“It’s been a long time, Lan Si,” Nightking Zhenwu’s voice came through the gadget, sounding tranquil.
Lan Si calmly replied, “I never thought that, out of all of the Ten Arbiters, you would be the first to call me. Is this about Lu Yin?”
Nightking Zhenwu revealed a faint smile. “That’s right—this is indeed about him. Don’t underestimate him. Not only does he have a secret technique that can divert attacks, but he’s also quite skilled at using Gods’ Origin’s methods as well.”
Lan Si was surprised by this news. “Gods’ Origin?”
“That’s right. You should have heard of Gods’ Origin’s methods before. There was once a civilization that left behind an ancient inheritance, and their techniques can both create and destroy; truly bizarre and mysterious methods. You should be careful,” Nightking Zhenwu warned.
Lan Si’s brows rose. “You called me just to reveal some information about Lu Yin’s fighting style?”
“I know that you’re confident in achieving victory, but there’s no harm in understanding your opponent a bit more,” Nightking Zhenwu replied with a smile.
Lan Si arrogantly said, “There’s no need—I’ll find out for myself. You should take care of yourself.” And with that, he hung up.
Lan Si loathed Nightking Zhenwu, as he felt that the Nightking was too treacherous and his methods too sinister. The Daynight clan itself was already ruthless to begin with, and they were not welcomed in the Starfall Sea at all. Between the rest of the Ten Arbiters, although Lan Si’s relationship with Nightking Zhenwu was not exactly bad, it was not very good either.
On the other end, Nightking Zhenwu lowered his gadget. Lan Si’s attitude was within his expectations, and everything was still fine. He had accomplished what he had set out to do.
The Nightking hoped that Lan Si would be able to take out Lu Yin, as that would mean one less troublesome task to do.
Planet Fleabane was not considered to belong to any particular weave, and it was located between the Darkmist and Bard Weaves. Its most discerning features were that it was the closest habitable planet to the Astral River, and its scenery was extremely beautiful. Although it was only a planet, its intrinsic value caused the guiding powers of both weaves to covet it. Several billion individuals had once resided on the planet, and quite a few had represented various powers.
Unfortunately, due to a natural disaster that caused an apocalypse, the land had been completely submerged under lava and water while the air had been filled with poisonous underground gases. In the end, the planet was inhabited only by terrifying organisms that could survive under these extreme conditions.
As for why Lan Si had chosen Planet Fleabane, it was because, from his perspective, the planet represented his glorious past as well as his future; this was the gift that he would give to Lu Yin. Although Lan Si did not intend to destroy everything that Lu Yin had built up, once Lu Yin was defeated, it would be a huge setback to him, which was something that Lan Si could clearly see.
He also hoped to use this planet to make Lu Yin be more aware of his situation.
Also, more importantly, they could see the Astral River from Planet Fleabane.
Two days later, Lan Si arrived above Planet Fleabane and moved into the planet’s atmosphere. He looked down at the surging waves of the sea and the boiling magma along the seabed which caused the entire planet’s waters to boil. Occasionally, strange creatures would dash up to the surface only to be swallowed by even larger creatures.
To ordinary people, this planet was completely uninhabitable.
Lan Si’s arrival broke the fragile equilibrium that had lasted for countless years on this planet. An ugly, five-colored flower covered with thorns shot up from the seabed towards Lan Si, attempting to swallow him whole.
His gaze trembled, and his fingers moved as his star energy shot out with a blast that caused the void itself to tremble. The flower was utterly shattered, and the entire sea trembled before falling silent. No other creature dared to provoke Lan Si.
Lan Si stood atop the sea and stared at the star energy that could just be barely seen off in the distance as he silently waited for Lu Yin.
At this time, countless people had already arrived above Planet Fleabane, and they were all armed with all sorts of apparatuses. As more and more people came, they gathered in multiple layers as countless members of the media focused their attention on Planet Fleabane and prepared to broadcast this groundbreaking battle.
Although neither of the two combatants were Enlighters, they still represented the peak of the younger generation.
Three more days passed as the number of people above Planet Fleabane continued to increase. Quite a few Hunters arrived along with many leaders of various Outerverse powers. There were even Enlighters, who were considered practically legends in the eyes of these people.
The bespectacled Mistchild had also arrived, hiding within the crowd. She stared at Planet Fleabane. Now that Lu Yin had unified the Outerverse, she was no longer as useful to Lu Yin, and she met him far less frequently than before.
Mu Nichang had also arrived, though not to see Lu Yin. She was there for Lan Si. Although she was a part of the Great Eastern Alliance, she hoped to see Lan Si emerge victorious without suffering any major injuries.
Doro was able to see through her master’s thoughts, and she helplessly said, “Master, you’re too infatuated with Arbiter Lan Si. Don’t forget that you’re a great deal older than him.”
Mu Nichang rolled her eyes. “My heart is still young.”
Doro’s mouth fell open—how unreasonable!
A bit further away from them was the old woman from the Nalan family who had once appeared to protect the border in Endless Weave. She calmly observed Planet Fleabane.
Her power level was greater than 300,000, and logically, she should not care about this battle between juniors, but she was well aware of the fact that either of these youths could easily overtake her within just a few years. They were absolute monsters.
Aside from the people from the Outerverse, there were also countless people in the Innerverse paying attention to this battle.
The Ten Arbiters did not belong to the Outerverse, but rather to the Innerverse, and their reputation for being unrivaled had also been established there.
Everyone, from the Sword Sect, the Daynight clan, the Divine Grade Hall, the Wen family, and the Astral Combat Academy to other powers such as the isolated Venom Flowzone, Chaos Flowzone that was still at war, and the rebuilding Starfall Sea, everyone was focused on this planet.
Especially the Starfall Sea, since the Ten Arbiters’ Lan Si represented Starfall Sea.
To those like Mu Rong and Ling Que, this battle was not merely a decisive one at the level of the Ten Arbiters, but rather more of a demonstration of how Lu Yin had flown past them. Not long ago, the three of them had all been competing equally, but at this moment, they could not even see Lu Yin’s shadow.
…
One day, above Planet Fleabane, the busy region of space suddenly fell quiet as a spacecraft approached. It suddenly collapsed into itself as it was stored away in a cosmic ring; Lu Yin had arrived.
In all directions surrounding Planet Fleabane, there were countless people, spacecraft, and broadcasting equipment that filled the region.
Lu Yin’s lips curled up “Back away.”
He had merely uttered two simple words, but they instantly sent everyone scrambling, as no one dared to talk back.
This was the influence of being the Great Eastern Alliance Leader. In theory, everyone here at this place was under Lu Yin’s authority.
“Invincible Alliance Leader!” someone shouted from within the crowd.
Closely following that shout came countless more in a chant. “Invincible Alliance Leader! Invincible Alliance Leader…”
Lu Yin was amused. It was quite likely that nobody here believed that he could defeat Lan Si, but before the outcome was finalized, they would do their best to flatter him.
As for the media, they might have come here for a story, but there were only two possibile outcomes. One was his victory, in which case they would all flatter him to the extreme. On the other hand, if he lost, they would still flatter him, but with an extra tone of consolation.
It did not matter what price Lu Yin would end up paying if he lost; he would still be the leader of the Great Eastern Alliance, so nobody dared to talk badly about him.
This was his authority, and it was the authority that he had sought after for so long. Even if he lost, the entire universe would try to console him. No matter what people actually thought, they would only be able to say words of consolation.
Lu Yin looked over towards Planet Fleabane, stepped through the void, and then exchanged glances with Lan Si. Each of the two youths saw the fierce battle intent in the other’s eyes.
They had waited more than two years for this battle.
When Lu Yin emerged from the void, he descended onto Planet Fleabane, landing only a thousand meters away from Lan Si.
Lan Si stared at Lu Yin, unperturbed. “You can admit defeat, and I’ll publicly announce that we decided to cancel the match. You can still save your face.” This was the final way out that Lan Si was willing to give Lu Yin, as he hoped to repay Lu Yin’s kindness for helping them to survive. After all, Lan Si and the others from Mt. Stacks Dojo and the Sea King’s Dome would have died at the Sixth Mainland’s hands were it not for Lu Yin’s efforts.
“Seventh Bro, should we admit defeat? Are you really confident?” the Ghost Monkey asked. He had seen Lu Yin’s new strength, especially during his recent battle against Little Arrow Saint, where the two of them had been equally matched. For some reason, the monkey felt like a Realmling with Little Arrow Saint’s strength would not have as many hidden trumps compared to one of the Ten Arbiters. Perhaps it was because the Fifth Mainland’s people were too adept at concealing things, but the longer the monkey looked at Lan Si, the more he felt that this person was unfathomable.
Lu Yin also looked calm. “Since we’ve already scheduled this fight, there’s no reason for me to retreat.”
Appreciation could be seen in Lan Si’s eyes. “Ever since the status of the Ten Arbiters was first established, the number of challengers has constantly fallen until almost no one was left. You should understand what it means for someone to be unrivaled. Even though we are a part of the same generation, we are all older than you, and in reality, you are truly unrivaled when considering those who are the same age as you. Thus, there’s no need for you to compete with us.
“You might have the strength to compete against us, but the difference between us and you is much like the difference between you and Mu Rong when the two of you fought. Although he was lacking only a tiny bit, you were still victorious. This is a difference that cannot be overcome.”
Lu Yin smiled faintly, stretched out his hand, and looked at the lines on his palm. “Not necessarily.”
“Nightking Zhenwu wasn’t able to show you the difference?” Lan Si spoke.
Lu Yin’s gaze trembled, and he looked up at Lan Si. “I should thank him. If it weren’t for him, I would not have been able to understand the disparity between us as clearly.”
Lan Si nodded and calmly said, “I’ve said what I should. Since you still want to fight, then I’ll oblige you. The kindness that you showed my Mt. Stacks Dojo will be repaid in the future.”
“Seventh Bro, I feel-”
Before the Ghost Monkey could finish speaking, Lu Yin growled, “Here I come!”
Right when Lu Yin said that, Lan Si appeared right in front of Lu Yin. “This is what you asked for!”
The Arbiter slapped out with a simple palm that contained no fancy tricks of any kind. Overlaying Stacks Path: One Hundred Stacks, Three Hundredfold Shockwave Palm.
Lu Yin frowned, as Lan Si had actually attacked him with a Shockwave Palm. Lu Yin also raised a hand: One Hundred Stacks, Three Hundredfold Shockwave Palm.
Bang!
A terrible explosion detonated in the void as an immense spatial crack spread from where the two palms had collided. One end of the fissure shot towards the ocean and swallowed both water and magma as all sorts of bizarre creatures were shredded apart. Meanwhile, the other end of the spatial crack shot into outer space and tore the sky open.
If Lu Yin hadn’t ordered these people to back away, then some of them definitely would have been swallowed by the spatial crack.
Just this first exchange had left many spectators shocked, and many of the spectators felt their scalps go numb.
Above the sea of Planet Fleabane, not only did the collision between the two palms create a spatial crack, but the remnant shockwaves of the Overlaying Stacks Path’s One Hundred Stacks also spread out like ripples. The sea surged with massive waves, and the void was similarly pushed apart in multiple waves. A tremendous force shuddered across the entire sea’s surface, and the sheer power caused the water to begin evaporating, which caused a black fog to form in the air due to the poisonous gas leaking out from underground. The sky grew dark.
The two youths withdrew at the same time, and Lan Si barked, “Again!”
The same scene repeated, but this time, the Arbiter did not use One Hundred Stacks. Instead, he used One Hundred Twenty Stacks.
Lu Yin already knew that Lan Si had definitely surpassed One Hundred Stacks. In fact, with Lu Yin’s physical strength, he was also able to exceed One Hundred Stacks, but unfortunately, no one had been able to help him deduce anymore stacks, and he had not been able to do so himself either.
Against Lan Si’s more powerful palm strike, Lu Yin unsealed his fatesand, and his enormous strength burst forth. He used the same One Hundred Stacks palm as before in response, but this time, his attack contained a far more terrifying power, and it was enough to make up for the difference of Twenty Stacks.
