Star Odyssey

Chapter 2665: Dominance

Ke Jian could not provide Xuan Qi with an explanation, and he instead simply answered, "Regardless, Zi Jing can't meet anyone right now. Still, I can assure you that she is absolutely safe. Even if you don't trust us, you should have confidence in yourself. Madam He Ran absolutely takes your influence into consideration, as you are like a younger brother to her."

Lu Yin let out a breath. "I understand."

Ke Jian said, "Xuan Qi, rest assured, the next time you see Zi Jing, she will be completely different, to the point that the transformation will shock you. That’s truly all I can say, and honestly even I don't know where she is. All I can share with you is what Madam He Ran told me."

Lu Yin sighed in resignation. "So Zi Jing will not be able to meet with anyone for now, is that right?"

Ke Jian nodded.

"Do you want me to speak to Gods’ Origin to try to get this trade to go through, Senior?" Lu Yin asked.

Ke Jian replied, "It doesn't have to be with Gods' Origin. It’s true that the Origin Universe is rich in resources, but the Heavens Sect is paying close attention to everything, and we want to keep a low profile. Thus, we are hoping that you can continue to leverage your connections with the Cloudview clan, Void Yang clan, and Void Yin clan so that we can purchase more resources from the Voidforce Universe. Given your influence in the Voidforce Universe, this should be a simple matter."

"Does the Voidforce Universe have all of the necessary resources?"

"A good number of them, but we’ll figure out a way to acquire the rest ourselves."

Lu Yin was aware that the Three Monarchs Universe had been selling materials to the Transcendent Universe, and with him pushing things, the Voidforce Universe had started doing the same. The Transcendent Universe was most likely negotiating with many other parallel universes so that they could secure all the materials that they needed.

"Alright, I understand. You can relax about this, Senior," Lu Yin agreed.

Ke Jian heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

After Ke Jian left, Lu Yin spent a long time thinking about their conversation. No matter what, he still felt the need to see Zi Jing, or at least confirm how she was doing.

When he had first come to the Sixverse Association, he had been forced to refer to many people as "Senior," but things had changed. Now, Xuan Qi was recognized and respected by many powerful people in the association.

The very next day, Lu Yin paid a visit to the Transcendent Universe. He found Ke Jian and asked the man to arrange a meeting with Madam He Ran.

Ke Jian felt rather puzzled. "You want to see Madam He Ran?"

Lu Yin just nodded.

The old man wanted to push for further information, but he decided against it. Xuan Qi had been addressing He Ran as Sister Ran for some time, and it was not Ke Jian’s place to question their relationship.

Ke Jian let Lu Yin to He Ran, who appeared delighted to see him. "Have you run into any problems? Tell Sister Ran about everything, and I will make sure to help you."

Lu Yin looked quite stressed, and confessed, "Sister Ran, your little brother's heart aches for Zi Jing."

After Hearing these words, Ke Jian’s expression changed, and He Ran also hesitated. She had already received a report from Ke Jian the day before, learning that Xuan Qi had agreed to set up additional transactions with various groups in the Voidforce Universe without asking to see Zi Jing. He Ran had assumed that the matter was settled, but surprisingly, Xuan Qi had paid her a visit to make the request in person.

"Ke Jian."

"At your service, Madam."

"Did you not disclose Zi Jing’s current situation to Little Brother Xuan Qi?" He Ran asked calmly. There was no hint as to whether she was happy or upset.

Ke Jian quickly answered, "I did indeed inform him."

He nervously glanced at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin chuckled. "Sister Ran, Senior Ke Jian did tell me about Zi Jing’s situation, but after thinking about it for a long time, I decided that I should meet her. No matter what, she is my woman, and seeing her would give me great peace."

He Ran responded with a gentle smile, "Little Brother, Zi Jing is currently in a critical juncture of her cultivation technology research, and she really cannot leave. If it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t have abandoned the abundant resources of the Origin Universe and chosen to trade with the Voidforce Universe. You must understand that this entire matter is extremely inconvenient for us, and it has even put us in a position where we can be easily targeted by those who wish to harm us. Even so, Zi Jing cannot leave where she is right now. What she is doing is simply too important."

Lu Yin lifted his head and stubbornly stared at He Ran. "Sister Ran, is Zi Jing alive or dead?"

He Ran's expression shifted the slightest bit.

Ke Jian sternly shouted, "Xuan Qi, how dare you!"

Even Uncle Mo stepped forward. He stared at Lu Yin, and an imposing aura descended.

The atmosphere fell into a heavy silence.

He Ran and Lu Yin stared at each other, each catching a glimpse of the coldness present in the other's eyes.

This was the first time that Lu Yin had revealed such behavior to the woman, and He Ran did not recognize this side of him.

She had seen this young man on many occasions, but the memory that had stuck with her the most had always been of their first meeting; bold and brash eyes had stared at her. If not for Bai Qian's intervention, he would have died then and there.

After that moment, Xuan Qi had become respectful and obedient, and He Ran had grown accustomed to his behavior, forgetting his initial insolence.

Despite gaining the backing of several peak powerhouses, Xuan Qi had continued to call her Sister Ran, and he had not once tried to go against her wishes. His evaluation from the Sixverse Academy had also been exceedingly high.

However, this brief exchange flew in the face of almost all their previous interactions, which was jarring for He Ran. She was strongly reminded of their first meeting, and it seemed like she was suddenly seeing the real Xuan Qi once again.

Ke Jian stared at Lu Yin, not recognizing the youth.

Uncle Mo also stared at Lu Yin, ready to suppress him, though the man also felt hesitant to do so.

Even a peak powerhouse was wary of Xuan Qi.

He Ran held an extraordinary status in the Transcendent Universe, but was Xuan Qi any less impressive in the Voidforce Universe?

After a prolonged silence, He Ran was actually the first to break, and she smiled at Lu Yin. "Little Brother, you're overthinking things."

Lu Yin’s stare and demeanor did not change the slightest bit. "Let me see Zi Jing, Sister Ran. I am very worried about her."

He Ran chuckled lightly, her perfect countenance dazzling Lu Yin, and he was reminded of Bai Qian's words: desecrating He Ran would be enough.

"Zi Jing is truly lucky to have as devoted a lover as you. Fine, I'll let her out just this once," He Ran stated.

Lu Yin expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Sister Ran."

"Wait at Fenghua Hill. I will have Uncle Mo bring her to you there," He Ran stated before having Ke Jian escort Xuan Qi to Fenghua Hill.

Once Lu Yin was gone, He Ran's expression hardened, and rage filled her eyes. "In the entire Sixverse Association, who dares to speak to me like that? Who dares to question me? If not for me, he would have died in the belly of that beast long ago!"

Uncle Mo's expression also fell. "Madam, that child cannot be brought to heel."

He Ran's eyes were glacial. If anyone but Xuan Qi had shown her such disrespect, they would already be dead. However, Xuan Qi was someone with a lofty status who enjoyed the support of multiple peak powerhouses. He was one of the most influential figures in the Voidforce Universe. Not even she could do anything to him.

"Uncle Mo, let news leak that the one who sold that information to Monarch Luo was Xuan Qi," He Ran ordered.

Uncle Mo's eyes lit up. "You are wise, Madam. The boy is part of the Bureau, so we can simply allow the You family to deal with him."

He Ran continued to say, "Treat this as a lesson for him. He thinks that he's grown wings and can look down on everyone, so let’s remind him of his roots. If I wanted to, I could have exposed the fact that he is from the Origin Universe, which will leave him with nothing at all."

Uncle Mo hurriedly interjected, "Madam, we can't do that! That would create trouble for Zi Jing as well."

"I know." He Ran had simply been venting. While leaking such information would indeed harm Xuan Qi, it would be similarly harmful to He Ran herself. It would be better for them to continue using each other while keeping the other in check. "Just you wait! Once my cultivation technology is successful, I will rewrite the history of the entire Sixverse Association. A mere Xuan Qi, hmph!"

...

Ke Jian led Lu Yin to Fenghua Hill and then left without a word.

The moment Lu Yin stood up to He Ran, it had become clear that their relationship would never return to its former amicable state, even if things had always been somewhat strained.

Fenghua Hill was a stunningly beautiful location. It appeared that He Ran had put a bit of thought into the place where Xuan Qi would reunite with Zi Jing.

Lu Yin stayed by a lake, and after several days of waiting, Uncle Mo delivered Zi Jing.

"The cultivation technology that she is researching is important to the entire Transcendent Universe. I hope that you won’t take offense, Acting Bureau Director," said Uncle Mo.

Lu Yin just nodded with a smile. "Thank you for your efforts, Uncle Mo."

Uncle Mo merely grunted before standing aside and looking away from the couple.

Lu Yin faced Zi Jing, and asked with open concern, "How are you?"

Zi Jing gave him a gentle smile. "I'm fine. You don’t need to worry."

Lu Yin let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear."

"Uncle Mo told me that you defied Madam He Ran just to be able to see me. You're being too impulsive," Zi Jing gently admonished.

Lu Yin immediately turned to Uncle Mo. "I apologize, Uncle Mo. I will apologize to Sister Ran in person later."

Uncle Mo just nodded with a smile, but he said nothing.

After that, Lu Yin and Zi Jing started to express their yearning for each other. Lu Yin spoke at length about how he had captured various spies, though Zi Jing mostly remained silent. She said nothing about her research into sequence particles or about the parallel universe with the accelerated flow of time.

However, Lu Yin already knew about all of that.

The two had their own coded conversation, which was a precaution against eavesdroppers.

Through this secret conversation, Lu Yin learned that the sequence particle research had reached a crucial step, as well as the fact that the Transcendent Universe had been hiding a parallel universe where time passed at a different speed. Learning this shocked Lu Yin.

His first thought was of Jiang Chen, who had once mentioned to Lu Yin that there were parallel universes where time flowed at different speeds. Apparently, there were even places where one glance could last a millennia. Jiang Chen had visited such universes before, which explained both his young age and immense power. The rabbit he was hunting had also been to such places.

Jiang Chen, that rabbit, and apparently Jiang Chen’s father all possessed the ability to freely travel between parallel universes.

Lu Yin had almost forgotten about that matter, but upon learning that the Transcendent Universe had access to one such parallel universe, his memory had been jogged. Now, he finally understood the significance of what Jiang Chen had said.

Lu Yin quickly decided to go to Earth and wait for Jiang Chen there. He needed to uncover Jiang Chen's secret.

The two chatted for quite a while before Zi Jing was taken away again by Uncle Mo. As for Lu Yin, he went to see He Ran.

"I apologize, Sister Ran. I shouldn't have doubted you," Lu Yin stated.

He Ran sighed. "It was unavoidable. That’s just how feelings are. Who can blame you when Zi Jing is your most important person?"

Lu Yin gave a bitter smile. "Sister Ran, you're just as important to me. Honestly."

"Hehe, alright, I believe you." He Ran looked pleased by the comment. "Zi Jing is at a critical stage in her cultivation technology research, and she really can’t be disturbed. You might not be able to see her for a while."

Lu Yin replied, "I'm no longer worried. Please take good care of her, Sister Ran."

He Ran smiled.

At this moment, Ke Jian arrived. "Madam, He Shu and Shao Qingfeng wish to see you."

He Ran was taken aback. "Why are they here?"

Lu Yin spoke up, "Sister Ran, I should go."

"You don’t need to worry. You all know each other from the Sixverse Academy, and I understand that you are friends. Besides, Little Shu would also like to see you."

Soon, Ke Jian led He Shu and Shao Qingfen

g in.

The two were surprised to see that Xuan Qi was already present.

"Brother Xuan Qi, I didn't expect to find you here," He Shu exclaimed in astonishment.

Wearing the same golden robe as ever, Shao Qingfeng looked at Xuan Qi with a rather conflicted expression. Xuan Qi had been in the limelight for some time now. He had crossed the Void Pass, captured important spies, and even stood up to Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples. Each successive accomplishment had caused his fame to increase throughout the entire Sixverse Association.

Lu Yin smiled. "It's been a long time."

"I was intending to look for you, but I never thought that I would run into you here. Brother Xuan Qi, I wonder, could I join the Bureau?" asked He Shu.

Lu Yin was caught off guard. "You want to join the Bureau?"

He Ran was also surprised. "Little Shu, you want to join the Bureau?"

He Shu replied, "Spies have caused too much harm to humanity. Seeing how skilled Brother Xuan Qi is at capturing them, I also wish to try."

Lu Yin laughed. "Very well, the Bureau happily welcomes you."

After just a few casual words, Lu Yin excused himself.

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