Lu Yin stomped a foot down. "Shut up!"
The jiao looked as though it had been wronged.
"Brother Lu, your mount is quite impressive." Chu Jian was still admiring the jiao.
Lu Yin casually responded, "Well, I don't think it's that great. It’s too stupid."
Chu Jian continued to observe the jiao, evaluating it. "Brother Lu, Master's tea ceremony is quickly approaching. You should attend."
"If I don't die on the Endless Frontier, I will do so."
Chu Jian commented, "I don’t believe that Brother Lu will die so easily. Given your ability to face off against even peak powerhouses, you should be able to survive your encounters on the Endless Frontier. I look forward to seeing you at the tea ceremony. Also, you should take the jiao with you and give it to Master. Master will quite like it.”
This was not the first time that Lu Yin had heard this, as Sage Yuan had also told Lu Yin that he should offer the jiao as a gift to the Great Sovereign.
Lu Yin smiled. "Very well, I’ll see you at the tea ceremony."
Chu Jian nodded. "I'll see you there. I hope that you can join the Endless Frontier within three days and that you won’t make things difficult for me.
"Also, Master sent another order: half of the Origin Universe’s peak powerhouses are required to help protect the Sixverse Association. The four ruling powers are already sending four of their people. What about you, Brother Lu?"
Lu Yin replied with a question of his own, "While I am on the Endless Frontier, if the Origin Universe is required to send powerhouses to reinforce the Sixverse Association, will anyone target my Heavens Sect?"
Chu Jian smiled. "You needn’t worry about that. Brother Lu. Master has personally declared that no one can enter the Origin Universe without permission. Your Heavens Sect will not face any threats from the Sixverse Association, though that does not mean that it will be protected from others in your own Origin Universe."
Lu Yin hesitated.
"The jiao will count as one powerhouse!" Chu Jian declared. "However, it needs to attend Master's tea ceremony, so it can only help defend the Sixverse Association after that. That leaves one more peak powerhouse who needs to be sent. I’ll leave that choice up to you, Brother Lu."
With that, Chu Jian left.
Lu Yin stared at the suddenly empty space. The Fifth Mainland’s crisis had finally been resolved.
With the passage open, it was impossible for Sovereign Shao Yin to force the Origin Universe to join the Endless Frontier. Because of the dispute that had resulted from opening the passage, both Luo Shan and Lu Yin were being punished and sent to the Endless Frontier, which showed the Great Sovereign’s position on the matter.
Was there anyone in the Sixverse Association who would still target the Heavens Sect?
Unfortunately, just because there was no threat from other universes, that did not mean that Lu Yin could lower his guard towards the four ruling powers.
Half of their Progenitors were being sent to reinforce the Sixverse Association, which left them with no more than three or four Progenitors. Even if Lu Yin asked Arch-Elder Zen to assist the Sixverse Association, Senior Brother Mu Xie, the jiao, Master Shan, and Cloudflow would still stay behind to protect the Heavens Sect. As for Progenitor Smoke, there was no telling how the woman would act. Balance could indeed be maintained.
Furthermore, the four ruling powers would not dare to start a war without prior authorization after this lesson from what had happened with Lu Yin and Luo Shan.
In the end, the situation had not devolved into all-out war, though hostilities would eventually reignite.
Sovereign Shao Yin was the instigator of the entire crisis, and thinking of the man caused killing intent to fill Lu Yin’s eyes. The Sovereign was even more despicable than that old dog Sage Yuan.
It should not be a big problem for Lu Yin to protect himself during his time on the Endless Frontier, as the Aeternals had no intention of killing him. However, things became a bit tricky when Lu Yin considered his alias of Xuan Qi. That identity could only stay in seclusion for so long.
As Lu Yin considered matters, Bai Wangyuan and several others crossed through the spatial passage and returned to the Fifth Mainland.
Everyone stared at Lu Yin, who met their gazes. All of them remained silent.
At this time, Mu Xie, Nong Yi, and Progenitor Smoke all arrived as well.
Xia Shenji shot Nong Yi a cold look. "You will be heading out to help protect the Sixverse Association."
Nong Yi was terribly confused. "What is a Sixverse Association, and why am I protecting it?"
Specter Progenitor shared a few details, which caused Nong Yi to instantly blow up. He refused to go.
However, he was threatened by Bai Wangyuan and the four ruling powers’ other Progenitors. Progenitor Nong wanted to ask Lu Yin for help, but Lu Yin could not offer any assistance. Half of the four ruling powers’ Progenitors were also going, and Lu Yin needed to send some powerhouses himself. If Nong Yi did not go, Mu Xie would be forced to do so.
It was impossible to force the four ruling powers to send any additional Progenitors, just as it was impossible for them to force Lu Yin to send more people.
"Where's Long Er?" Progenitor Smoke suddenly asked, causing Bai Wangyuan and others’ expressions to contort.
"He died."
Progenitor Smoke was startled, as were Mu Xie and Nong Yi. "Progenitor Long died?"
Lu Yin clenched a fist. Just as he had thought, the strange eye that he had grabbed had belonged to Progenitor Long. A Progenitor had indeed fallen.
This was the reality of war. How could even a Progenitor ensure their survival?
"How did he die?" Progenitor Smoke asked, sadness filling her eyes. Even if she had been upset with Progenitor Long’s decision to join the four ruling powers and target the Lu family, he had still always been very respectful to her, and she struggled to accept news of his sudden death.
Bai Wangyuan shared the story, and everyone listened quietly, feeling the cruel reality of war.
Progenitor Smoke gritted her teeth. "Cheng Kong!"
Mu Xie mourned the loss. "Even Progenitors can die. No one is truly invincible, not even the Origin Progenitor. Junior Brother, you must be careful while on the Endless Frontier."
Lu Yin nodded. "I know, Senior Brother."
"Two more Progenitors still need to be sent to reinforce the Sixverse Association. These two will have nothing to do with our four ruling powers. You decide who you will send," Xia Shenji stated coldly.
"I'll go." Progenitor Smoke immediately replied.
Everyone turned in surprise, as no one had considered trying to force her to go.
"Xi Wei." Bai Wangyuan could not stay silent. He and the rest of the four ruling powers were eager to see Lu Yin lose some Progenitors, whether it was Mu Xie, Arch-Elder Zen, or even the jiao.
Progenitor Smoke sighed. "I'm fed up with all of your scheming. Aeternus is our enemy, and yet you nearly incited a war involving no less than ten Progenitors. Long Er even died as a result. I intend to help protect the Sixverse Association, as that is at least better than staying here and watching you hand the Origin Universe over to the Aeternals."
She then left without speaking another word to anyone else.
Ever since Progenitor Smoke had returned, while she had occasionally helped Lu Yin, most of the time, she had maintained a perfect neutrality. No matter if the four ruling powers plotted against Lu Yin, or if he schemed against the four ruling powers, she had not interfered.