Star Odyssey

Yao Lan frowned as she stared at Lu Yin. She looked calm, but she was clearly angry. "Lord Lu, I respect what you have done for the Sixverse Association, and I respect how you trust my master. However, I won’t accept your wrongful charges."

Lu Yin indifferently answered, "I don't need you to admit to anything. Arresting you will be enough."

With that, the void split open behind Lu Yin. Leng Qing emerged, followed by a group of cultivators from the Heavens Sect. "By the order of the Dao Monarch, we are here to arrest Yao Lan, Qing Yin, Jiu…"

Dozens of names were given, all of whom were Sovereign Lotus’s disciples.

The woman’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Lu Yin. "Lord Lu, what is the meaning of this?"

"They’re being detained for interrogation," Lu Yin replied in a flat tone.

Sovereign Lotus struggled to suppress her anger. "This is the Lotus Realm."

"And?" Lu Yin was unfazed.

Sovereign Lotus clenched her fists. "Have you come to my Lotus Realm to arrest people without presenting any evidence or even notifying me in advance? Do you really believe that you can just humiliate me like this?"

Sovereign Lotus’s fists tightened even further. "Even so, what are the charges against them? Are you going to arrest them on the basis of mere rumors or personal grudges?"

Lu Yin frowned. "I’ve already said that Yao Lan is an Aeternal spy. On top of that, your disciples were among the most provocative towards the Heavens Sect, which makes them highly suspicious. Do you think that the cosmic door that was found here in the Lotus Realm wasn’t planted to frame you?"

Sovereign Lotus was well aware that she was being framed. "That is a matter for my Lotus Realm. We can handle our own affairs, and we don’t need your meddling. As for Yao Lan, she is one of the Nine Sages. Even if you want to arrest her, you need to show evidence of your suspicions. How else can you expect our Cyclic Universe to save any face? What of the Great Sovereign’s dignity?"

Chu Jian also spoke up. "Lord Lu, Yao Lan is indeed one of the Nine Sages. Regardless of your suspicions, please reconsider your actions."

A smile slowly spread across Lu Yin's lips. "I didn’t only come here to arrest people, but also to meet with the Great Sovereign. If she comes out, we can talk. If not, who in the Cyclic Universe can stop me?

"Don’t think that I don’t know that, when rumors of my death were going around, the Cyclic Universe had the fewest number of people who spoke up for me, especially among the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages. When the Heavens Sect was in danger, did any of you consider helping us? Aeternus didn’t even send anyone to stop you. Lotus Sovereign, you said it perfectly. ‘We handle our own affairs.’ Even if the Heavens Sect was destroyed, it would have had nothing to do with you.

"On the other hand, I am different. The Sixverse Association’s affairs are my affairs. It doesn’t matter if it’s this small Lotus Realm or the entire Cyclic Universe—I will take care of things. Arrest them."

As soon as Lu Yin gave his command, Leng Qing descended, and the cultivators from the Heavens Sect moved into the Lotus Realm. They began arresting everyone who had been named.

Within the Lotus Realm, many of the Sovereign’s disciples shouted in anger. They already disliked the Heavens Sect, and they were completely unwilling to allow anyone from the Heavens Sect to arrest them.

Sovereign Lotus shouted angrily, "Lord Lu, I already said that I am not against you arresting my people, but you must give evidence! Don’t overstep your bounds!"

She was unaware that Lu Yin had come to the Lotus Realm with the specific intention of making trouble. Sovereign Lotus’s disciples had been the most provocative in instigating a rift between the Origin Universe and the rest of the Sixverse Association. They had even demanded that Yao Lan receive a formal apology on Lu Yin’s behalf, which had enraged the entire Origin Universe. A fire had been started, and it needed to be quelled. Those who had supported Lu Yin deserved to see him stand up for them, so Lu Yin was putting on a blatant display of favoritism.

Besides, while Aeternus had learned of Lu Yin’s increase in strength, the Sixverse Association had heard of nothing more than rumors. Lu Yin intended to take advantage of Sovereign Lotus to demonstrate his new power and instill fear.

But first, he would prove Sovereign Lotus’s innocence. In this manner, even if he took drastic actions against her later, she would not be able to hold a grudge. As soon as proof that Yao Lan was a spy appeared, all of Sovereign Lotus’s people’s resentment towards Lu Yin would quickly dissipate, leaving only respect and awe. Lu Yin would be viewed more like how people viewed the Great Sovereign, rather than someone who necessitated a perfunctory demonstration of respect.

Lu Yin’s eyes were cold. "My words are all the evidence that I will give. Coming here shows my position on this matter."

Chu Jian clenched his fists. Lu Yin was too overbearing.

Arrow Sage felt bitter. Who in the current Sixverse Association could suppress Lu Yin? Unless the Great Sovereign left seclusion, no one could do anything to him. Even if Sovereign Dou Sheng were present, he would likely support Lu Yin, as the Sovereign admired Lu Yin too much.

Sovereign Lotus trembled from rage. This was too much, far too much.

"Lord Lu, do you really believe that my Lotus Realm is unprotected? Without evidence, you can forget about taking any of my disciples!"

Yao Lan stepped forward, her expression livid. "Lord Lu, I, Yao Lan, have fought on the Endless Frontier. What kind of joke is it for you to accuse me of being a traitor with nothing more than your word to go for it? The Cyclic Universe won’t accept this!"

Chu Jian jumped in as well, "Lord Lu, if you can present evidence, we will help you arrest these people, but without evidence, we cannot allow you to take anyone."

Lu Yin sneered. "Then just try to stop me. I hope that there are more people in the Sixverse Association who can stand up to me."

Sovereign Lotus, Chu Jian, and the others felt a chill. Was Lu Yin going to fight them?

Lu Yin disappeared, and when he reappeared, he was in front of Leng Qing. His inner universe emerged, and he visualized the landmass in his universe as the Hollow appeared in a shell around him. The landmass quivered as it merged with the visualization technique, and the entire Lotus Realm quaked. From a distance, the Lotus Realm usually looked like a giant lotus, but at this moment, all of its petals seemed strained, as if an invisible force was pressing them down.

As the landmass descended, it slammed down upon the entire Lotus Realm.

Sovereign Lotus was furious. "Lord Lu, you are going too far!"

A ninth-stage lotus bloomed as the Sovereign tried to resist the suppression of the descending landmass.

Chu Jian, Arrow Sage, and Yao Lan all attacked as one.

However, as the landmass pressed down upon them and their attacks, all of them spat out blood, much to their shock. What kind of power was Lu Yin using?

This was the same attack that Lu Yin had used to make Feng Bo vomit blood. Feng Bo had been a powerhouse at the same level as the Seven Skygods, and he had far surpassed Chu Jian and the others in strength. While Sovereign Lotus was a formidable cultivator, she was still suffering from severe injuries from her recent string of battles. If not for that, her ninth-stage lotus would not shattered upon contact.

As she coughed up blood, Sovereign Lotus’s lotus completely shattered apart. She frantically spread out her sequence particles in another attempt to stop the falling landmass, but even that effort was overpowered.

The woman could not believe what was happening. Had Lu Yin truly gained such strength? He was still just a Semi-Progenitor, so how could he be so strong?

The landmass cast its shadow over the entire Lotus Realm, forcing every one of Sovereign Lotus’s disciples into the ground. They could feel the end approaching.

All alone, Lu Yin had effortlessly suppressed the Lotus Realm while also overwhelming four of the Cyclic Universe’s peak powerhouses, one of whom was a sequence powerhouse.

Even Leng Qing was astonished by Lu Yin’s power, and the man’s eye started twitching. How had the Dao Monarch gained such strength? How long had he been missing for?

No one could have even imagined that Lu Yin had spent an unknown period of time in the Mirari Realm, where he had transformed his inner worlds and improved his strength to the point where he could now contend with the Seven Skygods. While he might not be able to single-handedly kill a Skygod, they would also find it incredibly challenging to kill Lu Yin.

The landmass did not continue its descent after pressing down upon the Lotus Realm. Still, the Lotus Realm was being pushed downwards, and water started to flood the region, submerging each of Sovereign Lotus’s disciples in turn.

The Sovereign had never suffered such humiliation before, but even so, she felt unprecedented fear towards Lu Yin. How powerful could the man become?

Arrow Sage shouted, "Lord Lu, show mercy! We are not your enemies!"

Lu Yin ignored the Sage and continued to force the Lotus Realm down. He wanted to force Sovereign Lotus to speak up.

Yao Lan’s face had turned ashen, and she stared at Lu Yin with fear and wariness. How had he discovered her?

The truth of the matter was that Lu Yin was not certain whether Yao Lan was a traitor. Logic said that the Aeternals had been stirring up trouble from behind the scenes. During that period, not only had Yao Lan failed to suppress the unrest, but she had also incited Sovereign Lotus’s disciples into demanding that the Heavens Sect offer her an apology on Lu Yin’s behalf, which had been completely unreasonable. On top of that, who else could have planted a cosmic door in the Lotus Realm without Sovereign Lotus noticing anything?

The Sovereign herself was likely already suspicious of her disciple, but she had refrained from doing anything to Yao Lan until her own innocence was proven.

Lu Yin's guess was accurate. Sovereign Lotus was furious with not only Lu Yin, but also Yao Lan. The Sovereign did suspect Yao Lan of having a hand in framing Sovereign Lotus as a spy, and she had intended to deal with the Sage after proving her own innocence. However, Lu Yin had arrived at the Lotus Realm before the Sovereign’s matter could be resolved, which was beyond humiliating for Sovereign Lotus.

The landmass continued to press down upon the Lotus Realm, and Sovereign Lotus, Yao Lan, Chu Jian, and Arrow Sage only barely managed to prevent the region from collapsing. They repeatedly coughed up blood, as none of them could truly withstand the pressure of the landmass.

A sigh echoed. "Lord Lu, please calm your anger and spare the Lotus Realm."

Leng Qing looked over. Was that Sage Yajna?

While Sage Yajna was one of the Nine Sages, his position in the Cyclic Universe was utterly unique. Not even the Three Sovereigns would be disrespectful to the man.

After all, only the Great Sovereign herself was older than Sage Yajna.

"Fine, I'll give you some face, Sage Yajna," Lu Yin responded in a cool tone. Sage Yajna was one of the very few people in the Cyclic Universe who had spoken up for the Heavens Sect, and he deserved a show of respect.

The landmass disappeared.

Sovereign Lotus and the others heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Leng Qing stepped forward to stand beside Yao Lan. "Let’s go."

The woman gritted her teeth, frustrated with her situation. She had already made plans to escape as soon as possible after learning that the Aeternals had been forced to retreat from the Heavens Sect, but she had still been a step too late.

Sovereign Lotus watched helplessly as Leng Qing and his men arrested her disciples. She could do nothing to stop them.

Chu Jian, Arrow Sage, and the others were powerless to stop Lu Yin from doing whatever he wished.

As Lu Yin had said, who in the Sixverse Association could stop him now?

"Lord Lu, why are you so angry?" Sage Yajna asked with a sigh.

Lu Yin continued to stare at the Lotus Realm. "This isn’t due to anger, but simply because there are some things that need to be done."

"Lord Lu, did you come to speak with the Great Sovereign?" Sage Yajna asked.

Lu Yin finally looked over. "That's right."

"Allow me to show you the way," Sage Yajna offered. The man felt helpless. If Lu Yin wanted to see the Great Sovereign and was not guided to the woman, he would find some way or another to force the woman out of seclusion. This was not the first time that he had done so, and Lu Yin’s domineering behavior was well-known across the Sixverse Association.

No matter how irritated the Great Sovereign might be with Lu Yin, she would not attack him. This had become common knowledge throughout the Sixverse Association.

Lu Yin left the Lotus Realm, but before leaving, he glanced at Sovereign Lotus and left her one final message: all who tried to obstruct the Heavens Sect from taking action would be arrested.

Sovereign Lotus spat out another mouthful of blood before finally returning to her place of seclusion. All that had transpired left her feeling utterly dejected.

As they made their way to see the Great Sovereign, Sage Yajna shook his head. "Lord Lu, that was deliberate, wasn’t it? Were you establishing your authority?"

Lu Yin answered bluntly, "You could say that."

"Sovereign Lotus is not a bad person."

"That’s none of my concern."

"Is Yao Lan truly a traitor?"

"It’s possible."

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA