“What condition?” Amu was moved. No one wanted to die, and he was no exception to this rule. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would reach out to grasp it.
“It’s simple. Take me along with you,” Lu Yin said as he pointed at the giant planet that they were gradually closing in on.
Amu was flabbergasted. “You want to land on this giant planet?”
Lu Yin nodded. “Is there a problem? This is the only condition.”
“Didn’t you come to kill me?” Amu lost his voice. He wasn’t foolish, and although he had over-thought things earlier, he was thinking clearly now.
Lu Yin looked at Amu, and his gaze turned cold. “Of course not. But if you don’t take me with you, then I can’t say for sure.”
Amu felt threatened by Lu Yin’s glare and immediately agreed. “Alright, I’ll bring you along. You’re not from the Umbral Butterfly Weave?”
“How did you know?” Lu Yin asked with a curious tone.
“Since the Astral Combat Tournament is coming up, any native of the Umbral Butterfly Weave can participate in the weave’s trials, no questions asked. The only caveat is that you must be of the younger generation. If you can’t enter, then the only possible answer is because you’re not originally from the Umbral Butterfly Weave.”
Lu Yin smiled, but did not respond.
Although Amu had been shunned by his tribe, he was still a genuine member of the Umbral Butterfly Tribe. Their members had a unique status, and he could sweep across the weave with his clan’s prestige, which went to show just how influential the Umbral Butterfly Tribe was. Amu was quickly allowed onto the planet, and no one questioned him taking Lu Yin along.
“Then, can you bring me along with you?” Amu requested before they were about to land on the giant planet.
Lu Yin laughed. “Did you think that I was going to let you go?”
Amu was stumped, but then he laughed in embarrassment. That’s right. I’m a hostage, and he’s afraid that I’ll report him to the supervising authorities once we separate.
“Get in the same spacecraft as me,” Lu Yin ordered firmly.
Amu nodded, sullenly crouched down, and entered the spacecraft. It was a cramped personal spacecraft, so it was fortunate that Amu was skinny. A larger person wouldn’t have been able to squeeze in alongside another person. Lu Yin’s spacecraft was left on Amu’s as it carried the emblem of Astral-10 and was too conspicuous.
The personal spacecraft vibrated as the scenery behind them rapidly shifted. Dozens of spacecraft penetrated through the atmosphere and landed on the giant planet, creating craters and sending shockwaves through the atmosphere on impact.
This scene moved Lu Yin, as he had been a native when he had last participated in a trial. Now, it was the opposite, and he was wearing the cloak of an invader. His mood was understandably complex.
Each person landed at a random location. Lu Yin’s spacecraft crashed into a steep cliff and decimated it, shaking the earth and filling the air with dust.
After the dust and smoke settled, a giant mouth with sharp teeth appeared before them. It savagely bit the hull of the spacecraft as it shrieked loudly.
Lu Yin looked at his gadget and saw that the creature had a power level of 2800. He was shocked. “Even a mere beast is as strong as a Sentinel. Not bad.”
Amu, meanwhile, was terrified. “This is the weave’s trial. It should be extremely difficult and bloody. This giant planet is also known for being a planet of death in this region. Let’s stay in the spacecraft; there shouldn’t be any creatures that are strong enough to destroy our spacecraft here.”
Lu Yin increased the scanning radius of his gadget. The strongest power level around them was 5900, the same level as a peak Melder. There was nothing close by that posed a threat to him. He thought about it for a moment and then opened the door and unceremoniously tossed Amu out despite his terrified expression. Lu Yin then jumped out and kicked the beast, sending it flying. Its enormous body created shock waves as it sailed through the air before finally landing heavily in a distant part of the forest. Lu Yin was about to say something to Amu, but a sensation that something wasn’t right stopped him. He looked back into the distance and his eyes widened; it wasn’t a forest, but rather a field of grass.
Lu Yin surveyed his surroundings in surprise. He then flew into the air, and sure enough, the swaying green plants in the distance were actually strands of grass. They hadn’t crashed into some precipitous cliff, but rather just an earthen slope. They had landed in the grass, but this grass was excessively large.
Amu grimaced, “You must have noticed it now. This is the planet of the giants, and everything is enlarged here. That wasn’t some giant beast that you just kicked, but rather, just a bug. We humans are even smaller than insects here, and we are at the bottom of the food chain.”
Lu Yin gasped as he remarked, “The universe is really mysterious and has all sorts of unique planets.” He thought back to the description that he had read online about the giants on this planet: “sharp teeth, chubby monkey cheeks, bald heads, and drooping shoulders. Their bodies were shaded green, their eyes were filled with black threads, and a forest grew on their backs.”
These giants were not humans, but probably some kind of humanoid beast. But since they were giant humanoids, they had been dubbed “giants.”
“Let’s wait here until the trial ends. This planet is terrifying and often gives birth to Explorer level powerhouses. This is why multiple Explorers are stationed outside: to suppress them. We won’t be able to complete this mission by ourselves,” Amu pushed out in a trembling voice, as he was truly frightened.
Lu Yin was curious. “What’s the mission?”
Amu was terrified by such a thought. “Killing the Giant Emperor.”
Lu Yin’s eyes gleamed. “What a coincidence. I wanted to kill the Giant Emperor, too. Let’s go.”
“Where?” Amu had a bad premonition.
Lu Yin excitedly replied, “To kill the Giant Emperor, of course.”
Amu briefly lost strength in his legs. “I won’t go! The Giant Emperor is a peak Limiteer and he’s likely to break through and become an Explorer. It won’t be enough no matter how many people go. I’m not going!”
Lu Yin furiously stared at Amu and raised his voice. “What did you say? Repeat yourself.”
Amu pathetically begged, “Please, let me go. I won’t go with you! We’ll both die if that’s the case! Rest assured, I won’t tell anyone about you. I swear! Go ahead by yourself.”
Lu Yin clenched his fist and carelessly waved it. The air currents stirred by his hand swept across the earth and rent it asunder. As Amu watched the ground split apart, he realized that the fissure was unfathomably deep. Even the void had been distorted from Lu Yin’s casual move.
Amu’s mouth gaped and he stared blankly ahead. A full minute later, he turned to face Lu Yin and sycophantically schmoozed, “Big brother, let’s go hunt the Giant Emperor!”
Lu Yin nodded in satisfaction. “That’s better. Remember, listen to me for everything. You can express your opinions, but in the end, I’m the one who will ultimately decide what we do.”
Amu forced a smile onto his face. “Yes, yes, everything is as you wish it to be.”
Everything on the giant planet was novel to Lu Yin. Over the course of two days, they encountered countless insects, some aggressive and some docile. Lu Yin was like an insect executioner, and he killed so many insects along their way that Amu grew afraid.
As they continued exploring the planet in this manner, they eventually encountered their first giant on their second day.
The giants’ overall body shape was like a human’s, just as the images online depicted them. Yet they were beasts in all other aspects, especially the living forests on their backs.
“It is said that, when a giant is born, they will plant clay onto the baby’s back and raise various plants there. That forest will thicken as they mature. It’s mainly used for defensive purposes, as the giants’ weak spot is their backs,” Amu introduced.
Lu Yin did not care about their weaknesses. It was just a Melder realm giant and could be swatted away like a fly, so he landed in front of the giant without another word. The giant was savage and smelly, with teeth as sharp as any wild beast’s.
Lu Yin frowned as he realized that there was no way he could communicate with it. From the dull look in the giant’s eyes, it did not seem like it had any intelligence, either.
“You won’t be able to communicate with them, as the giants are basically beasts. They’ll eat whatever they can get their hands on, and their prowess is purely instinctual. They live their lives completely off of instinct, and even gather in primitive tribes. The strongest in each group is the leader, and the strongest in the entire race is the Giant Emperor. The Giant Emperor is the only one that is intelligent, and all the others act purely off of instinct,” Amu explained.
Lu Yin was astonished at Amu’s familiarity. “You’re quite well informed.”
Amu forced a smile onto his face. “I had no choice. Once I discovered that I had no choice but to participate in the weave’s trial, I immediately started making preparations. It’s actually very safe to stay here, as this grassland is the least dangerous place. I specifically researched it. We-”
Amu did not have the chance to finish speaking before the giant was knocked out by Lu Yin in a single blow. “What did you say?”
“Nothing much, boss. We can continue now,” Amu attentively answered.
Lu Yin grunted. “Since you’ve researched this planet, you should have some understanding of the giant tribes. Lead the way. I want to find the Giant Emperor quickly.”
Amu was feeling miserable. “The Giant Emperor.” Just the mention of those words made him tremble, but this person beside him was even scarier. Lu Yin actually wanted to confront the emperor! Could he actually still be looking to kill him, but with the condition that he needed to make the death look like an accident? That just might be the case.
A few more days passed, and the duo finally left the grasslands. The next biome was a vast forest, where every tree towered into the skies. While Lu Yin was entranced by the novelties of the gigantified forest, several figures approached them from a distance.
Amu unconsciously inched closer toward Lu Yin when he saw them approach.
Lu Yin stared straight ahead at five approaching people—four males and one female. When they saw Lu Yin and Amu, they were puzzled as if they did not expect to meet them here.
“Amu?” The girl was shocked. The other four also stared at Amu with disbelieving expressions.
Amu’s face fell sullen, and he lowered his head.
Lu Yin was curious. “You know them?”
Amu grunted affirmatively, but he didn’t speak.
The woman studied Amu and then looked at Lu Yin with a gaze of ridicule. “Another one who’s trying to curry favor with the Umbral Butterfly Tribe. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong target.”
Lu Yin was puzzled by the woman’s words.
One of the males spoke up as well. “Brother, you must be trying to suck up to the Umbral Butterfly Tribe. Amu is indeed from the Umbral Butterfly Tribe, but he’s the only male in the entire tribe. And he’s an abandoned clansman at that. I urge you to keep your distance. Not only is there a chance of the Umbral Butterfly Tribe blacklisting you, but they might even become hostile.”
And with that, the five people left.
Lu Yin looked at Amu with renewed interest, and his interest towards the Umbral Butterfly Tribe was also piqued. That clan name was shared with the weave’s name, which clearly illustrated its prestige. Also, it seemed that this Umbral Butterfly Tribe had no males, which was very interesting.
Amu could feel Lu Yin’s interested gaze, and he sullenly explained, “They are fellow students of mine. Although we landed in the same area, no one was willing to team up with me.”
“I don’t care about any of that. Tell me, does this Umbral Butterfly Tribe really have no males? If so, then how do they reproduce?” Lu Yin was very curious.
Lu Yin’s question was extremely rude, and if it wasn’t Amu but instead someone else from the Umbral Butterfly Tribe, then they would have absolutely taken offense to Lu Yin’s words. But Amu was the exception, as he had already been abandoned by the Umbral Butterfly Tribe.
“The Umbral Butterfly Tribe is not a family or a clan in the traditional sense. Their bloodline isn’t passed down through normal reproduction methods, as it is actually an inheritance from an ancient powerhouse that can be bestowed. Any female who receives the inheritance will become a member of the Umbral Butterfly Tribe.”
