He was careless. Of the various civilizations throughout the Aevum Inch, every civilization that Lu Yin previously encountered had had their own ancestor, and he had naturally assumed that the Soft Megaverse had one as well. He had tried to use that in his deception to Hong Xia in order to extract more information, only to end up exposing himself instead.
There was too much variety among the species and civilizations that filled the Aevum Inch; common sense could not be used when judging them.
Lu Yin asked curiously, “Just what is the situation with the Soft Megaverse?”
Hong Xia coldly replied, “The fact that the Soft Megaverse has been destroyed is one thing, but there are still three more locations. Keep searching.”
“Wait. At least tell me about the Soft Megaverse,” Lu Yin said. The Death Megaverse was another great enemy. To be even more precise, Hong Xia was simply a traitor, whereas the Death Megaverse, Obscura, and the Plume Immortals were humanity’s true mortal foes. If there was even the slightest chance, Lu Yin would try to learn more.
Unfortunately, Hong Xia ignored him and immediately disappeared.
Hong Xia had not expected the Soft Megaverse to be destroyed. Lu Yin looked miserable, but he had clearly been testing Hong Xia. This kid is far too cunning.
Without Hong Xia’s knowledge of the Soft Megaverse, he might really have been fooled.
While the Soft Megaverse was called a civilization, it was actually just a single lifeform that could split into countless creatures. One lifeform was one megaverse, so how could such a “civilization” have an ancestor?
Given enough time, that creature could theoretically split until it filled the entire Aevum Inch.
That creature was also the one that Obscura had tasked Hong Xia with destroying. He had accepted that mission but had never completed it. He had simply tossed it to Lu Yin.
If Lu Yin had been even the slightest bit careless, he could have easily been controlled by that being in the Soft Megaverse.
But the Soft Megaverse had actually been destroyed. Wait, if it was destroyed, why hasn’t Obscura informed me that my mission is completed?
Hong Xia suddenly appeared before Lu Yin again, scrutinizing the younger man.
Lu Yin looked at Hong Xia in confusion. “Thought things through? Ready to tell me Furball’s new location?”
Hong Xia stared at Lu Yin. “Was the Soft Megaverse really destroyed?”
Lu Yin was about to mock the man, but then he paused. It appeared that he had thought of something, and he said nothing.
Hong Xia stared at Lu Yin with greater intensity, also saying nothing.
The atmosphere suddenly turned strange. Hong Xia did not want Lu Yin to infer anything and thus did not dare say anything more. On the other side, Lu Yin had thought of a possibility: perhaps the Soft Megaverse had been Hong Xia’s mission. However, if his mission had been completed, Ba Se should have granted the man a reward, just like when the technological civilization had destroyed the Seal-Eater Megaverse. At that time, Lu Yin had been summoned to Obscura to receive a reward despite not knowing what had happened.
But Hong Xia had not even known that the Soft Megaverse had been destroyed. Clearly, something was off.
As for the possibility that Hong Xia had been using the Soft Megaverse, that made even less sense. The man would not have returned to Lu Yin to confirm anything. Hong Xia’s return clearly showed that the man had not known about the Soft Megaverse’s destruction.
If it had merely been a civilization that he used, it would not matter if it was destroyed. Hong Xia would only care if the Soft Megaverse had been his mission; since it was destroyed, why had Obscura never let him collect a reward? If that was true, something was very wrong.
Moreover, if that megaverse had been a mission, then the simplest way would be to verify it by going through a gate and seeing, not asking Lu Yin.
Neither man spoke, each guessing at something.
Sitting inside the Blood Tower, Jiu Wen suddenly noticed that Lu Yin and Hong Xia were quite similar, both in regards to their talent for cultivation and their cunning. Hong Xia had once possessed extraordinary talent and an astonishing aura that enabled him to climb endlessly upwards and even develop a relationship with Rampart Warden Hong Shuang. However, it was also precisely because he was too smart that he had betrayed humanity.
Similarly, Lu Yin possessed exceptional talent and was highly intelligent. He had practically unified the Human Trio. His intelligence was not to be questioned.
The difference was that one had a bottom line and valued civilization’s legacy, while the other lived solely for himself.
Lu Yin left, cleanly and decisively. For the time being, he would not say anything at all and leave Hong Xia to make guesses on his own. The more that Lu Yin said, the more likely it was he would make a mistake.
Hong Xia stared into the emptiness of space. Had the Soft Megaverse really been destroyed? Was the brat putting on an act, or were things truly as Hong Xia thought?
The less Lu Yin said, the more thoughts that ran through Hong Xia’s mind.