Chapter 2887: Sudden Control  

Lord Wei dismissed Lu Yin’s concerns with a wave of a hand. "It doesn't matter. However, why did you wish to meet with me, Lord Lu?"

Lu Yin grew more serious. "I wanted to thank you, Lord Wei, for what happened at the Tea Ceremony."

Lord Wei smiled. "We are all humans fighting against Aeternus. There’s no need for any thanks. The greater a threat you present to the Aeternals, the more of a help you’ll be to us humans."

Lu Yin had heard similar words too many times, and there was no sense of sincerity in Lord Wei’s response.

Yes, that was exactly how Lu Yin felt. Lord Wei was not at all sincere.

At this moment, Lu Yin felt that Lord Wei was completely different from the person who had warned him to not gaze directly at the Great Sovereign at the Tea Ceremony. It was impossible to say exactly what was different, but there was certainly a lack of sincerity.

Was this nothing more than an illusion caused by Lord Wei changing from a man’s body to a woman’s?

Lu Yin really could not determine exactly what was different.

"Lord Lu, when the Great Sovereign led us onto the Endless Frontier, we fought a great battle against Aeternus. I was injured in the fighting, so I must return to my seclusion to recover. Are you willing to complete the transaction and sell us the materials that we require?"

"Of course. I have no problem with that. I had simply thought that Lord Wei had some problem with me."

"How could that be? Despite your young age, Lord Lu has already become the ruler of the Origin Universe. In the future, you will be one of our primary combatants in the war against Aeternus. How could I have any trouble with you?"

Lu Yin stared at Lord Wei. "I created the alias of Xuan Qi, and during that time, I stole Cloudflow from your universe. Lord Wei doesn't resent this?"

Lord Wei answered with a smile. "He is just Cloudflow. Given the level that you have already reached, Lord Lu, do you need to concern yourself with such a person? The only reason why I captured him was because he was too rude to me, and I wanted to teach him a lesson. Since Lord Lu has a use for him, I’m happy to give him to you.”

Lu Yin had also wanted to bring up the matter of He Ran, but after thinking about it, Lu Yin did not want to antagonize Lord Wei. For this meeting, Lu Yin just wanted to probe the ruler of the Transcendent Universe.

Unfortunately, Lu Yin was not satisfied with the results. The Lord Wei that Lu Yin had met seemed like a stranger. His behavior was so different that Lu Yin could not help but wonder if the man who had pleaded on his behalf and warned him during the Tea Ceremony had been nothing more than an act.

"I have a request that is very important to me. I wonder, can Lord Wei assist me with it?" Lu Yin asked.

Lord Wei gestured for Lu Yin to continue, but the motion looked very strange. It was a large, open movement that very clearly belonged to a man, but a woman had made it, which made for a strange scene.

"I want to take Zi Jing with me," Lu Yin stated.

Lord Wei was stunned, and she stared at Lu Yin. The two locked eyes and just stared at each other for a moment.

After a while, Lord Wei finally spoke. "Why did you suddenly bring up Zi Jing, Lord Lu?"

Lu Yin shrugged. "How could I neglect my lover?"

Lord Wei was even more surprised. "Who are you to Zi Jing?"

Lu Yin shared the story that he had used while posing as Xuan Qi.

While Xuan Qi had been an alias, there was no way that anyone could say that his relationship with Zi Jing had been an act as well. Zi Jing had gone to the Origin Universe, which was also where Lu Yin came from. Additionally, Xuan Qi had repeatedly mentioned Zi Jing to He Ran, which meant that it was impossible for Lord Wei to not know about the two’s relationship.

The startling detail about Lu Yin mentioning Zi Jing was simply the timing. The woman had only just left the parallel universe with the accelerated flow of time, and yet Lu Yin was already asking to see the woman. This was too much of a coincidence, and Lord Wei could not help but suspect that someone close had leaked the information to Lu Yin.

"This is the real reason why I have been trying to meet with you, Lord Wei. I was left with no choice but to pretend to be Xuan Qi and join Zi Jing when she returned to the Sixverse Association. At that time, I needed the help of the Transcendent Universe, but now, I can protect myself, which is why I want to take Zi Jing back. I ask that you help me with this matter, Lord Wei." Lu Yin spoke politely.

Lord Wei stared at Lu Yin intently. "Is this the true reason why you tried to see me repeatedly?"

Lu Yin nodded. "If not for the fact that your universe needs to purchase materials from me, I would have never had the opportunity to meet with you, Lord Wei. Then, I would have been forced to spend more time away from Zi Jing."

The tension left Lord Wei’s eyes. Clearly, she had been overthinking things. Lu Yin had only successfully met with Lord Wei because the Transcendent Universe needed the resources the Origin Universe possessed, but Lu Yin had made several previous attempts to meet with the ruler of the Transcendent Universe. This meeting had nothing to do with the fact that Lu Yin had learned that Zi Jing had returned.

"Lord Lu, the cultivation technology that Zi Jing is currently researching is extremely important to me. I can't let her go with you for now. However, I promise you that, as soon as the technology is finished being developed, she will be safely sent back to the Origin Universe. Not only that, but I promise you that when I send her to you, I will reward her with a black energy converter for her efforts," Lord Wei promised Lu Yin.

A black energy converter essentially meant the combat strength of a Progenitor, which was a significant reward. Officially, the Transcendent Universe only had five such energy converters, but in truth, there were closer to ten of them.

Lu Yin frowned. "In that case, I would like to ask that you allow me to see her, Lord Wei. Even just one meeting would be enough."

Lord Wei shook her head. "Lord Lu, you should understand that personnel working on top secret research are not allowed to casually make contact with the outside world. You’ll have to forgive me, Lord Lu."

Lu Yin's eyes flickered. "Our meeting can be in your presence, Lord Wei. He Ran has asked for your permission to allow me to meet with Zi Jing before."

Lord Wei frowned. "Lord Lu, the research of this cultivation technology is at a critical juncture. Zi Jing cannot be allowed to see anyone at this point in time."

"Is Zi Jing still alive?" Lu Yin suddenly asked.

Lord Wei's voice dropped low. "I promise you that she is alive and well. I will send her to you in the Origin Universe in the same condition that she is in now. Lord Lu, this is the best that I can offer you, so please don’t push for more."

Lu Yin let out a breath. It was clear that he had reached Lord Wei’s limit, and Lu Yin had only asked his last question to test Lord Wei’s attitude. The reaction told Lu Yin that the sequence particle research was just as close to a successful conclusion as Bai Qian had mentioned.

After bidding farewell to Lord Wei, Lu Yin made a show of returning to the Heavens Sect, but he secretly went to visit the You family.

This visit was a carefully guarded secret.

When Lu Yin arrived, he found You Fang in the middle of repairing something, and the man was startled by Lu Yin’s arrival.

"Lord Lu?" You Fang was shocked.

Lu Yin observed the older man. "You’re quite relaxed."

You Fang was nervous, and he quickly adjusted his clothes. "I wonder, what might have caused Lord Lu to drop in on me so unexpectedly?"

Lu Yin calmly replied, "I won't waste time. I want you to help me find Zi Jing."

You Fang's expression changed. "Lord Lu, Zi Jing is in a parallel universe that not even He Ran knew how to get to. My family has absolutely no chance of locating her."

"She's back," Lu Yin stated.

This took You Fang aback. "She’s back? Has the sequence particle research already succeeded?"

Lu Yin laughed. "You still care about that research?"

You Fang’s voice grew bitter. "I’m merely curious. Given my You family’s current status, it’s impossible for any of us to touch those research results. Lord Lu, I can't help you with what you are asking. Please leave my You family alone."

Lu Yin set a hand on You Fang's shoulder, and the man suddenly felt the pressure on him rise drastically.

His black energy converter had been taken away by Lord Wei, and there was not a single peak powerhouse in the entire You family anymore. However, that did not mean that the You family was helpless.

"Never forget what you once told me. There are some things that your You family couldn't do in the past, but which are now easy for your family to accomplish," Lu Yin reminded.

You Fang wished that he could slap his former self to death. Why had he ever said such a stupid thing in the first place? If he had known that Xuan Qi was really Lu Yin, he would have never cooperated with the young man, even upon threat of death.

"Lord Lu, I-"

"Find Zi Jing for me, and I promise that I will ensure that no one in the entire Transcendent Universe will stand above your You family." Lu Yin pressed down even more firmly with his hand. You Fang's face turned pale, and an ugly expression covered his face. The pain in his shoulder took his breath away.

Lu Yin stared at the man. "If you can't find her, I can erase your entire family. We’ll see whether or not Sovereign Dou Sheng can protect you."

With that, Lu Yin turned and left. However, before leaving, he did leave a clue for You Fang to use: Xiao Hai.

Xiao Hai had been a member of the Energy Research Group, as well as a spy for Aeternus. He had also played the role of an information broker to accumulate tremendous resources, all in a bid to convince the Aeternals to change his body to one that could reach the level of a Progenitor.

Even though Xiao Hai had been removed from the Energy Research Group, he still had a good relationship with the head researcher. Thus, he most likely knew where the secret location of the Energy Research Group was.

Xiao Hai had died long ago. He had died when He Ran had vanished from the Transcendent Universe. While it was certain that Lord Wei had investigated the man’s death, the dead were not overly important. By sharing Xiao Hai’s name with the You family, Lu Yin had ensured that they would investigate the man, and they might be able to learn something over the course of their investigation.

Lu Yin vanished.

You Fang let out a heavy breath as he fell into his chair. This was trouble, as it was clear that Lu Yin was targeting the You family.

You Fang bitterly regretted his actions, but there was no way to change the past.

It was impossible for You Fang to betray Lu Yin and share information with Lord Wei. Between the two, Lord Wei was even more unlikely to trust the You family.

You Fang’s only option was to follow Lu Yin's instructions. It had been possible to use Sovereign Dou Sheng's favor to protect the You family once, but it could not be used a second time. Besides that, the Origin Universe was not intimidated by Sovereign Dou Sheng at all. Additionally, if You Fang used that favor, there would be nothing left to protect them from Lord Wei, who would then be free to destroy the You family.

…

The dark-red ground seemed endless. In one direction, there was no limit, and in the other, the enormous Mother Tree stood tall. If a person looked up, they would see the tree’s branches filling the sky, with stars occasionally shining through.

This was the Perennial World’s rear battlefield.

Ever since humans had invaded the New World from the five array bases and Lu Yin had defeated the Aeternals, the rear battlefield had not seen renewed activity.

However, there were times when massive twisted forms moved across the ground. They were the devouring metal that Lu Yin had Enhanced.

Lu Yin had Enhanced a lot of the metal from the Absolute Beast Cage with his die, and some of those Enhanced bits had been lost in the New World. If the Aeternals ever tried to set foot on the land again, they would have to sacrifice some of their numbers to the greedy metal.

This metal had become a disaster for the Fourth Mainland long ago, and it remained a terrifying object.

One day, pairs of slitted scarlet eyes once again appeared on the rear battlefield. After many years, the rear battlefield was once again welcoming Aeternus.

Alarms sounded throughout the Perennial World.

The five array bases made their preparations.

Lu Tianyi stepped out from the Lu Sanctum. This invasion seemed very odd. The fighting had calmed down tremendously across the Endless Frontier, so why were the Aeternals assaulting the rear battlefield?

Countless cultivators congregated upon the rear battlefield.

This battlefield had not seen a reprieve in countless years. While there were periods of relative peace, the threat of the rear battlefield had never faded from the Perennial World, and it had become engraved in the bones of the cultivators there.

As the alarms sounded, the five array bases finalized their preparations.

On the New World, all the cultivators who had been on guard for an invasion withdrew.

Lu Tianyi personally went to the rear battlefield to welcome the Aeternals.

In the Heavens Sect, Lu Yin instantly received word of the invasion, and he also immediately made his way to the rear battlefield.

The war between the Sixverse Association and Aeternus had fallen into a lull after humanity’s counterattack against Aeternus. So, something was clearly wrong with this invasion.

Could the Aeternals be shifting the primary battlefield to the Origin Universe? The thought left Lu Yin nervous. Fortunately, Ancestor Lu Yuan and the other powerful individuals from the Sixverse Association had already attacked and hurt Aeternus. Thus, their most powerful individuals, such as the Seven Skygods, most likely would not appear.

To the north of Middle Realm was where the Middle Ocean sat. On an island in the Middle Ocean, Lu Qi was staring at the seabed in trance. Where were the fish? There had clearly just been a fish there, so why was there only a bubble in his sight? It was so colorful…

More and more bubbles appeared. They slowly rose up through the water, moving closer to Lu Qi while moving along his fishing line.

He wanted to touch the bubbles, but he soon found that he could not move his body.

"You shouldn’t blame me. If you want to blame someone, then blame your son." A deep voice echoed in Lu Qi's ears.

Aside from his eyes, Lu Qi was unable to move a single part of his body. He was completely under the control of another being.