Even though Cemetery Keeper could normally remove any kind of poison from his body without a problem, the one that Qiu Xu had inflicted upon him proved nearly impossible to resist. Not only were all of Cemetery Keeper’s corpses consumed in the process, but so too were all the corpses that belonged to his underlings from Justice Manor. Without their corpse puppets, their combat strength took a sharp drop.
Finally, after all the corpse puppets were destroyed, Cemetery Keeper barely managed to gain a minor level of control over the poison. He then immediately returned to Justice Manor and proceeded to use the entire inventory of corpse puppets there to completely dispel the poison. He did not hesitate to leave Ironblood Weave; even if he had stayed, he was in no condition to hold back the Astral Beast Domain’s forces.
While leaving, Cemetery Keeper made a point to contact the Daosource Sect and request that another powerhouse be sent to protect Ironblood Weave. While he did this, he made sure to report Qiu Xu’s betrayal as well.
Cemetery Keeper’s departure led to the collapse of Ironblood Weave’s defenses. The enormous praying mantis casually slaughtered countless defenders from the Sixth Mainland who had stayed behind in Ironblood Weave, and it led countless astral beasts forward as they flooded out of Ironblood Weave. It was like a dam had burst, and the astral beasts flooded into the Outerverse’s eastern weaves as they raced away from Ironblood Weave.
At this time, Lu Yin was making his way back to Blazing Mist Flowzone, but he was immediately contacted with the breaking news.
“What? Ironblood Weave was overrun?” Lu Yin was shocked, and his expression instantly soured.
He was on a video call with Shui Chuanxiao, who softly said, “According to the reports, Qiu Xu was cooperating with Corpse Keeper and the Sixth Mainland’s forces to defend Ironblood Weave. However, Qiu Xu suddenly attacked and poisoned Corpse Keeper, forcing the man to retreat to Justice Manor. With both of them suddenly abandoning Ironblood Weave, the results were catastrophic, and all the defenders were slaughtered. Not a single person managed to escape. The astral beasts now control Ironblood Weave, and they’ve been rushing out into the asteroid field and Eastly Weave. From there, they’ll definitely push into Northcastle, Grandtop, and Forested Weaves.”
After that, they would reach Frostwave Weave! Lu Yin’s expression grew darker and darker. Frostwave Weave was his bottom line. Nothing could be allowed to happen to that place.
He immediately ended the call with Shui Chuanxiao and called someone in the Celestial Beast Empire.
Before the Human Domain had evacuated their forces from Ironblood Weave, the overseers’ council had notified the Celestial Beast Empire, as only the overseers had the means to directly speak to the Celestial Beast Empire’s upper echelons.
Lu Yin called a Void Thunderbeast named Xu Qing. He was the Celestial Beast Empire’s commander-in-chief, and his status was equivalent to what Shui Chuanxiao used to hold in the Human Domain. However, if Xu Qing was compared to Shui Chuanxiao, the Void Thunderbeast was far, far stronger. After all, the Astral Beast Domain was a place that respected personal strength more than anything, and according to the overseers’ records, Xu Qing had a power level of at least a million.
When Ironblood Weave had been evacuated, Lu Yin’s interaction with Xu Qing had been nothing more than a simple message that was delivered through the Hall of Honor’s overseers’ council rather than an individual person. At this moment, Lu Yin was making a personal call.
“Commander Xu Qing, I’m Lu Yin.” Lu Yin looked at the image of a man that appeared on his gadget’s display. This person was clearly a Void Thunderbeast, but he always appeared in a human form. He was reported to frequently claim that it was impossible to conquer humans without understanding humans.
The Astral Beast Domain had their Celestial Vanquisher’s List, which was a list of every notable human that the astral beasts wished to be killed. The Human Domain had a comparable list, and Xu Qing was ranked very highly on it.
Xu Qing’s human avatar had a majestic appearance and deep eyes. This form gave off a similar impression as Shui Chuanxiao, which led Lu Yin to believe that Xu Qing had used Shui Chuanxiao as a model for his human appearance. “So it’s the Great Eastern Alliance’s leader. I’ve heard of you for a long time.”
“I’ve also long since admired Commander Xu Qing’s reputation,” Lu Yin replied. He kept his voice rather light as he spoke.
Xu Qing looked at Lu Yin with clear intrigue. “This is actually not our first time interacting with each other. When your Human Domain left Ironblood Weave, the message informing me of that matter should have originated from you, Alliance Leader Lu.”
“It’s impossible to hide anything from Commander Xu Qing. You’re right—I’m the one who planned Ironblood Weave’s evacuation and informed you of the matter.” Lu Yin hid nothing.
Xu Qing sneered. “What a farce! You wanted to use my Astral Beast Domain to distract the Sixth Mainland. Even if I had publicly announced your intentions, it would have been useless. Many astral beasts have become obsessed with the idea of conquering Ironblood Weave. The truth is that you forced my Astral Beast Domain to become enemies with the Sixth Mainland in order to create a battlefield during a time of peace.”
Lu Yin shrugged. “I can’t be blamed for that. The Sixth Mainland took over the Outerverse, and seeing as how Ironblood Weave is a part of the Outerverse, it had to be handed over to them as well. How can my Fifth Mainland be expected to defend the Sixth Mainland’s territory? On top of that, the Sixth Mainland has been enemies with my Fifth Mainland for a long time, which includes your Astral Beast Domain. I don’t believe that Commander Xu Qing has already forgotten about the invasion that occurred about a decade ago. Your Astral Beast Domain was also invaded by the Sixth Mainland, and they caused quite a bit of damage to you.”
Xu Qing nodded. “That’s true. This also means that you withdrawing your forces from Ironblood Weave was simply a matter of business. Naturally, we don’t owe you a thing for that matter, Alliance Leader Lu.”
Lu Yin’s face twitched, as Xu Qing had just gotten one over on him. As expected of the Astral Beast Domain’s Commander, Xu Qing must have anticipated the reason for Lu Yin’s call, and he was already refusing before Lu Yin said a thing. “Abandoning Ironblood Weave was indeed a business matter, though I must tell you, Commander, if you continue to advance, it will no longer be just a matter of business.”
Xu Qing smiled. “In the past, you used my Astral Beast Domain to force the Sixth Mainland to fight on a new battlefield. Back then, I gave a promise, Alliance Leader Lu: we would not attack ordinary humans, and there would be no debts between you and I.”
“I want the same thing from you now. Your Astral Beast Domain has already taken Ironblood Weave, so I ask that you continue as before and do not attack ordinary humans,” Lu Yin stated. This was the primary motivation for his call to Xu Qing. The Ironblood Weave had fallen, and countless astral beasts had already entered the surrounding asteroid field and the Eastly Weave. Soon, they would enter the Northcastle, Grandtop, and Forested Weaves. Not even Frostwave Weave would be able to escape from the invasion unscathed. If the astral beasts started attacking ordinary humans, the slaughter would be more than terrifying.
Xu Qing took a moment to stare at Lu Yin. Finally, the commander smiled and shook his head. “Alliance Leader Lu, I did originally promise not to attack ordinary humans, but much time has passed since then, and you had nothing at all to do with our victory in Ironblood Weave this time. We were the ones who defeated the Sixth Mainland and annihilated their entire army, destroying Ironblood Weave’s defenses. You can’t expect a one-time agreement to become a permanent arrangement.”
Lu Yin’s expression fell. “If I had not passed that message to you, then not only would the Sixth Mainland have been able to defend Ironblood Weave, but given the strength of Ancestor Autumnfrost and Cemetery Keeper, they would have also slaughtered everyone in the Primal Zone, and your losses would have been catastrophic.”
Xu Qing smiled. “That doesn’t matter. Anyone who enters the Primal Zone must be prepared to die. Isn’t it the same for Ironblood Weave? All of your cultivators in Ironblood Weave are prepared to die. If one fears death, they can’t step onto a battlefield. I see that you don’t understand the phrase ‘fight to the death,’ Alliance Leader Lu.”
“A so-called ‘fight to the death’ is actually a fight after death, as everyone fighting already considers themselves to be among the dead rather than part of the living.”
Lu Yin’s voice grew hard. “I’m talking about losses, not willingness to fight. The Primal Zone would have been wiped out. Then what could your Astral Beast Domain have used to attack Ironblood Weave?”
Xu Qing was completely unconcerned. “If that had happened, we would have pushed forward one step at a time. I, Skymender, and even the emperor would have joined the battlefield, and we would have taken the Primal Zone back step by step. This is war. If you are so concerned about the humans, why did you not prepare sooner, Alliance Leader Lu? Did you really believe that we would never break through Ironblood Weave?”
Xu Qing’s voice suddenly grew harsh. “This is an insult to the entire Astral Beast Domain! In our eyes, Ironblood Weave and all the surrounding weaves are a battlefield! There are times when you humans are too hypocritical.”
Lu Yin’s gaze sharpened, and a killing intent flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Xu Qing and Lu Yin stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly, the topic changed, and Xu Qing’s voice became more gentle once more. “However, it’s not like I can’t give the promise that you’re asking for, as long as you fulfill one condition of mine.”
Lu Yin’s voice dropped, “Say it.”
Xu Qing looked into Lu Yin’s cold eyes and slowly spoke each word, “I want the power you demonstrated during the last final battle of ZENITH.”
The God of Death Transformation? Lu Yin arched a brow. There were so many people eying him for the power that he had displayed during ZENITH, and it only made sense that some beings from the Astral Beast Domain would be among those envious eyes. At the end of ZENITH, Shang Qing’s Tri-Yang Ancestral Qi Technique had looked invincible, and he had tried to provoke all the other contestants to join forces against him. However, the Progenitor of Combat had personally stopped his plan. After that, Shang Qing had been defeated by Lu Yin’s God of Death Transformation, and the sight of the God of Death’s power had left a deep impression in countless people’s hearts.
It did not matter if people had heard of the God of Death or not, all of them desired the God of Death’s power.
“How about it, Alliance Leader Lu? This is a matter that depends on your own morals. Do all of those ordinary humans mean more to you than a single technique?” Xu Qing spoke arrogantly. He looked like he had already won.
Lu Yin’s finger twitched. “What if I say no?”
Xu Qing sneered. “Then I can’t make any promises about what will happen in the Outerverse. Beasts have an animalistic nature. I just hope that you can live with the final outcome.”
The commander immediately ended the call after saying that.
The moment that Corpse Keeper had abandoned Ironblood Weave, the Astral Beast Domain seized the initiative, and humans were unable to find even a single foothold to resist.
While it was true that the Outerverse had been given to the Sixth Mainland, Lu Yin could not simply abandon it. It was the place where the Great Eastern Alliance had been founded, and Frostwave Weave was still there. That weave belonged to Lu Yin, not the Sixth Mainland, and it held Zenyu Star, and even more importantly, Earth.
As soon as the astral beasts started slaughtering humans, Earth would be finished. Everyone there would die. That was not an outcome that Lu Yin could accept.
Lu Yin was completely unconcerned with the Sixth Mainland’s reaction; all he cared about was protecting Frostwave Weave.
He should not have been so impatient and contacted Xu Qing so soon. Lu Yin’s actions had forced him into a passive position, but caring deeply for something tended to make people impatient and illogical.
Lu Yin took a deep breath and calmed himself down. After that, he called Xin Jiao and the other overseers and asked them to speak with the Sixth Mainland to find out what the Sixth Mainland intended to do in response to the Astral Beast Domain’s invasion.
Before long, Lu Yin received an answer: nothing. The Sixth Mainland would do nothing for the time being.
The Sixth Mainland was completely unconcerned about whether the people in the Outerverse’s eastern weaves lived or died. Rather, they were more concerned about dealing with the Neohuman Alliance and the people from the Progenitor of Secret Arts’ Territory. Anything and everything else could wait for the time being.
At this time, Lu Yin’s gadget beeped. Elder Lohar was calling him.
Lu Yin answered, and he instantly saw Elder Lohar’s haggard face on the display. “Alliance Leader Lu, Ironblood Weave has fallen.”
“I know.” Lu Yin’s voice was soft.
Elder Lohar’s eyes dropped. “I’ve already reached out to Mt. Microcosms, but-” He hesitated before continuing to say, “Mt. Microcosms replied that the Outerverse now belongs to the Sixth Mainland and that our Fifth Mainland has nothing to do with it any longer. As for the Sixth Mainland, what will they do? Do they even care? “
The Hall of Honor’s reaction did not surprise Lu Yin in the least.
“Does the Outerverse really have nothing to do with us?” Elder Lohar quietly raged. There was a hint of a crazed glint in his eyes. “How many people have defended Ironblood Weave over the generations? That place is our very life and humanity’s line of defense! The name of the weave has been burnt into the memories of countless people and claimed countless lives! We cannot allow it to fall! Overseer Lu, can you understand our feelings?
“Ironblood Weave is not simply a place to us, but a living being. It is crying! Untold numbers of our ancestors have been buried there, and their spirits are also crying!”
