“Even if Thousand Eyes can help deal with the underworld powers, what about Chaosgod Mountain itself? He isn’t from Chaosgod Mountain, and he has no ability to control the forces that direct Chaos Flowzone,” Cang Yi quickly said.
Lu Yin turned to stare outside. He had come alone, but Elder Hu suddenly appeared from the air. He had remained hidden, and Cang Yi had not seen the elder until he revealed himself, startling Cang Yi. “Hu- Elder Hu?”
Elder Hu bowed to Lu Yin. “This subordinate greets the alliance leader.”
Lu Yin nodded.
After the Great Eastern Alliance had destroyed the Blaze Realm, Wang Wen and Wei Rong had sent out people to infiltrate the Innerverse powers. Elder Hu was someone whom they had recruited as a mole. He had secretly joined the Great Eastern Alliance more than a year ago.
“Elder Hu, are you part of the Great Eastern Alliance?” Cang Yi could not believe his eyes.
Elder Hu glanced over at Cang Yi and indifferently replied, “I have served Alliance Leader Lu for more than a year, and it was at his order that I kept you hidden.”
Cang Yi’s entire body trembled, and bitterness filled his eyes. He had thought that everything was in his control and that he had predicted everything, but he had just learned that he was merely dancing in the palm of another.
“Although Elder Hu is not capable of leading Chaosgod Mountain, there’s still you, Cang Yi,” Lu Yin spoke slowly as he stared at Cang Yi. “With you here, regardless of your cultivation level or lack of it, no one on Chaosgod Mountain will dare to act rashly. With Thousand Eyes and Elder Hu here, it’s possible to stabilize the situation. The most important thing is that after the deaths of Cang Zhou, Cang Song, and the others, Chaosgod Mountain will need to seal itself off and cut off contact with the outside world. This is a legitimate excuse.”
Cang Yi’s mind started racing; regardless of his cultivation or lack of it? That meant that Lu Yin was going to destroy Cang Yi’s cultivation! No! Absolutely not! Cang Yi gritted his teeth and looked up at Lu Yin. “Alliance Leader Lu, I have been loyal to you. Why would you destroy my strength?”
Lu Yin answered with evident disgust, “You’ve betrayed the Fifth Mainland and you lack any redeeming qualities at all. Such a person should never exist.”
Right at that moment, Lu Yin intended to kill Cang Yi, as he had no desire to drag things out unnecessarily with such a person.
Cang Yi quickly yelled, “Alliance Leader Lu, I know where the colossal giants are!”
Lu Yin hesitated and stared at Cang Yi. “What did you just say?”
Cang Yi was utterly terrified. He was at the precipice of life and death, and Lu Yin’s actions would determine if Cang Yi could at least survive and remain as Elder Hu’s puppet for the rest of his life.
“Speak!” Lu Yin shouted.
Even though Cang Yi was terrified, he still forced himself to remain strong and said, “If I tell you, will Alliance Leader Lu let me go?”
Lu Yin’s eyes were icy. “You are in no position to give me conditions.”
“It’s just a request! I, Cang Yi, beg Alliance Leader Lu to let me go!” Cang Yi knelt down, quivering.
Lu Yin withdrew his hand. “Tell me. If what you say proves true, I can move you elsewhere.”
Cang Yi gritted his teeth. “Madam Hong. She’s most likely the one who captured the giants.”
Lu Yin felt the need to ask, “Madam Hong? How could she have even known about the colossal giants? How could she have captured them? Isn’t she in the Outerverse?”
Cang Yi trembled. “Well, I told her- No, I mean Madam Hong reached out to me to ask about the recent events on Chaosgod Mountain and the war in the Cosmic Sea. I had no choice but to tell her, and she said that she’d go to the Cosmic Sea. If she did go, she most likely left after the battle, and she probably ran into the giants and captured them.
“If it were anything else, given your influence, Alliance Leader Lu, it’s impossible for not a single trace of the giants to have turned up by now.”
Lu Yin really wanted to slap Cang Yi dead. This person had to have called Madam Hong and told her about what happened at Chaosgod Mountain. How could someone like Madam Hong have reached out to a traitor like Cang Yi? Given her recent actions regarding the traitors, it seemed quite clear that the Sixth Mainland had no intention of moving against the Fifth Mainland for the time being. Without such a motive, it was impossible for someone with Madam Hong’s status in the Sixth Mainland to reach out to Cang Yi of her own initiative.
Cang Yi was practically lying on the floor, waiting in terror. He could not put forth too many conditions to Lu Yin. In fact, Cang Yi could only pray that Lu Yin did as he had offered.
“Are you sure that it’s Madam Hong?” Lu Yin asked.
Cang Yi gulped. “No, I’m not sure, but I can get in touch with her and ask.”
“Ask, but don’t reveal our existence. You should understand that, let alone Madam Hong, not even the Sixth Mainland’s Progenitors can protect you right now. The only person who can keep you alive is me,” Lu Yin threatened.
“I know! I know!” Cang Yi immediately replied.
After preparing for a while, Cang Yi regained his normal composure, and only then did he try to contact Madam Hong.
After a while, he heard her voice, “What’s the matter?”
Cang Yi answered in a cautious tone, “Madam, the war in the Cosmic Sea has ended, and this subordinate called to report the matter to you.”
“No need. I know,” Madam Hong answered coldly.
Cang Yi glanced over at Lu Yin, who stood nearby with his back to Cang Yi. Cang Yi quickly continued, “Madam, there is one more thing I need to ask.”
“Your job is only to wait for my orders. Since when do you get to ask me questions?” Madam Hong’s voice turned quiet and icy.
Cang Yi quickly replied, “This is a matter that concerns many forces, even the Hall of Honor’s overseers. So-“
“What is this matter?” Madam Hong interrupted.
“Do you know about the giants?”
Madam Hong was surprised. “Why are you asking about that?”
Cang Yi explained, “The Innerverse has a company called Giant Consortium, and behind them is a race of giants that have already joined Lu Yin. During the war in the Cosmic Sea, the giants traveled to reinforce the battle, but they mysteriously disappeared in transit. At this moment, Lu Yin is using his full influence to find these colossal giants. Right now, the Outerverse’s Great Eastern Alliance, the Innerverse’s Chaosgod Mountain, the Wen family, the Cosmic Sea’s Leon’s Armada, and the Neoverse’s overseers are all looking for the giants.”
“Their disappearance has incited great turmoil, and this subordinate is considering the possibility of using news of the giants to incite even greater chaos in the Outerverse and Innerverse. Lu Yin’s influence is growing ever larger, and if he is lost and confused, the Fifth Mainland will descend into chaos. By this point, he is able to sway the entire overseers’ council.”
Madam Hong remained silent, and Cang Yi grew increasingly nervous. His palms started to sweat. He truthfully did not know whether or not the colossal giants had been taken by Madam Hong, and he was just going off of a hunch. The possibility was very high, and this bet was his only option for possible survival. He had actually spoken the words that Lu Yin had dictated, as it was impossible to ask Madam Hong such a question directly.
After a while, Madam Hong asked, “How do you want to use the colossal giants?”
“About that, this subordinate has not come up with a plan yet. I only had the initial idea, and so I contacted Madam Hong.”
Madam Hong quietly asked, “These giants belong to Lu Yin?”
“Yes.”
“That’s quite a coincidence. Those giants are currently at my Flying Horse Manor. Tell Lu Yin plainly that if he wants the giants, he can come to my Flying Horse Manor. I’ll be waiting for him.”
Cang Yi panicked. “Madam Hong, the moment this subordinate says that to Lu Yin, this subordinate’s life will be for-“
“You can come to my Flying Horse Manor before calling him. Cang Zhou is dead, and Lu Yin won’t allow you to control Chaosgod Mountain. He will only allow someone who belongs to him to do so, so your life will be forfeit as soon as he returns to Chaosgod Mountain,” Madam Hong said.
Cang Yi’s heart fell. Madam Hong was absolutely right. Cang Yi looked over at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin nodded.
Cang Yi nervously replied, “Understood, Madam Hong. Your subordinate will go to Flying Horse Manor.”
After the call ended, Cang Yi turned to Lu Yin in a respectful manner.
Lu Yin’s eyes were dark. The colossal giants really had been taken by Madam Hong. This made things difficult, as it would be practically impossible to take them back from Flying Horse Manor. Madam Hong was an extremely powerful expert with a power level of more than 900,000. The forces at Lu Yin’s disposal, even including Lui Ye and Fei Hua, would not be enough, as there was a qualitative difference in strength.
In order to take the giants back, Lu Yin would have to negotiate. He believed that was what Madam Hong wanted, but her price would not be low. Lu Yin did not like to be the one with the lower position in negotiations. That meant that there was only one other option: forcefully taking the giants away. However, that would only work if Madam Hong was first moved elsewhere.
Lu Yin called Wei Rong, and the two spoke for a while. Wei Rong was the most talented at this sort of thing.
The following day, Lu Yin led Cang Yi, Liu Ye, and Fei Hua to the west towards the Outerverse.
Chaos Flowzone lay to the west of the Innerverse, and it was very close to the western region of the Outerverse if one crossed the Astral River with the massive Ark.
Right after Lu Yin moved out, just when he was about to make a call, his gadget beeped with an incoming call request. It was En Ya.
“Alliance Leader, the Neo-Vestige Sect is in trouble.”
“What’s the problem?”
“A giant is blocking the Neo-Vestige Sect and has declared that no one is allowed entrance. The giant is from the Sixth Mainland’s Arrow Sect, and his name is Man Li.”
Lu Yin’s expression instantly changed.
En Ya shared an image. Outer space, outside of the Neo-Vestige Sect, there was a nearly ten meter tall giant standing with a longbow hanging on his back and an arrogant expression on his face.
Lu Yin was startled when he saw the giant, as he actually recognized him.
When Lu Yin had last visited the Daosource Sect ruins to visit the Nine Cauldrons Region, he had fought against this giant. The giant was very powerful. Not to mention the current Neo-Vestige Sect, but even if the Arrow Mountain Elder was still alive, he would not have been this giant’s opponent.
“The giant has his own rules, and he has not directly attacked the Neo-Vestige Sect. However, we’re guessing that he won’t wait for long.” En Ya’s tone was not good; the Great Eastern Alliance was being bullied, as the Neo-Vestige Sect was a part of the Great Eastern Alliance. If the alliance could not handle this matter properly, there would be severe repercussions.
This was the worst time for something like this to happen, as it could invalidate countless plans and efforts that had already been made.
“Understood,” Lu Yin said. He ended the call and thought for a bit before accessing his gadget again. He wanted to call Qing Tan.
It did not take long for Qing Tan to answer the call. “Alliance Leader Lu, I’m so glad that you called me.”
“Miss Qing Tan, there’s something I wish to ask for your help on,” Lu Yin said.
In the Neoverse, atop Mt. Microcosms, Qing Tan listened to Lu Yin, and his words caused her eyes to light up. “Alliance Leader Lu, please tell me. If I am able to help, Qing Tan will never refuse you.”
Lu Yin said, “I would like to ask Miss Qing Tan to have old man San Shang propose to the overseers’ council to have the Hall of Honor stop the war in Blazing Mist Flowzone and allocate the Blaze Realm to my Great Eastern Alliance.”
Qing Tan grew curious. “If I remember correctly, I believe that the Great Eastern Alliance voluntarily withdrew from the Blaze Realm.”
Lu Yin bitterly complained, “I won’t hide anything from Miss Qing Tan. Our intention behind leaving the Blaze Realm was to allow the sylvan dragons to go to war with the Ross Empire. Our intention was to reap the benefits as the fishermen, but starting with the war in Blazing Mist Flowzone, we learned that there are few major powers in the Innerverse that do not have any sort of connection with each other. My Great Eastern Alliance no longer has control of the situation now that the Sword Sect, the Wen family, the Beast Tamers Flowzone, and the other great flowzones are getting involved, and all of these forces are native to the Innerverse.
“If my Great Eastern Alliance forces itself into the issue, we will incite public outrage. Not only will we fail to gain Blazing Mist Flowzone, but we will not even be guaranteed to retain Fennel Flowzone.”
Qing Tan’s lips curled up into a smile. Lu Yin had spoken with sincerity, as he was not dealing with a fool. Many people had already guessed that the Great Eastern Alliance’s motive when pulling out of Blazing Mist Flowzone had been to incite war rather than to stop it. However, two years ago, the Great Eastern Alliance had been too naive, and the sylvan dragons and the Ross Empire had been too impatient. Thus, the war had started despite the alliance’s mistakes.
OMA’s Thoughts
Translated By: OMA
Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox
TLC’ed By: OMA
