Star Odyssey

Chapter 2624: Betrayal

"We aren’t strangers anymore, since we’ve faced a life-and-death situation together. You already know my personality. After I decided to bring you here, not a single one of Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples was able to take you away. In the same manner, when I choose to do something, no one can stop me. For instance, if I decide to execute you," Lu Yin explained.

Cheng Feng’s pupils instantly shrank. "I am being controlled by Cheng Kong."

"That statement suggests that you have no value. I didn't put so much effort into getting you here just because I wanted trouble from Yao Lan. I need something of value from you. Tell me, what can you offer me? If it's good enough, I might even help you fulfill a last wish," Lu Yin slowly said.

"I am being controlled by Cheng Kong," Cheng Feng repeated before saying nothing more.

Interrogations were always drawn out ordeals. Yi Jun had revealed a list of people whom she had met with, but she was still being tortured.

Lu Yin chuckled. "Other people claim to be under Cheng Kong’s control because they hope to be able to survive. They have family or friends who hope to be able to prove that they were manipulated, which might reduce their punishment. But what about you? Who is going to help you?"

Cheng Feng’s eye twitched.

"Sovereign Ninth Lotus?" Lu Yin pressed.

Cheng Feng’s eyes started to dart about.

"What's the point of insisting that you are being controlled by Cheng Kong? Who is going to defend you? You publicly stated that Yao Lan was the one who leaked Sage Stone’s location to you. Do you think that Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples will still help you?" Lu Yin mocked.

Cheng Feng blanched as the truth dawned on him. He regretted ever speaking. In that moment of danger, he had only been able to think about escaping from Yao Lan, which was why he had blurted out the woman's name. However, he had forgotten that, as soon as Yao Lan's name was leaked, no one would be willing to help him anymore, not even if he claimed to be controlled by Cheng Kong. His greatest protection had always been Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples, but he had betrayed them.

"Given your situation, it doesn't matter if you are being controlled by Cheng Kong or not. The only thing that you need to consider right now is how you can get me to help you. I may help you survive, and I might even give you the chance to atone for your crimes by doing great things to help humanity. I need to consider the bigger picture, not just what arresting one or two spies can accomplish. Why else would I capture you? As long as you can help me achieve something impressive enough..." Lu Yin paused and leaned closer as a smile crept across his face. He commented in a casual tone, "I can make your life quite comfortable."

Cheng Feng’s face twitched worse than ever, but he remained silent. His mind was in chaos. The pain assaulting his body combined with Lu Yin’s words had completely disoriented the man. He no longer knew what to do.

The desire to survive burned hot within him. The idea of falling into the hands of Sovereign Ninth Lotus's disciples and being silenced by Yao Lan was beyond terrifying. Yao Lan’s name had been exposed, and that meant that none of Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples would help Cheng Fent. Was there any hope of survival?

"I can offer you a glimmer of hope." Lu Yin rose to his feet and looked around. "Only by continuing to live will there be a chance for Aeternus to save you."

Ning Ran was listening in the distance, and she was badly startled by this comment. She had never heard anyone utter such blasphemy so casually.

Cheng Feng’s eyes snapped open. Yes, it was true that his only hope of surviving was Aeternus, and more specifically, Shaman God. Cheng Feng was a spy who had been trained by Shaman God themself, and he would not be simply abandoned. Where was Shaman God?

With this thought in mind, Cheng Feng rasped, "How did you know that you could deceive me by using Shaman God's appearance? What happened to Shaman God?"

Astonishment covered Ning Ran's face. Shaman God? One of the Seven Skygods?

This was a question that left not only Cheng Feng confused, but also Boss Guan and Old Dian.

Lu Yin had not been able to fool Cheng Feng by impersonating Tu Shuangshuang, which meant that pretending to be another spy of Aeternus would not work with Cheng Feng. The man was too cautious. However, why had Lu Yin chosen to use Shaman God’s appearance, out of all the available options? How had he known that he would be able to deceive Cheng Feng by impersonating Shaman God? How had he known that Shaman God was the one who had recruited Cheng Feng?

Lu Yin sneered. "Why should I tell you?"

That was Lu Yin's only answer. When he was a student in the Sixverse Academy, he had to offer explanations and justifications for many of his actions, but at this moment, there was no need for him to do so. Why should he explain himself? Who could force him to provide an explanation? The only one who could do that was Xu Wuji, and if that happened, then Lu Yin had already thought of an excuse. However, Xu Wuji had not asked, so Lu Yin intended to keep silent.

It was not going to be easy to extract any information from Cheng Feng. In fact, Lu Yin had not bothered to try to get Yi Jun to speak because he did not know her psychological weaknesses. Yi Jun had earned merits on the Endless Frontier, which was enough to ensure her survival, as long as she maintained that she was under Cheng Kong's control. Speaking to the woman would only be a waste of time.

However, Cheng Feng was different. He could only rely on his identity as one of Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples as protection, but after betraying Yao Lan, that protection had disappeared. As long as they could break the man’s will, he would spill everything.

As the days passed, Cheng Feng never stopped being tortured. However, physical pain was not enough to break his mental defenses. If his will could be shattered that easily, Shaman God would have never bothered to recruit him.

However, people with strong wills often had psychological weaknesses.

Without telling anyone about it, Lu Yin led Cheng Feng out of the Red Zone. There was no danger at this moment. Yao Lan had already been betrayed, and while Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples absolutely hated Cheng Feng, they were no longer desperate to capture him.

Lu Yin took Cheng Feng back to Broken Cliff.

Broken Cliff looked completely different from before. The place that Cheng Feng had once protected no longer existed. It had been altered by people who wanted to vent their grievances. The snowy mountain had been completely leveled, and the sky was filled with thick smoke. Fortunately, the village had remained unharmed, but this was only because Lu Yin had given orders for the Bureau to protect the village. Without that order, the village would have also fallen victim to people seeking revenge and been completely destroyed.

Too many people hated spies and wanted revenge against Aeternus.

Cheng Feng had not expected to ever return to his village again. He saw his third aunt, his old uncle, and many other familiar faces. However, none of these people seemed able to see him.

Lu Yin moved Cheng Feng through the void. With Lu Yin’s power, ordinary people were completely blind to his presence.

"Uncle!" Cheng Feng could not help but call out. There was no answer, as the old man could not hear him.

Cheng Feng turned to Lu Yin. "Why have you brought me here?"

"To let you see these people’s true thoughts," Lu Yin replied.

Cheng Feng felt confused—their true thoughts?

There was a thunderous crash as a wall in front of them collapsed.

Instinctively, Cheng Feng moved forward to prop the wall back up.

From the side, a voice shouted, "Good riddance!"

Cheng Feng halted, turning in shock to see several familiar people.

"It’s finally gone. Smash that other wall, too," someone suggested. Their words triggered a round of cheers.

"Third Aunt, burn those old clothes."

"They should have been burned long ago."

"Little An is sick. The weather’s been changing too quickly recently."

"Excellent! Someone has finally fallen ill!"

"Forget that, pack your things. We can leave now."

"We can finally leave!"

"How wonderful!"

Cheng Feng stood frozen, transfixed by what he was seeing and hearing all around. He watched as the familiar scenery that he had long cherished morphed into something unknown. The wall that had collapsed represented a place where he had often squatted and sang softly as a child. His aunt's clothes had been completely tattered, but they were a gift from him. Despite his repeated suggestions that she replace them, he had never actually wanted her to do so. She knew this, so no matter how ragged her clothes had become, she had continued to wear the same thing.

The village had remained exactly as Cheng Feng had remembered it during his childhood.

However, as he watched, it all changed.

The familiar villagers that he had grown up with transformed into strangers. Why were they rejoicing at becoming sick? Why were they preparing to leave? Why were they knocking down their houses? Why were they burning clothes? Why?

Lu Yin indifferently explained, "You believed that you were giving them eternal life by keeping them from aging and from falling ill and that you were preserving their favorite way of life. But all of that was only what you wanted. They lived to create your scene that only you found beautiful. How is that any different from slavery?”

Cheng Feng shouted back, "No! I helped them live long lives because I wanted to repay them for raising me! I obtained eternal life for them and protected them from any form of disaster! Isn't that good?”

"But you took away their freedom," Lu Yin replied coldly. "You stripped away the essence of their lives."

"Then what about you? Haven't you already lived a long time, and don’t you plan to live for even longer?"

"I'm a cultivator. I experience something new and different every single day. But what about these people? Every day has been a repetition of the exact same thing. How many times has that wall been repaired? How many years has that woman worn those same clothes? Can regular clothes last for that long? Don't deny that you had something to do with it."

Cheng Feng stared at the jubilant villagers, completely at a loss. These people were so happy, despite the fact that he had been captured right in front of them. Why were they so happy? Were they not worried about him?

What happened to all that he had believed for so long? Had he truly done something wrong?

"No, I’m in the right! I helped them! But they are showing no gratitude! They are the ones who are biting the hand that fed them."

Cheng Feng glared at the villagers, his eyes glowing with an increasingly savage light.

Seeing the change in Cheng Feng’s expression, Lu Yin understood why Shaman God had chosen this man. How did Cheng Feng’s methods differ from those of Aeternus? Both enslaved humans, and both took away people’s reasons to live.

It would be all too easy to make Cheng Feng into a corpse king.

Kill, kill them all! Slaughter these ungrateful beasts! Cheng Feng’s eyes blazed with rage as he silently cursed the celebrating villagers who were destroying everything he cherished. They had ruined the village. They were the traitors!

Lu Yin placed a hand on Cheng Feng's shoulder, startling the man and causing him to regain his senses. He turned to look at Lu Yin, his anger unabated.

"I ordered the Bureau to protect these people and move them to a city here on Broken Cliff where other people live. It will give them a fresh start in life."

Cheng Feng's expression grew savage. "They're unworthy! I gave them a life without any hardship, but they betrayed me and don’t care at all about me. They don’t deserve your help. You may help them now, but they'll eventually just betray you as well."

"Then what do you want to happen to them?" Lu Yin asked.

"Kill them! I must kill all of them!" Cheng Feng growled.

"You will never get the chance," Lu Yin retorted.

Cheng Feng’s hands clenched into fists so tight that blood dripped and his wounds reopened. "Give me the chance to kill them. I must kill them and make them part of the village again. I need to rebuild the village."

Lu Yin frowned. This man had completely abandoned his humanity already. Cheng Feng might not be a corpse king, but he was already more terrifying than any corpse king.

"I can only offer you the chance to live and not die. As for whether you'll ever get the chance to do what you want, that will have to be up to you."

Cheng Feng had started trembling from his uncontrollable rage. His eyes darted about, never holding still for a single moment. "Fine! Give me the chance to survive."

He glared at the departing villagers. Given the chance, he would annihilate all of these people. To him, they were ungrateful beasts, and they did not deserve to live.

"If you want to live, then tell me what I want to know. Pay for your life," Lu Yin said indifferently.

Cheng Feng's eyes narrowed, still incessantly darting about. Finally, he uttered two words: Knowledge Nexus.

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