“There have been many debates in the past regarding stellular liquid. Some people believe that it is not only the Mother Tree’s nutrients, but also a shortcut specially provided to humanity to allow us to speed up our cultivation rate. Any Envoy can quickly and easily raise their cultivation level with stellular liquid, and all they need to overcome are their tribulations. However, more people believe that we should rely on ourselves to improve our cultivation and that stellular liquid should not be touched. They claim that if too much of it is gathered and used, it will cause the Mother Tree to wither.”
“These two opposing sides have argued over this topic for many, many years, and supporters of both sides still exist now. However, in the past, the Lu family ruled the Perennial World, and their opinion was that stellular liquid could not be touched. No matter how convincing the arguments for the usage of stellular liquid might be, they were all useless. With the Lu family forbidding the use of stellular liquid, no one could touch it and all who did were executed, even Progenitors.”
“However, with the Lu family’s exile, the debate has ended. This is because those who support the use of stellular liquid have started secretly using it. There’s no need for them to argue, as they only need to act on their desires…” Cai Shu slowly explained the history and controversy concerning stellular liquid.
Lu Yin listened in silence. It sounded like most of the people who promoted the use of stellular liquid were a part of the four ruling powers.
“If the Lu family still reigned, then the four ruling powers would not dare to touch stellular liquid even if their courage was increased a hundredfold,” Cai Shu commented emotionally.
It was clear from his tone of voice that Cai Shu was of the opinion that stellular liquid should not be touched or used as it risked destroying the Mother Tree itself.
“If humans destroy the Mother Tree due to their use of stellular liquid, how is there any difference between us and those parasites in the Lower Realm?” Lu Yin asked.
Cai Shu agreed. “Yes. You, Master, and I, as well as most people in this universe, and even the exiled Lu family, all feel this way. The Mother Tree is the foundation of our very universe and humanity itself, but the four ruling powers are killing the Mother Tree by harvesting stellular liquid. They have no right to destroy the very foundation of our existence.”
“And yet, there is no one who can stop them from doing so.” Lu Yin smiled wryly.
Cai Shu fell silent. Then, he replied in a complicated tone, “Actually, there are people who cultivate with stellular liquid simply because they lack strength. They have no desire to kill the Mother Tree. Instead, they simply want to become stronger in order to fight against those monsters. Cultivating with stellular liquid in order to fight off those monsters or relying on the Mother Tree to fight them off are ultimately the two different paths that are at the base of all of these arguments.”
Lu Yin suddenly asked, “Was the Lu family from back then very powerful?”
Cai Shu was shocked by the question, and he replied in a somber voice, “One person is as strong as a nation; one person can lord over all—this is a description of the Lu family. All of the family’s direct descendants deserved this reputation, as the Lu family alone was able to suppress the entire Perennial World, which possessed a level of strength that shocked those monsters.”
“If that’s the case, then why did the four ruling powers exile the Lu family? How did they even pull it off? And why?” Lu Yin was impatient for answers.
Cai Shu shook his head. “It’s impossible to predict people’s hearts and ambitions, and no one can see through others. Also, the Lu family was always too arrogant.”
After that, the Envoy would say no more.
Lu Yin did not ask any more questions, as he was afraid that further questions would betray his identity.
While Cai Shu had not been too open with his words, Lu Yin was still able to sense that the Envoy supported the Lu family. However, the current political climate meant that anyone with a connection to the Lu family would be carefully watched, and no one dared to say too much.
One person is as strong as a nation; one person can lord over all. Lu Yin had come from another universe, but he had never heard such a phrase used to describe anyone. For this phrase to have been common, then just how amazing had the Lu family been? It was clear that this was referencing the Champions’ Stage.
Lu Yin’s lost memories were definitely related to the Perennial World and the Lu family.
He clenched his fists tightly. He had to uncover the truth of what had happened back then, as well as who had been the hand in the shadows directing the Lu family’s exile.
Upon returning to Huaiyuan Gate, there were already people waiting to meet with Lu Yin, even Envoys.
If Lu Yin had met such people before he had become an Enlighter, he would have been eager to gain such a subordinate, and he definitely would have taken the time to meet with the Envoy, but he no longer felt such pressure. Unless this Envoy was someone with the strength of Long Kui, there was no need to meet with them. Given Lu Yin’s current status, would anyone dare to be offended by such rudeness?
Whenever powerhouses met Lu Yin, they all only wanted to ask him about Semi-Progenitor Kui Luo. But now, Lu Yin had become the curious one. Thus, as soon as Lu Yin returned, he went to find the old man.
“So? Did things go well?” the old man asked with a smile. He looked very happy.
Lu Yin replied with a question, “Who is senior? You wouldn’t be Semi-Progenitor Kui Luo himself, right?”
The old man rolled his eyes. “That guy’s dead. How could anyone stay alive after offending the entire Perennial World?”
“Then what’s with this jade pendant?” Lu Yin wondered.
The old man replied. “It’s just a token. Use it.”
“Is senior is someone from Realmless?” Lu Yin stared intently at the old man.
The old man just laughed. “If I was a part of Realmless, you would’ve died a long time ago, kid.”
Lu Yin frowned. What else could he ask?
The old man interrupted Lu Yin’s thoughts. “Alright, that’s enough questions. This old man’s not even going to answer anything else you ask, I’ll just tell you what I need to when I need to.”
The old man then wrote a name in the air. “Go find this person. He’s a traitor.”
“No.”
The old man gave a strange smile. “You don’t want to go? Okay. Then this old man will go and tell this person that he’s been exposed so that he can escape as soon as possible. Then, there will be rumors of how Gate Master Long allowed a traitor to escape. Maybe he was careless? Could there have been two? Or even three? Qing Chen will definitely come find you at that time, and those who are after you due to your connection to Semi-Progenitor Kui Luo will also find ways to make trouble, not to mention the four ruling powers.
“Humility’s Gate always rewards those who accomplish great deeds, but they also harshly punish anyone who leaks information.”
Lu Yin’s eyes grew sharp. “How many hidden people could senior know of?”
“Not too many. Maybe a dozen to twenty.”
Lu Yin was quite surprised, and he blurted out, “You’re not a Redback yourself, right?”
This was the only explanation he could think of, as how else could this old man know about so many traitors? The other option was that the old man was part of Realmless.
The old man just rolled his eyes. “You’re just guessing. This old man has been in this universe for so many years. Is it really strange that I managed to find a few traitors with my strength as a Semi-Progenitor? Do you have any idea just how many traitors Qing Chen exposes every year? At least thirty. Do you have any idea just how many traitors there are in this universe?”
At this moment, the old man suddenly grew serious. “No fewer than a couple thousand.”
Lu Yin’s fingers twitched.
“You know that humanity is in a tough situation. Those monsters are as intelligent as humans if not more, and they have many underhanded means as well. They’re willing to brazenly raise Redbacks and traitors. Honestly, telling you that there are a couple thousand is just the most conservative estimate. After humanity loses to those monsters, I don’t have a clue how many Redbacks and traitors will reveal themselves. Why else do you think Humility’s Gate possesses so much power and is even bold enough to challenge the four ruling powers? Why are there so many powerful Progenitors supporting this organization?” the old man challenged.
Lu Yin remembered the Neohuman Alliance. The Perennial World was not that bad. Redbacks and traitors hid themselves here, as they would absolutely be killed as soon as they were found. However, in the Fifth Mainland, those monsters had built up the Neohuman Alliance due to the number of Redbacks and traitors that they had recruited. Not even the Hall of Honor was able to stop the Neohuman Alliance, which was the saddest thing.
Even though the entire universe treated the Neohuman Alliance as an enemy, and any that were discovered were killed, what did it matter? The Neohuman Alliance still stood strong. Aeturnus Nation might have been destroyed by the Progenitor of Secret Arts, but Lu Yin was fully confident that the Neohuman Alliance would build another Aeturnus Nation soon. It was even possible that they had more than one to begin with.
“Supervisor Qing Chen arrests no less than thirty traitors a year?” Lu Yin asked.
The old man nodded.
Lu Yin pursed his lips. “Senior, you’ve been wasting your years if you’ve only exposed a dozen to twenty.”
The old man choked. “This old man is humble! Don’t you understand modesty?”
“So does senior only want this junior to gain achievements with Humility’s Gate for now?” Lu Yin asked.
The old man arched a brow. “You don’t have to do it—you can just give it a try. It’s not a big deal, and this old man will just find someone else. As for you, hehe, you can just wait around for Qing Chen to start questioning you. Without this old man’s help, I wonder how you’ll explain yourself to him next time.”
Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. He thought for a bit, and then took a step to leave. “It’s time to arrest a traitor.”
“Good luck! By the way, don’t try to be sneaky and run back to that place where you can return. This old man’s watching you, haha!” The old man smiled, clearly proud of himself.
Lu Yin no longer cared about the old man’s motivations. There was no downside to arresting traitors, and even if it did turn out to be a problem, Lu Yin could always just summon his master to settle the situation. For this next bit of time, Lu Yin intended to investigate what had happened to the Lu family, but there was something even more important to do; Lu Yin was broke again! And while he was arresting traitors, it should not be too difficult to make some money along the way!
***
Closeby Huaiyuan, and a bit to the east, was a place called Blue Moon.
The Middle Realm was massive, and Humility’s Gate had divided the Middle Realm into nine regions overseen by the Nine Gates, but in reality, there was no exclusive jurisdiction within the Middle Realm.
In the Blue Moon District, there was a family surnamed Shangling.
On one particular day, a new person had risen to the top of the Shangling clan, and the new matriarch was a young woman named Shangling Wan.
It was normally impossible for such a young woman to become the clan matriarch, but the previous patriarch had died while fighting against other families for resources. Thus, Shangling Wan had been forced to take over for the deceased patriarch; otherwise, others would seize the position.
Shangling Wan was a young woman, and she was not even a Cruiser yet. She could not be considered an elite within her own generation, let alone strong enough to run her clan.
Naturally, she was harassed by the clan elders the very day that she took the position of matriarch.
Shangling Wan had a very ordinary appearance, and she looked like she was nothing more than the daughter of a rich household. This would be fine for a normal family, but it made her look unconvincing as the new matriarch.
“Matriarch, you and Xiao Tian were childhood sweethearts, and you’ve maintained a good relationship since then. It’s not cheapening yourself should you choose to marry him,” pressed one elder, Elder He.
Near the elder, there was a pale-faced young man. He had wandering eyes and eyebrows that were even more delicate than a woman’s, which gave him a rather effeminate appearance. His clothes were red, and he was wearing a pair of red boots that were quite eye-catching. His name was He Tian, and he was He Lao’s grandson. The young man was looking at Shangling Wan with a fervent gaze.
There were countless women, and he had chased skirts ever since he was a child. He did not feel anything for Shangling Wan, but that had all changed after she became the clan’s matriarch. He never had savored the taste of a matriarch before.
He Tian smiled as he heard He Lao’s words, and he spoke up. “Sister Wan, don’t worry. If you marry me, I will treat you well.”
Elder He smiled at her, and then his eyes swept over the others gathered around. The Shangling clan’s elders were all present. Under Elder He’s watchful eye, none of the elders dared to say a word. After all, he had the highest combat power of the Shangling clan, and it was akin to controlling the entire family.
