When Lu Yin stepped onto the ground in Jinlin, he let out an emotional sigh. He had been gone for five years, and the place had undergone many changes during that time. The initially desperate surroundings had completely disappeared, and the current Jinlin was like any other city on a bustling planet.
He unleashed his domain to search for Zhou Shan, and his eyes quickly closed in on Zhongshan.
During Earth’s past apocalypse, Zhou Shan had been one of the Seven Sages, and he had held control over Jinlin while he stayed at Zhongshan with 80,000 cultivators under his command. At present, Jinlin was completely different. It had returned to being a bustling city, but Zhongshan was the exact same and seemingly had not changed in the slightest.
Lu Yin appeared within Zhongshan and did not bother concealing himself.
Within Zhongshan, there were dozens of people staring blankly at a screen as they watched Lu Yin leisurely enter Zhongshan. One person asked in a trembling voice, “Why does this person look so familiar?”
“Savior Lu Yin! That’s Lu Yin! The Great Yu Empire’s Royal Regent!” another person screamed as he fervently stared at the screen.
Soon after that, everyone else became excited as well, and someone immediately reported the matter to Zhou Shan.
Because Lu Yin had defeated Qingyu, he had been given the title of Savior while on Earth. Zhou Shan and the others had greatly promoted Lu Yin’s contributions as well, which meant that quite a considerable number of ardent worshippers for Lu Yin had emerged everywhere. It was to the extent where even the troops stationed there by the Great Yu Empire had seen the corresponding propaganda, and all of this publicity caused Lu Yin to become the same as a deity to the people on Earth.
The Astral Combat Tournament had further ingrained his image into their hearts, and finally, the Tournament of the Strongest had elevated and finalized his status on Earth. Lu Yin himself did not know how exalted his reputation had become.
The troops in Zhongshan quickly gathered, and soon, all of Jinlin rang with alarms, which startled millions. Everyone looked at Zhongshan with dazed faces. Was there an enemy?
Lu Yin looked up and laughed, knowing that he had been discovered. Within his domain, he noticed that there were many people fervently staring at him.
He did not hurry his pace, and he slowly reminisced about different events as he continued walking along the street. This place was where he had first used his formcast model and become a cultivator. That was where he had first rolled his die and received the Cosmic Art after rolling Pilfer.
To countless Earthlings, this was the place where Lu Yin’s legendary journey had begun.
This area had long since become forbidden for most people to enter, and only a small minority were allowed access.
Lu Yin saw the tent that he had stayed in. Even after five years, it still had not changed.
He was rather moved by the sights, and it seemed that it had been worthwhile for him to entrust his feelings to Earth. Even though this meant that he had yet another weakness, he was willing to bear this burden.
Zhou Shan appeared in the sky and howled with laughter as he descended. Lu Yin smiled and watched him approach.
“Earth’s Jinlin’s defensive troops commander Zhou Shan pays his respects to the Royal Regent.”
Zhou Shan immediately saluted and bowed towards Lu Yin, but the younger man supported Zhou Shan and raised him back up with a smile. “Do you really need to go this far?”
Zhou Shan laughed. “Enough respect can’t be shown, but for now, you can put your identity as Royal Regent aside. You belong to Earth.”
“That’s right, I am an Earthling.” Lu Yin was happy. When he had first returned to Earth, he had seen familiar faces and felt a warm feeling in his heart that could not be experienced anywhere else. Perhaps he would also feel this way with Big Sis and the others, but that was a slightly different feeling.
There weren’t that many people whom Lu Yin was familiar with on Earth. During the two years before the apocalypse, he had lived an ordinary life and had not had many friends. Zhou Shan was one of the few he still considered a friend. Even though the two of them had not spent much time together, Zhou Shan had given Lu Yin a considerable amount of help.
Lu Yin chatted with Zhou Shan for a while, and with his domain, he saw many people surround and watch them with fanatic expressions. Were they that excited to see him? Even if he had defeated Qingyu and saved Earth during the trial, that was still something that had happened five years before.
At that moment, Lu Yin noticed a small girl within his domain. She seemed to be about two or three years old and looked similar to Zhou Shan. Lu Yin had a strange feeling, and he looked at Zhou Shan. “You have a daughter?”
Zhou Shan was stunned. “How did you know?”
Lu Yin smiled. “I saw her. So how is she? Does she have a formcast model?”
Zhou Shan grew embarrassed. “Someone sent one, but I didn’t accept it.”
“Why not? Are you afraid that people will claim that you’re taking bribes?” Lu Yin joked.
Zhou Shan grew serious. “The entire empire knows that you’re from Earth and that you have some form of relationship with me. If I accept bribes, it’ll cause you to lose face.”
Lu Yin tossed Zhou Shan a crystal card. “There’s some money in that, and it should be enough for you to buy a formcast model. Don’t say no and just take it as a gift from me to your daughter. Oh right, what’s her name?”
Zhou Shan smiled and accepted the money. “She’s called Xixi. Zhou Xixi.”
“A good name. It carries the meaning of hope, and she was born in an era of peace. If there’s a chance in the future, send her to the Yu Academy to cultivate. For cultivators, ten years go by in a flash.”
Zhou Shan nodded. He knew that the gap between him and Lu Yin was now too vast. Although they had once been friends, once Zhou Shan died, the relationship would also disappear. He was not foolish, and although he would not accept bribes, he was willing to receive some benefits from his relationship with Lu Yin as long as they were within reasonable limits. Otherwise, he would not have accepted the position of honorary headmaster.
He had always wanted to send his daughter to Zenyu Star, and it had just become official with Lu Yin’s words at this time.
When a person rode on someone else’s success, the benefits that the successful person handed out could also be considered as a display of his feelings. Those who benefited would not be merely his own friends and family, but also the person himself.
Zhou Shan was special to Lu Yin because he had been one of the first Sentinels who Lu Yin had met.
After the final battle on Earth, of the seven sages, Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue had left like Lu Yin while Liu Shaoge left with Qingyu. Wang You and Tong Zhan had been killed by Liu Shaoge, so only Zhou Shan and Topmist had remained on Earth. Lu Yin had not gotten to know Topmist very well, so he did not look for the man. Lu Yin was satisfied with just visiting Zhou Shan.
Zhao Yu and the others who had followed Lu Yin to Earth felt like they were on vacation, and they conveniently spread some information about the Yu Academy.
Lu Yin would not leave with these students, and he instead boarded his collapsible spacecraft and directly returned to Zenyu Star.
Jupiter was currently like a thorn in his heart. There was nothing that he could do about it for the moment, but in the future, he would think of a way to remove this thorn. He still wanted to use the Hidden Earth Society to uncover some more information regarding the secrets of the primeval surnames.
On his way back to Zenyu Star, Lu Yin decided to recite the Stonewall Scriptures. However, not long after he left Earth, his gadget beeped with a notification. It was actually Madam Nalan trying to contact him.
Lu Yin was shocked, as the enchanting Madam Nalan had not reached out to him in a long time.
“Hello, Madam Nalan.” Lu Yin activated his gadget and greeted the stunning Madam Nalan who appeared on his screen.
Currently, not only had the Innerverse and Outerverse been disconnected, but many weaves in the Outerverse had been similarly separated, and network signals had even become intermittent. However, Madam Nalan’s figure was crisp on the screen, which meant that the connection was smooth and that her current location should not be too far from Frostwave Weave.
“Student Lu, it’s been a while. During this time, your praises have been ringing in my ears, and it’s been difficult to not hear your name,” the mesmerizing Madam Nalan greeted with a smile. Her face only had a slight touch of make-up, but her natural charm was enough to cause Lu Yin’s heart to flutter even through a screen.
She’s a seductress! Lu Yin secretly commented.
“That’s my fault. I shouldn’t have disturbed madam’s peace,” Lu Yin said as he smiled back.
The alluring Madam Nalan smiled. “So how do you intend to compensate me?”
Lu Yin grew embarrassed, as this temptress truly knew how to tease him relentlessly.
She looked amused at Lu Yin’s awkward expression, and she chuckled before asking, “Student Lu, we’re considered friends, right?”
Lu Yin nodded. He quickly thought of how wealthy the Nalan family was, and he immediately replied, “We’re very good friends.”
“If a friend faces difficulty, would you lend a hand?” Her expression turned to one of aggrievement, that also held a hint of helplessness.
Even if such emotions were faked, Lu Yin could not help himself from asking, “Has something happened to the Nalan family?”
The beautiful Madam Nalan sighed. “The Innerverse and Outerverse are separated, and the Sword Sect, which was once our backer, can no longer be counted upon. Shortly before this, the four major financial organizations of the Outerverse held a conference in Tyrannical Weave. But because the universe underwent huge changes, Tyrannical Weave has practically become completely isolated. One Enlighter from my Nalan family became trapped there, and so as of today, there’s no Enlighter protecting my Nalan family.”
Lu Yin was stunned. “The conference has already been held?”
Madam Nalan’s eyes flickered, and she threw a certain look at Lu Yin. “Student Lu knew of our conference?”
“I heard about it.” Lu Yin had heard Liu Shaoge mention it, and the man had even told Lu Yin where the venue was, but he had never mentioned a confirmed time. Lu Yin had not thought that the conference would already have concluded, but it had most likely taken place while he had been trapped at the Sea King’s Dome.
The woman on his screen smiled. “It would appear that Student Lu has quite a few social connections. Although our conference is not a secret, few are qualified to know of it, and most of those people are in the business circles. How did Student Lu learn of it?”
“Is that important?” Lu Yin replied.
Her expression grew sullen once again. “True, it’s not important. Right now, our Nalan family is like the most delicious cake to those Enlighters who are stuck in the Outerverse. Of the four major corporations, my Nalan family is the closest that these Enlighters can reach. Student Lu, can you help me?”
Lu Yin felt strange. “I recall that there’s an Enlighter elder from the Sword Sect who was left behind.”
She smiled bitterly. “My surname is Liu, and though the Sword Sect is controlled by the Liu family, there are many who aren’t happy with us. Elder Viletree is the one who was left behind in the Outerverse, and he is one of those. Thus, he won’t care if my Nalan family lives or dies.”
Lu Yin understood. The stronger a power became, the more severe its internal struggles were. This was very normal.
“Student Lu, I know what it means for you to protect the Nalan family. Those Enlighters are plundering resources in a rabid manner, and our Nalan family is very alluring to them. If you protect us, then it will mean that you will become enemies with many Enlighters. However, I have no other choice.” The older woman pouted and looked at Lu Yin with a pitiful expression.
Lu Yin’s heart fluttered again, as her appearance was too captivating. Not just the Nalan family, but you, too, are alluring. He wanted to say that, but he knew that such words would not be very appropriate.
“If Student Lu is willing to protect my Nalan family, we are also willing to help the Great Yu Empire’s economy recover and will also provide aid for the Great Yu Empire to unify Frostwave Weave. In fact, we will even foot the bill for military expenditures while conquering other weaves,” she offered serenely.
Lu Yin was moved, as the Nalan family was just too affluent. If this gorgeous Madam Nalan could support the Great Yu Empire with resources, then he was confident in upgrading the gun’s offensive capability by a few more grades, which would make it powerful enough to threaten even those old freaks whose power levels were above 300,000. In the Outerverse, a power level of 300,000 was definitely top-notch, and reaching that level would make Lu Yin unrivaled in the Outerverse. Even if the gun was disregarded, he still had his Money Bombs, Progenitor Wushang’s hide, and the universal armor.
