Star Odyssey

Liu Shaoge helplessly leaned against the wall as he looked down at Puyu’s corpse below the tower. “Too late by a single step. As soon as the so-called anti-Great Eastern Alliance appeared, I should have urged Puyu to leave. If he hadn’t died, I wouldn’t have had to die either.” 

Lu Yin slowly raised a hand. “You are very astute.” 

“I’m more than that.” Liu Shaoge’s lips curled upwards as he raised his gadget. "Brother Lu, take a look at this.” 

Lu Yin glanced over, and his expression instantly changed. “Six Honor Points? How did you get them?” He was truly astonished, as his Honor Points had not come easily. He had obtained his first point from his contributions to the battle at Erudite Flowzone’s border warfront and the second one from winning the Tournament of the Strongest. Four more had been earned during the life and death battles of Ironblood Weave, and his final five had been given due to his qualification to enter the Daosource Sect. Elder Lohar had made an exception to give Lu Yin so many points, but each and every single one of his Honor Points had come to him after great effort. What had Liu Shaoge done to gain six? 

“I didn’t want to expose this at first, but Brother Lu has revealed his killing intent, and it wouldn’t do for me not to reveal them.” Liu Shaoge obviously felt that it was a pity to reveal his points. 

Lu Yin stared at Liu Shaoge. “Even if you have six Honor Points, I will still kill you without question.” 

“Why? Isn’t Brother Lu afraid of the Hall of Honor?” Liu Shaoge challenged.

Lu Yin was about to speak when his heart suddenly trembled. “The Hall of Honor is the supreme master of the Human Domain, and it maintains the balance within the Human Domain. It will not interfere in the struggles between the various powers and will only act to safeguard the lives of those who have at least eleven Honor Points. Six points is not enough for the Hall of Honor to take action.” 

Liu Shaoge smiled. “The circumstances are currently different. Since the Innerverse and Outerverse are separated, to the Hall of Honor, anybody who has Honor Points should be protected. Brother Lu, you can’t be considering opposing the Hall of Honor, right?” 

Lu Yin solemnly said, “I have great respect for the Hall of Honor.”

“Hahaha, Brother Lu, you are very smart,” Liu Shaoge laughed. Beside him, a figure stepped out of the void. It was the Enlighter who had left earlier. 

Lu Yin’s eyes flashed. “Greetings, Senior.” 

The middle-aged man grunted as he looked at Lu Yin. “Liu Shaoge is right. The current circumstances of the Outerverse have become different. Six Honor Points are enough to show that he has made contributions to the Human Domain. Little brother, let him go on behalf of my Hall of Honor.” 

Lu Yin replied, “Since Senior has spoken, this junior will naturally comply.”

The middle-aged man smiled and nodded. He then looked at Liu Shaoge and his expression turned cold. “The Hall of Honor is not something for you to make use of. As punishment, one of your Honor Points will be deducted.”

Liu Shaoge replied immediately and respectfully, “Yes, this junior will accept Senior’s punishment.” 

The middle-aged man glanced at the two of them once more before leaving.

After his departure, Lu Yin and Liu Shaoge stared at one another for a moment, and then they laughed together.

Lu Yin was amused by Liu Shaoge’s intelligence, as well as his quick reactions. Liu Shaoge’s words had been aimed to provoke Lu Yin into saying something critical of the Hall of Honor, which would cause the hall to become dissatisfied with him. Fortunately, Lu Yin had reacted just as fast; when he saw the majestic rune lines appear, he had immediately changed tact and used words filled with respect for the Hall of Honor. Otherwise, even if that Enlighter had no authority to punish Lu Yin, such behavior definitely would have sowed seeds of dissatisfaction in his heart. 

Liu Shaoge was very intelligent, as he had used the Honor Points to both protect himself and also plot against Lu Yin at the same time. 

This was also why that Enlighter had punished Liu Shaoge.

Liu Shaoge kept smiling at how he had managed to preserve his life. "Brother Lu, you must be disappointed.”

Lu Yin indifferently replied, “There’ll be more opportunities in the future. We can consider this time a draw.” 

Liu Shaoge marvelled at his companion. "Brother Lu’s truly smart. I will have to be exceptionally careful when dealing with Brother Lu in the future.” 

“Then you’ll have to pay attention. Next time, it won’t be so easy for you to escape death.” Lu Yin waved a hand and turned to leave the tower.

"Brother Lu, my words are still valid, so think about it. You will definitely require some helpers if you intend to become enemies with the Innerverse.” Liu Shaoge laughed. 

Lu Yin’s eyes glinted. Enemies with the Innerverse? Right now, the Innerverse is probably fighting against the Sixth Mainland’s invasion. By the time the Innerverse and Outerverse reconnect, who knows which of those Innerverse organizations will still exist. 

Lu Yin had experienced Liu Shaoge’s methods several times, and so, he did not find it too surprising that the man had managed to escape death this time. Lu Yin had actually thought that Liu Shaoge would escape or something similar, but he never imagined that the other Earthling would have also received the Hall of Honor’s protection, or that he would try to drag Lu Yin down with him. 

Liu Shaoge had captured Arbiter Zhenwu’s attention with his status as an Earthling, and he had even been chosen to represent the Daynight clan as a Outerverse Youth Councilor, which was something that even the descendants of various great powers from the Innerverse could not achieve, and yet, Liu Shaoge had managed to do it. This made Lu Yin even more cautious of the man.

Despite being unable to kill Liu Shaoge this time, Lu Yin publicly announced that East San Dios would be sealed off with his status as a substitute councilor, which temporarily stopped the exchanges between the Outerverse Youth Council and the various weaves of the Outerverse. 

The moment the Innerverse and Outerverse became separated, East San Dios had lost almost all of its importance. Still,  Lu Yin’s decision affected quite a few of the Outerverse powers.

Liu Shaoge did not show much of a reaction to the announcement, and nobody knew what he was actually thinking. 

Those like Yue Xianzi sought out Lu Yin. 

"Brother Lu, if you seal off East San Dios, what’s going to happen to us?” Yue Xianzi asked.

Lu Yin smiled at her. “Come back with me to the Great Yu Empire.”

Yue Xianzi’s gaze flashed. “You want us to become your underlings?”

Lu Yin laughed. “You can treat the Great Yu Empire as the Outerverse Youth Council. Just act like I’m still a representative and like you guys are all my subordinates.”

“I’ll go.” An Shaohua was the first to agree. He had already committed himself to casting his lot in with Lu Yin back in Ironblood Weave, though he had not been able to meet with Lu Yin due to various mishaps. Thus, this time, he wanted to cling to Lu Yin’s thighs. 

Ah Fan naturally agreed as well, as Lu Yin had been the one who had sent him to East San Dios in the first place. 

Barley also agreed, but Lu Yin did not take him away. “If you also leave, who’s going to take care of San Dios?” 

Barley was puzzled. “Isn’t San Dios sealed?’ 

Lu Yin looked at the tower. “I have the authority to seal San Dios, but Liu Shaoge is an actual councilor, and he has the authority to reopen San Dios whenever he wishes. I need you to remain here and keep an eye on him.”

“Understood,” Barley replied. 

Yue Xianzi looked at Lu Yin. “If we go back to the Great Yu Empire with you, what sort of positions will you arrange for us?” 

Lu Yin had not considered this question, as sealing San Dios had been an unplanned decision.

He looked at Yue Xianzi, An Shaohua, and the others, and as he did so, he discovered that they had all become Explorers. Of special note were Yue Xianzi and An Shaohua, as he could see an enormous number of rune lines from them that surpassed what he saw on most Cruisers. It was clear to him that they were both Realmbreaker Explorers. One was the young sect leader of the Frostmoon Sect while the other was the young master of Watermoon Villa, so their personal talent and capabilities were certainly not simple. 

“Come back with me to the Great Yu Empire and join the First Squadron. I’m the captain.”

Yue Xianzi and An Shaohua exchanged glances, and they both quickly agreed without much further consideration, as staying behind in San Dios was not of much use to either of them.

“There’s still me! There’s still me!” Zhao Ran frantically ran over from nearby, and she stared at Lu Yin emotionally, but then, she suddenly fell down with a thump. When she stood up, she seemed confused. “Where am I?”

Lu Yin was speechless, and he now recalled that this girl who kept losing her memory was here as well. He had sympathized with her due to her affliction and taken her to San Dios.

Lu Yin walked in front of Zhao Ran and crouched down to look at her in amusement.

Zhao Ran also looked back at Lu Yin, and her large eyes blinked at him in a cute manner.

Lu Yin pointed at the pendant hanging from her necklace on her chest. Wendy Yushan had mentioned this to him before. Zhao Ran had saved some of her memories inside of the pendant’s chip that hung on her necklace. There was also a piece of paper inside the pendant where she had written down some of her memories. 

Zhao Ran glanced at the paper. “Ah! I remember now—you’re a good person!”

Lu Yin helped her stand up. “What were you just trying to say?”

Zhao Ran was completely lost. “What?”

Lu Yin was stumped. “Never mind. How about I take you with me to my home?”

“Good person, wherever you go, I’ll follow. I’m just Rotten Trash, and I often lose my memory.” Zhao Ran spoke in embarrassment.

This girl was completely pitiful, much like an abandoned cat. Lu Yin decided to either settle her down in King Zishan's palace or send her over to the Princess’s residence. 

He headed out from San Dios, this time traveling with a bit of luggage.

When Lu Yin arrived at Zenyu Star, Elder Lohar sent him a message saying that he had not been able to find any evidence of Darkstar Gorge colluding with the Neohuman Alliance. Then, he reprimanded Lu Yin for being too heavy-handed. He also mentioned that Lu Yin should have captured Puyu for interrogation. 

Lu Yin lowered his gadget. Captured for interrogating? That was impossible, as everyone could see that Darkstar Gorge most likely had not colluded with the Neohuman Alliance, as Puyu would not have been foolish enough to keep a Corpse King like Vulture next to him if that were the case. This was also one of the reasons why Wen Sansi had not acted before, but the Hall of Honor was different. To them, anyone who had even a trace of a connection with the Neohuman Alliance—even the slightest of traces—would have to be completely eradicated, unless the person was someone truly important. 

Shenwu Continent had been seen in this way, and Darkstar Gorge was no different . Elder Lohar was just reprimanding Lu Yin for being too quick to act, but it was nothing more than that. 

As for Darkstar Gorge, it no longer existed. 

The moment Vulture had revealed his true identity, Darkstar Gorge had already been sentenced to death.

The Hall of Honor’s methods were so harsh that people would tremble just at the thought of them. Lu Yin stared at the night sky and contemplated his situation. He currently held value to the Hall of Honor, and so, they would protect and be partial towards him. If, one day, his value to them disappeared, then considering the Hall of Honor’s methods, they would not even hesitate for a moment to erase him. They would not even stop there, as they would include the Great Yu Empire and everyone who could be implicated in any way to him as well. 

The Hall of Honor’s methods of accomplishing their goals were a hundred times more ruthless than anything that Lu Yin would ever consider. They were the undisputed master of the Human Domain, and while they did not usually act, as soon as they made a move, that was the end. 

In the eyes of the Hall of Honor, Darkstar Gorge was not even worth considering, and neither was the Great Yu Empire. 

The Neohuman Alliance represented darkness while the Hall of Honor represented light. However, in Lu Yin’s eyes, both organizations were fundamentally the same, as they both had the power to seize and kill. 

Lu Yin suddenly felt a hint of urgency that came from both the Sixth Mainland as well as the Hall of Honor. 

***

In the main hall of the Vastdearth Sect, many elders were holding an intent discussion. Sect Leader Meng Tianlong was not present, as he had returned to visit the sealed area within the sect, though he still had not received any reply from the Elder. The sect elders did not hold much hope towards their ancestor. 

When Meng Tianlong returned to the sect headquarters, the crowd of elders had already gone silent, and none of them were speaking. 

“It seems that the elders gathered here have made a decision. Tell me,” Meng Tianlong spoke solemnly as he glanced around the hall at all of the elders before his eyes finally settled on Elder Angio. 

Elder Angio coughed once and then sighed. “Leader, we elders have unanimously agreed that we should join the Great Eastern Alliance.” 

Meng Tianlong did not find this decision unexpected. News of Darkstar Gorge being destroyed had spread to the sect the day before yesterday; the strongest power of Adonis Weave had been extinguished that easily. Lu Yin had even personally killed the youth ranked thirteenth on the Top 100 Rankings: Councilor Puyu of the Outerverse Youth Council. 

Everyone had heard of Lu Yin’s reputation, and his battle record was the fundamental reason behind the Vastdearth Sect’s hesitation. As for his personal strength, they had no concept of it whatsoever before, but now, they were starting to understand him better.