In the Innerverse, at the Sword Sect, Liu Qianjue was quietly fishing when Elder Li approached him. “Sect Master, are we just going to leave the Great Eastern Alliance in Blazing Mist Flowzone?”
“What other option is there?” Liu Qianjue casually replied.
Elder Li remained silent. He did not know what they should do, but the Great Eastern Alliance was experiencing a rare moment of hardship, and he felt that they should take advantage of the situation.
“Alright, head back for now,” Liu Qianjue gently ordered.
Elder Li bowed and excused himself.
Liu Qianjue suddenly started, as he had caught a strange and massive fish. He glanced at it, frowned, and then threw it away. It was not a fish that was tasty.
Since the Great Eastern Alliance was being forced to completely leave the Outerverse, Liu Qianjue also wanted to do something, but it was the Sixth Mainland forcing the Great Eastern Alliance’s hand. If he did anything at this time, it would be no different than cooperating with the Sixth Mainland, and given Lu Yin’s influence in the Hall of Honor, the Sword Sect would likely be accused of doing just that.
The Hall of Honor represented the overall interests of the entire Fifth Mainland, and since Lu Yin was able to somewhat direct the opinions of the Hall of Honor, it was vital that he not do anything that could give the wrong impression.
Elder Lianxin had already gone to visit Venom Flowzone, as no matter how much the Divine Venom Dynasty wished to avoid the outside world, it was impossible for them to ignore the Great Eastern Alliance, and it was just as impossible for them to ignore Lu Yin.
The Divine Venom Dynasty, the Sword Sect, the Lingling clan, the Daynight clan, the Divine Grade Hall, the Wen family, and the various other powers from both the eight great flowzones and the minor flowzones: once they all joined together, they would be strong enough to suppress the Great Eastern Alliance into staying in just Blazing Mist Flowzone.
Together, these organizations could represent the entire Innerverse, which meant that the Hall of Honor would not be able to interfere. This was how the Hall of Honor handled matters, as without such limitations, the Hall of Honor would have long since united the entire Human Domain.
“This is a troubled era. Even the Neohuman Alliance has started to move about boldly. The best choice is to do nothing for now and to try to avoid this chaos.” Liu Qianjue sighed and resumed fishing.
Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind him. “Unfortunately, you can’t avoid it.”
Liu Qianjue froze, and the fishing rod in his hand transformed into a sword. He did not take a single step or move his body, yet his sword stabbed behind him and thrust into the true universe. Sword qi surged out, causing the entire Sword Sect to shake. At that moment, every sword in the sect rang.
There was a ringing sound, and the sword snapped. Liu Qianjue was still sitting in the same place as before, but shock and fear had covered his face. His sword had been broken, and it had been broken by pure sword skill. This intruder had not only been able to see through Liu Qianjue’s technique, but he had also been able to find flaws in it.
Most shocking was that the person had not used any more strength than Liu Qianjue had in his attack.
“The All-Directional Sword Arts. For you to have mastered this technique, you must have excellent perseverance. Unfortunately, the technique’s flaws are quite obvious. There is always a point in a given direction that cannot be targeted, which is the technique’s weakness.”
Liu Qianjue’s gaze grew sharp. “Your Excellency, who are you?”
Cheng.
A sword gently rang as it was stabbed into the ground in front of Liu Qianjue. It had a green hilt that was half the length of the blade, and both the hilt and the blade were covered with spiraling patterns where water droplets converged to form the shape of a halberd. This was the same sword that Lu Yin had once formed from his star energy. When Liu Qianjue had seen it back then, he had been shocked, because only one person had ever used this sword: Liu Huang, the most outstanding genius in the entire history of the Sword Sect.
Liu Qianjue whirled around to see Liu Huang standing no more than a hundred meters away. Shock and disbelief filled the Sword Sect master’s eyes. “You? Impossible! You can’t be alive!”
Liu Huang clasped his hands behind his back, and various emotions passed over his face. “True, it is indeed impossible for me to be alive. How could someone who’s regarded as a scourge by the Hall of Honor possibly live? And yet I have been alive, living a million miles away in the depths of Gaia’s Swamp.”
Liu Qianjue’s fingers trembled. “Gaia’s Swamp?”
Liu Huang nodded. “That’s right, Gaia’s Swamp.”
Liu Qianjue frowned. “Impossible. You were clearly dead back then.”
Liu Huang replied in a solemn tone, “There is a person within the Hall of Honor who possesses an innate gift for faking death, and they were the one who took me to Gaia’s Swamp.”
“I’ve never heard of such a person before,” Liu Qianjue retorted.
Liu Huang just shrugged. “I never had either until they took me away.”
“How can you prove who you are?” Liu Qianjue asked as he stared at Liu Huang.
Liu Huang looked in a specific direction. “The ancestor of my Liu family who came to this place is buried there.”
As he spoke, he tapped a finger and formed the picture of a very inconspicuous ravine.
Liu Qianjue’s pupils instantly shrank. While many people knew where the Liu family’s ancestors were buried, the public information was a lie. Only the master of the Liu family in each generation would be told the true location. The true location was a secret place that no one would think to look, and it was kept secret because the ancestor had wanted to be buried in that ravine. However, later generations had felt that the location was improper, so they had created a false grave.
While this was not an important secret, it was one of the Liu family’s most closely guarded matters.
“Still don’t believe me? Then-” As he spoke, Liu Huang pointed in another direction. He pointed to a place where he had once trained with others from a past generation. The people had grown old and already died, but the list of names could still be seen.
“If that’s still not enough,” Liu Huang moved a finger again, and the long green sword flew to his hand. He raised a hand and said, “Thirteenth Sword.”
While his voice fell, he never moved. Liu Qianjue’s body trembled, and blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. He slowly bent over. There was no denying that this was the Thirteenth Sword.
“Junior Liu Qianjue greets his ancestor.” Liu Qianjue slowly bowed low. The Liu family’s ancestor’s grave had been revealed, the man’s former home had been shown, and even the Thirteenth Sword had been used. Liu Qianjue could no longer hold any doubts.
Liu Huang put his sword away and slowly walked towards the pond.
Liu Qianjue looked up. “What happened back then?”
Liu Huang sat down as he started speaking, “My Sword Sect possesses unparalleled determination, and once a true expert appears, the Fifth Mainland will no longer be peaceful. This was why I was imprisoned within Gaia’s Swamp, never to be released.”
Liu Qianjue clenched a fist. “We are the same as the Daynight clan!”
Liu Huang found this quite funny. “We are much more fortunate than the Daynight clan! The First and Third Nightkings were forced into the Astral Beast Domain, and one of them died while the other disappeared. I was not nearly as unfortunate. Even though I was imprisoned, there was at least the possibility of escape.”
“The riot in Gaia’s Swamp?” Liu Qianjue blurted.
Liu Huang looked at him and said, “The Sword Sect’s masters from each generation are intelligent and ambitious, but most of them focus on their swordsmanship. What sort of sect master are you?”
Liu Qianjue’s eyes flickered. “This junior does not understand.”
Liu Huang looked back at the calm pond. “Someone mentioned that you are too unfocused on the sword. You abdicated your position, and yet you have taken it back. Your ambition for your sword is less than your other ambitions.”
Liu Qianjue let out a sharp breath. “Lu Yin?”
Liu Huang nodded.
Liu Qianjue showed a bitter smile. “I should have thought of that earlier. He was present during the riot in Gaia’s Swamp, and from what I know of him, even if he had nothing to do with the planning or execution of such a thing, it’s impossible for him to not seize an advantage from such an event. However, this junior does not understand. Did Lu Yin get involved in the riot for your sake?”
Wait! Suddenly, Liu Qianjue’s expression completely changed. “The Second Nightking!”
Liu Huang appeared as calm as ever, and he did not interrupt.
Liu Qianjue grew pale, and his hands and feet turned cold. That was right, the Second Nightking had also escaped from Gaia’s Swamp. If Lu Yin had been involved in the riot and had somehow gotten Liu Huang free, how could the youth have ever allowed the Second Nightking to escape? There was no way that Lu Yin would permit such trouble for himself.
The Second Nightking was either already dead, or there was another possibility that Liu Qianjue could not even muster the courage to consider. He stared blankly at Liu Huang, hoping to receive a negative response.
However, Liu Huang eventually nodded. “That’s right, the Second Nightking was also taken away by that child.”
“Why? The Second Nightking would never submit to him, so why would he free the Second Nightking?” Liu Qianjue could not make heads or tails of this, as it simply made no sense at all.
Liu Huang solemnly stated, “I may not know the reason, but the Second Nightking is always at Lu Yin’s side.”
Liu Qianjue’s heart was dropping further by the moment. If the Second Nightking had submitted to Lu Yin, then that meant that the entire Daynight clan had also submitted! It was no wonder why Lu Yin had abandoned Daynight Flowzone so casually back then; it was already his.
But how did Lu Yin take control of the Daynight clan? Why would he trust the Daynight clan to follow him?
Thoughts whirled through Liu Qianjue’s mind as he thought of the Second Nightking and the implications that this information brought. Suddenly, Liu Qianjue’s eyes returned to Liu Huang. “You are here to have the Sword Sect join the Great Eastern Alliance.”
Liu Huang looked over. “Smart.”
“Why? With your return, you could simply take over the Sword Sect! The entire sect is yours! Why do you wish to join the Great Eastern Alliance?” Liu Qianjue protested.
Liu Huang’s voice dropped low, “Do you think that I can reveal myself?”
Liu Qianjue instantly understood; the Hall of Honor would never spare Liu Huang, so he could only remain hidden. “Are you concerned that Lu Yin will report you?”
Liu Huang stared at Liu Qianjue and said, “While I can’t compare to you when it comes to scheming and administration, I can see through people better. Regardless of whether or not I had returned, the Sword Sect cannot avoid its fate of joining the Great Eastern Alliance. My appearance is only going to make it easier for the Sword Sect to join.”
“The Great Eastern Alliance is being driven out of the Outerverse, and they are too busy dealing with their own affairs. The entire Innerverse is united in wanting to restrain Lu Yin.”
“The Hall of Honor is what determines the fate of such things, not the Innerverse,” Liu Huang fiercely retorted. Being imprisoned in Gaia’s Swamp had given him a clearer view of such things than anyone else. While he deeply hated the Hall of Honor, he still had to admit that the Hall of Honor had the power to control everything.
Lu Yin was able to influence everything as well, because he could influence the Hall of Honor.
Liu Qianjue argued back in a low voice, “Not even the Hall of Honor can decide upon the fate of the Innerverse. This has been true for countless years.”
“Then why did I end up in Gaia’s Swamp?” Liu Huang asked back.
Liu Qianjue was stunned, but he truly could not say anything to counter this fact. The Hall of Honor was not merely the guiding hand of the Human Domain that everyone saw; it also acted in secret to maintain control of things.
The Daynight clan had given birth to the First Nightking, the Second Nightking, the Third Nightking, and the Dayking. Each of them had been a true genius, and yet the First Nightking had been killed, the Third Nightking had been trapped in the Astral Beast Domain, and the Dayking had died. As for the Sword Sect’s Liu Huang, he had been secretly imprisoned.
It was not only the Daynight clan and the Sword Sect, but also the entire Innerverse, the Cosmic Sea, and even the Neoverse that were controlled by the Hall of Honor, whether openly or secretly. This was how the Human Domain was ruled.
“That was the Hall of Honor, not Lu Yin,” Liu Qianjue finally replied.
Everyone had a certain degree of selfishness. Liu Qianjue never wanted the Sword Sect to join the Great Eastern Alliance, as that would make him the one who had failed the sect in generations to come.
In order to leave Gaia’s Swamp, Liu Huang had agreed to Lu Yin’s conditions, whether he had done so because he wanted to pass on his Fourteenth Sword or for something else, it had still been an essentially selfish decision.
Some were greedy for fame, others for profit, and yet more for their legacy.
