Star Odyssey

Chapter 2681: Murderous Case

Xiao Hai's eyes grew large as he looked at the display, and he quickly answered the incoming call, asking, "Who is this?"

"We’ve already done business before, but that’s still the question you always ask." Xiao Hai heard a voice come through, but it was a synthetic voice that made it impossible to determine the gender of the speaker, as well as any other defining characteristic. It was the same voice that Xiao Hai always used when selling information to clients.

Xiao Hai's face turned pale. He had already determined the caller’s location, but he had no idea who was calling him. This person was a complete mystery.

In the past, Lu Yin had not known the identity of the information broker, which had made it impossible for Lu Yin to find the person, or even contact them. That was why Lu Yin had had to use Luo Lao'er to contact the information broker. Xiao Hai had already figured out that he was being called by whoever had been using Luo Lao’er, but that was all. The two’s roles had reversed. Now, Lu Yin was cloaked in mystery, while Xiao Hai did not know who he was communicating with.

It was impossible for Xiao Hai to hide from Lu Yin in the Transcendent Universe, and it was also impossible for the man to determine Lu Yin’s identity.

"What do you want?" Xiao Hai asked, feeling both awkward and nervous. However, he felt no fear. He was speaking with someone who knew that he was an information broker, but Xiao Hai’s business had not been exposed yet. There was only one possible explanation: Xiao Hai was needed, and because of that, there was room to negotiate.

Lu Yin smiled. "I need information on spies."

A long time later, the displays of the two communication crystals went dark.

Xiao Hai wiped the sweat from his forehead as his eyes darted about. Could he have been discovered by someone from the You family?

The Bureau cared the most about information regarding spies, and the You family led the Transcendent Universe’s Bureau. Thus, if Xiao Hai had been found by a member of the You family, then whoever had attacked the hidden research facility and set Cloudflow free seemed to most likely be a member of the You family.

If the You family was taking these kinds of actions, could they be targeting He Ran?

Xuan Qi did not even occur as a possibility to Xiao Hai, as the You family had already driven Xuan Qi out of the Transcendent Universe. Thus, he was no longer affiliated with the Transcendent Universe’s Bureau. For this reason, the only possibility that occurred to Xiao Hai was the You family.

However, the moment that Lu Yin used the information he received from Xiao Hai to arrest spies, the information broker would naturally leap to the conclusion that Xuan Qi had been the one who had attacked the hidden research facility.

Lu Yin had no intention of going out and arresting the spies right away. Even though he had received a great deal of information about spies from Xiao Hai, none of them were that important. Either Xiao Hai was keeping the most valuable information to himself, or he was unable to uncover such sensitive information.

Lu Yin decided to wait until Xiao Hai was no longer of use, and then extract everything the man knew in person.

There were hidden currents surging throughout the entire Transcendent Universe, and no one knew what would happen next.

The fact that the You family had put its hand into the competition between He Ran and Bai Qian had caused even the Ruling Council to be split in two, and everyone was waiting for the next big event.

Even Lu Yin was no exception.

However, what Lu Yin received was not news from the Transcendent Universe, but rather an invitation from the Arboreal Realm’s Bureau.

The Director of the Arboreal Realm’s Bureau, Director Gan, had personally invited Xuan Qi to visit the Arboreal Realm and help them capture spies. This invitation badly confused Lu Yin, as he had never expected to receive an invitation from the Arboreal Realm at this juncture.

After all, Lu Yin had asked the Transcendent Universe’s Bureau to invite him, and the Three Monarchs Universe had only invited him because Monarch Luo wanted to uncover Xiao Hai’s identity. But for the Arboreal Realm, Lu Yin had done nothing to trigger an invitation from them.

The Bureau's status in the Sixverse Association was rather awkward, and Lu Yin had never heard anything about the Arboreal Realm’s Bureau being an exception to that rule or that they were dedicated to capturing spies.

Not only had Lu Yin received a completely unprompted invitation that had nothing to do with any of his efforts, the invitation had been sent by the Director of the Arboreal Realm’s Bureau himself.

On top of that, the invitation had not even been delivered to Xuan Qi, but rather to Xu Wuji, who had brought it to Lu Yin.

"Why did Bureau Director Gan invite me?" Lu Yin was caught completely off guard.

Xu Wuji was also quite puzzled. "I don't understand this Gan person at all. He’s broken through and became a powerful cultivator the last hundred years, and has not been to the Endless Frontier more than a couple times, which is quite strange."

Lu Yin frowned. Was it possible that Bureau Director Gan was connected to the Liberation Palace?

One of Xuan Qi’s very few connections to the Arboreal Realm was the innate gift of space that he had acquired through his arboreal transformation. Even Mu Ke had taken an interest in Xuan Qi after that, though once Lu Yin joined the Voidforce Universe under his alias, the Arboreal Realm's interest had faded away. In fact, Mu Sanye had never even bothered seeking Lu Yin out again.

The only other connection that Lu Yin had with the Arboreal Realm was the master of the Liberation Palace, Mr. Daheng. However, there was absolutely no way for Mr. Daheng to have made the connection between Chen Le and Xuan Qi, and the Peaks and Rivers rock had been given to Monarch Luo. Mr. Daheng was interested in that stone, not Chen Le himself, which made that connection impossible.

Could this invitation truly be nothing more than a coincidence?

Regardless of whether that was the case, Lu Yin had no intention of visiting the Arboreal Realm.

He was afraid of meeting Mu Ke, as such a meeting would expose his Mask of Death again, and then Lu Yin would have to offer another explanation for his hidden identity. If he could not provide an adequate excuse, he could end up in serious trouble.

Lu Yin asked Xu Wuji to help him decline the invitation from the Arboreal Realm’s Bureau with the excuse that his recent experience in the Transcendent Universe had disillusioned him about cooperating with other universes’ Bureau branches.

Xu Wuji patted Xuan Qi’s shoulder. "The You family really went too far. They reached out and asked for your assistance, but then believed the rumors that you led Monarch Luo to their Ziyou Realm to attack them. How could that be possible? Everyone can clearly tell that He Ran was responsible for that. Damn, we’ll remember this, and I’ll help you get revenge if the chance ever appears!"

"Thank you, Bureau Director," Lu Yin said gratefully.

Xu Wuji nodded. "In that case, I’ll turn down Bureau Director Gan’s invitation. In fact, it's fine if you don’t ever visit the Arboreal Realm. That universe is very complicated, and it has also been around for a very long time. Things there are not any better than in the Transcendent Universe. It would be best for you to just stay here in the Voidforce Universe where you can be safe until you become a Void Suprema yourself.

“Actually, you shouldn’t even return to the Three Monarchs Universe."

That’s impossible. Lu Yin quickly replied, "Senior Chen Le has taken very good care of me, and he even trusts me completely. I don't want to let him down."

Xu Wuji said, "It’s your decision, but if you get bullied, just tell me, and I’ll stand up for you. Also," Suddenly, Xu Wuji grew incredibly somber, and he stared intently at Lu Yin, confusing the young man.

"Why haven’t you been wearing your Wuji glasses?"

Lu Yin laughed dryly. "I forgot. I just forgot."

His fingers relaxed. He had nearly pulled out the slipper, thinking that his real identity had been discovered.

***

Finally, the Transcendent Universe erupted.

A few days after Lu Yin turned down the Arboreal Realm branch of the Bureau’s invitation to visit and assist them, the You family suddenly started making their move, and it started with them swaying members of the Ruling Council.

Originally, a third of the Ruling Council had supported Bai Qian, but with the You family’s efforts, that group had risen to about half.

He Ran instantly reacted, but no matter what she did, she could not compare to the influence of the You family. Fewer and fewer members of the Ruling Council were willing to support He Ran, and everyone was shocked by You family's abilities.

In fact, the family’s uncharacteristic behavior confused countless people, as the You family’s actions ran completely contrary to what people expected. It was though the You family had bared their fangs.

He Ran was stunned by the You family's sudden attack, and she did not know how to respond, other than to enact that plan.

"Bai Qian still won’t reveal herself?" He Ran looked incredibly upset, but even so, her features were still perfect and captivating to any who looked at her.

He Shu replied, "We’ve done everything we can think of, but Bai Qian still refuses to come out. Even the members of the Ruling Council who purposely defected to You family’s side haven’t been able to get her to reveal herself, and the same goes for Tu Ke. She simply won’t reveal herself, no matter what happens. The You family should be behind this, and they’ve likely already made their preparations.”

He Ran clenched her fists. The suppression that she had suffered over the recent months made her want to scream out of frustration. She felt completely powerless.

She had not initially cared about the You family’s actions, as they would only occasionally test He Ran. However, the moment the family revealed their true strength, He Ran had been rendered helpless.

She regretted her earlier actions. If she had known that this was how everything would turn out, she would have never acted against the You family at all.

"Sister, even if Bai Qian is cooperating with the You family, it is impossible for her to win, as you have Lord Wei behind you. Given this situation, there’s no need for us to take any risks," He Shu cautioned.

He Ran angrily retorted, "What do you know? Is the You family an ordinary family? It’s a monster that, together with Lord Wei, is responsible for the Transcendent Universe’s current state. No one knows for sure what sort of strength they may be hiding. If the You family is determined to support Bai Qian, then even Lord Wei himself may have to show them some face.

"How many years has it been? Every generation that passes enters this same competition, and Bai Qian and I are the ninety third generation of this competition. Lord Wei does not care about me or Bai Qian, but he does care about the You family. Even if he does not like the cooperation between Bai Qian and the You family, as long as the You family pays the price, it is not difficult for Lord Wei to sacrifice someone like me."

He Shu gritted his teeth and firmed his determination. His eyes turned hard. "I will try again, and this time, I will definitely lure her out!"

The only reason why He Shu had any status at all was due to He Ran; without her, he would have nothing. Given the choices, why would he care about Bai Qian?

He Ran felt weak, and she put a hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

He Shu said nothing and merely stood there.

"Uncle Mo, how many members of the Ruling Council still support me?" He Ran asked in a calm voice.

Uncle Mo stepped out. "Exactly twelve members."

He Ran’s eyes opened back up. "We’ve nearly reached the end of this battle, and no matter how I look at it, if those people had not turned against me, I definitely would have won."

He Shu shrugged. The moment the You family had taken action, nearly half of the Ruling Council had turned on He Ran. How was it possible to ensure that the Ruling Council would support her?

"Uncle Mo, let's go." He Ran seemed to have silently come to a decision.

Uncle Mo's eyes grew cold. "Yes."

A few days later, news spread in an explosive manner, and the entire Sixverse Association was stunned, including You Fang.

Many members of the Transcendent Universe’s Ruling Council had been murdered. In fact, every last member of the Ruling Council who had turned to the You family or otherwise supported Bai Qian had been killed. Only a single person who had fled to the You family for protection had survived.

Ten members of the Ruling Council had died, and the ground was stained with their blood.

It was an unprecedented slaughter.

On the surface, the Ruling Council ruled the Transcendent Universe as the masters of the place. They decided all matters that concerned the entire universe, making them a lofty, untouchable group. Despite that, half of them had been killed.

He Ran was also acknowledged as the one responsible for the ten deaths.

Every single person who had died had followed the You family when they announced their support for Bai Qian, so who else but He Ran could be responsible for the murders?

He Ran did not deny anything, though to be more accurate, Uncle Mo was the guilty party. The purpose of these deaths was to demonstrate that whoever betrayed He Ran would die.

She needed to have complete control over the next thirteen members who joined the Ruling Council, as she needed the council’s unanimous support to retain a chance of winning.

The final decision of the competition between He Ran and Bai Qian was up to the Ruling Council. No matter what the You family did, the Ruling Council alone made the decision, and not even the You family could change that.

The thirteen people who remained on the council all supported He Ran, and among them was Tu Ke. He had stopped pretending to support Bai Qian, as He Ran wanted everyone to know that Tu Ke also belonged to her.

He Ran had overturned the game board by completely ignoring what the other people in the Transcendent Universe thought of her.

As for You Fang, the man praised He Ran’s decision. "The woman’s pretty good. She’s ruthless—ruthless and decisive. No wonder Lord Wei favors her. Not only does she have a truly perfect appearance, but she's also quite capable."

Yu Lele frowned, as she was feeling quite frustrated. "You’re actually admiring her? We don’t have anyone on the Ruling Council now, so how are we supposed to get Bai Qian to win?"

You Fang laughed. "Whoever wins or loses isn’t something that we need to concern ourselves with. These murders are enough to draw the ruler out. I want to see what he intends to do now."

"What do you think Lord Wei will do to He Ran?" You Lele asked, her eyes sparkling.

You Fang shook his head. "I can’t say how he will deal with this matter, but I do know that he cares little for the members of the Ruling Council, and their lives or deaths don’t matter to him. What matters is He Ran herself. Her beauty and act of rage will only make Lord Wei to appreciate her even more. However, as long as he appears, we are following the right path. Soon, Lord Wei will come to our Ziyou Realm. He Ran is the key to exposing Lord Wei to us."

"What about Bai Qian?" You Lele asked again.

You Fang was unconcerned. "She’s nothing but a tool. With or without her, nothing changes. She only serves to better highlight He Ran's value."

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