If not for the fact that Lu Yin had learned a secret about Qing Hua from Fan Shun while in Burial Garden, Lu Yin would have completely disregarded the Empyrean Imprinter.
“Senior, this favor is definitely something that you can help me with,” Lu Yin said.
However, he was immediately interrupted by Master Qing Hua. “I can’t help you, Alliance Leader Lu. We have never had anything to do with each other, so there’s no reason you should be thinking of getting any assistance from me. Well, if you catch those two idiots again, that’s an entirely different matter.”
Lu Yin answered indifferently, “What if it’s about a Progenitor item?”
Master Qing Hua fell silent for a while. “I can’t help you.”
He then instantly ended the call.
Lu Yin’s expression stiffened. The old man was certainly decisive enough, but there was no chance of the man refusing since Lu Yin was confident enough to call the Empyrean Imprinter. Lu Yin immediately tried to call Qing Hua back, but the old man refused to accept any incoming calls. In the end, Lu Yin sent a message that was about a paragraph of text.
Beep beep beep!
Lu Yin’s gadget soon beeped, and he was not surprised when he glanced down and saw that Master Qing Hua was calling.
“Senior, this junior thought that your gadget might have been broken. I was about to try to send someone to repair it,” Lu Yin mocked.
The old man’s tone was completely different from before. “How did you know?”
“It wasn’t anything difficult. After all, this junior was the master of the Outerverse, and I know many things regarding the Outerverse, including details that your Sixth Mainland doesn’t know about.” Lu Yin sounded completely relaxed. He had expected Qing Hua to react like this, but it was even stronger than what Lu Yin had anticipated.
“Who else knows?” Master Qing Hua asked in a low voice.
Lu Yin smiled. “So, is Senior willing to help?”
Qing Hua felt cornered. “Alliance Leader Lu, have you been observing me for a long time?”
“That’s not the case. This is nothing more than a coincidence. Having said that, helping me will also help you, Senior. Since there’s finally a powerhouse in the Sixth Mainland who’s willing to help me, I absolutely won’t try to hurt you, understand?”
“What do you need?”
Lu Yin instantly turned serious. “Senior, you should understand what’s happening in the war in Northcastle Weave. This junior’s made a deal with Xu Qing, and in ten days, I will give him Progenitor Wushang’s hide in Flaxen Weave. At that time, I hope that some experts from your Sixth Mainland will appear and eliminate Xu Qing and his forces in one go.”
Master Qing Hua was shocked. “Progenitor Wushang’s hide? Is that the Progenitor item you were talking about?”
“That’s right. Your Sixth Mainland should already understand just how powerful Progenitor Wushang was,” Lu Yin replied.
Qing Hua sighed. “Progenitor Wushang was once a practically invincible powerhouse, and he was just as famous as Progenitor Chen and the Rune Progenitor in my Sixth Mainland. Are you offering Progenitor Wushang’s hide in exchange for my Sixth Mainland’s assistance?”
“This is not assistance. The Outerverse belongs to your Sixth Mainland, and you have the responsibility to fight the Astral Beast Domain. This junior hopes that the Sixth Mainland will completely take over defending the Outerverse. In exchange, I will offer you Progenitor Wushang’s hide. There are three Semi-Progenitors in your Daosource Sect, and I believe that they will not be willing to abandon this opportunity. You will have to take over this fight sooner or later, so why not do so now?” Lu Yin said.
Qing Hua said, “I can contact the Semi-Progenitors, but whether they agree will depend on your luck.”
…
To the north, Xu Qing lowered his gadget. The Celestial Demon who had been sent to participate in the invasion stood next to the astral beasts’ commander. “Do you really believe that he will do as he says and give us Progenitor Wushang’s hide?”
Xu Qing replied, “I believe that he will, but it won’t be a straightforward matter. He was willing to take tremendous risks for that planet, so there’s no chance that he’ll risk that place in this transaction. That’s why he’ll definitely give me Progenitor Wushang’s hide. However, regarding anything that happens after that, he can claim that it has nothing to do with him.”
“The Hall of Honor?” the Celestial Demon guessed.
Xu Qing’s eyes flashed. “The Sixth Mainland.”
The Celestial Demon frowned. “Would he really cooperate with the Sixth Mainland?”
Xu Qing stared southwards. “The Outerverse was already given to the Sixth Mainland.”
…
The ten days passed quickly, and on the ninth day, the horde of astral bests started another battle. This battle was no smaller than any of the previous ones, though there was a hole due to a missing participant.
Lu Yin was not surprised to see Xu Qing start a battle at this time. The astral beast general was using this battle to force out Elder Jiu Shen, the Second Nightking, and the other powerhouses to prevent them from hiding in Lu Yin’s Zenith Mountain and launching an ambush in Flaxen Weave. Xu Qing had suffered such a loss once, and he would not allow it to happen a second time.
Dealing with smart people was always troublesome, as not only was it difficult to scheme against them, but one also had to prepare against their schemes.
Liu Huang was the only one to accompany Lu Yin on his way to Flaxen Weave.
As for the Astral Beast Domain, Xu Qing was the only powerhouse missing from the battlefield. All of the known experts were present, including the carrion beetle. The bug’s presence on the battlefield had once again tipped the advantage in favor of the astral beasts.
The Flaxen Weave lay just to the west of Northcastle Weave.
With Liu Huang’s protection, Lu Yin arrived in the Long Galaxy, which was located in the westernmost region of Flaxen Weave. Any further west and one would reach Armament Weave. The western border of Armament Weave formed part of the border between the Great Eastern Alliance and the Sixth Mainland. It was the place where Yuan Shi had been standing guard.
“It looks like this weave has been abandoned. There are many empty planets, as well as quite a few damaged spaceships,” Liu Huang voiced his suspicions as a reminder to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin grunted and descended towards a gaseous planet.
The planet had no solid ground, but there were many rock fragments orbiting the planet within the layers of gas.
Lu Yin landed on one of the fragments. Above his head was a powerful air current that was actually strong enough to tear a spacecraft apart. From time to time, it would also radiate a high temperature that was hot enough to melt metal, though it had absolutely no effect on the two humans.
They stayed there, waiting quietly.
Half a day later, lightning flickered, and Xu Qing descended. He stopped and showed himself a hundred meters in front of Lu Yin and Liu Huang. Xu Qing’s hands were clasped behind his back, and he glanced around. “You didn’t set a trap for me, did you Alliance Leader Lu?”
Lu Yin opened his eyes and a smile spread across his face. “Even if I had, you would still come, wouldn’t you, Commander Xu Qing?”
Xu Qing and Lu Yin stared at each other. “If there’s a trap, then there’s no deal.”
Lu Yin stared at Xu Qing and smiled at him. “Of course there’s no trap. All of my people are fighting on the battlefield right now. You should already know that, Commander.”
Xu Qing’s eyes flickered, and he stretched out a hand. “Show me.”
Lu Yin took out Progenitor Wushang’s hide. At this moment, even Liu Huang, who was standing next to Lu Yin, was drawn closer. He had known beforehand that Lu Yin was trading away a Progenitor item, and even Liu Huang was jealous. After all, who did not want to become a Progenitor? With the assistance of a Progenitor item, while they did not guarantee that one could become a Progenitor, they could greatly help one’s cultivation and offer a much better chance of becoming a Semi-Progenitor. It was a pity to give such a thing to an astral beast.
Lu Yin waved a hand, and Progenitor Wushang’s hide vanished. When it reappeared, it was in Xu Qing’s hands.
Xu Qing did not dare stare at Progenitor Wushang’s hide, as he feared being stunned and attacked. Still, just touching it roused Xu Qing’s excitement. He immediately put the hide away while staring at Lu Yin. “Alliance Leader Lu, shall we return together?”
“There’s no need. I’m afraid that you might go back on your promise and send some powerhouse to ambush me on the way, so you can leave first,” Lu Yin bluntly refused.
Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed as he carefully observed Lu Yin. “It will be very difficult for the two of us to meet again on a battlefield after today. I hope that you live, Alliance Leader Lu, as I really want to crush you on the battlefield one day.”
Lightning then flickered, and Xu Qing disappeared.
Liu Huang frowned. “Are you just going to let him go? It’s really too bad that we’re giving up on a Progenitor item.”
Lu Yin looked eastwards. At this point, the matter was out of his hands.
None of the people who had participated in this deal were stupid, and Xu Qing’s last words showed that he had already guessed what Lu Yin’s plan was. Lu Yin was actually eager to see what the astral beast general had prepared as a backup that had given him the courage to arrive and complete the transaction.
Lightning flickered through space as Xu Qing traveled to the east at his top speed. He knew that there was something wrong, as there was no way that Lu Yin would willingly give up Progenitor Wushang’s hide.
The Void Thunderbeast’s expression grew more and more serious as time passed. Just when he was about to try to speed up again, a massive wooden stick appeared in front of him whose end he could not even see.
Xu Qing’s pupils shrank, and a chill ran down his back. This was dangerous.
The stick suddenly shrank and swept towards the astral beast.
Xu Qing returned to the form of a Void Thunderbeast and slapped the stick away with a paw. There was a loud bang, and ripples swept through space, which soon shattered from the force. An old, unkempt man emerged. He was Master Qing Hua.
Qing Hua calmly stared at Xu Qing. “You cannot leave now.”
The wooden staff rose up and swung down at Xu Qing, and lightning erupted from the astral beast. “The Sixth Mainland’s Master Qing Hua. You can’t stop me!”
Lu Yin and Liu Huang watched the exchange from a distance.
“Master Qing Hua is very powerful, and while he can defeat Xu Qing, it won’t be easy for him to stop Xu Qing from leaving. After all, he’s a Void Thunderbeast,” Liu Huang commented.
“That’s up to you,” Lu Yin said.
Liu Huang stared, and then a sword formed from stellular energy appeared in his hand.
Master Qing Hua exerted the full strength of an Empyrean Imprinter. Even without the Progenitor of Secret Arts’ imprint, the man was still able to overpower Xu Qing. The astral beast soon spat out blood.
Xu Qing let out a roar and activated all of his lightning. He was trying to escape through the void.
Flaxen Weave lay right next to Northcastle Weave, and Xu Qing’s top speed meant that he could return to the battlefield in a small amount of time. Not even Qing Hua was capable of catching up to Xu Qing if he slipped away.
But at this moment, Liu Huang’s sword swept out: Fourteenth Sword.
There were only two methods to shatter a Void Thunderbeast’s lightning. One was to crush it with overwhelming strength, and the other was to prevent the Void Thunderbeast from using its lightning. This was why Liu Huang was Xu Qing’s nemesis.
Puff!
Xu Qing spat out blood. He turned to gaze into the distance with his massive eyes that blazed with anger. “Lu Yin, you’re despicable!”
Lu Yin stared back. Despicable? Which of the most famous tacticians in the universe were not despicable? Shui Chuanxiao, Wei Rong, Wang Wen, and even Xu Qing himself—who had been clean with the methods they had employed? This was war.
There was always another battlefield beyond the current battlefield.
The wooden staff dropped down from above Xu Qing’s head. Without his lightning, Xu Qing could not stop Master Qing Hua.
No battle techniques could be seen in the movements of the staff, though it moved in a way that could not be evaded.
Liu Huang grew nervous, and he carefully watched Qing Hua.
All of a sudden, Lu Yin yelled, “Watch out!”
He was staring at a place behind Qing Hua. A terrifying number of runes had appeared there, so many that they actually replaced space. Suddenly, everything nearby disappeared. Qing Hua, his staff, and even Xu Qing all vanished.
Lu Yin and Liu Huang stared blankly. The place before them looked the same as ever, but it was occupied by an invisible creature: a Void Wanderer.
Void Wanderers were very common astral beasts, and many of them had appeared on the battlefield between the Great Eastern Alliance and the Astral Beast Domain. These astral beasts were able to freely travel through the void, and they saw space as their playground.
However, this was Lu Yin’s first time ever seeing such a massive Void Wanderer. In fact, this was the largest one that even Liu Huang had ever seen.
“The Void Wanderer ancestor…” Liu Huang could not believe his eyes.
Lu Yin’s expression changed drastically. “Void Wanderer ancestor? Is that the Void Wanderer elder?”
“It must be. Besides the Void Wanderer elder, what other Void Wanderer could be this massive? That creature just swallowed an Empyrean Imprinter with a single bite!” Liu Huang was shocked by what he was seeing. He raised a hand and slashed out with his sword to attack the Void Wanderer.
However, the creature’s invisible body suddenly disappeared entirely.
