Chapter 653: Reality (1/2)

Liuying Zishan switched her gadget on, and an eldery man appeared on her screen. A flicker of fear flashed through his eyes when he saw Lu Yin. He bowed as he greeted Lu Yin. “I’m Duke Jadestone from Darkstar Gorge. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”

Lu Yin laughed. “You’re not from the Great Yu Empire, so there’s no reason for you to bow to me.”

“Your Highness is widely recognized throughout the Outerverse, so of course I should bow to you,” Duke Jadestone flattered Lu Yin, though Lu Yin only felt disgust when he looked at the old man’s face.

Lu Yin’s lips curled up. “You should? But I’ve heard that you don’t want to ally with me.”

Duke Jadestone turned pale, and he anxiously said, “Your Highness, that’s just a misunderstanding. It’s not that I don’t want to work with you, but rather that I honestly can’t work with you. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Lu Yin stared at the older man without speaking, which caused Duke Jadestone to become very nervous. He quickly continued, saying, “Elder Wu died at your hands, and Darkstar Gorge has suffered tremendous losses because of you. Moreover, Puyu has been vehemently objecting to your plan, all of which makes it impossible for Darkstar Gorge to agree to join the Great Eastern Alliance. Nothing would change even if I do agree with Your Highness, so...”

“So, you want me to stop pressuring you,” Lu Yin finished the man’s sentence.

Duke Jadestone bowed and respectfully said, “It would be my honor to work for Your Highness, but I really cannot help you in this matter. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

“Tell me about this news of yours,” Lu Yin casually ordered the man as he sat down.

Duke Jadestone gulped and carefully responded. “Your Highness, do you remember when someone tried to assassinate you on Shuta Planet? That assassin was someone from Darkstar Gorge.”

Lu Ying glanced at Duke Jadestone and narrowed his eyes.

“At that time, the Darkstar Gorge had already received the information about how you had killed an Enlighter, and thus, the assassin was well prepared for your methods. Your Highness probably doesn’t know who revealed that information.” Duke Jadestone paused as he peeked at Lu Yin before fearfully continuing, “The person who revealed the information was from the Tri-Banner Federation.”

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. “Tri-Banner Federation?”

“Yes, the Tri-Banner Federation. Darkstar Gorge conducted an investigation and found that, although the person was from the Tri-Banner Federation, the true mastermind behind the incident was actually an expert from Northline Flowzone.”

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes as rage surged through his heart. It had indeed been Granny Chan. Apart from her, nobody else had known of his tricks at that time.

“Why should I believe you?” Lu Yin asked coldly.

Duke Jadestone replied, “The person from the Tri-Banner Federation who shared that information with us has been detained. Your Highness can send someone to interrogate him yourself, and I can guarantee that I am telling you the truth, Your Highness.”

Lu Yin waved a hand, and Liuying Zishan switched off the screen and stood to the side.

Lu Yin sat back down and thought for a moment. He then asked, “Who’s handling the Tri-Banner Federation?”

“Peach, from the Sixth Squadron,” Liuying Zishan answered.

“Has she been in contact with anyone?”

“Not yet. Flaxen Weave has been invaded by forces from Northline Flowzone, and since Northline Flowzone has Granny Chan, who’s an Enlighter, En Ya has asked Peach not to do anything for the moment. We have only sent some undercover people to that weave.”

Lu Yin nodded. “Tell Peach not to do anything rash. I will handle Flaxen Weave myself.”

“Yes, Your Highness. What about Duke Jadestone?” Liuying Zishan asked.

“Ignore him. Don’t interact with him in the future either,” Lu Yin ordered.

“Understood.”

After Liuying Zishan left, Lu Yin walked out of the palace and looked up at the sky. There were truly no true friends in this universe. Everything was tied to personal benefits, corrupt systems, and the so-called “dignity” of the major powers.

Lu Yin hadn’t had any conflicts with the people of Northline Flowzone, and they had even helped each other in the past. Despite that, he had still been betrayed by them. Lu Yin believed that Granny Chan hadn’t betrayed him because of the Great Yu Empire. Rather, her betrayal should have been primarily motivated by her pride as an Enlighter. People like her couldn’t allow a Limiteer to challenge an Enlighter’s dignity or to even have the ability to threaten them. Thus, she had tried to get rid of Lu Yin without any hesitation.

It was no wonder why she had been so cold when she rejected his request to go to Shuta Planet together.

However, this could also be a good thing. He no longer needed to be wary.

***

Vastdearth Weave lay to the east of Darkmist and Grandtop Weaves. Vastdearth Weave was considered to be one of the strongest weaves in the eastern region of the Outerverse as it had managed to produce two Enlighters.

One of the two was named Elder Zhuo, and he had originally come from a normal planet. He had never been taught by anyone and had simply been abnormally successful with his cultivation, which had eventually led to him becoming an Enlighter. He had been summoned to Ironblood Weave before, and he was actually still involved in rebuilding the defenses of the Ironblood Weave alongside the other powerhouses, such as Nightqueen Qiuyu.

The other Enlighter was actually from the ruling power of Vastdearth Weave. He was an elder of the Vastdearth Sect: Meng Qing.

Vastdearth Weave had once been very powerful amongst the eastern weaves due to its two Enlighters, and even Adonis Weave and Darkmist Weave had deferred to them in the past.

However, ever since Meng Qing had gone into retreat, refusing to appear in public, Vastdearth Weave had assumed a lower profile.

Moreover, since Elder Zhuo has been summoned to the Ironblood Weave, Vastdearth Weave essentially no longer had any Enlighters.

This was the key issue faced by Meng Tianlong, the sect leader of the Vastdearth Sect. The sect was facing pressure from the Great Yu Empire, or to be more exact, from Lu Yin.