“You should know that it’s impossible to gain access to the Mavis Bank’s records. Even if it weren’t you, their own clan members have no such rights either. If anything was leaked, there would be catastrophic consequences for them to bear. No one can afford to risk such a thing, as they would have to bear the full force of the Mavis family’s wrath,” Sister Fei warned Lu Yin. After all, he was asking about information that would affect the credibility of the Mavis Bank, and that was something worth far more than just a billion star essence.
Lu Yin nodded helplessly. “I know. Thank you, Sister Fei.”
Sister Fei nodded. “You’ve gambled 100 million star essence, and you’ll get it back with even a small profit. You aren’t suffering any loss, so don’t worry about it.”
Lu Yin pursed his lips. He was actually being encouraged to let something go by a pirate. “I understand, Sister Fei.”
After hanging up, Ku Wei spoke up from behind Lu Yin, still unwilling to accept things. “Seventh Bro, are you just going to let those bastards run away with your money? They should know that anyone who dares to steal from you will die!”
“Who do you think would qualify to borrow a billion star essence from the Mavis Bank in a single loan?” Lu Yin asked.
Ku Wei shook his head. “There are too many people. Just to start off, there are the leaders of the Innerverse’s eight great flowzones, people in the Cosmic Sea, the Neoverse, and even the Hall of Honor. Even you, Seventh Bro. Given your current status, you could definitely get such a loan. It’s actually pretty easy to take a loan of a billion star essence from the Mavis Bank.”
Lu Yin’s heart skipped a beat. He had forgotten about this option. It was true, he could indeed take out a loan himself. Perhaps he should try it sometime when he found himself short on funds.
Of the 360 million star essence recovered from the bookkeeper, Sister Fei took 160 million back to the Cosmic Sea for Leon’s Armada while the other 200 million was given over to Lu Yin and directly sent back to the Blaze Realm.
As of this moment, Lu Yin’s total assets amounted to 700 million star essence, 100 million of which was from his initial bet.
700 million star essence was more than what Lu Yin had ever possessed before. It was so, so much money, and he was extremely wealthy! No, he had to keep a low profile and not act ostentatiously.
When he thought about how he had almost lost 900 million star essence, his heart twitched.
It was a relatively short trip from the Blaze Realm to Ascension Flowzone, though it was necessary to pass through Venom Flowzone. Lu Yin specifically ordered the ship to pass through Fennel Flowzone so that he could take a look before arriving in Blazing Mist Flowzone.
At this moment, Blazing Mist Flowzone was completely different from before. Without the arrogant Blaze Realm disciples present, the sylvan dragon clan and the Ross Empire had subconsciously joined forces and erected a line of defense along the Blaze Realm’s southern side to stop the Great Eastern Alliance from attacking them.
Leon’s Armada had already returned to the Cosmic Sea, and Lu Yin was unable to do anything to the two powers of Blazing Mist Flowzone, as he was still unable to stand up to their two Envoys.
However, the other two parties also did not dare to do anything to Lu Yin either.
Lu Yin had become the champion of ZENITH, and after that, the Hall of Honor had immediately warned everyone against targeting him, which was one of the reasons why Highsage Leon had been reassured enough to return to the Cosmic Sea.
Highsage Grandmaster had also disappeared. Lu Yin had wanted to host the old man, but Highsage Grandmaster had not remained in contact, and Lu Yin had no idea where the old man had gone. However, Lu Yin was confident that, if he met another mishap, Highsage Grandmaster would definitely reappear.
Shortly after returning to the Blaze Realm, Lu Yin was talking with Wei Rong about withdrawing from Blazing Mist Flowzone when he received a call from someone familiar. He was genuinely surprised by who was reaching out to him: Starsibyl.
Lu Yin had not expected her to suddenly contact him.
Starsibyl’s performance during ZENITH had been quite good, and honestly, Lu Yin had been surprised. In his mind, Starsibyl had become a potential threat.
“Brother Lu, do you have a moment? Why don’t you visit the Starsibyl Sect?” The moment Starsibyl saw Lu Yin’s face, she instantly offered him an invitation.
Lu Yin was caught off guard. “The Starsibyl Sect?”
Starsibyl smiled. “The Starsibyl Sect officially invites Brother Lu for a visit.”
…
A few days later, Lu Yin stood in outer space with his hands clasped behind his back as he pondered things.
After receiving an invitation from the Starsibyl Sect, he had naturally gone for a visit.
Everyone in the universe who knew of the Starsibyl Sect would be cautious of them. After all, even normal people would not underestimate a fortune-teller, as this was something that involved the realm of the future, and Lu Yin was no different.
He had not originally believed in their divination abilities, but then Starsibyl had somehow correctly deduced that the Sea King had stolen a huge batch of the pyrolyte. No one had had any clues, and only the Starsibyl Sect had been able to uncover the truth.
Starsibyl’s divination abilities were also astounding in battle. Lu Yin could not understand her battle technique known as Calculations of the Abacus, and he was quite curious about it. He actually had a powerful urge to debunk their so-called “divination.”
That was something that ordinary people believed in! However, if it was impossible to understand their methods and one ended up actually believing in divination, then one would absolutely become more cautious towards a power like the Starsibyl Sect. In fact, one would even develop a sense of awe towards them.
The Starsibyl Sect was located in the Innerverse’s Little Millenium Flowzone, and Little Millenium Flowzone lay between Venom Flowzone, First Flowzone, and Daynight Flowzone. This was an intersection between three of the Innerverse’s major powers.
Little Millenium Flowzone was a bit different from all the other small flowzones, as it was unknown whether the place had been deliberately arranged by someone or had simply naturally formed. The entire flowzone had 108 tributary astral rivers that wrapped around the flowzone in layers, making it look like it was covered by a vortex. If one drew a map, it would actually look like a bullseye.
At the center of the 108 tributary astral rivers was the Starsibyl Sect. The stars within Little Millenium Flowzone were surrounded by the tributaries, and they lay in a pattern that seemed natural, but also unnatural.
The moment Lu Yin entered Little Millenium Flowzone, it was clear that these astral river tributaries were perfectly normal, but for some reason, Lu Yin felt that they had been arranged in some strange meaning.
Lu Yin let out a breath. He had already entered Little Millenium Flowzone, and he was very close to the Starsibyl Sect now.
During his trip, Lu Yin had also received a call from the Yōu family, which was a group that he had never met before. They were a part of the Seven Courts’ Yōu clan.
All of Lu Yin’s recent calls had come from unexpected people, and the Yōu family had contacted him because they wished to join the Great Eastern Alliance.
Lu Yin had never even considered such a thing. The Yōu family was a well-known group within the Innerverse, and they were backed by the powerful Sword Sect. In fact, their family members had even married into the Sword Sect several times, but now, the family actually wanted to join the Great Eastern Alliance.
“The Sword Sect has already come to suspect that my Yōu family never truly parted ways with the Seven Courts’ Yōu Clan, and so, their attitude towards us has completely changed. I ask Alliance Leader Lu to allow our Yōu family to join your Great Eastern Alliance.
“My Yōu family has truly broken away from the Court of Seven Names, and we only wish to live peaceful lives, but the Sword Sect won’t allow us such peace. Revealing the Yōu Secret Art has triggered their jealousy and envy, and they clearly want to obtain our secret technique from us.
“Alliance Leader Lu, I swear that my Yōu family has no intention of returning to the Yōu clan, nor will I ever betray the Great Eastern Alliance. Even though the Sword Sect’s attitude has changed greatly, my Yōu family does not truly wish to part ways with them, but we hope that someone can offer us protection and peace.
“I chose the Great Eastern Alliance because, rather than being a single powerful group or family, it is an alliance with varied interests. This does not present any threat to my isolated family. Alliance Leader Lu’s future is limitless, and you can even rely on the Hall of Honor, as well as Leon’s Armada, Elder Yuan Shi, and many others. My Yōu family no longer trusts anyone, but we do hope that you can protect the few of us.”
…
These had been Madam Yōu’s words. She was the leader of the Yōu family, and she had been the one to speak to Lu Yin.
During ZENITH, Yōu Ye’er had exposed her family’s secret technique as well as her battle technique, Heart-Killer Lotus. This had basically been a public announcement that the Yōu family was actually the main branch of the Yōu clan.
Madam Yōu had spoken in a righteous manner, and she had claimed that the Yōu family would never return to the Yōu clan. If Lu Yin had not witnessed certain events for himself through his die’s six pips: Possession, he might have truly believed the woman. After all, it was common sense that the Yōu family should not have broken away from the Yōu clan, and even if they had broken away, the Yōu family should be the ones in power within the Seven Courts, as they were the ones in possession of the clan’s secret technique. Reality did not line up with common sense.
Lu Yin did not know the real reason behind why the Yōu family had broken away from the rest of the family, but there was definitely no schism within the clan, which triggered Lu Yin’s vigilance.
What did the Yōu family want from this proposal? Although the Seven Courts was indeed one of the Three Dark Hands, they were completely different from the Neohuman Alliance and were not a public enemy of the entire Human Domain. There should be no problem for the Yōu family to protect itself, and this presented a hidden problem.
Yes, it was indeed an issue. Lu Yin’s expression grew stony. The Yōu family was concealing something, and they were doing so from both him and the Sword Sect.
That was the worst scenario. It was impossible to know what the Yōu family was hiding where not even the Seven Courts was able to protect them. Lu Yin was not arrogant enough to believe that the Great Eastern Alliance was on the same level as the Seven Courts. The Yōu clan alone was a terrifying power that was in no way at all weaker than the Nightking clan.
Madam Yōu was still waiting for a response from Lu Yin. After thinking things over again and again, he had no plans to call the woman back.
Their hidden family had made it clear that they expected him to protect them.
Elsewhere, in First Flowzone, countless people with stern faces knelt on the ground beneath a gray sky. All of them looked extremely solemn.
A large flag with the Yōu character written on it fluttered above them.
This was the Yōu family. The leader of the family, Madam Yōu, appeared calm, but the anxiety in her eyes could not be fully hidden. Behind her, Yōu Ye’er stood with her head hung low and her face completely pale.
“Did you really learn that battle technique from the secret technique?” Madam Yōu asked in a low voice.
Yōu Ye’er did not dare to hide anything. “Yes. Your daughter accidentally discovered it while using the secret technique, and your daughter began to practice it ever since. Truly, your daughter never tested the technique before, and ZENITH was the first time she ever used it.”
Madam Yōu’s chest heaved up and down. There was excitement in her eyes but also fear. Yōu Ye’er did not know why her Yōu family had separated from the Yōu clan. The Yōu Secret Art was not only a secret technique, but also a treasure—a treasure that had been hidden for years.
No one knew the truth of the Yōu Secret Art, but those who cultivated the Yōu Secret Art could unintentionally acquire ancient battle techniques, cultivation arts, or even secret techniques. These things had all been created by ancestral Progenitor realm powerhouses who had long since disappeared into the river of time.
It was very likely that these various battle techniques had been hidden within the Yōu Secret Art by their ancestor, and this secret was precisely why the Yōu family had broken away from the rest of their clan. This secret had leaked out, and it was impossible to say who knew of this matter, but one thing was clear; the Yōu family had long been targeted by people trying to get to the secret of their Yōu Secret Art.
A sense of impending crisis had been written into the very blood of every child belonging to the Yōu family. This sensation of being constantly watched had existed for eons, and it could be traced all the way back to the ancient war between the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands.
It was for this reason that, after considering the matter many times, the Yōu family had decided to break away from the Yōu clan and hide the Yōu Secret Art.
The Yōu family was naturally not without their own means of protection, and in addition to the hidden protection of the Yōu clan that was constantly nearby, the Yōu family had also found a guardian in the Sword Sect, which served as the family’s protector. The Sword Sect was in no way weaker than any of the families of the Seven Courts, and it was definitely qualified to protect the Yōu family.
