After hearing the Ghost Monkey’s words, Lu Yin felt curious about something. “What mishap?”
The monkey sighed. “I can’t remember that many events, and I can only vaguely recall that I was very powerful at my peak. When my consciousness next returned, countless years had passed, and I could only recall bits and pieces of a few ancient matters. Most of my memory had been lost.”
“Then where did you get your news about the various aspects of the current universe?” Lu Yin asked.
The Ghost Monkey said, “Seventh Bro, this monkey didn’t lie to you about this part. Because I’m a shadow that was born from Progenitor Wushang’s blood, it’s very difficult for me to die. This is why I frequently look for hidden graves, and it’s also how I’ve come to know many things that lie beyond the knowledge of commoners. Searching through tombs isn’t just a hobby, as it’s also a way for me to find out the truth.”
“The truth?” Lu Yin was puzzled.
The monkey continued to explain. “I want to find Progenitor Wushang’s Tomb, and I want to know why Progenitor Wushang disappeared so long ago. Also, is dead or alive? Or is he in cryostasis? Just what happened back then? This monkey really wants to know all of these things.”
Lu Yin fell silent. He could not believe the monkey’s words, but it was also impossible to deny them.
Based on Lu Yin’s personality, he should exterminate the Ghost Monkey right now. After all, the beast was a potential threat to him. However, they had been together for so long, and Lu Yin was not a completely ruthless person; he could not kill the Ghost Monkey based on some groundless conjectures.
Lu Yin’s thoughts were complicated at this time, and he did not know what to do.
At this moment, Yōu Qi dashed up to the surface from the seafloor, and stood there as he panted heavily. His warhorse galloped over from the distance, and it lightly rubbed up against Yōu Qi.
Yōu Qi stared at Lu Yin as the same book reappeared over his head.
The Ghost Monkey instantly transformed back into a shadow and shot towards Yōu Qi.
Yōu Qi noticed the shadow, and his black flames flared up to stop it. However, they were not able to cause any harm to the shadow. This thing was a complete mystery to him, as a shadow had actually managed to block his attack.
As the Ghost Monkey merged back into Yōu Qi’s shadow, the black flames shrouding Yōu Qi’s body vanished, and he calmly looked at Lu Yin. “You’ve won.”
Lu Yin relaxed his clenched fists. He had won even though the method had been a little dishonest.
Before the Ghost Monkey became a Hunter, Lu Yin had been unable to find any way to deal with Yōu Qi’s techniques. Although Lu Yin had been aware of the person’s flaws, as they were very obvious, Lu Yin could not take advantage of them. Thus, it had been the same as if Yōu Qi had no shortcomings.
Lu Yin had once faced off against the Astral Beast Domain’s Cosmic Hou, who had similarly used an unbreakable power. Against it, even Starsibyl had been defeated.
Yōu Qi was someone even more powerful than the Cosmic Hou, and his battle techniques and secret techniques from Burial Garden were all very strange. At one point in the battle, Lu Yin had actually given up.
However, the Ghost Monkey had broken through the Hunter realm, allowing his shadow form to withstand Yōu Qi’s attacks. This allowed the pair to seal off Yōu Qi’s ability to turn immaterial, which had turned the tides of the battle and allowed Lu Yin to obtain victory.
Although Lu Yin held the spotlight in this battle, the monkey had helped at the most critical moment.
“Battle force, domain, spiritual force, physical strength, battle technique, secret technique, and even a tamed beast. Lu Yin, congratulations, you’ve won. You are one of the Cosmic Five,” Yōu Qi said in a low voice. No unwillingness or resentment could be heard. There was only a sense of calmness as well as something strange.
Lu Yin stood there with his arms folded, and he looked at Yōu Qi with respect. “You’re very strong.”
Yōu Qi leaped onto his horse. “Of course, but unfortunately, I ran into you. Honestly, your tamed beast is very powerful, and without it, you could not have defeated me.”
The Ghost Monkey merged back into Lu Yin’s arm. “Seventh Bro, we won!”
Lu Yin’s heart skipped. We, we… Is it we?
He sighed as he thought to himself, That’s right, we: you and me. One body. Even if I feel nervous or am second guessing myself, none of that can erase the years and the connection that’s been built between you and me.
Whether or not he believed the monkey’s story, Lu Yin could not bring himself to kill the beast. The two had been together for far too long. Perhaps a day would come when Lu Yin peeled the Ghost Monkey away, as it might be better for the monkey to have his freedom in the future.
Lu Yin looked at Yōu Qi. “Even if I beat you, it doesn’t mean that I’m one of the Cosmic Five.”
Yōu Qi spun the warhorse to face another direction. “Defeating me means that you should be one of the Cosmic Five, unless there are still other people who don’t accept it.”
He then slowly changed into a mass of illusory black flames that dissipated, vanishing.
Black and White supported Lan Si and approached from the distance.
“Lu Yin, you won! That’s great!” Black and White celebrated.
Lan Si was shocked, as he had not expected Lu Yin to win. His opponent had been an Enlighter who was also Burial Garden’s top heir. Neither his secret technique nor his battle techniques had been weak, and his innate gift had been downright freakish—it was almost as though Yōu Qi had merged bodies with Liu Tianmu. Lu Yin had improved once again, and Lan Si felt like he would never be able to defeat such a person.
Lu Yin smiled bitterly and looked up; had he really won? The Cosmic Five were not guaranteed to be five people, so where were the other four? Eh? Lei Nü?
While Lu Yin had been fighting with Yōu Qi, Shang Qing, Lei Nü, Qiu Shi, and Yuhua Mavis had all climbed onto the golden screens. Standing on that stage was symbolized that they had become one of the Cosmic Five. At this moment, Lu Yin assumed that the fifth screen had been meant for Yōu Qi.
There were five Enlighters, and Lu Yin did not believe that this was a coincidence. There was only one option that he could only think of: the Cosmic Five had been decided upon long ago.
Yōu Qi’s words had cemented Lu Yin’s previous assumption, and since he had defeated Yōu Qi, it meant that Lu Yin had replaced Yōu Qi.
However, Lu Yin did not feel comfortable at this moment. He knew that the final victors had already been decided upon beforehand. Lu Yin and the rest of the Ten Arbiters, and even everyone else from the Neoverse, were just there to play supporting roles for those five.
Since the Cosmic Five had already been decided, it was possible that Lu Yin taking Yōu Qi’s place could lead to backlash from the other four victors.
The moment Lu Yin looked up, he was already prepared to greet attacks from the other four.
He had only managed to defeat Yōu Qi because the man’s weaknesses had been too blatant while his strengths had coincidentally been countered by the Ghost Monkey. The other four would not be dealt with as easily. There was Shang Qing’s Tri-Yang Technique, Lei Nü’s innate gift and Autumn’s Sorrow, and Qiu Shi’s Cosmic Art and secret technique. Although Lu Yin had not run into Yuhua Mavis yet, there was no way that she was weak. Of the four, not one of them would be an easy opponent.
Lu Yin was not very hopeful towards his chances of becoming one of the Cosmic Five. Not unless he somehow managed to get ahold of some star essence and was able to enter the Time Stop Space and cultivate to the Hunter realm.
However, at this moment, Lei Nü had not arrived atop the golden screen.
It was not just Lu Yin—Shang Qing, Qiu Shi, and Yuhua Mavis were also all looking in the direction where Lei Nü should have been, as she had descended from the screen.
…
At the foot of the mountain that held the Root of Intelligence, a man had appeared, and he raised his head to face Lei Nü.
This man was the reason why Lei Nü had descended the mountain. “I thought that you had been driven out of the Mountain and Seas Zone by Shang Qing, Xia Jiuyou.”
The man standing at the foot of the mountain was none other than Xia Jiuyou. After entering the Mountain and Seas Zone, he had faced many powerful foes one after another, but he had constantly been beaten. As a result, he had been mocked as the weakest heir of the Xia family since ancient times, and he was also being used as a symbol of the Xia family’s fall.
However, this same person had actually forced Lei Nü to take him seriously at this moment. In fact, she was even somewhat fearful of him.
Right now, Xia Jiuyou was completely different from when he had crossed paths with Shang Qing, and the greatest change was in his realm. He had also broken through to the Enlighter realm.
“Isn’t it a little greedy for the Hall of Honor to hope to occupy two of the Cosmic Five’s positions?” Xia Jiuyou casually asked, as if he was not the person who had recently been defeated many times in a row.
Lei Nü coldly replied, “Just see if you can stop me.”
Xia Jiuyou shrugged and lightly stepped forward. He vanished, and Lei Nü also suddenly disappeared.
There was an explosion as two opposing star energies collided, causing the void to warp and begin tearing apart. The terrifying aftermath from the collision swept out, shooting in all directions and even disturbing the sea.
The two passed by each other, but Xia Jiuyou suddenly clutched at his heart as blood appeared on his lips. He turned back, only to hear the words, “Autumn’s Sorrow,” enter his ears.
Lei Nü turned around and stared at Xia Jiuyou. Ripples spread through the air and expanded as they enveloped Xia Jiuyou. This was her innate gift of hypnosis.
Xia Jiuyou’s gaze grew sharp, and he suddenly slapped down with both hands. Lei Nü appeared in front of him, and he lashed out with a palm which carried a gloomy light with it. “Yōu Reinforced Palm.”
The palm passed straight through Lei Nü. He had been hypnotized, and the Lei Nü that he saw in front of him was fake.
He heard, “Autumn’s Sorrow,” call out once again, this time from behind. Xia Jiuyou coughed; just like Lu Yin, Xia Jiuyou could not determine where these attacks were coming from.
Xia Jiuyou was struck, and although Lei Nü wanted to follow through with her attack, her pupils suddenly shrank as a chill shot down her spine. At some unknown time, a palm print had appeared on her back. This wound was from Xia Jiuyou’s Yōu Reinforced Palm, though Xia Jiuyou had clearly always been in front of her.
Lei Nü’s back gradually froze over, and she struggled to dissolve the ice even with her star energy. She stared at Xia Jiuyou in confusion. “When?”
Xia Jiuyou wiped the blood from his lips. “It’s an innate gift. You won’t be able to figure it out.”
He then charged at Lei Nü and struck out with the Yōu Reinforced Palm once more.
Lei Nü was extremely apprehensive towards Xia Jiuyou’s Yōu Reinforced Palm, as the palm print on her back was something that she could not dissolve or melt. As time passed, more and more of her back froze over, greatly affecting her mobility and attacks. When she saw that Xia Jiuyou’s attack had arrived once again, the ripples coming from her body expanded even further.
Xia Jiuyou shook his head. “Hypnosis is indeed a powerful innate gift, but it depends on who you use it on.”
A Yōu Reinforced Palm shot out. This time, it was not just one, as there were over a dozen, and they shattered the void in all directions.
“Autumn’s Sorrow,” Lei Nü’s voice rang out again, and Xia Jiuyou’s expression changed. Pain erupted from his heart, as he had been struck once again. How was the attack approaching him? What was this, exactly?
Lei Nü’s Autumn’s Sorrow was as unfathomable as Yōu Qi’s ability to turn immaterial. Unfortunately, Xia Jiuyou was not as lucky as Lu Yin, who had been able to perfectly counter his opponent’s strange ability. However, Xia Jiuyou did not actually need to do so as Lei Nü was simultaneously suffering from his Yōu Reinforced Palm.
Even if Lei Nü immediately retreated after her attack, she was still struck in the shoulder by the Yōu Reinforced Palm. Just like her back, her shoulder gradually began to freeze over.
Her face went pale as she stared at Xia Jiuyou with fear. Xia Jiuyou was able to endure many of her attacks, but she would not be able to take many more of these Yōu Reinforced Palms; more importantly, she could not stop the freezing from progressing.
Xia Jiuyou raised a hand, still using the Yōu Reinforced Palm, but this time, he did not strike out. Instead, the gloomy light gathered over his palm in the shape of a long knife. He then looked over at Lei Nü. “Triple Blade Will.”
Lei Nü’s pupils shrank; was this the Xia family’s famed Triple Blade Will?
The Seven Courts’ Xia family had passed down the Triple Blade Will from ancient times. One blade superimposed over another, and the strength of each consecutive blade would double the former, and the third blade was essentially unrivaled within the same realm. It was one of the strongest battle techniques in the Neoverse. Although it was not completely unrivaled like the Tri-Yang Technique, it was still a top-notch battle technique.
The more peerless a technique was, the harder it was to successfully train in it. The Tri-Yang Technique had not been successfully cultivated in hundreds of thousands of years, and the Xia family’s Triple Blade Will was also something that had also not been successfully cultivated in tens of thousands of years. Many people had actually forgotten about it, but at this moment, Xia Jiuyou was actually using it.
Lei Nü did not even think as she reflexively pointed a hand at Xia Jiuyou. “Banishment.”
This was one of the Hall of Honor’s secret techniques: Banish. This technique banished the victim to some remote distance, and it was not something that could be fought or resisted.
The Xia family’s Triple Blade Will gave Lei Nü a nervous feeling, so she had instinctively fallen back to using her secret technique to banish Xia Jiuyou and interrupt his usage of the Triple Blade Will.
Banishment was a secret technique, and it could not be seen or felt, though it certainly existed. However, Xia Jiuyou did not even move or even twitch.
Lei Nü’s eyes grew large. “The Xia Secret Art, Nullify!”
