Star Odyssey

Chapter 2622: Powerful Reinforcements

Lu Yin felt a bit puzzled. Could something like this doll also be a life-bound voidforce puppet?

The moment the puppet appeared, Old Dian's entire demeanor underwent a complete transformation. His expression grew sinister as a bloodthirsty smile unconsciously appeared on the old man’s face.

“It’s you?” The Void Morphora cultivator blocking their path was startled.

The Void Morphora behind them growled, “You’ve returned?”

Old Dian licked his lips. “Acting Bureau Director, let’s go.”

The disturbing puppet threw its head back and cackled as it charged through space. Ripples spread out, forming waves that were followed by a surge of voidforce energy. Anyone who touched this energy would grow dizzy and nauseous as they witnessed all kinds of strange scenes.

Enduring the discomfort, Lu Yin looked forward.

They were drawing closer to the Red Zone and would soon enter.

A lotus bloomed, blocking the way forward. It was a Lotus Artifact.

The laughter from Old Dian's puppet grew louder, and the ripples that emanated from it eroded the lotus.

However, the lotus just bloomed again, and this happened four times in a row.

Lu Yin's heart dropped. The number of times that a lotus could bloom represented its rank. For Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples, a lotus that bloomed nine times represented Sovereign Ninth Lotus herself. Below that were the eight ranks of the Sovereign’s Lotus Artifacts, and each rank possessed a different level of power. The Lotus Artifacts that had been given to the Sixverse Academy students for the trial in the Fifth Mainland had been fourth-ranked lotuses, and those had been able to block an attack from a Progenitor. The lotus that was blocking the path to the Red Zone was similarly a fourth-rank Lotus Artifact. Old Dian was a Void Morphora, which meant that he would not be able to break through.

By activating this Lotus Artifact, the Void Morphora blocking the way forward was showing that he no longer intended to hold back at all.

Old Dian's puppet was slowly eroding the Lotus Artifact, but this fourth-rank Lotus Artifact was able to stop a Progenitor’s attack. Even with the multiplicative effect of the old man’s life-bound voidforce puppet, he still fell far short of the Void Suprema level.

“Since you've revealed yourself, someone will soon arrive to collect your debt. Now, hand over Cheng Feng," the Void Morphora blocking the way to the Red Zone demanded as he stared at Lu Yin.

Cheng Feng was overcome with a sense of dread after seeing the Lotus Artifact block their way. This person was clearly determined to silence him. Cheng Feng anxiously turned to face Lu Yin. "I can’t go with them! Take me to the Bureau! Once I'm safe, I’ll give you the name of the person who told me Sage Stone's location."

"Tell me now," Lu Yin retorted.

Cheng Feng shook his head vigorously. The moment he gave up that name, he would lose all value to the Bureau, and they would most likely throw him over to Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples. As long as Cheng Feng remained silent, it was clear that Xuan Qi was determined to take his captive back to the Bureau’s headquarters. As long as Cheng Feng entered the Red Zone, he would not have to worry about being taken away. Unless the Bureau truly did not care about their reputation, they would never allow Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples to take a captive away from their headquarters.

If Cheng Feng was being honest, he had no idea why this Xuan Qi had gotten involved in such a matter. It was impossible for Sovereign Ninth Lotus to let the person who had revealed Sage Stone's location go unpunished. There was an easy solution to the current situation, and there was no reason for the Bureau to be involved at all. Despite that, Xuan Qi was refusing to step back, and that was very beneficial to Cheng Feng.

Lu Yin glanced over at Cheng Feng. "My patience is running out. If you’re not going to tell us, it doesn't seem like a bad idea to give you to Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples."

Old Dian rolled his eyes. "Acting Bureau Director, just throw him over to them now."

Even as the old man spoke, he flexed his arm in preparation to toss Cheng Feng away. At that moment, Cheng Feng's face turned as white as a sheet. Old Dian instantly had a bad premonition.

"Yao Lan! It was Yao Lan!" Cheng Feng screamed loud enough that his voice echoed in every direction.

Old Dian's mouth fell open. Oh no, the kid couldn’t hold out after being scared.

Lu Yin's eyes went wide. Cheng Feng had finally spoken.

One of the Void Morphoras’ eyes grew cold. "Nonsense!"

"It’s not nonsense! It was Yao Lan! It really was her! Xuan Qi, take me to the Bureau—there's more that I need to tell you, so take me in!" Cheng Feng fought to get the words out as he stared at Lu Yin with pleading eyes. The man’s only hope was to not be abandoned by Xuan Qi.

Of course, Lu Yin had no intention of abandoning his prisoner. "Are you two still going to persist?"

"Cheng Feng has been controlled by Cheng Kong, and he’s simply grasping at straws to confuse everyone. Acting Bureau Director Xuan Qi, you don't actually believe him, do you?" The Void Morphora who was behind the Bureau’s officials spoke up. "Give us Cheng Feng. He will be dealt with appropriately, and someone will provide you with an explanation."

"I won't go! Xuan Qi, don't abandon me!" Cheng Feng screamed.

Lu Yin said, "Whether Cheng Feng is spouting nonsense or not, the Bureau will get to the truth. There’s no need for you two to do anything more. Please leave."

"Give us Cheng Feng!" The two Void Morphoras instantly launched additional attacks.

Old Dian sighed. Given the current situation, there was no way for him to extricate himself. His only option was to help Xuan Qi keep Cheng Feng, and then have the Bureau announce that Cheng Feng had been simply slandering Yao Lan. Only then would Sovereign Ninth Lotus's disciples retain their reputation. It was the only way to settle things properly.

If Cheng Feng was released at this point in time, there was no question that Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples would hold a grudge against the Voidforce Universe’s Bureau branch.

At some point in time, the overwhelming waves of voidforce energy from the distant Void Suprema breakthrough had started to dissipate.

Just outside the Red Zone, a spooky puppet faced off against two different streams of voidforce energy. Old Dian was exerting his full strength at this time. Not only was he holding back the two unknown Void Morphoras, but he was also trying to find a way to break past the Lotus Artifact and enter the Red Zone.

No one noticed that two people had arrived and were looking at the scene with open curiosity.

The first to notice the newcomers was Old Dian, who spun around to stare into the distance. "Who's there?"

Everyone else turned to look as well.

"Junior Brother, it's been a while. When did you join the Bureau?"

A familiar voice caused Lu Yin's face to light up with joy. "Senior Brother Xu Heng?"

"Don’t forget about me." Xu Leng stepped forward with a smile on her face.

Lu Yin was thrilled to see the two. "Your seclusion ended?"

Xu Leng beamed, and Xu Heng glanced around at the gathered people. "Junior Brother, it looks like you've run into a bit of trouble."

A smile spread across Lu Yin's face. "Yeah, these two are blocking my path and preventing me from going home."

Xu Heng's expression instantly turned cold, and he turned to look at the two Void Morphoras, who instantly felt a suffocating pressure fall upon them. The two were startled. "You are the one who broke through to become a Void Suprema?"

"Since we're old friends, I won't make things difficult for you. Leave now. If you cause trouble for my junior brother again, you will no longer have a place in this Voidforce Universe," Xu Heng coldly threatened the two.

Everyone was startled, as they had not expected Xu Heng to have just become a Void Suprema.

Xu Leng then spoke up, "If you want to join Sovereign Ninth Lotus's faction, then that's your business. But if you dare attack my junior brother again, no one will be able to save you. Sovereign Ninth Lotus is not the one who makes the rules for the Voidforce Universe."

As the woman spoke, a terrifying aura swept out.

"You've also become a Void Suprema?"

Lu Yin laughed, fascinated by this turn of events. Both Xu Heng and Xu Leng had broken through and become Void Supremas together. This explained why there had been such a massive surge of voidforce energy. Realizing what had happened, Lu Yin felt that he should have guessed at it before. After all, the breakthrough had occurred in the direction of the Void Yang and Void Yin clans.

The two Void Morphoras glanced at each other and then helplessly bowed to Xu Heng and Xu Leng before retreating.

All the experts had recognized each other. They had once been equals, but a gap had opened up between them. Even if one of the two Void Morphora successfully became a Void Suprema, what of it? Xu Heng and Xu Leng had both reached that level, which meant there were two Void Supremas. On top of that, the two shared the same source of power, which meant that if they joined forces, the power that they could unleash would defy all logic.

Everyone from the Bureau was stunned. They had not expected to be saved by two Void Supremas.

Old Dian bowed to Xu Heng and Xu Leng. "Greetings, Seniors."

Boss Guan, Skinner, and the others all offered a simultaneous bow as well. "Greetings, Seniors."

Xu Heng answered with just a nod before looking back at Xuan Qi and smiling. "Junior Brother, how did you end up joining the Bureau? Where's Xu Wuji?"

Lu Yin shrugged. "It's a long story. I'll tell you all about it inside."

"The Red Zone... I haven't visited this place in many years. Let's go." Xu Leng appeared rather interested.

Lu Yin led the way, and everyone entered the Red Zone.

Xu Yue felt that she must be dreaming. How were two Void Supremas calling Xuan Qi “junior brother?” This was just too bizarre. Who from the Voidforce Universe would dare to provoke Xuan Qi in the future?

On top of that, Xuan Qi was not merely backed by these two Void Supremas, but also by Xu Wuji and even Senior Xu Wuwei!

Thinking about all this, Xu Yue stared at Lu Yin in a completely different manner. Suddenly, the gap between them felt incomprehensibly massive. When had this even started?

After returning to headquarters, Cheng Feng was turned over to Ning Ran, and everyone else went their own ways. Only Lu Yin, Xu Heng, and Xu Leng remained at the top of the bell tower.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother and Sister, on becoming Void Supremas! Your junior brother offers his respects." Lu Yin bowed to the two with a smile.

Xu Leng rolled her eyes. "Junior Brother, I have no idea how you are still in the mood to joke around with us. Do you understand that you've just offended Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples?"

Xu Heng jumped in and added, "We didn't expect to find you being besieged by two Void Morphoras as soon as we left seclusion. We were so startled to discover your situation that we haven’t even visited our own clans yet. Instead, we hurried over here. What happened?"

Lu Yin shared the details of all that had happened recently, which left the two Void Supremas a bit stunned.

"Yun Wu, Yi Jun, and even Cheng Feng are all spies?" Xu Heng exclaimed in surprise.

Xu Leng spoke up, "No wonder Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples want to take Cheng Feng away. Junior Brother, do you know who Yao Lan is?"

Lu Yin's expression grew serious. "She is Sovereign Ninth Lotus' eldest disciple and is known as a half-Sage. She's a prodigy who can contend with the Nine Sages, despite only being an Ascendant. She is acknowledged by the Cyclic Universe as the person most likely to inherit Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s seat."

"Yao Lan wields tremendous influence. If not for the internal conflicts that plague the Cyclic Universe, she would have become one of the Nine Sages long ago. Even now, despite being an Ascendant, she is as strong as one of the Nine Sages and is Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s most precious disciple. She is even allowed to command all of Sovereign Ninth Lotus's other disciples," Xu Heng stated gravely.

Xu Leng continued, "That’s not all. I’ve encountered her on the Endless Frontier before, and I can tell you that her influence is not just limited to Sovereign Ninth Lotus's disciples. Many others have also received her favors and kindness. Those two who tried to stop you are not Sovereign Ninth Lotus's disciples. They probably acted on Yao Lan’s behalf. If that woman is a spy, then things are very serious."

Lu Yin replied, "There’s no guarantee that she’s a spy, but she can't avoid the burden of being indirectly responsible for Sage Stone’s death. Everything depends on how Sovereign Ninth Lotus decides to punish her."

After a pause, Lu Yin continued, "Let's not talk about me. Are you two confident about your match with Senior Xiu Ci?"

Xu Heng answered, "Senior Xiu Ci has been a Void Suprema for a very long time, and he even created his own path. His deeds are legendary, so how could we be confident at all? However, since we will be fighting him together, we should at least be able to put up a bit of a fight."

Lu Yin exclaimed in surprise, "You’re fighting him together?"

"Of course," Xu Leng answered in a casual tone.

Lu Yin was speechless. These two people were both Void Supremas, and yet they still intended to work together to face Xiu Ci.

Xu Heng laughed loudly. "Junior Brother, what’s with that look on your face?"

Xu Leng smiled but said nothing.

Lu Yin replied, "Well... isn’t the two of you working together a bit unfair?"

"But if we fought him on our own, we would undoubtedly lose," Xu Heng stated.

Lu Yin thought about it and realized that this was not at all inaccurate.

At this moment, Xu Wuji returned. "The Bureau is honored to have the two of you visit right after your successful breakthrough to the Void Suprema realm."

Xu Heng and Xu Leng looked at the man, and when they spoke, neither of the two sounded very polite. "Senior Wuji, your timing is quite impressive. When your subordinates were surrounded, you were nowhere to be found, but now that everything has settled, you choose to show up."

Xu Wuji gave a bitter smile. "I had no choice. The Bureau is involved in many different matters, and Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples wield massive influence. You two don't understand my struggles."

The man then looked over at Lu Yin. "Where's Cheng Feng?"

"Here in the Red Zone."