Long Xi felt quite the headache. The longer she looked at Long Qi, the worse her headache became. He had originally been a trickster, and he had done nothing but cause her more problems from that moment on. Now, he was revealing that he had a connection to one of the most notorious figures in the entire Perennial World! If word of this ever leaked out, the White Dragon Clan would become a joke.
“You have to remember that you can never say anything about this matter to anyone in the future. Not anyone, no matter who they are!” Long Xi shouted.
Lu Yin nodded. “Don’t worry, I understand. I’ll obey perfectly.”
Long Xi’s head ached even worse when she heard Lu Yin’s response. Every time he had said such words to her, disaster had soon followed. “There are many people who’ve found out about you receiving three inheritances from the Sword Monument, and it’s known that you received an inheritance related to spiritual force. It came from the Sword Monument, right?”
Lu Yin blinked. He had wanted to use this excuse before, but had felt that it would be absurd to claim to have received so much from the Sword Monument, so he had said nothing about it. “Alright.”
“What about your match with Liu Hao?” Long Xi looked at Lu Yin, her eyes bright. The husband who she had believed to be useless had suddenly radiated a brilliance that had shone over the entire Perennial World. He had spent six days receiving an inheritance from the Sword Monument, which was a record that surpassed even that woman. This matter had created waves even in the Higher Realm, and it had made the White Dragon Clan look wonderful.
Lu Yin felt helpless. “He’s strong. Very powerful.”
“Bullshit!” Long Xi could not keep herself from cussing.
Lu Yin pursed his lips. “I’m not that bad! If my cultivation was enough, I might be able to match even you.”
Long Xi’s eyes were radiant, which made her amber eyes even more beautiful than normal. “I’ll be seeing you soon, and I’ll test your strength. If it’s good enough, I can see about getting you to a Junior Progenitor Planet with me.”
Junior Progenitor Planet? Lu Yin was momentarily stunned, while also secretly thrilled. He very much wanted to go to a Junior Progenitor Planet; because there was a vast amount of resources there. They were planets that the rulers of the Perennial World had put together to allow those who had received the title of Junior Progenitor to increase their cultivation with the resources there. These Junior Progenitors were allowed to select powerful peers to accompany them to the Dominion Realm.
There were four Junior Progenitors, so there were four Junior Progenitor Planets. Things would become quite lively when the Junior Progenitors selected their companions for their different parties. Many youths would fight hard for this chance, despite the grave dangers and low success rates of the trips to the Dominion Realm.
“Have you been given another mission by the Fourteenth Gate?” Long Xi asked.
Lu Yin shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Let me know as soon as possible when you’re issued any tasks. I’ll remind you again that everything you do not only reflects on you, but also the entire White Dragon Clan,” Long Xi sternly stated as her expression completely changed.
Lu Yin immediately agreed.
At the same time that Lu Yin was talking with Long Xi, Long Tian was trying his best to contact the Gate Master of the Fourteenth Gate, but unfortunately for Long Tian, the Gate Master completely ignored him.
Long Tian was infuriated. “Even Qing Chen, the supervisor of the Middle Realm’s Nine Gates isn’t so disrespectful!”
No matter how many times Long Tian reached out, Xiao would not accept any call.
A bit after Lu Yin’s call with Long Xi ended, his Channeling Stone vibrated. It was a message from the commander of the Fourteenth Gate: “Flying Armored Pass. See Guo Shan.”
There were only six words to inform Lu Yin of his next mission.
Lu Yin’s face went pale, and he looked up. “Elder, please head towards Flying Armor Pass.”
Long Kui was surprised. “Another mission from the Fourteenth Gate?”
Lu Yin nodded.
The beast immediately changed direction, and Long Kui commented, “It will be about twelve days for us to get to Flying Armor Pass.”
“Is Elder quite familiar with Flying Armor Pass?” Lu Yin asked.
Long Kui replied in a low voice, “Flying Armor Pass is a special place. The land there is like a cauldron, and it’s the place where many powerhouses worship the ancient ancestors. Since there are many Envoys and other experts, it’s also a very chaotic place that has endured countless tribulations, which means that it’s one of the very few places in the entire Perennial World where you can find tribulation crystals. You should already know how valuable those crystals are, as even the four ruling powers only have a few tribulation crystals.
“That’s also why that place is constantly fought over. Flying Armor Pass has been controlled by the White Dragon Clan for almost a hundred years, and if the Fourteenth Gate is sending you there, then they probably want to take advantage of your identity in the clan.”
Tribulation crystals? Lu Yin knew nothing about these things, as he had never heard anyone mention them, and Guan Yun’s memories had been as vast as a sea, so Lu Yin had only glimpsed a small portion of them. However, he also could not ask anything about these tribulation crystals, as they were apparently common knowledge!
“Things are not that peaceful even within the White Dragon Clan, and there is also always a bit of friction between the more powerful families within the clan. Don’t be reckless when we get to Flying Armor Pass. You have to keep in mind that you are first a member of my White Dragon Clan, and then a member of the Fourteenth Gate.” Long Kui made sure to carefully remind Lu Yin.
Lu Yin replied, “I understand.”
Judging by the way the Fourteenth Gate generally handled matters, Lu Yin should receive his reward for exposing Liu Ke once he arrived in Flying Armor Pass. While Lu Yin had not technically succeeded in arresting Liu Ke, the traitor had been exposed by Lu Yin, so he should receive credit for the matter. Still, he had no idea what his reward would be.
Long Kui had no expectations for Lu Yin with this next assignment, but since the Fourteenth Gate had sent him to Flying Armor pass, so what was the meaning behind this? Was there a traitor there? If that was the case, things would become troublesome, as the other rop powers would seize this opportunity to make another play for Flying Armor Pass.
Realizing this, Long Kui immediately contacted the clan. This was a matter that was too big for Long Xi or even Long Tian to handle.
***
Just ten days after Lu Yin had left the Sword Monument, a slender, beautiful woman appeared 100,000 miles away from the Sword Monument, where she waited quietly.
Zhang Dingtian soon arrived to meet her. “Miss Yu Chen?”
Yu Chen had arrived in person to visit the Liu family. She had only one objective for this visit: to convince Liu Hao to support Bai Shaohong when he traveled to the Dominion Realm.
“Brother Zhang, I’ve heard of you for a long time. You joined the Liu family as a sword cultivator, yet eventually accepted Master Yijian as your master. Such a change had almost never happened throughout the ages.” Yu Chen smiled, her eyes revealing her admiration.
Everyone, no matter who they were, would feel at ease around Yu Chen, as she had a very relaxing temperament.
“I simply was lucky. Please.” Zhang Dingtian gestured for Yu Chen to proceed into the Liu family’s territory, his face somber.
Only a single day after Yu Chen arrived at the Sword Monument, a representative of the Wang family arrived. They intended to ask Liu Hao to join Wang Su during the trip to the Dominion Realm. Naturally, representatives of the White Dragon Clan and Shenwu’s Sky also appeared.
There were many other powerhouses in the same generation as the Junior Progenitors, but there were few who were powerful enough that the Junior Progenitors felt would be able to offer any help in the Dominion Realm. The Liu family was famous for their mastery of the sword, as well as their righteousness. The family had an excellent reputation. Thus, Liu Hao had naturally become a target for the four Junior Progenitors, and was currently being treated as a competition by the four Junior Progenitors.
Liu Hao confronted Yu Chen face to face. After listening to Yu Chen’s presentation, he casually said, “You should already know how my Liu family feels about the four ruling powers, so what gave you the confidence to approach me for support?”
Yu Chen smiled and replied, “It’s not about the four ruling powers, or even Junior Progenitor Bai, but for yourself. Brother Liu. Given the Liu family’s ability, they can help you open the bottom meridian point at best, but you probably won’t be able to open the middle meridian point in your fingers , let alone the upper meridian’s wisdom point. However, if Brother Liu is willing to help Junior Progenitor Bai in the Dominion Realm, my Celestial Frost Sect is willing to get you to breakthrough the middle meridian point.”
Liu Hao could not help being impressed. “As expected, the Celestial Frost Sect is incredibly generous. Even after countless years passing, there are still enough resources left to get an outsider like me past the middle m point.”
Yu Chen answered in a helpless tone, “This little sister had also hoped to pass the middle finger, but my cultivation has not improved quickly enough. My Junior Progenitor’s trip to the Dominion Realm is too important, and it’s also related to opening meridians, so I can only suppress my disappointment and devote the last of the resources over to Brother Liu, if you might be willing?”
Liu Hao did not answer.
Yu Chen smiled. “It’s also possible that Shenwu’s Sky, the White Dragon Clan, or the Wang family could help Brother Liu get past the middle meridian point, but Brother Liu should never forget that the higher levels of this Perennial World are not safe. The most secure path is to follow the strongest, and death always occurs in the Dominion Realm.”
Liu Hao frowned. “Is Miss Yu Chen threatening me?”
Yu Chen smiled. “I wouldn’t dare. I would simply hate to see Brother Liu end up as Junior Progenitor Bai’s enemy. I’m not only sharing the wishes of Junior Progenitor Bai, but also that person’s wishes.”
A trace of fear flickered through Liu Hao’s eyes. He knew who that person was. The image of a certain woman appeared in his mind. She had a matchless elegance, and was also domineering and awe-inspiring. She had already suppressed the current era.
“Allow me to consider this offer,” Liu Hao said.
Yu Chen smiled. “Of course. I know that Brother Liu will end up making the right choice.”
Yu Chen then bade her goodbyes and left.
Right after Yu Chen left, the Wang family’s representative arrived to petition Liu Hao’s support. This person was a middle-aged man, and he was one of the Wang family’s elders. He was surprised to see that Yu Chen had made the trip on behalf of the Celestial Frost Sect.
Yu Chen smiled at the man, but simply left without showing any hint of hesitation. In fact, she did not even look towards the Sword Monument.
A young girl made her way over from far away from the Sword Monument. She was beautiful and energetic. She was Xia Taili, and she had traveled to the Liu family on behalf of Shenwu’s Sky to ask Liu Hao to accompany Xia Shenfei to the Dominion Realm.
The members of the Liu family were renowned for their honest character, and with Liu Hao’s strength, he was able to gain the attention of all four of the ruling powers.
Yu Chen and Xia Taili moved closer and closer to each other, and they eventually saw the other. However, neither showed any surprise.
Xia Taili flashed a defiant smile towards Yu Chen, while Yu Chen maintained a delicate smile that gave her an elegant and beautiful appearance.
Xia Taili grew upset at Yu Chen’s response. This woman was someone who even Xia Taili’s brother was infatuated with, despite the fact that the woman was nothing but a maid. “Hey, based on our statuses, you should greet me with a bow!”
Yu Chen replied quietly, “Very well.”
With that, she truly did bow to Xia Taili. “Maid Yu Chen greets Princess Taili.”
Xia Taili became even more upset. This woman was able to act subservient in such a ready and graceful manner that it felt like Xia Taili was being mocked. “Hmph! I hate this!”
The young girl then picked up her pace as she walked towards the Sword Monument.
However, just when Xia Taili passed by Yu Chen, Yu Chen’s voice entered the girl’s ears, “How are Big Brother Shenfei’s preparations going for the trip to the Dominion Realm? He has two people from the Tai generational name, and another from the Lin generational name, no?”
Xia Taili snorted. “You think it’s a done deal that Liu Hao will go with Bai Shaohong? Stop dreaming! Your Celestial Frost Sect was the one to start things back then, so it would be strange for the Liu family to offer you any sort of assistance at all.”
Yu Chen smiled. “There are no absolutes. Liu Hao has to think of what’s best for himself, as well as what’s best for the Liu family. The flow of the universe is impossible to change.”
“What’s supposed to be the flow of the universe? Your Celestial Frost Sect? That’s just narcissism.” Xia Taili rolled her eyes. She no longer wanted to banter with Yu Chen, and she was just about to leave, but suddenly a tremendous amount of sword qi shot into the air before dissipating.
The two women looked over in amazement to see a woman who stood holding a sword. There was a cultivator from the Liu family collapsing in front of the woman. It was Liu Lu.
Liu Lu fell to his knees and looked up at the woman before him. She had challenged him out of nowhere, and then had defeated him with a single move of her sword. She had used an invisible attack to strike directly at his heart. This was the second time he had felt such utter defeat.
Both Yu Chen and Xia Taili were familiar with Liu Lu, as the Liu family had few members, so their powerhouses were all known. Both of the women were shocked to see that Liu Lu had been defeated in a single move.
The swordswoman was Liu Tianmu.
“Where did you learn such a sword technique?” Liu Lu asked in a loud voice. He was completely confused.
Liu Tianmu casually replied, “I received it when observing the Sword Monument.”
Liu Lu almost spat out blood, and he could no longer keep a firm grip on his sword.
