Star Odyssey

Xu Wuji had not expected to be suddenly called out by Sovereign Shao Yin, and he was slightly taken aback for a moment. While Xu Wuji was also a peak powerhouse, he was much weaker than Sovereign Shao Yin.

Lu Yin spoke up, "Senior, would you prefer to speak with me alone?"

Sovereign Shao Yin looked at Xuan Qi and nodded. "This is a matter of great importance."

Sovereign Shao Yin had repeated the matter’s importance three times now, making it clear just how paramount this issue was.

Lu Yin looked over at Xu Wuwei.

The man had finished eating, and he said, "If you wish to speak to him alone, then you may, but it must be done within my sight. The most I can promise is to not listen."

Sovereign Shao Yin's eyes flashed as he thought for a moment. "Agreed."

Xu Wuwei patted his clothes with his greasy hands as he stood up. He stared at Lu Yin. "Young man, much of your ability to capture spies comes from the Spiral Domain, which is obvious to someone like me, who is the creator of the technique. I don’t know why they are employing your help rather than mine. Regardless, be careful."

He then walked out of the bell tower.

Sovereign Shao Yin turned his gaze towards Xu Wuji, who also quickly left.

Once the two men were gone, Sovereign Shao Yin visibly relaxed, though a certain sternness entered his expression. He emanated an attitude of authority and superiority as he looked at Xuan Qi. "What I wish to share with you is top secret information that cannot be leaked to anyone, as doing so could ruin everything.”

Lu Yin blinked. "Then this junior won't hear it."

Sovereign Shao Yin was stunned. He had not expected to hear such a response. Xuan Qi was a junior, and even if he did enjoy Xu Wuwei’s support, how could a mere brat have the courage to speak to a Sovereign in such a manner?

How many years had it been since he had last been spoken to in such a tone? Sovereign Shao Yin could not even remember how many years had passed since someone had last spoken to him in such a manner.

What was going on? Did the youth have some sort of grudge against Sovereign Shao Yin?

The man stared at Xuan Qi for a long moment, forgetting to even speak.

Lu Yin stared back at Sovereign Shao Yin without any hint of fear. He knew that Sovereign Shao Yin wanted to use Xuan Qi’s reputation, which removed any fear of the Sovereign attacking him. Additionally, Lu Yin had asked Xu Wuwei to be present for this meeting, and he had confided in the older man. Xu Wuwei would not allow anything to happen to Lu Yin, so why did he need to blindly submit to Sovereign Shao Yin?

"Senior, please allow this junior to take his leave." Lu Yin immediately moved to leave.

Sovereign Shao Yin frowned, and he reflexively released a shocking amount of pressure. "Xuan Qi, do you have the courage to be rude to me?"

Lu Yin turned back to face Sovereign Shao Yin directly. There was so much pressure that it was a bit difficult for Lu Yin to breathe. He had only felt this level of pressure from confronting Old Mo before. The two old monsters possessed similar levels of strength, which meant that Sovereign Shao Yin had indeed touched upon the ability to control sequence particles.

The pressure grew stronger and stronger, and Lu Yin's face turned pale. This whole thing was nothing more than an act. Sovereign Shao Yin would never dare do anything to Xuan Qi with Xu Wuwei so close, and the Sovereign also believed that the young man’s cultivation was relatively weak. Even if the Sovereign only let a wisp of his aura loose, it was still more than what Xuan Qi should be able to endure.

As time passed, Lu Yin's face became increasingly pale, and beads of sweat began to stream from his forehead as his fingers clenched into fists. "Senior Xu Wuwei is still here."

Sovereign Shao Yin snorted contemptuously. "Do you really think that Xu Wuwei can help you? If you treat me rudely, so what if Lord Xu is here?"

Lu Yin remained stubborn, and he did not so much as flinch. "Senior, you said that if anything is leaked, everything will be ruined. I can't guarantee that I will be able to keep this secret, so it would be best if you found another way to handle this matter."

Sovereign Shao Yin's eyes flared in anger. "If I say that you are the one for the job, then you will do it! Even if Xu Wuwei refuses, you will do it, as it is your responsibility."

Lu Yin gritted his teeth as he resisted the pressure. He stopped talking, but his eyes never gave up.

After a while, Sovereign Shao Yin caused the pressure to abruptly vanish.

Lu Yin swayed on his feet and nearly fell.

Sovereign Shao Yin looked at Xuan Qi with admiration. "Quite impressive. You were able to endure my pressure for a long time. That means that you are even more suitable for this task than I had previously assumed."

Lu Yin frowned as he struggled to catch his breath. His clothes were soaked with sweat.

"Don't look at me like that. This task will grant you more benefits than you can even imagine. You’ll be able to obtain whatever you want in the Sixverse Association," Sovereign Shao Yin said with a small smile as he clasped his hands behind his back. His golden robe fluttered in the breeze, giving the man a noble appearance. "The Bureau Director, or rather, the director of the entire Sixverse Association’s bureau, much like the Nine Sages, is exempt from service on the Endless Frontier. With that status, you can say whatever you want and do whatever you want. "

Lu Yin's eyes widened in shock. "Bureau Director of the entire Sixverse Association?"

Sovereign Shao Yin's lips curved upwards. "You Xian once wanted to obtain that position, but unfortunately for him, he overestimated himself. Even if he was motivated by the desire to overthrow Lord Wei, that does not mean that You Xian did not genuinely seek to separate the bureau from the Sixverse Association’s authority while retaining the privileges of being a part of the Association.”

"You Xian failed, but you can succeed.

"Additionally, I can make a special request to the Great Sovereign for you to never serve time on the Endless Frontier."

Lu Yin was stunned. "It's impossible. Everyone is required to serve time on the Endless Frontier. Not even the Great Sovereign is exempt from that."

"There are loopholes in everything. When I say that you will be exempt from serving on the Endless Frontier, I mean that you will never be forced to fight on the dangerous battlefields, while other people will help you rack up accomplishments on the battlefield. You’ll be able to relax and enjoy your time on the Endless Frontier until you’ve accumulated enough credit to leave. This is the way people avoid serving on the Endless Frontier, and it’s relatively common. If not for this, why do you think anyone would be willing to stay in the Sixverse Association?"

Sovereign Shao Yin moved closer to Xuan Qi. "Xuan Qi, are you willing to help me now?"

Lu Yin's eyes flickered, and he took a moment to mull over the matter. "You want me to capture a real spy?"

"That’s right."

"You don’t want me to frame someone?"

Sovereign Shao Yin's eyes flickered. "It appears that Xu Wuwei shared quite a bit with you.

“In life, if you want to live freely and enjoy things, you need to be selfish. If not, there will always be someone willing to take what should be yours. So, why not seize it for yourself and reap the benefits? Some people are just too stupid and won’t cross what they refer to as their ‘bottom line,’ but one must always strive to break past their limits.”

Lu Yin found it quite surprising that a peak powerhouse like Sovereign Shao Yin, who was one of the Cyclic Universe’s Three Sovereigns, would actually say such a thing so openly and bluntly.

The Sovereign clasped his hands behind his back. His demeanor turned cold and arrogant as he looked out from the bell tower. "People like Xu Wuwei have strict ideals, which will cause them to die, sooner or later. However, I am different. I am able to live a long life, relaxed and comfortable. Why worry about others who have nothing to do with me?”

The man turned back to look at Xuan Qi. "As long as you can reap some benefits, why worry about the fate of others with no connection to you?"

Lu Yin stared back at Sovereign Shao Yin with a blank expression. "Senior has not given me a clear answer."

Sovereign Shao Yin continued to stare at Xuan Qi. "One more thing. I will teach you the power of Extreme Yin."

Lu Yin was confused. "The power of Extreme Yin?"

The Sovereign explained, "When yin is cultivated to the extreme, you can touch upon power beyond imagination. There are few in the entire Sixverse Association who can control such power, and if you can master it, your status will be no lower than Xu Wuwei’s. You will be at the same level as us Three Sovereigns.

"Who else in the Sixverse Association would dare to claim that they can give you a cultivation method that can let you touch upon that level of power? I do, and if you cultivate the power of Extreme Yin, then you can undoubtedly reach that same level.

"This is my path, and at the end of this path lies a power that you cannot even imagine. All you need to do is follow my path and not think about anything else. Should you have sufficient talent, you will be able to match my own achievements. Also, Xuan Qi, your talent is similar to Chu Jian’s, which means that you can certainly accomplish this.”

Lu Yin swallowed. "Is this path easier than cultivating voidforce energy?"

Sovereign Shao Yin sneered. "Voidforce energy is nothing more than the energy of this universe, which was created by Lord Xu. This path is frozen, and you will never be able to break through to a higher level if you cultivate this power. At best, you will be able to match up to Xu Wuwei. Don’t you want to surpass Lord Xu?

"In the Sixverse Association, the Lost Clan has their cards, the Arboreal Realm has their arboreal energy, the Voidforce Universe has voidforce energy, and so on. All of those powers are capable of altering a universe, but no matter how high you cultivate those energies, there is a limit that cannot be passed. Only my Cyclic Universe is different. Stellular energy is nothing more than a foundation—an extremely powerful, but all-encompassing, foundation. Only stellular energy can make you compatible with endless power, self-created methods, and the ultimate end goal.

"Is Xu Wuwei’s level your end goal, or will you surpass Lord Xu himself?"

There was no denying that Sovereign Shao Yin made a very tempting offer, and his last words had even been quite accurate. Stellular energy was exactly what the Sovereign claimed, and cultivating it could allow a person to reach the same heights as Wu Tian, whereas the God of Death and Destiny had reached that same height by creating their own power. Stellular energy was truly powerful, but more importantly, it accepted all other powers.

This was also the reason behind the Origin Universe’s matchless splendor at its peak. In the current era, the Cyclic Universe had taken the place of the Origin Universe.

Lu Yin's breathing quickened, and excitement filled his eyes. "Senior, please tell me clearly. Who is the spy?"

A smile crept across Sovereign Shao Yin's face. No one could resist such a temptation. While this youth had seemed determined to join the Voidforce Universe, he had also been restless in fulfilling his duties. He had gone to the Three Monarchs Universe, and then to the Transcendent Universe. Just as You Fang had said, Xuan Qi’s ambitions were excessive, and because of that, Sovereign Shao Yin had never considered the possibility of his offer being refused.

Even so, it had taken a bit of effort to convince Xuan Qi, mostly because of Xu Wuwei’s unexpected presence.

"Currently, the Three Monarchs Universe has been replaced within the Sixverse Association by the Origin Universe. Have you heard of this?"

Lu Yin replied, "I have."

"The Sixverse Association is of the greatest importance. If there is a problem with one of the member universes, then the entire Sixverse Association will be affected. I have received a report that Lu Yin, the Dao Monarch of the Origin Universe’s Heavens Sect, is a spy."

Lu Yin was stunned, and he stared at Sovereign Shao Yin in a daze.

The Sovereign observed Xuan Qi. "You don’t believe it?"

Lu Yin coughed. "That should be impossible. I’ve heard that Lu Yin has met with the Great Sovereign in person. If he is a spy, how could he have hidden it from the Great Sovereign?"

Sovereign Shao Yin replied, "There is a unique technique in the Origin Universe that is known as the Nine Clones Secret Technique. Lu Yin must have used that technique during his cultivation. The Great Sovereign must have met with a normal clone, but a person from the Origin Universe has reported that others of Lu Yin’s clones cultivate with divine energy. On top of that, Aeternus has taken action on several different occasions when he was in danger, which allowed him to escape and survive. It’s too much to be a coincidence.”

"Xuan Qi, I am asking you to go to the Origin Universe and assist the four ruling powers there to gather the necessary evidence, and prove that Lu Yin is a spy."

Lu Yin was flabbergasted. Was this for real?

"The four ruling powers will assist you, and they have even managed to gather a bit of evidence already. They need you to confirm their findings, and once you can do that, the evidence will be directly delivered to the Great Sovereign. This will be an incredible achievement for you," Sovereign Shao Yin finished in a low voice before walking back and sitting down.

Lu Yin finally put the pieces together. Sovereign Shao Yin was despicable and completely shameless, and he had come up with this particular scheme. He was working with the four ruling powers to slander Lu Yin as a spy and completely ruin his reputation. This had nothing to do with whether the Origin Universe joined the Sixverse Association. In fact, that was what had created this exact opportunity, as with the Origin Universe joining the Sixverse Association, Sovereign Shao Yin now had an excuse to conduct this investigation.

With someone as renowned for capturing spies as Xuan Qi providing testimony against Lu Yin, as well as the cooperation and support of the four ruling powers and Sovereign Shao Yin, it was not impossible for them to frame Lu Yin.

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