Lu Yin suddenly pressed down with his hands, forcing Shao Yin to kneel for the third time. "And this is for me! I told you before that I would force you to kneel for me. I’ve already executed Sage Yuan, and next is your turn.”
Shao Yin suddenly looked up. All of the hatred and rage were gone from his eyes, and he started begging, "Don't kill me! I don't want to die! Lu Yin- Dao Monarch Lu, Dao Monarch Lu, don't kill me! Don't kill me..."
Lu Yin frowned. "A lot of people act like this before death because they finally realize they’re about to die."
Shao Yin kept begging, "I don't want to die! I want to keep cultivating. I am a strong sequence powerhouse! I was one of the Three Sovereigns! Even in Aeternus, I am second only to the Seven Skygods. Dao Monarch Lu, don't kill me! Please, don’t kill me.”
Lu Yin's hand fell, and Shao Yin went bug-eyed. His eyes were bloodshot, and he slowly collapsed.
At this exact moment, the divine energy finally disappeared.
Big Sis and the others were all freed to move again.
Lu Yin stared at Shao Yin as he fell through outer space, and then turned to look to the side, where Sovereign Ninth Lotus stepped out. Shock filled Lu Yin’s eyes.
"Explain now." Lu Yin demanded in a cold voice. He had not killed Shao Yin. Just as he had been about to do so, Sovereign Lotus had arrived and stopped Lu Yin.
Sovereign Ninth Lotus took a deep breath. She looked at the nearly dead Shao Yin in a conflicted manner. "He is still useful."
"The Great Sovereign already knew that he was a spy?" Lu Yin was not stupid. Sovereign Lotus’s appearance at this exact moment proved something. At this same time, Lu Yin remembered how Bai Wangyuan, Wang Fan, and Xia Shenji had all been tossed to the Endless Frontier during the Tea Ceremony, but Shao Yin had not.
Over the years, Sovereign Shao Yin had made various mistakes while on the Endless Frontier, but had always managed to compensate for those matters in other ways. The Great Sovereign had never shown any doubt in the man.
However, this trust was rather unreasonable.
In the past, Lu Yin had merely thought that the Great Sovereign was too arrogant, thinking that she could control the Cyclic Universe’s Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages, even determining their lives and deaths, and that the woman’s sense of control was the reason that she had not worried about Shao Yin, but it appeared that things were not as Lu Yin had believed.
Sovereign Lotus softly replied, "This is a matter for my Cyclic Universe. Lord Lu has made him kneel three times to atone for his crimes, so release him."
Lu Yin laughed. "You want me to release him just because you tell me to? Just who do you think you are?"
The woman’s eyes flared. "What did you say?"
"Hey, little sister, you have a bad attitude."
Big Sis walked towards Sovereign Ninth Lotus.
Leng Qing and Arch-Elder Zen were both staring at the woman as well.
Sovereign Lotus frowned. "Dao Monarch Lu, do you want to start a war with my Cyclic Universe?"
Lu Yin looked away, his eyes frigid. "You’re asking me to release a spy, which is reason to believe that you are also a spy yourself. I could kill you without needing to justify my actions to anyone."
Big Sis’s smile grew even brighter. “Little sister, are you Sovereign Lotus? I happen to also be quite good at flower battle techniques. How about a competition?”
Sovereign Lotus looked over at Big Sis. Was this woman really going to attack? Was the descendant of the Lu family really going to ignore Sovereign Lotus? Was everyone from the Origin Universe mad?
The Sovereign suppressed her anger. "Master has ordered me to keep an eye on Sovereign Shao Yin. While he is undoubtedly a problem, Master has said that he cannot die. Master must have arranged something for him. Dao Monarch Lu, please consider this, and for the sake of my master’s wishes, let Sovereign Shao Yin go."
Lu Yin remained silent for a bit. "When did the Great Sovereign realize that there was something wrong with Sovereign Shao Yin?"
Sovereign Lotus shook her head. "I don't know that."
"When were you ordered to keep an eye on Sovereign Shao Yin?" Lu Yin asked another question.
The Sovereign’s eyes flickered. "Not long ago."
Lu Yin stared at the woman. "What do you mean, not long ago?"
"Just what exactly are you asking, Dao Monarch Lu?" Sovereign Lotus retorted.
Lu Yin’s eyes glinted dangerously. "When you say long ago, do you mean before my Lu family was exiled, or after?"
Sovereign Lotus’s fingers twitched and she glanced at Big Sis, but refused to answer.
Still, Lu Yin understood, and he sneered. "What an amazing Great Sovereign. What an incredible strategist. What a... crazy woman."
Sovereign Lotus instantly shouted, "Dao Monarch Lu, show some respect!"
Lu Yin roared, "Shut up. Fuck off!"
Sovereign Ninth Lotus glared at Lu Yin. "You!"
Lu Yin met the Sovereign’s gaze, "Give a message to that crazy woman for me; sooner or later, I’ll force her to repay the debt she owes the Lu family."
"You are too arrogant! Master is from the same generation as your Origin Progenitor! Even if she is-"
Before the woman could finish speaking, Big Sis attacked, and a blood-red lotus shot towards the Sovereign. Sovereign Lotus gritted her teeth. "You’re all madmen!"
She then turned and left.
Lu Yin let out a breath, looking very upset.
The Great Sovereign had known for a long time that there was something wrong with Sovereign Shao Yin, and yet she had still gone along with his plan to banish the Lu family. Why? There were only two possibilities that Lu Yin could think of; either the Great Sovereign had simply been following the general trend of the times when she had targeted the Lu family, or she had sacrificed the Lu family for the sake of her own plan. Those were the only two possibilities.
It was completely impossible that Ancestor Lu Yuan had conspired with the Great Sovereign and been privy to her plans. While Lu Yin had only met with his ancestor a few times, it was clear that the man would never participate in any scheme that would risk his Lu family.
How many members of the Lu family and their vassals had died since the four ruling powers had exiled the Lu family? How much had the Lu family suffered from that matter?
Wan Zhiyi, Tu Qiming, Lu Yin’s old servant, the people who had been driven insane in Crimson Garden, the Seven Heroes, and even Lu Yin himself. If Ancestor Lu Yuan had truly really conspired with the Great Sovereign, he would have to be too cold-blooded.
Countless people had been sacrificed in order to fight against the Aeternals, so many of whom had been loyal to the Lu family and to Lu Yin himself. While sacrificing them might have been the correct decision when considering the overall picture, sacrificing those close to him was something Lu Yin refused to accept no matter what.
Besides, how much harm could Sovereign Shao Yin alone do to Aeternus?
No matter how he considered the situation, Lu Yin could only come up with those two possibilities.
Regardless of which might be true, the Great Sovereign was insane.