Mr. Daheng forced out a smile as he said, "I am honored to be able to participate in this crusade to conquer the Endless Frontier with Lord Lu. Such an opportunity is something that no one can ask for, so there is naturally no chance of me leaving."
Lu Yin nodded. "That's good. Just wait a few days, and then we will move on to the next parallel universe.
“Speaking of which," Lu Yin paused as he looked at Mr. Daheng. "One of the next few parallel universes is the Inorganic Universe. You should know a bit about it."
Mr. Daheng's expression grew solemn. "The Inorganic Universe is very strange. The entire universe is separated into various sections by the void. Due to the laws of that universe, only individuals in sections that occupy the same area are able to fight against each other. As soon as the void separates the sections, it becomes impossible for them to fight. The Inorganic Universe is a battlefield that requires a chess master to oversee the battles taking place there."
Mr. Daheng's attitude changed drastically as he told Lu Yin details about the Inorganic Universe.
Lu Yin found that mastering the laws of the universe was fascinating. Once a sequence powerhouse gained control of a given universe, they could arbitrarily change the laws of that universe, or even impose new laws upon it. This was what had happened to the Gourd Universe, the Inorganic Universe, the Umbral Universe, and the Big Stone Universe.
Too many sequence powerhouses had existed throughout the ages, but most of them were dead, having lived in past eras.
Lu Yin had no idea what sort of law he might end up mastering, or what it would do to the Origin Universe.
During the Heavens Sect era, the six Mainlands had reached incredible heights of power, and that might have been related to the laws of the universe that the Origin Progenitor had mastered.
After talking for a while, Lu Yin gained some understanding of the Inorganic Universe.
Mr. Daheng's eyes turned back to the Peaks and Rivers Rock. Lu Yin was toying with it, constantly putting it in and out of his cosmic ring.
"Lord Lu, what is that stone?"
Lu Yin arched a brow as he looked at Mr. Daheng. "Luo Shan told me that you wanted it."
Mr. Daheng exhaled and bowed low to Lu Yin. "Lord Lu, please grant me that stone."
Lu Yin gave a small smile. "Tell me why."
Mr. Daheng looked up at Lu Yin. "This stone is a map. The painting on these stones acts as a guide that directly leads one to the Mirari Realm, which you should have heard of, Lord Lu. The Mirari Realm contains the secret of attaining immortality.
"My Liberation Palace has already gathered a few of these stones, and when the full map is put together, I will invite Lord Lu to go to the Mirari Realm with me. For this reason, I ask that you grant my request."
Lu Yin moved the stone closer as he studied it. "So, how many of these stones are out there?"
Mr. Daheng shook his head. "I don't know. There could be more than a dozen, possibly several dozen pieces."
"If Luo Shan already knows that you want this, then why didn’t he just give it to you himself?"
"I can’t answer that. Maybe he misunderstood me," Mr. Daheng replied.
Lu Yin smiled. He gave the impression of having reached a tacit understanding. However, such understandings usually only appeared between people of equal power. Were Lu Yin and Mr. Daheng equals? Lu Yin did not see things that way at all, as he wanted absolute control.
"Do you really not hate me at all for what happened before?"
"You must be joking, Lord Lu. We have no grudges between us. I acted recklessly at the beginning, but my actions were not an attempt to move against Lord Lu. There’s no need to speak of any hatred. Lord Lu delivered a lesson that I will engrave on my heart. I will never do such a thing again."
"In that case, what if I told you that I don't intend to give you this stone?" Lu Yin asked in a casual tone.
Mr. Daheng's heart dropped, but he forced out a smile. "That is also Lord Lu's choice."
Lu Yin put away the stone. "You can head back to rest."
Mr. Daheng's eyes flickered as he nodded. "I’ll take my leave."
Lu Yin stared at the man’s back as Mr. Daheng left. The stone was in Lu Yin’s possession, and he had made it clear that he would not give it to Mr. Daheng. It was time to see what the man would do next.
As for Luo Shan, just because he had given the Peaks and Rivers Rock to Lu Yin, that did not mean that he had given up on the matter. The Monarch knew that Lu Yin would never give the stone to Mr. Daheng, and the ultimate victor was still uncertain.
If Lu Yin were in Luo Shan’s shoes, he would be doing his best to learn exactly what the stone was and what it was for.
Aside from Lu Yin and Mr. Daheng, who else might know about the rocks?
Lu Yin stared up at the starry sky, falling deep into thought.
…
Half a month later, the Three Monarchs Universe had been thoroughly searched and purged, and the second battalion prepared to move on to the next parallel universe.
The next universe was the Starlight Universe, and after that was the Inorganic Universe.
The Starlight Universe was Monarch Xing’s home, though most of her people had already been relocated. At one point in time, they had been protected in the Three Monarchs Universe, but they had since moved to the Heavens Sect.
There were many beautiful Starglow Grasses in the Starlight Universe. There was no denying their beauty, and Lu Yin could understand why Mr. Daheng had used collecting the grass as an excuse for his presence in the Three Monarchs Universe.
It was extremely simple to green light the Starlight Universe, though the second battalion still needed to use their sequence particle sensors to search for the Seven Skygods.
Right after the second battalion left the Three Monarchs Universe, Luo Shan stared out at the empty universe. After a moment, he tore through the void and left.
…
In the Transcendent Universe, Chen Le was sitting on a bestowal art carrier. He occasionally glanced at the border, letting out a shaky breath each time he did so.
As long as Chen Le remained in this place, he would fear another invasion from Aeternus. However, if he left the Transcendent Universe and returned to the Endless Frontier, he would have to face the terrifying battles of the crusade.
The Monarch had not had much rest ever since he joined the Heavens Sect.
Lu Yin had dragged Chen Le along wherever he went, treating the Monarch like a thug. Chen Le felt frustrated by this treatment, but there was nothing that he could do about it.
Even when looking at the entire Sixverse Association, there was no place where Chen Le could escape from the Heavens Sect.
"Where is the second battalion now?" Chen Le asked.
Someone replied, "In the Starlight Universe. They’ll be heading into the Inorganic Universe within the next day or two at the most."
Chen Le felt a flicker of fear. "The Inorganic Universe? That's not a good place. Soldiers are forced to face each other while the generals manipulate where they go. If someone faces a powerful corpse king, they won’t be able to escape. I’m lucky to be here instead."
A few days later, the second battalion moved on to the Inorganic Universe.