo right in front of his face, Liu Shaoqiu was shocked as all of those memories came flooding back.
“It seems like you do know him. One of the Daosource Three Skies has declared that anyone who captures this man alive will be given a chance to become the Progenitor of Bloodlines’ disciple. If you help me capture him, then I can guarantee you that you will be able to become a part of the Sixth Mainland, and I can personally ensure that you will enjoy a meteoric rise in the future,” the disciple from the Imprinter clan proclaimed.
Similar words were being spoken to Liu Xiaoyun by a different cultivator from the Sixth Mainland in another area.
Liu Xiaoyun stared at Lu Yin’s picture in a daze. This man was like a ghost, as he had somehow managed to return to the Innerverse despite the Outerverse being isolated. What’s more, he had even managed to gain the attention of one of the Daosource Three Skies, to the point where a huge bounty had been placed on his head. For Liu Xiaoyun, the only reason for this bounty was that Lu Yin must have done something particularly atrocious. Damn it!
The weather in the Cosmic Sea constantly shifted, and it was a very strange place. There was even a place where meteorites rained down from the sky, and although no one knew where they came from, they incessantly fell down. These meteorites were not small, and even Hunters would have to dodge them.
As he watched the meteorites rain down from the sky, Wen Sansi stared off into the distance as he held a mailfish in his hands.
Behind the Arbiter, Mira looked as seductive as ever. Her white long hair hung all the way down to her glistening bare feet.
Next to Mira was Wen Qian’er and Han Chong. One of the two was a genius from the Wen family who had been stationed at West Dios and later participated in the battle on Planet Pyrolyte. The other had been a student leader of the Astral Combat Academy and a Realm Master who had conquered a vast territory.
Whether it was Wen Qian’er or Han Chong, both youths had survived countless battles and escaped death numerous times. They had climbed up to the level where they were able to stand right behind Wen Sansi.
Wen Sansi handed the message from the fish over to Mira. “Take a look.”
Mira hesitated, but she still accepted the mailfish and retrieved the document. Her pupils instantly shrank. “How can this be?”
Wen Qian’er and Han Chong both became very curious.
Mira showed the announcement to the other two youths, and both of them were shocked.
It was a picture of Lu Yin. They both knew this youth. In fact, everyone in this small group had differing opinions of him.
When Lu Yin had been an unequaled Limiteer in the past, Wen Qian’er had wanted to challenge him, though that dream had been quickly squashed by Ling Que. The Wen family had invited Ling Que to Planet Pyrolyte to assist their family’s youths during the contest, and back then, Ling Que’s strength had rendered Wen Qian’er completely powerless. After Ling Que’s arrival, Mu Rong had come, and his power had left her even more terrified. However, in the end, both of those elite youths had ultimately been defeated by Lu Yin. When Lu Yin appeared on Planet Pyrolyte, everything had been settled. That man had been undefeatable, and at the very least, he had truly been an unequaled Limiteer.
Still, several years had gone by since then, and many desperate battles had been fought. Thus, Wen Qian’er had gradually forgotten all about Lu Yin. Ling Que, Mu Rong, Liu Shaoqiu, Han Fei, and Nightqueen Yanqing had all risen to the occasion and stood out like bright stars while attaining impressive titles. Lu Yin, who had easily suppressed everyone in the past, had been forgotten long ago by everyone. He had been enjoying his life in the Outerverse, and logically speaking, he should have been left far behind his peers.
However, when Wen Qian’er finally received news of Lu Yin, it was in the form of a bounty that had been set by one of the Daosource Three Skies. The Daosource Three Skies were synonymous with unrivaled geniuses, no matter if one was referring to the Fifth Mainland or the Sixth Mainland. Everyone had heard various rumors claiming that the Daosource Three Skies would appear for the invasion, but those rumors had all turned out to be nothing more than false alarms. However, the situation had changed, and one of the Daosource Three Skies had appeared here. Even more remarkable was the fact that she had revealed herself in order to search for Lu Yin, which clearly showed how important he was.
Wen Qian’er knew what this news meant: Lu Yin had not fallen off the radar. Instead, he had become someone so important that the Daosource Three Skies had personally sent out orders to capture him.
Han Chong did not know how to feel about this bounty notice, but one thing was certain; he knew it was impossible for Lu Yin to lead a simple life of seclusion. Someone who dared to challenge the Daynight clan despite having only cultivated for a few years was not someone whose actions could be predicted.
Mira was the one who felt the most conflicted, as she had been the person who had led Lu Yin away from Earth. If not for Mira, Lu Yin would have long since been killed by people hoping to curry favor with the powerhouses of the Great Yu Empire. It could even be said that Mira was the one who had allowed this demon to rise up and cause all sorts of problems throughout the universe. She had only held high expectations for Lu Yin in the past because he had managed to join the Astral Combat Academy, and she had merely hoped that he would be able to stand out within the academy.
At that time, her attitude towards Lu YIn had been nothing more than some rather simple expectations that she had not placed much hope in, simply because such an accomplishment was too difficult. However, as Mira followed Lu Yin’s step by step progress to the top, she had come to believe that there was no way to stop his explosive rise.
During these past few years of war, she had also forgotten about Lu Yin. She would never have imagined that someone who had been enjoying life out in the Outerverse would be able to catch up with their battle-hardened peers from the Innerverse. However, at this moment, Mira was confused as to how this man had remained unstoppable.
Wen Sansi looked up with a smile on his face. This news meant that Lu Yin was in the thunder region. Wen Sansi himself had nearly forgotten about the youth, and the Arbiter had a feeling that the people who had been competing with Lu Yin for the top had also likely forgotten about him. It was truly shocking how Lu Yin had managed to appear once again; this man was truly something. Perhaps, if fate allowed it, Lu Yin would even be able to join in on that battle!
As the sea roared, tens of thousands of cultivators kneeled down on one knee towards a singular man who towered in the sky above them. The man’s long, black and white hair flowed freely in the wind, and in the center of his head, one could see a streak of grey hair. The young man was handsome, but there was also a certain sense of awe that radiated out from him. Although the man was just standing there, it was as if the void could not withstand his mere presence and did not dare to oppose him.
This man was Nightking Zhenwu, one of the Ten Arbiters.
“Big brother, this Lu Yin has given everyone quite a shock by appearing once again. How did he get back to the Innerverse? On top of that, he even managed to attract the attention of one of the Daosource Three Skies.” Nightqueen Yanqing stood beside Nightking Zhenwu as she asked her questions; she simply could not comprehend how such a development had occurred.
Nightking Zhenwu clasped his hands behind his back. “Since he’s returned, it would be good to settle that past score with him.”
In a certain region of the Cosmic Sea, Grandini Mavis and Lulu Mavis were hiding. “Why do these people want to capture us?” Lulu Mavis asked, clearly troubled.
Grandini Mavis rolled her eyes. “How should I know? You must have been the one who caused this trouble.”
Lulu immediately flew into a fit. “Bullshit! I’m a beautiful young lady who is loved by all.”
Grandini Mavis sneered at her reply.
Cultivators from the Sixth Mainland occasionally passed by above the two girls.
During this time, a mailfish passed by, and Grandini Mavis hurriedly tried to capture it, but the fish managed to escape her efforts.
Lulu’s eyes flashed, and although the mailfish had already swam away, it surprisingly turned back around to them. There was an arrogant look on Lulu’s face as she grabbed the document from the mailfish’s mouth and started to read it. She was immediately shocked by what she read. “This is something really surprising.”
Grandini Mavis looked over, and shock also appeared on her face. “Lu Yin? Wasn’t he stuck in the Outerverse? How is he back? More importantly, one of the Daosource Three Skies actually placed a huge bounty for his capture. Lulu, he’s even more of a trouble maker than you!”
“You’re the troublemaker! Your whole family are troublemakers.”
“My whole family is your whole family—we’re both Mavises.”
“Don’t spout such crap, someone could hear you.”
“Hush…”
…