Shanghuan Daynight sternly responded, “Alliance Leader Lu, you should consider your actions carefully. Nobody even dares to think about coveting my Daynight clan’s battle techniques. Even when my Daynight clan lost our stone of inheritance here in the Outerverse, nobody dared to keep it for themselves, and they ultimately sent it back obediently. This shows the confidence of my Daynight clan. We will not let them go of anyone who dares to touch it, even if it is the Hall of Honor.”
“Back then? Hmm, it’s been about ten years since Qingyu Daynight stole the stone of inheritance and fled to the Outerverse. That should be what you’re referring to,” Lu Yin calmly said.
Shanghuan Daynight stared at Lu Yin for a moment before suddenly remembering. “Back then, Qingyu Daynight fled to Frostwave Weave, and since Alliance Leader Lu is from Frostwave Weave, it wouldn’t be strange for you to know of that incident. Since you do, then you should understand the attitude of my Daynight clan. I’ll warn Alliance Leader Lu—do not have any thoughts regarding my Daynight clan’s battle techniques.”
Lu Yin continued to swirl his cup leisurely, causing a drop of tea to splash out. He then lightly blew on it, shooting it forward and causing it to strike Shanghuan Daynight’s chest before the man could even react. An intense pain exploded in his chest, but right when Shenghuan Daynight was about to retaliate, Lu Yin stepped forward and shoved the man onto the floor. He looked down at the man from the Daynight clan and coldly said, “Let alone someone like you, even if Nightqueen Qiuyu was in front of me today, I would still ask her about the secrets of the Daynight clan’s battle techniques. I’ll give you one last chance to tell me. Otherwise, I’ll let you see just what the outcome will be.”
Shanghuan Daynight was terrified, and he instantly regretted seeking out this person. Lu Yin was a maniac, and he was clearly unafraid of anyone.
Before long, Lu Yin stepped away. “Lock him up.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Bei Qing answered.
Lu Yin left Lu’s Grand Auction with a contemplative look on his face. He had not found anything out about the secrets of the Daynight clan’s battle techniques. This was not because Shanghuan Daynight had not said anything, but rather because he did not know himself. The man only knew that all of the battle techniques recorded within the stone of inheritance contained a spiritual force component in its attack, but he did not know any of the principles or cultivation methods for spiritual force.
The stone of inheritance originated from the Daynight clan’s ancestors, and reportedly, only Daynight clan members could receive an inheritance from it. However, back during the trial on Earth, Lulu Mavis, Xia Luo, and even Lu Yin had each received an inheritance. Thus, the stone of inheritance’s rule was not absolute.
If Lu Yin could obtain the stone of inheritance again, then that would be wonderful. In the past, Lu Yin had only arrived at the entrance of a long corridor, and if he were given another opportunity today, he would be able to walk a great distance into that corridor.
Shanghuan Daynight had come to threaten Lu Yin, but the man had only wanted to obtain cultivation resources.
The people of the Daynight clan all had lofty statuses in the Innerverse, and they had never had to worry about their cultivation resources before. This meant that their cultivation speed had usually been very fast. Now that they were stranded in the Outerverse, they were unable to obtain that many star energy crystals, let alone star essence. All in all, there was very little for them to collect once everything was distributed. Shanghuan Daynight had schemed against the Lu’s Grand Auction, wanting to obtain a sudden windfall, but unfortunately for him, Lu Yin was fearless.
Lu Yin had also managed to find out where those imprisoned disciples were being kept, and Bei Qing would take care of things from here.
“Your Highness, this person will not appear again,” Bei Qing whispered from behind Lu Yin.
Lu Yin replied, “There are two months left before the next premium auction. Are there many top powers of the Great Eastern Alliance that usually participate in the auctions?”
Bei Qing replied, “There aren’t many, but at each auction, some people from the various guiding powers will make an appearance.”
“This time, I’ll provide you with some new items, and you can target the advertising towards those top powers of the Great Eastern Alliance. They will be the primary targets for this next auction.” After that, Lu Yin passed a few of the secret routes that he had bought from Endless Borders to Bei Qing. Lu Yin had already looked through all of the ones in his possession, and these particular routes were all related to industries such welfare or transport; they had nothing to do with military affairs.
The appearance of these new routes could save a great deal of time for these organizations, and time was money, which meant lower costs. Lu Yin trusted that these routes would raise quite a commotion among the members of the Great Eastern Alliance.
He had not guessed wrong. When the Lu’s Grand Auction announced that it would auction off secret routes in two months’ time, the Outerverse was embroiled in an uproar. Countless people kept an eye on the auction, curious to see which new routes would be available.
The powers in the central weaves grew increasingly nervous, as they were afraid that the Great Eastern Alliance would obtain routes that led into their region. If that proved to be true, then not only would the Great Eastern Alliance be able to dispatch troops even faster than before, but they would also be able to hide their armies within enemy territory, which was truly terrifying.
The organizations from the central region put forth their best efforts to learn as much information as they could, but they were unable to discover exactly which routes were available.
In another place, the Hall of Honor had completed its investigation into Amethyst Exchange, and the Zi family was found to not have any relationships with the Neohuman Alliance. Zi Rong had been the only one who had collaborated with the Neohuman Alliance, and his actions had nothing to do with the Zi family.
Once this news was released, countless people from Amethyst Exchange heaved huge sighs of relief.
Ever since Lu Yin had unleashed havoc at Zi Rong’s wedding and revealed Zi Rong’s true nature, Amethyst Exchange had been subject to the Hall of Honor’s investigations. During this time, nearly half of Amethyst Exchange’s subdivisions had closed their doors. Additionally, rumors spread everywhere, claiming that Amethyst Exchange was about to collapse.
Amethyst Exchange’s stock price went into a freefall, affecting countless people and wiping out countless fortunes in a single night.
The stocks of Zenyu Star’s Amethyst Exchange that Lu Yin owned had also become worthless.
Although the Hall of Honor did not continue investigating Amethyst Exchange any further, this incident was not something that could be easily moved past; beyond any doubt, Zi Rong had collaborated with the Neohuman Alliance.
During this time, the Zi family went almost completely silent. All of the competitors that the exchange had once suppressed rose to the surface and ceaselessly attacked the corporate giant while it was down. Amethyst Exchange’s intelligence network was continuously poached by others while their supply and production lines met with misfortunes.
The Zi family’s reputation declined to a devastating degree. It had once been one of the Outerverse’s four great conglomerates and had possessed the greatest intelligence network in the Outerverse. However, it had now fallen from its pedestal.
The company’s situation would have still been fine if they had merely lost their status. However, the universe acted according to the laws of the jungle. When the Zi family had been at their peak, they had offended many others and become the mortal enemy of numerous people. Now, all of these old enemies had emerged from the woodwork, and there were quite a few experts among their numbers.
Skylush Planet began to face repeated attacks, and even an Enlighter like Mr. Tradeo could not stop the trend. Everyone was aware that they could only take advantage of this moment to strike at the Zi family, as they would recover once more time passed. As one of the four great conglomerates of the Outerverse, Amethyst Exchange had deeply concealed powers, and it would not be eliminated so easily.
On Skylush Planet, Mr. Tradeo rose into the sky with an ugly expression on his face.
In the Zi family’s ancestral home, Zi Tianchuan’s brows were deeply furrowed. He had just received news that another one of their intelligence bases had been destroyed.
“Father, we can’t wait anymore. Wake up Ancestor Li. As long as the ancestor steps forward, even the Hall of Honor will be wary, let alone these petty powers.” Zi Fang was flustered.
Across from him, Zi Xianxian immediately countered, “No! During the border defense, the Hall of Honor forcibly conscripted all of the experts in the Outerverse and ordered them to appear. We intentionally hid Ancestor Li at that time, so if we call him out now, then even if we resolve this current crisis, the Hall of Honor will remember our deceit. Thus, doing so would only cause terrible problems in the future.”
“But if we can’t even get out of this crisis, then there’ll be nothing left in the future,” Zi Fang retorted.
“With Mr. Tradeo around, can anyone in the Outerverse truly wipe out our Zi family? The experts are all still stationed at the border, and these insignificant powers can only mobilize Hunters at best. Our Zi family is still able to protect itself.” Zi Xianxian refused to back down.
“Self-preservation—that’s all you know! Our Zi family is one of the four great conglomerates, and we have the greatest intelligence network in the entire Outerverse. If we lose all this, then it means losing everything.”
“We can still regain everything back. If the Hall of Honor bears a grudge against us, then let alone us in our current state, but even all four great conglomerates combined might not have an easy time.”
“The Hall of Honor will not take the initiative to cause trouble for us.”
“They have their own spokesperson, and isn’t it Lu Yin?” Zi Xianxian shouted.
Zi Tianchuan’s body trembled, and Zi Fang’s fist involuntarily clenched up before relaxing once more. Hatred was burning in his eyes.
The Zi family had devolved to this pathetic state all because of Lu Yin. If not for his meddling, then the Zi family would not have been struck down.
At this moment, Mr. Tradeo descended and said in an exhausted voice, “Everything is alright for now. With me around, they don’t dare to act casually, but I can only protect Skylush Planet. I am powerless with the defense of the other areas.”
Zi Fang gritted his teeth. “Our Amethyst Exchange’s intelligence bases that are scattered throughout the Outerverse will soon be picked apart. We can only blame that bastard, Lu Yin.”
The group fell silent.
Mr. Tradeo started to speak, but he hesitated.
Zi Tianchuan noticed the Enlighter’s hesitation, and his heart moved. “Does Mr. Tradeo have something to say?”
Mr. Tradeo sat down. “Actually, the Zi family should not blame Lu Yin. Rather, they should thank him instead.”
Zi Fang flew into a rage. “You want us to thank him? If not for him, our Zi family would still be one of the four great conglomerates, and those people outside our doors wouldn’t dare to even approach us! No, in the past, before they could even approach us, we would already have discovered them and known their every move before they even made it. But now, we have nothing!”
“Shut up! Let Mr. Tradeo finish speaking!” Zi Tianchuan barked.
Zi Fang unwillingly snorted.
Zi Tianchuan apologized. “Please, forgive him.”
Mr. Tradeo shook his head to show he was not bothered. “Have you all actually not realized that Lu Yin merely exposed Zi Rong’s identity? Lu Yin was not the one who forced Zi Rong to collaborate with the Neohuman Alliance. If he had not exposed the connection at this time, then when Zi Rong became an Enlighter, I would like to ask you who in the Zi family would be able to stop him? Even if we could, would the Hall of Honor let the Zi family off as easily as they did this time?”
The Enlighter glanced around before continuing. “We are the greatest intelligence network in the entire Outerverse, but right under our own noses, someone from the family actually became a corpse king unnoticed. Would the Hall of Honor ever believe that? Not only would they assume that the Zi family was covering things up, but they would even think that we worked to help hide things. At that point, it would not end at just an investigation. Perhaps the only outcome would have been the Zi family facing Yuan Shi’s palm. I don’t know what price you paid this time to convince the Hall of Honor of our innocence, but if Zi Rong had become an Enlighter, then no price would be enough. Don’t forget about how Lu Yin took care of Darkstar Gorge in the past.”
The faces of Zi Tianchuan and the others went pale. What Mr. Tradeo had just said was correct. When it came to the Neohuman Alliance, the Hall of Honor’s attitude was that they would rather kill an innocent person than let a member of the Neohuman Alliance go free. At this moment, Yuan Shi was the most terrifying person in the Outerverse, as he was the hidden power that the Hall of Honor had placed in the Outerverse. Nobody doubted the man’s strength, and it wouldn’t even take one palm from him to destroy them; if he sneezed, the Zi family would be finished.
“Fortunately, Lu Yin exposed Zi Rong’s true nature, and in truth, this outcome is actually advantageous for the Zi family. We are not Darkstar Gorge, and the Hall of Honor was still willing to listen to our explanation. However, the longer that secret festered for, the less likely the Hall of Honor would have been to listen to any of our explanations. And if left for too long, we would have likely suffered the same fate as Darkstar Gorge: extermination,” Mr. Tradeo explained.
Zi Tianchuan looked at Mr. Tradeo. “So what are you suggesting? There’s no harm in speaking up.”
Mr. Tradeo thought about it and then seriously answered, “The Zi family is not hopeless, and our chance of survival lies in Lu Yin’s hands.”
“Please elaborate,” Zi Tianchuan said.
Mr. Tradeo replied, “Lu Yin’s ambition is overwhelming, as he wants to unite the Outerverse. Although his ambitions have been exposed, he has also demonstrated that he will accept old enemies under his banner as well as a far-reaching vision. He needs intelligence. Thus, as long as he’s willing to help Amethyst Exchange, with the Great Eastern Alliance’s influence that extends across a third of the Outerverse as well as Lu Yin’s background with the Hall of Honor, the Zi family will be fine.”
Zi Tianchuan fell silent.
Zi Fang retorted, “If that’s the case, then we might as well directly request assistance from the Hall of Honor.”
