Naturally, Dao Bo could not afford to be overly arrogant. There were still people at the same level as him who surpassed him. Lu Yin was one of them. Lu Yin was a very gifted individual, and even if his fighting ability were disregarded, his lockbreaking abilities alone were deep beyond measure. Although Lu Yin could not be considered to be a veteran Lockbreaker, he had already accomplished many great things. Dao Bo was especially sure of this after he had seen the video of Lu Yin single-handedly dispelling Yan Feng’s attack during the wedding affair in East San Dios. That sort of lockbreaking skill was extraordinary. That man was an enigma, and it was unknown if he would come to this lockbreaking event since San Dios was not that far from here.
In another area of the planet, a young lady was flying through the sky. Although she behaved as if nothing was out of place, the young lady had a fish on top of her head. This alone was quite unusual, but what made it even more peculiar was that the fish was constantly nagging the woman. “Hurry up! Other two legged beasts can lockbreak, but you have been an utter disappointment so far! Why did I have to be found by you back then? You’re flat-chested and not curvy at all—what have you been eating your whole life? I told you to drink more papaya milk, but you wouldn’t believe me…”
A vein in the young lady’s forehead bulged out, seemingly ready to explode at any moment.
Far away in the universe, aboard a huge spacecraft, there were more than a hundred fully armed soldiers pumped and ready. In the vessel’s command room, a beautiful but cold woman looked at a screen. “How much longer until we arrive?”
“One day.”
“Try to hurry.”
“Affirmative.”
Outside of Savage Ape Planet, a fleet adorned with the Vastdearth Sect’s crest appeared. However, this fleet did not cordon off the Savage Ape Planet; instead, they merely expelled the various spacecraft that passed by, essentially isolating Savage Ape Planet.
Of the various groups that tried to seal off Savage Ape Planet, the Vastdearth Sect was not one of them.
On the surface of Savage Ape Planet, Lu Yin knocked a savage ape away with a swift kick. Zhao Ran was mesmerized by the scene. “So cool.”
Yue Xianzi rolled her eyes; this girl was too naive.
Lu Yin was in a pretty good mood. After all, there was a pretty cute girl beside him who kept showering compliments upon him. Any man would be happy to be in his situation.
“It’s a pity that she’s not much in the looks department. She does have a nice temperament, though. What do you think, Seventh Bro? Do you like her?” the Ghost Monkey asked.
Lu Yin ignored the monkey.
Before long, a dozen figures flew above the group in the sky. They were all wearing the same uniform, and it was obvious that they were from the same power.
Yue Xianzi raised a hand, and a chilling air froze the void. “Icy Plum Vale Technique!”
The dozen people flying overhead were nothing more than mere Melders, so Yue Xianzi’s attack easily froze them solid, causing them to plummet to the ground like blocks of ice.
“Where is the tree-shaped sourcebox?” Li Yin asked directly.
The dozen people who had been frozen fearfully looked at Lu Yin. With quivering fingers, they pointed in the northwestern direction. “Over- over at Nine Peaks Mountain.”
Yue Xianzi snatched one of the people’s gadgets and browsed through its information. She soon nodded at Lu Yin and said, “He’s telling the truth.”
Lu Yin grunted in acknowledgment. They left the Melders in peace and started out again, this time towards Nine Peaks Mountain.
Nine Peaks Mountain was a very conspicuous landmark; it was a mountain with nine peaks, each in the shape of a Savage Ape skull. Nine Peaks Mountain were joined together by their valleys, altogether forming Nine Peaks Mountain. The name “Nine Peaks Mountain” could not have been any more apt given the formation’s appearance.
Beep, beep, beep!
Lu Yin’s personal gadget sounded with an alert. He accepted the communications request and was shocked to see that Master Wusheng had contacted him.
“Greetings, Master Wusheng,” Lu Yin respectfully greeted.
“Lu Yin, you must be aware of the Vastdearth Weave’s Savage Ape Planet’s Lockbreaking exchange event. Are you attending?” Master Wusheng went straight to the point.
“I am already on Savage Ape Planet,” Lu Yin responded.
“Good. I was afraid that you wouldn’t dare attend. You should participate and get some experience. Witnessing others’ attempts at lockbreaking will be helpful to you,” Master Wusheng replied.
Lu Yin felt a warmth sensation rise in his heart. “Thank you, master.”
“This event has been approved by the society, so they intend to have the younger generation resolve this issue. The older generation is not allowed to interfere. Take full advantage of this, but also remember to not do anything overly rash. With your current abilities, it’s impossible for you to successfully unlock this sourcebox. It will also be difficult to rescue you if you make any mistakes. Remember that,” Master Wusheng warned.
Lu Yin acknowledged Master Wusheng’s warning. “I understand and will remember your words.”
“Make sure that you do. Most likely, some very interesting people will appear on Savage Ape Planet, so pay attention.” Master Wusheng then disconnected after leaving Lu Yin with those final words.
Lu Yin was left speechless; why did everyone only give him a part of the information? Who were the interesting people that Wusheng was referring to? Master Wusheng didn’t even bother clarifying!
Half a day later, Lu Yin and the other two who were still hurriedly making their way to Nine Peaks Mountain were only a few hours away. Then, high above them in the sky, a spacecraft passed by. All of a sudden, Lu Yin’s gaze turned apprehensive as he looked up. A gigantic shadow covered the ground, and a savage ape that was easily a hundred meters tall leaped into the sky, ferociously charging at the spacecraft.
The spacecraft immediately tried to evade, but the savage ape still managed to crash into the vehicle, its attack even shattering the void.
Zhao Ran was terrified, and her face turned bone-white.
Yue Xianzi’s pupils constricted as well. Her personal gadget revealed that this savage ape had a power level comparable to a Cruiser’s; it had a power level of 52,000.
Lu Yin and the other two quickly landed and cautiously stared at the savage ape.
Savage apes were fierce by nature and would even kill their own kind. Additionally, these apes knew their territory very well and were extremely skilled at sensing any intruder in their domain.
This savage ape that was as strong as a Cruiser easily shattered the spacecraft with a single stomp of its foot. The bottom of its foot was slick with blood as it left the ground dyed red.
This scene once again terrified Zhao Ran.
Yue Xianzi’s face also turned pale. Even without any sapience, a creature with the power of a Cruiser was not something that she could fight against. As she considered this, she looked towards Lu Yin.
Lu Yin squinted his eyes and looked at the savage ape’s bloodshot eyes even as they swiveled over to meet his gaze. His scalp turned numb, but he had no choice but to go head-to-head with this Cruiser-level beast. It was a good thing that savage apes could not learn any battle techniques, or he might not be a match for it. Thirty Stacks was no joke.
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
The savage ape drew closer step by step. When its huge shadow engulfed the three of them, Zhao Ran trembled in fear while Yue Xianzi screwed her eyes shut, not daring to look.
The savage ape raised its foot, about to trample the three of them to death.
Just as Lu Yin was about to launch an attack, a middle aged man suddenly appeared in the sky. He had rosy cheeks, and he gave off an outstanding aura of dignity. He appeared right in the savage ape’s line of sight and shouted, “You are courting death, you filthy creature!”
The savage ape shrieked angrily and fiercely swiped at the man.
The man gracefully evaded the beast’s attacks, and with a flash, he appeared on top of the savage ape and forcefully shoved its head down. What happened next sent chills shivering down Lu Yin and the other two’s spines as they witnessed a terrifying scene. The hundred meter tall savage ape was annihilated. Whether it was its organs or flesh, everything evaporated into nothingness in an instant.
Lu Yin’s pupils shrank; this man had used a lockbreaking technique to make the savage ape disappear.
“Damn! This guy is at least a Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker! How cruel!” the Ghost Monkey cried out.
Zhao Ran looked at the man timidly. As far as she was concerned, this man was even more terrifying than the savage ape.
A savage ape with the strength of a Cruiser had been eliminated by a lockbreaking technique so easily; not even its corpse remained!
The man towered above them in the sky, and he swept his gaze over Lu Yin and the other two, pausing for a moment when his eyes saw Lu Yin. He then nodded his head in a friendly manner and left.
As Lu Yin watched the man disappear into the sky, he realized the significance behind the man’s greeting. He obviously knew Lu Yin and was not his enemy.
“Lu Yin, look at this,” Yue Xianzi said as she pointed to her personal gadget.
Lu Yin looked over, and his expression changed. The gadget was stating that the man’s power level could not be read. “What does this mean?”
“My personal gadget can only probe power levels up to a hundred thousand. In other words, that man’s power level is over a hundred thousand. He’s a Hunter,” Yue Xianzi answered gravely.
Lu Yin nodded in understanding. “He would not have been able to execute that technique if he was not a Hunter. That man’s very strong.”
That incident soon became nothing more than an interlude to them. The three of them then continued making their way towards Nine Peaks Mountain. However, Zhao Ran became much quieter after the incident. She was probably still feeling shocked from what had just happened.
A few hours later, the three of them were finally able to just barely make out the figure of Nine Peaks Mountain in the distance. The sight invigorated them, and they picked up their pace.
The three of them had already been travelling at a swift pace that was almost enough to split the void. Now that they had increased their speed one step further, they quickly overtook all the other cultivators in front of them. The spatial tear they left behind them was an alarming one.
As soon as the three of them arrived at Nine Peaks Mountain, they stopped. Lu Yin raised his hand, as he had sensed an invisible ripple ahead of them, blocking their path. He frowned; there were some powers ahead who had closed off the path.
“This way has already been closed. Go back.” A loud voice boomed out, resounding throughout the entirety of Nine Peaks Mountain. It was followed by the void cracking, showing that this was the work of an Explorer.
Before Lu Yin could speak, Yue Xianzi stepped forward. “You dare to stop members of the Outerverse Youth Council from proceeding?”
Right after she said that, two Explorers stepped out from the void in front of them. They looked at Yue Xianzi in astonishment. “Are the three of you from the Outerverse Youth Council?”
Yue Xianzi raised an arm, revealing her black ring with silvery-grey edges. It was engraved with an outstretched pair of wings and a sword that had ten shadows surrounding it. This was the signet ring worn only by the members of the Outerverse Youth Council. The only difference between this ring and Mira’s Universe Youth Council ring was the color. This ring was silvery-grey whereas the one that represented the Universe Youth Council was silver.
When they saw the ring, the two Explorers immediately allowed the three people through. They did not dare to impede members of the Outerverse Youth Council.
Lu Yin had an Outerverse Youth Council ring as well. However, he also had a Universe Youth Council ring since members of the Council of Astral Academy wore the same rings as members of the Universe Youth Council.
Like that, Lu Yin and the other two were able to easily enter Nine Peaks Mountain. Just then, a huge explosion occurred in the sky, causing the two Explorers’ faces to change as they immediately took to the sky.
Soon after, the ripples which had previously sealed the Savage Ape Planet were broken, and a huge spacecraft directly landed on Nine Peaks Mountain. There was the logo of an organisation engraved onto the spacecraft.
“Eh? This ship belongs to the Brightstar Corp.?” Yue Xianzi said in surprise.
Lu Yin was puzzled. “The Brightstar Corp.?”
Yue Xianzi nodded. “They are a massive enterprise, and their network has spread through the entire Outerverse. They make big bucks by manufacturing machine parts, handling logistics, and building machinery. They’re a major player in the tech sector.”
“Are they very rich?” Lu Yin asked, his eyes sparkling.
Yue Xianzi nodded. “Of course. They were one of the sponsors for the Astral Combat Tournament’s prizes. They’re like the Nalan family and are definitely considered a major corporation.”
Lu Yin looked at the huge spacecraft with envy. It would have been great if he had been born into such wealth and not needed to worry about money.
Right after the Brightstar Corp. vessel appeared, another spacecraft appeared. The logo on the spacecraft was one that Lu Yin immediately recognized—Shamrock Enterprises.
“There are more and more powers gathering. It looks like Lockbreaker exchange events always attract a bunch of people!” Yue Xianzi exclaimed.
Lu Yin’s expression grew heated as he looked into the distance. Everyone who had come was wealthy, so if he could successfully unlock the sourcebox, he would be able to sell the contents at an astronomical price. After thinking about it some more, he rushed towards Nine Peaks Mountain; the tree-shaped sourcebox was almost within reach.
At that moment, many people had already gathered in Nine Peaks Mountain. Of them, there were around thirty Lockbreakers. About ten of them were Lockbreakers with contributions, and all of them were looking into the distance, at the tree-shaped sourcebox.
A thousand meters away from them, there was the tree-shaped sourcebox, and all that could be seen around it were dead bodies. The land around it was completely desolate, and not even wild grass could be seen. It was truly an arid section of land.
