Zi Jing explained, saying, “Then Mr. Lu will have to seize the time when the alliance convention is being held, ideally appearing just a bit before the voting commences. When Alliance Leader Lu was first elected, there was no mention of term length for the position and when elections would be held. But in just the blink of an eye, six years have already passed. At this point, if Tian Shao moves to hold an election, no one can really speak out against him.”
Lu Yin asked, “So, can I contact the Outerverse?”
Zi Jing took a sip of her tea. “Everything’s ready.”
With that, she clapped her hands, prompting a woman to appear on the top floor through the same beam of light that had brought Lu Yin in, and she handed Lu Yin a gadget.
“This is the latest gadget, and through a specific signal, it can connect to the Innerverse, Outerverse, Neoverse, and the Cosmic Sea. No more than fifty people in the entire Human Domain have one of these models,” Zi Jing explained.
Lu Yin grew curious. “Why are you giving me one?”
Zi Jing grew serious as she looked at Lu Yin. “Does Mr. Lu remember the promise you gave to En Ya?”
A thought flashed through Lu Yin’s head. “So, you want me to save General Marshal Shui Chuanxiao?”
Zi Jing quietly replied, “Grand Marshal Shui purposely let Endless Weave suffer defeat, and from a military viewpoint, he is a traitor. However, he did that to create an opportunity to connect the entire Human Domain under a single network, which allows information to be quickly transmitted anywhere. This is a huge service, and Alliance Leader Lu should be able to fully appreciate the value of having such speedy and reliable transmissions. Otherwise, Alliance Leader Lu would only be able to watch the Great Eastern Alliance be taken away from him at this moment.”
Lu Yin suddenly understood. This woman had never wanted to make things difficult for Lu Yin, as she had simply wanted him to better appreciate the value of a comprehensive network and how it would expedite the Human Domain’s development. Her intentions were well placed.
“I’m afraid that there’s a bit more to it than that. You were the one who reached out to Grand Marshal Shui to begin with, and you asked him to find a way to connect the entire Human Domain in a single network. All that for the sake of human development? If that was the case, then you could have simply approached the Hall of Honor or even spread such an idea through your own network. Also, what led you to believe that Shui Chuanxiao would be able to help you in the first place?” Lu Yin couldn’t help but ask.
Zi Jing smiled. “I can answer your question, but does Mr. Lu really feel that this is the right time?”
Lu Yin’s heart skipped a beat; she was right, as he was running out of time. He immediately called Wang Wen.
At the same time, in the Outerverse, Tian Shao was traveling to the meeting. It would be held on a nearby, normal planet.
Hundreds of representatives from both large and small forces throughout the Outerverse were already there, fiercely discussing the situation. Some of them were from powers that spanned entire weaves while others only held control over smaller regions.
The news that Tian Shao had released had shaken the entire Outerverse, and it was the underlying reason why everyone was attending this Alliance Convention. Things were proceeding smoothly, and just as Zi Jing had told Lu Yin, the vote for Alliance Leader was about to take place. The main point of discussion at this moment was that Tian Shao had promised to help the Outerverse fight for its rights and interests so that it would not be completely overtaken by the Sixth Mainland.
No one would be willing to leave the Outerverse and give their territory to someone else.
“Never compromise! When the Sixth Mainland attacked the Outerverse, we were not defeated! How can we just give up what has belonged to our ancestors and our families for generations? There’s no reason for everything to end with our generation!”
“That’s true, but when we faced off against the Sixth Mainland, we were supported by the Hall of Honor and Yuan Shi, an absolute powerhouse. There were many experts on our side, but we still suffered heavy casualties. Now, the Hall of Honor has abandoned our Outerverse, so who do we have left to stop the Sixth Mainland?”
“Come on, you people in the eastern region will be fine. Even if the Sixth Mainland does take over your region, it will still take a long time. What about our weaves in the west?”
“Didn’t Tian Shao say that he would help us? He’s the grandson of Bu Laoweng, one of the nine overseers. Technically, Bu Laoweng oversees the Great Eastern Alliance. Thus, as long as our alliance can offer him substantial benefits, there’s no reason for him to abandon us.”
“Good, since one of the nine overseers have spoken, then we won’t be forsaken so easily, and there will still be a chance for us to turn things around. It will all depend on what Tian Shao does.”
…
Vastdearth Sect’s leader, Meng Tianlong, listened to the various discussions taking place around him, and from time to time, he looked over at Wei Rong. The youth had been silent this entire time, but the young man’s continued silence made the sect leader hesitate.
From the very beginning of the alliance convention to the present moment, even Tian Shao had only managed to squeeze out two polite sentences from Wei Rong. Wei Rong had merely changed the subject, demonstrating that he was loyal to Lu Yin. However, Meng Tianlong did not believe such a thing for a single moment. It was not that Wei Rong was loyal, but rather that he was not making a stand against Tian Shao.
Wei Rong was smart, and this sort of attitude would infuriate both parties, which did not seem to be a smart move.
The Neo-Vestige Sect’s Gong Chou was also keeping an eye on Wei Rong even while listening to the crowd’s discussion. In particular, Gong Chou paid attention to the people who were pinning their hopes on Tian Shao, which caused a mocking light to appear in Gong Chou’s eyes.
The Outerverse did not have much knowledge of the Neoverse, and they had even less of an understanding regarding the Hall of Honor.
Since the information that the Sixth Mainland would be taking over the Outerverse was true, then how could an overseer save the Outerverse? Let alone a single overseer, even if all nine of them were united, the truth was that the overseers were nothing more than a front for the Hall of Honor to handle administrative duties. The real decisions were not something the overseers could influence at all.
It was possible that not even the nine overseers were privy to the true reasons why the Outerverse had been given over to the Sixth Mainland.
Tian Shao was just using this fear as a tactic to force the crowd to accept his authority.
Although he was aware of these details, Gong Chou had no intention of leaking anything. If the Sixth Mainland was really to receive the Outerverse, then the Neo-Vestige Sect would also need to find its own way to survive. No matter what, it would not be worth it to offend Tian Shao in this situation.
Gong Chou glanced back at Wei Rong. What is he thinking? He can’t possibly be waiting for Lu Yin to appear, right? Unfortunately, it’s impossible for him to come back after being captured by the Neohuman Alliance.
Doro cupped her chin in her hand as she silently observed the arguing crowd.
Bard Weave was located in the eastern region of the Outerverse, which was far away from the Sixth Mainland. Even if the Sixth Mainland did manage to take over the eastern weaves, it would take them a long time to do so. If Doro was being honest, then even though Evenground Palace’s elders were as anxious as fleas, Doro herself was not anxious at all. It would not be difficult for her to head to the Innerverse, as she had no intention of ever becoming the master of Evenground Palace. Such a move would make Doro’s master absolutely ecstatic, as even now, she was still trying to find a way to contact Lan Si, and she was actually swooning over the Arbiter.
Angie, Qiong Xi’er, Zhu San, as well as Zi Xianxian, Zi Fang, and the representatives from the Nalan family were all attending the convention. The Lan family and the people from the Sea King’s Dome’s were the only ones who had unexpectedly not attended.
The Outerverse not only included the powers that ruled and controlled the various weaves, but it also housed the four great corporations, which were actually even more important.
It could be said that this Alliance Convention was the first true alliance meeting aside from the first one that Lu Yin had held. Not only was this meeting larger, but it was also much more formal.
This was the effect that Tian Shao wanted. He was to be the leader of the Great Eastern Alliance, as this was his best opportunity to leave a mark down in history. Even if Lu Yin was not dead, he had probably already become a corpse king by now, and as a result, he would never be praised in history. At best, his legacy would receive a neutral opinion. Such a person would never be able to compare to Tian Shao.
The more intense the discussion became, the better it would be for him. The more desperate people became, the easier it would be for Tian Shao to succeed.
His eyes swept across everyone in the meeting until they stopped on Wei Rong. Tian Shao’s expression cooled. He had actually spoken to Wei Rong before the start of the convention. This person had been defeated by Lu Yin, but he had later become one of Lu Yin’s followers, which had been a very smart move. Tian Shao had seen all of Wei Rong’s information, and Tian Shao wanted to take Wei Rong as his own subordinate, but he had never expected that Wei Rong would simply be blind to the heights that Tian Shao stood at. Wei Rong had completely disregarded Tian Shao’s kindness.
Tian Shao then looked over at Gong Chou, Goldric Phoenix of the Dark Phoenix Clan, Qiong Xi’er, and Zi Xianxian. All of these people were ignorant of Tian Shao’s status and importance, and they had ignored him. To him, they were just a bunch of dumb people who were ignorant of the world, but it did not matter. There was no hurry. They would all come to understand what the Neoverse truly meant, as well as the Hall of Honor. At that time, just watch!
Right now, there were people who had fled to the Outerverse from the Starfall Sea as well as some people from Leon’s Armada. Both of those groups could potentially stir up trouble for him.
Yuan Shi was still in the Outerverse, and with the people from the Starfall Sea and the Lan family present, Tian Shao did not dare to act too rashly. However, the future was still uncertain.
When he looked at Qiong Xi’er and Zi Xianxian’s beautiful faces, Tian Shao’s face grew hot, though he hid his desires well.
This was the first time in his life that he had seriously striven to accomplish a task, and there was no room for error. For this reason, he had carefully hidden his true nature, and he would continue to do so. At this time, concealing himself was a necessity.
“Ahem. Everyone, how is the discussion proceeding?” Tian Shao gazed upon the crowd with a smile.
Wei Rong had a slight smile as he returned Tian Shao’s gaze, but Wei Rong’s eyes were empty. It was as though he was not even looking at a person. Wang Wen’s words kept repeating within Wei Rong’s mind. ‘Wait. Keep waiting. Wait until the very last moment. Our value will not diminish with time, and if Lu Yin really does die or turn into a corpse king, then that is the fate of the heavens. Still, it is better to fade back into obscurity than assist a piece of trash.’
Wei Rong, on the other hand, disagreed with Wang Wen’s thoughts. Fade away? Wei Rong was still young, and he did not have the mindset of a geezer. However, he did agree on one thing, which was to wait and keep on waiting until the last moment. Wei Rong had fought against Lu Yin for a long time, and he felt that he knew Lu Yin better than anyone. A person’s luck was very important, and even though there was less than a one in a billion chance to escape from the Neohuman Alliance, there was still a chance of success.
Wei Rong would not not hold onto any false hope, but it was impossible to know the final outcome, and waiting would incur no losses. Thus, Wei Rong was confident that his value would not fade as he bided his time.
At this moment, the people with the true pull in the Outerverse were all waiting. They were not waiting for Lu Yin, but rather waiting for the Hall of Honor to publicize the final outcome. They were not holding out any hope for Lu Yin, but they had no desire to be suppressed and oppressed by a ruler. Whether Lu Yin was around or not did not make much of a difference to most of the people present.
Most of these people were actually hoping that Lu Yin would simply disappear and never reappear again. Greenpeak Gorge was the most open with this stance, and of the major Outerverse powers, they had been the first to demonstrate their attitude towards Tian Shao, which was why their representatives were sitting in a position second only to Tian Shao. They arrogantly looked at the rest of the crowd, paying particular attention to Wei Rong with no attempt to hide their hatred.
Greenpeak Gorge had always been very fearful of the Great Eastern Alliance, and they had simply joined out of fear. They had also only received a seat in the alliance because they had replaced Darkstar Gorge, whose downfall had made Greenpeak Gorge terrified of the Great Eastern Alliance. As a result, they did not dare to show even the slightest bit of disrespect towards Lu Yin. However, the greater the fear a person holds, the greater the arrogance they will carry once the source of their fear disappears.
“Tian Shao, we have spoken at great length, and only the Hall of Honor—no, only Overseer Bu Laoweng can save us from being taken over by the Sixth Mainland. Please, Tian Shao, show us a clear path,” said the Lord of Greenpeak Gorge, Feng Shu, to Tian Shao, though in an exceptionally subservient tone.
Tian Shao nodded with satisfaction, gazing at Feng Shu with open appreciation. He then looked at the rest of the crowd. “What do all of you think?”
The crowd all looked at each other. Some responded, but others did not.
Feng Shu glanced at Wei Rong. “Brother Wei, I wonder, what position is the Great Yu Empire taking?”
He had deliberately named the Great Yu Empire, and his meaning was clear: in the future, there would just be the Great Yu Empire, and there would no longer be any power lording over the Great Eastern Alliance.
