Lu Yin once again started racing towards the buildings, and the simulated stars moved with him.
The blurry figure instantly blocked him. “Move, and you’ll die.”
Lu Yin sneered. “In your dreams!”
He suddenly pulled out the blood-stained clothes that he had picked up in Burial Garden. The moment he touched them, all the death energy in his body surged. The sky behind him boiled, and a figure appeared that covered the sky. There was a scythe in the figure’s hand, and it slashed out at the blurry figure.
Lu Yin’s kidnapper was horrified; what kind of power was this?
A long knife appeared in front of the blurry figure, and in that moment, space itself changed. Lu Yin merely felt as though the blurry figure had suddenly become the master of space in that area. Lu Yin’s eyes were drawn to the knife that had appeared. There was a similar feeling to when the Chief Justice had fought against the Forgotten Ruins God. This was a power that came from an inner world.
The blurry figure faced the incoming scythe with a slash of their long knife.
There was a deafening bang, and the long knife completely shattered. Space warped, and a devastating shockwave swept out from the impact. All the nearby pillars instantly shattered, as did the distant buildings. Lu Yin seized this opportunity; an astral chessboard appeared beneath his feet as he moved. He next appeared past the blurry figure and near where the buildings had stood.
The blurry figure held the hilt of a broken knife. This was completely unbelievable! How could a mere Enlighter damage a Semi-Progenitor’s inner world? Had that figure who had just appeared been the legendary God of Death? The God of Death was the only powerhouse who had ever used a weapon as odd as a scythe.
At this thought, the blurry figure’s eyes lit up. The Cosmic Art and the God of Death’s inheritance? Neither were things that the Semi-Progenitor could let go. Boy, you can’t escape!
Lu Yin recklessly charged straight into the area where the buildings had stood. Unfortunately, because of the shockwave, all the buildings had been destroyed.
There was no one to be seen no matter where Lu Yin looked. All he could see were some distant buildings that had survived, so he hurried over to them.
However, even in that place, Lu Yin could not find a single person. He looked off into the distance. Could he be in an abandoned city?
The blurry figure appeared nearby. “I must admit that you are truly amazing.”
Lu Yin stared at his opponent. He had already done his absolute best. Was escape really impossible?
“Are you desperate yet? Even if you had a power level of a million, you would still be helpless right now. You’re truly unlucky to have met me.” The blurry figure spoke in a casual manner while openly expressing their admiration.
“Who are you?” Lu Yin demanded.
“Give me the God of Death’s inheritance and the Cosmic Art’s inheritance, and I can agree to fulfill your last wish,” the blurry figure stated. The person was becoming more and more talkative.
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed sharply. “You’re Xia Ji!”
The blurry figure fell silent for a bit, and then the blurriness that had been hiding their appearance disappeared before Lu Yin’s eyes, and he was met with the sight of Xia Ji.
Lu Yin spat, “A Semi-Progenitor actually stooped low enough to attack a mere Enlighter like me. You damned old man, you really have no shame.”
Xia Ji instead praised Lu Yin, “Throughout all of human history, there has never been an Enlighter capable of what you’ve done. You’re actually able to force a Semi-Progenitor to put forth a bit of effort.”
“That’s only because you’ve been trying to force me to use the Cosmic Art. You kept pushing me, forcing me to reveal everything I’m capable of. If not for that, you would have instantly dealt with me like you did when you captured me,” Lu Yin mocked the old man.
Xia Ji indifferently replied, “I already told you. Give me the Cosmic Art’s inheritance and the God of Death’s inheritance, and I’ll fulfill your last wish.”
“Aren’t you afraid of Arch-Elder Zen or the others finding out and making things difficult for you?” Lu Yin still could not accept his fate.
Xia Ji laughed. “Maybe in the past, but you are Lu Xiaoxuan. The people from that place all want you dead, so who will come after me for your sake? Maybe I can even use your head to gain some sort of reward from that place.”
“You’ve been planning this from the moment you learned that I’m Lu Xiaoxuan,” Lu Yin accused.
“Like I said, there’s nothing you can do. No one knows where you are, and no one can save you. Even you don’t know where you are, so why keep struggling? Just give me the inheritances, and I will fulfill whatever your last wish may be, as long as it’s nothing shameful. I swear it.”
Lu Yin laughed loudly. “You’ll stop at nothing to get your hands on that inheritance! You’re even willing to swear to fulfill a promise to a measly Enlighter!”
Xia Ji clasped his hands behind his back. “If you refuse, I won’t kill you, but will instead keep you here and torture you for the next 1,000 years. I will completely destroy your Great Eastern Alliance and torture and kill all of your friends, family, and lovers. I am a Semi-Progenitor! I can accomplish all of this, and there is no one who can stop me!”
Lu Yin clenched his hands into fists. At this moment, his eyes were colder than they had ever been before, and they burned with an overflowing killing intent.
“Do you hate me? Given enough time, even if I am a Semi-Progenitor, you might be able to rise up high enough to get revenge on me. Unfortunately, you won’t have the time. For the last time, give me the Cosmic Art’s inheritance and the God of Death’s inheritance, and I promise to fulfill your last wish. If not, everyone you love and cherish will die, so don’t even try to escape!” Every word Xia Ji spoke was a threat, and he stared at Lu Yin as though he were looking at a corpse.
Lu Yin felt incredibly frustrated, and he was overcome with despair. “I never thought that I would meet my end like this. I’ve cultivated and wandered the universe, surviving near-death encounters numerous times, only to fall at your hands.”
“It’s nothing to regret. After all, not every Enlighter qualifies to force a Semi-Progenitor to make a move. Are you going to agree or not?” Xia Ji coldly demanded.
Lu Yin closed his eyes. Some time later, they opened again, and determination filled his eyes as he stared at Xia Ji. “Will you really fulfill my last wish?”
“Yes.” A flicker of excitement burned in the depths of Xia Ji’s eyes. He had already pushed Lu Yin to the brink, and he was about to finally achieve his goal. Even if his expression seemed rather indifferent, his actions and behavior betrayed his anxious state of mind.
He was absolutely, completely obsessed with the inheritance that Progenitor Chen had left behind in the Cosmic Art. Lu Yin was the person with the closest connection to numerous legendary figures, and regardless of whether it was the Cosmic Art’s inheritance or the God of Death’s, Xia Ji had to acquire them! With them, he would become one of the most terrifying Progenitors in history after he broke through, and it was even possible that Xia Ji would be able to surpass Progenitor Chen!
The more the old man thought about the future, the more excited he became as he stared at Lu Yin. “What is your last wish?”
Lu Yin took a deep breath, but he hesitated to speak.
“Let’s go!” Xia Ji shouted.
Lu Yin’s face twitched. “I- I want to leave the Lu family’s bloodline behind.”
Xia Ji arched a brow. “Leave your bloodline behind?”
Lu Yin softly continued, “The four ruling powers have banished my Lu family, leaving me the only one left alive. If I die, my entire Lu family will be gone, so I want to leave a trace of the Lu bloodline behind.”
Xia Ji frowned and started thinking about something.
Lu Yin quickly continued, saying, “Such a bloodline doesn’t need to keep the Lu surname, though they will be able to keep the family’s innate gift of the Champions’ Stage. You should understand what this means.”
Xia Ji’s heart skipped a beat. This was true, people carrying the Lu family’s bloodline did not necessarily have to carry the family’s name! They could instead have the Xia surname, for example. However, if the bloodline retained the Lu family’s innate gift of the Champions’ Stage, the Fifth Mainland’s Xia family would eventually have members with Champions’ Stages, which would allow their family’s strength to skyrocket. The Champions’ Stage was a truly terrifying innate gift.
This meant that not only would Xia Ji’s family be able to acquire the Champions’ Stage innate gift, but he would also personally take the Cosmic Art and God of Death’s inheritances! Those inheritances, combined with the Lu family’s innate gift, meant that the Fifth Mainland’s Xia family might eventually be able to surpass the main family in the Perennial World and become the true main line of the Xia family.
Xia Ji’s eyes blazed as he looked at Lu Yin. This was a condition that the Semi-Progenitor could not say no to. “I’ll find you a woman right now.”
He turned to leave, but he suddenly thought of something and turned back to leave Lu Yin unconscious while he was gone. However, when the old man turned around, he caught the sight of a yellow futon. Xia Ji instantly made a mental connection, and he shouted, “STOP!”
Unfortunately, he was too late. Lu Yin had been ready to take out the futon the moment he had decided to try to tempt Xia Ji with the Lu family’s Champions’ Stage. He sat on the futon and simultaneously rang the blood-red bell.
That bell held the Chief Justice’s power, and there was suddenly the sensation of a massive hand crushing down on the area.
Xia Ji roared, and he used his inner world to try to capture Lu Yin, but he clashed with the power of the bell. The blood-red bell shattered, and Lu Yin disappeared from Xia Ji’s sight to enter the ruins of the Fifth Mainland’s Daosource Sect.
Xia Ji stared at the ground that was empty aside from some red fragments of a small bell, and he let out a roar of fury, as he knew that he had been tricked. He was aware of the function of the futons and how they allowed a person to visit the Daosource Sect. Lu Yin would return to the place that he had disappeared from within no more than a month. However, during that time, Lu Yin would have numerous ways to leak word that he had been attacked by Xia Ji. Arch-Elder Zen, Elder Gong, and Highsage Grandmaster would all definitely look to make trouble for Xia Ji.
He also had no guarantee that those people would not be able to find where he had taken Lu Yin.
Xia Ji clenched his hands into tight fists. He was a powerful Semi-Progenitor who was always in control of everything! It had been countless years since he had last felt so powerless. Even during the war in the Cosmic Sea, Xia Ji had ultimately been successful, due to various reasons. However, he had actually miscalculated when facing a mere Enlighter.
Lu Yin was a cautious person who had an excellent grasp of timing. He had considered every step of his plan, and he had ultimately managed to escape from a Semi-Progenitor! This was despicable! Hateful!
Given the inheritances that Lu Yin possessed, Xia Ji was horribly tempted to stay and wait for the youth to return, but there was a very low chance of success if he did so.
“Boy, you were lucky this time, but next time, you won’t be able to escape!” Xia Ji muttered to himself. His eyes grew dark as he left.
…
In the Daosource Sect’s ruins, Lu Yin appeared in a plaza. He glanced around and soon let out a sigh of relief. He had finally managed to escape. Facing a Semi-Progenitor was terrifying.
No one would ever believe that Lu Yin had managed to escape from a Semi-Progenitor on his own, but he had accomplished just that.
He had actually considered trying to use his futon to escape the moment he had regained consciousness, but the opportunity had never presented itself. Even when Xia Ji had been poisoned by the Samaritan’s Tears and had left him alone for a while, Lu Yin had not tried to use the futon. After all, he had not known whether his kidnapper had still been keeping an eye on him. If the roles were reversed, Lu Yin would have absolutely kept an eye on his captive to ensure that there was no chance of escape no matter what.
Lu Yin had actually dismissed the prospect of escaping from Xia Ji by using the futon when XIa Ji was distracted. However, after a few moments of consideration, using the futon in front of Xia Ji would give him the greatest chance of escape.
While he had successfully escaped, it had cost Lu Yin quite a bit. He looked at the shards of the red bell that were still in his hand. It had been a wonderful treasure to have, but it was now gone.
Suddenly, hatred appeared in Lu Yin’s eyes, and he gritted his teeth. Xia Ji had forced Lu Yin to suffer unprecedented losses. He had used his Samaritan’s Tears, the blood-stained clothes from the God of Death, and even the Chief Justice’s blood-red bell. Those three things had been Lu Yin’s trump cards against true powerhouses, but all of them had been destroyed and lost while facing Xia Ji. Lu Yin’s losses had been terrible, and Xia Ji needed to pay back what he owed.
Still, the most important thing at the moment was how to proceed to remove the danger that would still face Lu Yin upon his return.
It was very unlikely that Xia Ji would remain where Lu Yin had disappeared and wait for his return. Lu Yin knew that the old man would assume that Lu Yin would find a way while in the Daosource Sect’s ruins to expose what had happened. This was the only way for Lu Yin to remove the danger that still plagued him.
Lu Yin had no idea where he had been taken and imprisoned, and the only person who could reveal Lu Yin’s whereabouts was Xia Ji himself.
Lu Yin stood up, as he already had an idea.
