“Not only did he not die, but he’s even stronger than in the past. If he were as strong as before, he would not be close to being our opponent,” Xu Qing said.
The Celestial Demon frowned. “He will be buried on this battlefield.”
The lightning finally dissipated in the distance, though the Void Thunderbeast was still unable to slow Lu Yin’s progress or impede him in any way. Lu Yin’s strength stunned the creature, and it moved out of Lu Yin’s way. The young man stared off into the distance. and his eyes locked onto Xu Qing.
“Do you two intend to remain to chat with the young man?” Xu Qing asked.
The Celestial Demon disdainfully spat, “Since he’s here, he can forget about living to leave his battlefield. There’s nothing to say.”
With that, he left.
On the other hand, the Celestial Ice Phoenix did not leave.
Xu Qing made no attempt to chase either of them away, and he simply stood atop the mountain on the asteroid and waited for Lu Yin to arrive.
After passing by the two Void Thunderbeasts, no other astral beast tried to block Lu Yin’s path. He moved quickly and crossed the distance in an instant to appear at the top of the mountain. He looked up, and Xu Qing looked down.
At this moment, the mountain on the asteroid cracked and shattered. Xu Qing and the Celestial Ice Phoenix both descended and landed on the resulting gravel to face Lu Yin.
“General Xu Qing, we finally meet.” Lu Yin smiled. He did not look at all like he was behind enemy lines or even had an agenda.
Xu Qing observed Lu Yin and commented, “You really are a youth who deserves admiration. The times change too quickly, and we elders are being overtaken by you before we can even react.”
“General, you’re being too humble. No matter how fast things change, the truly strong will never be eliminated, let alone a powerhouse like you.” Lu Yin showed a rare display of humility.
The Celestial Ice Phoenix kept staring at Lu Yin with bright eyes. She could not understand what was going through this youth’s mind.
Lu Yin turned to look at the woman. “Who is this?”
Xu Qing introduced her, “She is Feng Lin, of the Celestial Ice Phoenixes.”
“Alliance Leader Lu, I’ve heard about you for a long time,” Feng Lin calmly said as she continued to observe Lu Yin.
Lu Yin and Feng Lin faced each other. He remembered that this Celestial Ice Phoenix was the one who had fought against Ling Qiu during their earlier battle. The fact that she was able to stand up to Ling Qiu meant that she was truly powerful. “So you’re a senior from the Celestial Ice Phoenixes? You’re being too polite.”
Feng Lin’s eyes lit up. “This isn’t the first time that you’ve faced one of our Celestial Ice Phoenixes, is it?”
Lu Yin nodded and smiled. “I fought against Feng Jiu during the Tournament of the Strongest. I saw your battle earlier as well, and I must admit that the Celestial Ice Phoenixes are all geniuses. There doesn’t seem to be any weaklings.”
Feng Lin lifted her head higher. “I can agree with that.”
Lu Yin’s smile remained unchanged. The Celestial Ice Phoenixes were notoriously arrogant, so her answer did not surprise him.
“However, our youths are still unable to compare to you, Alliance Leader Lu,” Feng Lin suddenly said.
Lu Yin wanted to remain polite, but the woman’s next words caught him off guard. “Could you release the Ghost Monkey? I wish to speak to him.”
Xu Qing frowned. They were currently on a battlefield, and they were even in their own territory where Xu Qing intended to intimidate and suppress Lu Yin. The general did not want to let Lu Yin chat with Feng Lin. He wanted to interrupt, but upon seeing Feng Lin’s expression, Xu Qing remained silent. It seemed this matter might be incredibly important to the Celestial Ice Phoenixes.
Xu Qing was correct, as the Ghost Monkey was truly important to the Celestial Ice Phoenixes. They had not originally held any interest in the monkey that had been one of the Spiritual Academy’s five Academy Masters. Of the Celestial Ice Phoenixes, only Feng Jiu had interacted with the Ghost Monkey, though that had ended when the monkey had been captured.
However, after that, Skymender himself had sought out the Celestial Ice Phoenixes and revealed some secrets. They had then learned that the Ghost Monkey had some unexplainable relationship with them. While they did not know any of the details, they did know that the matter somehow involved Progenitor Wushang, and that alone meant that they could not ignore the matter.
During ZENITH, Skymender had ordered Yao Xuan and the other contestants from the Astral Beast Domain to take the Ghost Monkey back, but they had failed. Feng Lin had traveled to the Outerverse to fight in the war solely to try to take the Ghost Monkey back.
No one in the Astral Beast Domain was aware that the Ghost Monkey had been stolen from Lu Yin by Shaman God, and Lu Yin had never said a thing.
“The Ghost Monkey? What do you want to talk to him about?” Lu Yin felt quite curious.
Feng Lin’s expression did not shift at all, “Feng Jiu and the Ghost Monkey were classmates, and I have something that I need to ask the Ghost Monkey.”
Lu Yin was amused by this response. This woman was pretending that Feng Jiu had been quite close to the Ghost Monkey in order to provide a reasonable excuse. “The Ghost Monkey is quite treacherous, so if you have any questions, Senior, just tell me, and I’ll pass them on to the Ghost Monkey.”
Feng Lin frowned. “Alliance Leader Lu, I hope that you can show me some face and allow me to speak with the Ghost Monkey. Please don’t worry. Although our armies are at war, as long as you don’t attack me, I cannot do anything to you.”
Lu Yin shrugged. “I’m sorry, Senior, but the Ghost Monkey isn’t with me.”
Feng Lin was surprised. “He isn’t with you?”
Lu Yin somberly replied, “I have locked up somewhere that no one else knows about. That guy’s like an ancient treasure, and he seems to know about everything. I keep feeling like he’s hiding some great secret, so I haven’t mentioned him to anyone, though I do go and visit him every so often to beat, torture, and ask him some questions.”
Only an idiot would believe such an answer. Xu Qing looked over at Feng Lin, and the woman’s eyes betrayed her wrath. Clearly, she did not believe Lu Yin. The only reason why the Celestial Ice Phoenixes cared about the Ghost Monkey was because Skymender had mentioned a connection to Progenitor Wushang, but how could Lu Yin value the monkey at all? The Ghost Monkey was no fool, and it was impossible for him to have mentioned Progenitor Wushang to Lu Yin.
Aside from Progenitor Wushang, what else could the Ghost Monkey, who had not even obtained the strength of an Explorer, have done to arouse Lu Yin’s interest? Lu Yin was blatantly trying to lie to them.
“It appears that Alliance Leader Lu doesn’t wish to show my Celestial Ice Phoenixes any face at all.” A terrible chill entered Feng Lin’s voice.
Lu Yin blinked. “Senior, do you want to do something to me?”
He looked over at Xu Qing. “General, we still haven’t even spoken to each other.”
Xu Qing quietly said, “Alliance Leader Lu, you can treat Feng Lin’s request as one of our conditions. As long as you allow her to speak with the Ghost Monkey, I will not torture the captive Envoys for now. How about it?”
Feng Lin suddenly interjected, “As long as you give me the Ghost Monkey, you can select one of the Envoys to be freed.”
Xu Qing instantly became furious, and he turned to glare at Feng Lin. “What nonsense is this?”
Feng Lin calmly looked back at Xu Qing. “We Celestial Ice Phoenixes will give you an explanation for this. You have my word.”
Xu Qing’s frown deepened. “This is a matter regarding this war. This is not a minor issue.”
“I understand that. I promise you that I will give you an explanation that will fully satisfy you.” Feng Lin was dead serious.
Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed, but he still would not agree.
Lu Yin did not believe that Xu Qing would easily agree to such terms. If this astral beast really did have the same sort of mind as Wei Rong, then the three captive Envoys could not only allow Xu Qing to win this war, but he could also incite tremendous chaos in the Innerverse. This war was far too important to the Astral Beast Domain, so how could Xu Qing possibly be willing to give up such an advantage just because of the Ghost Monkey?
However, Lu Yin had underestimated the Celestial Ice Phoenixes’ status within the Astral Beast Domain. It was also possible that Feng Lin said something to Xu Qing in secret, but the general’s expression changed. He eventually gritted his teeth and turned to look at Lu Yin. “Give Feng Lin the Ghost Monkey, and I can offer you one of the Envoys aside from Ling Taizu.”
Lu Yin was surprised, but he quickly smiled. “Give me all three of them.”
Xu Qing instantly became furious. “You must be joking!”
Feng Lin frowned and glared at Lu Yin. “Alliance Leader Lu, we are offering the limits of what we can accept. Trading that worthless Ghost Monkey for an Envoy is greatly in your favor. I can honestly tell you that the only reason why we even want the Ghost Monkey is because Feng Jiu remembers him fondly, and he could even be said to be Feng Jiu’s lover. Without him, Feng Jiu’s cultivation has stagnated, and she has been adversely affected to a great extent. My Celestial Ice Phoenixes are rare, and I don’t want Feng Jiu to suffer any mishap. However, don’t think that you can try to take advantage of this and ask for a ridiculous offer.
“If not for our generosity, not even Feng Jiu herself would qualify to be traded for one of those Envoys.”
Lu Yin quite admired Feng Lin’s ability to spout such bullshit with a straight face. This woman was even more skilled than Lu Yin himself! She had actually painted Feng Jiu as the Ghost Monkey’s lover and invented a love story in an attempt to deceive Lu Yin. He could almost believe that there had been some history between the Ghost Monkey and Feng Jiu.
Lu Yin had not initially realized that this woman somewhat resembled Kui Luo, as she was able to weave such tall tales while remaining so stone-faced.
Feng Lin’s face truly did look completely serious. She acted as though every word that she had said was true.
Lu Yin shrugged. “Other people’s love affairs have nothing to do with me. All I can say is that you can either give me all three or forget any deals. What’s the point of just taking one back with me? The families of the other two will definitely become a massive headache.”
Xu Qing’s gaze turned cold, as this had actually been his entire purpose in agreeing to Feng Lin’s request. He had not only wanted to give the Celestial Ice Phoenixes a bit of face, but he had also wanted to use this exchange to instigate trouble. Each of the three Envoys were supported by powerful groups, and if only one was rescued, the other two would absolutely develop a powerful resentment towards Lu Yin. That, combined with what he planned to do next, would be enough to crush the Great Eastern Alliance, but Lu Yin had not been deceived.
Feng Lin also came to her senses, and she glanced over at Xu Qing. She had actually thought that the general had been agreeing out of respect for her and the Celestial Ice Phoenixes. It had never crossed her mind that he had actually done so to instantly dig a trap for Lu Yin. These people were too adept at scheming.
“Alliance Leader Lu, this is a matter that concerns this war. I do not have the authority to actually make any decisions. You can ask me for our terms, and as long as it is within the means of my Celestial Ice Phoenixes, we will agree. I just hope that you will return the Ghost Monkey to me so that I can send him to Feng Jiu, the poor girl,” Feng Lin said helplessly. Her tone had softened a great deal.
Lu Yin pursed her lips. This woman was a phenomenal actor. “There’s nothing else that I want from you. All I desire are those three Envoys.”
Feng Lin was so infuriated that she no longer had any thoughts as to what to say, but she wanted to say something. However, Xu Qing raised a hand to stop her. “Leave for now, and I’ll speak to Alliance Leader Lu.”
Feng Lin stared at the general. His tone left no question to the fact that this was a command. “Step back for now.”
While Xu Qing had shown the Celestial Ice Phoenixes a great deal of respect by allowing Feng Lin to speak with Lu Yin for so long during his negotiations and had even allowed one of his prisoners to be used as a bargaining chip, respect still had been shown. Also, Feng Lin had not been able to reach an agreement. It was Xu Qing’s turn at the negotiating table.
Feng Lin felt helpless, and she was unwilling to accept this outcome, but she had no choice. After one last glance at Lu Yin, she left.
Only Xu Qing and Lu Yin remained on the asteroid.
As soon as he was facing Xu Qing, Lu Yin grew much more solemn. This was his true opponent in this war. At this moment, he smelled blood.
“I truly did not expect Alliance Leader Lu to come visit me all alone,” Xu Qing commented.
Lu Yin shrugged. “There was no choice. You are holding my people in the palm of your hand, so I can’t be the aggressor right now.”
Xu Qing smiled. “In that case, what price are you willing to pay for them, Alliance Leader Lu?”
“I’m not sure. That depends on what you hope to get, General Xu Qing.”
A smile appeared on Xu Qing’s face. “Alliance Leader Lu, do you understand the value that these captives hold as pieces for me to use?”
Lu Yin shook his head.
“Only by understanding their value can we agree upon a price.” Xu Qing’s expression grew more fierce. “I can tell you that I intend to use those three Envoys as bait, not only to lure out your Great Eastern Alliance in an attempt to rescue them, but also to capture those would-be rescuers. I will then broadcast that event throughout your Fifth Mainland, particularly in the Innerverse. I wonder, how you would explain such a matter to the Innerverse?”
“Why did you come to the Outerverse to wage this war against my Astral Beast Domain? This should be the Sixth Mainland’s concern. Why was no one else captured except for the ancestors of the Lingling clan and the Phoenix family? Why did you want to go to war? Do you not care about their lives? How will you address these questions, Alliance Leader Lu?”
