Star Odyssey

Chapter 2690: Lu Yin And He Ran

In Aeternus Nation, Lu Yin took out a Zenith Mountain and released He Ran.

She looked around but was unable to recognize where she was at all.

"Who are you?" He Ran turned back to look at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin regained his original appearance. "The Heavens Sect’s Lu Yin."

He Ran's expression completely changed. From the moment she had been captured, she had started making guesses as to Xuan Qi’s true identity, but she had never even considered that he might be Lu Yin. "Are you the Origin Universe’s Dao Monarch? That Lu Yin?"

Lu Yin smiled. "Good to see you again, Sister Ran."

He Ran smiled, but it was a self-deprecating, bitter smile. She realized that she had been outplayed from the very beginning. Zi Jing had been deliberately captured from the Origin Universe, and it had all been so that Lu Yin could be captured with her and taken into the Sixverese Association. All along, the Sixverse Association had been played by Lu Yin.

Luckily for the Origin Universe, the Sixverse Association had always looked down on the Origin Universe and believed that the Heavens Sect was nothing more than a frog in the well. Another stroke of luck for Lu Yin was that He Ran had never cared about the Origin Universe’s Dao Monarch. Because of all this, Lu Yin himself had stood before her on multiple occasions and played her like a fiddle.

How many people throughout the Sixverse Association had been deceived? How many of them were peak powerhouses?

He Ran remembered all that she had said to Xuan Qi and all that she had done to him. Her condescension looked so ridiculous in hindsight. She had thought that Xuan Qi was an idiot that she was manipulating, but in reality, she was the fool being manipulated.

As more and more of their past interactions played out in her mind, the deeper the red flush on He Ran’s face. The more she thought about all that had happened, the deeper the hate in her eyes as she glared at Lu Yin.

The woman was a perfect specimen; her face and body were impeccable, and her personality, temperament, and intelligence could not be faulted either. However, this perfection was completely shattered by the man before her. He must have been laughing at her from beginning to end. Everyone with him must have been laughing at her.

Lu Yin observed He Ran's changing expressions and complimented her, "It’s definitely the right decision to make you my Heavens Sect’s mascot. You’re so beautiful that keeping you will be worth it."

He Ran glared at Lu Yin angrily. "You’re mocking me!"

Lu Yin retorted, "I'm trying to find an excuse to keep you."

He Ran stared at Lu Yin. She wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

She had nothing left. She was in a place where Uncle Mo could never find her, and her greatest protection had always been Lord Wei, but that man had fallen. The You family's plan had been flawless, and because of that, He Ran had lost everything.

She felt taken by despair. She had no idea how to go on.

"Why did you capture me?" He Ran asked, dejection filling her tone.

Lu Yin replied, "I already told you, I’m going to make you my sect’s mascot. You really are beautiful, and it would be a shame for you to die."

He Ran felt incredibly bitter; was he really just going to use her as a mascot?

"Of course, if you can be of use in other ways, go ahead and tell me. It’s always better to increase your value to others than to become useless. For example, sharing Zi Jing's location," Lu Yin said.

Lu Yin truly did not know how He Ran could be of any use to him. The woman had been nothing more than a caged sparrow raised by Lord Wei. She was beautiful beyond any other, but she truly had no use beyond that. It was true that she was somewhat clever and scheming, and she could also be ruthless, decisive, and insightful. However, she was no longer in the Transcendent Universe, and all of her abilities were useless in the Origin Universe.

He Ran bitterly replied, "I don't know where Zi Jing is. All I know is that it’s a parallel universe where time flows at a different speed. No one knows how to get there aside from the senior researcher and Lord Wei."

"Then you really are worthless," Lu Yin said casually.

He Ran felt quite depressed, but with Lord Wei dead, who would help her?

She had never been much of a cultivator herself, and her only real value was her knowledge of the Transcendent Universe and her connections there, as well as whatever resources she might have. There was nothing more.

The truth was that a large part of the reason why Lu Yin had captured He Ran was because of the woman’s belief in her own superiority. He felt a need to shatter that arrogance.

Bai Qian's words still had an impact on Lu Yin. Seeing a woman who had believed herself to be a goddess above the nine heavens being brought low by him gave him great pleasure.

There were more ways of desecrating perfection than mere physical violence.

At this moment, He Ran needed to work hard to improve her own value. This was also a form of desecration, as Lu Yin had knocked a goddess down into the mortal world.

He Ran could not know Lu Yin’s thoughts, and her own mind was focused on what she should do. She did not want to die, but she also did not want to live a life of humiliation. On top of that...

She looked back at Lu Yin. This person must have had that in mind when he captured her, and she remained utterly confident in that regard. After all, who did not enjoy looking at her?

This man must also have such desires, but he was still the Dao Monarch of the Origin Universe’s Heavens Sect, which essentially made him the ruler of the Origin Universe, making him nearly Lord Wei’s equal. Such a man was undoubtedly worthy of He Ran, but she could not allow herself to be easily taken advantage of.

The more she thought about this, the more she felt it was the right path to take, and He Ran even felt like she had seen through Lu Yin's thoughts. The next moment, she knew what to do.

A person who was in control of everything looked down on the weak. What was needed was someone who could actually help them.

Thinking of this, He Ran took a deep breath and pushed aside her complicated thoughts. Her entire demeanor transformed, and she looked at Lu Yin with cold eyes. "What do you want?"

Lu Yin was caught off guard. Just a moment ago, this woman had been nervous, angry, and even scared. What had caused such a sudden change in her? Her demeanor had reverted back to how she had acted when sitting atop her stairs, and even the coldness had returned to her eyes.

This sudden change confused Lu Yin. Was He Ran really that mentally tough? That was actually a reasonable assumption, as how could someone without a strong mind be able to raise up a powerhouse like Uncle Mo? How else could He Ran have ever stood against the You family?

However, the stronger He Ran’s mind, the stronger Lu Yin’s urge to conquer her. "Once you’re in the Heavens Sect and acting as the mascot, you'd better show some additional value, or else you won’t keep that position for very long."

He Ran inwardly sneered. It was all too clear to her that Lu Yin wanted to scare her into throwing herself at him with his words, and it was possible that everything that he said was nothing more than a test. However, it was too childish and amateurishly done.

He Ran’s cold demeanor and arrogance that had just returned reminded Lu Yin of when he had first met her sitting atop the stairs.

Lu Yin found this change fascinating, and he stared at He Ran. This temperament perfectly matched his Heavens Sect.

Lu Yin then took He Ran to the Heavens Sect and arrived next to the cauldron. "Just stay here as a mascot. When you have nothing to do, just smile."

He was just about to leave when he remembered something. “Right, I forgot to mention that Bai Qian is also one of my people.”

With that, he left.

His final words threw He Ran’s mind into chaos, and her arrogance instantly vanished. She stared at the stairs leading up through the Heavens Sect in a daze.

Bai Qian was also one of Lu Yin’s people?

Had he started scheming against the Transcendent Universe so long ago?

Could he have planned to have Bai Qian be selected by Lord Wei to compete with He Ran?

No, that was impossible, absolutely impossible. No one could discern Lord Wei’s thoughts.

But then, why was Bai Qian one of Lu Yin’s people? Was it just a coincidence? That was even more of an impossibility. He Ran refused to believe in such a miraculous coincidence.

Lu Yin's final words caused He Ran's expression to change greatly, which gave him a great deal of satisfaction. No matter how the woman acted, she was still human. She was not a true goddess or some emotionless deity. From this point forwards, she would be nothing more than a mascot, though Lu Yin would have to be cautious whenever people from the Cyclic Universe visited, and he would have to prevent them from recognizing He Ran.

He Ran’s arrival in the Heavens Sect instantly created a great deal of excitement.

After all, she possessed a level of beauty that could move even Lu Yin, let alone others.

The moment she arrived next to the cauldron, countless people started to stare at her. People who had never visited the Heavens Sect used various excuses to come and see her.

He Ran remained calm and relaxed, and she completely ignored everyone’s words as she remained standing beside the cauldron. Her appearance contrasted sharply with the Origin Progenitor’s statue at the top of the stairs.

Lu Yin looked down from the Heavens Sect’s main hall. He Ran had already attracted the attention of countless people, just as he had anticipated.

"Um, chess piece- no, sir- no, Lord Dao Monarch." Wang Wen walked over to Lu Yin with a greedy look on his face. "So, um, I’m not young anymore, so, um, I think that woman is pretty good... Give her to me, and I’ll make sure to treat her well."

Lu Yin arched a brow. "Where’s Qiqi?"

Wang Wen blinked. "What Qiqi?"

"I'll go talk to the Sea King."

Wang Wen was so terrified by the threat that he instantly fled.

Chu Yuan arrived next. While Lu Yin had been spending his time in the Sixverse Association, Chu Yuan’s cultivation had improved very quickly. He had risen from a three-tribulation Envoy to a five-tribulation Envoy, and he truly deserved to have been the First Mainland’s Dao Chosen during the Heavens Sect era. He was incredibly powerful for his level, as well as among his peers. No matter if one considered his battle techniques, secret techniques, or innate gift, every aspect of the man’s strength was nearly impossible to match. On top of that, his mentality had improved, which had only strengthened him even further.

"That woman suits me very well" was the first thing that Chu Yuan said when he saw Lu Yin.

Lu Yin was left speechless. "And?"

Chu Yuan continued somberly, "And I think that we would produce excellent offspring."

"Stay away from her," Lu Yin warned.

Chu Yuan was beyond arrogant, and he had not taken even Lu Yin seriously for a long time. However, He Ran was even more arrogant. Just what sort of child would be raised by these two people? Lu Yin could not even imagine such a thing.

After Chu Yuan, Long Yun visited Lu Yin. This man from the Sword Sect was usually laid back and rather cynical, but he had fallen in love with He Ran at first sight.

His visit also resulted in him being sent away by Lu Yin.

After that, Little Mountain God flew over, followed by Kuang Qang and Da Qiu. Even Ku Wei sent messages to Lu Yin despite being far away in the Astral Beast Domain

When Xi Qi arrived so that the horrible fish could offer a marriage proposal, Lu Yin finally exploded.

Even the rude fish wanted He Ran! The fish had to be sick in the head.

For the first time, Lu Yin lost his temper at the fish, and after telling the fish off, Lu Yin arranged to have someone send Xi Qi to the Astral Beast Domain, while Ku Wei was ordered to teach the fish a lesson. The fish needed to fully understand the severity of its mistake.

"Lord Fish requires a beautiful two-legged beast! If you dare to talk back to Lord Fish like that familiar two-legged beast, you will regret it!"

Tears filled Xi Qi's eyes. She did not want to go to the Astral Beast Domain.

Lu Yin was stunned by everyone’s reactions. He Ran was simply too beautiful; had it been a mistake to make her the sect’s mascot?

"Young Master." Master Shan arrived and offered a deep, respectful bow.

Lu Yin looked over at the man. "How have you been?"

In order to deal with Nutjob Lu, Master Shan and others had triggered their stellular tribulations in front of the Lu Sanctum’s treasury in order to block Bai Wangyuan and the other Progenitors from the four ruling powers. They had done this even though, after many years of being imprisoned, it had become impossible for Master Shan or the others to ever pass their stellular tribulations and become Progenitors. They had triggered their tribulations expecting to die, just to be able to protect Lu Yin.

Master Shan smiled. "My condition is nothing serious, Young Master. You don’t need to worry yourself."

Lu Yin raised a hand and showed a black energy converter to the old man. "Place this by your heart and use the black energy that it contains. This will give you the power to face off against even Progenitors. Given your defenses, Master Shan, I believe that you will be able to protect the Heavens Sect."

Master Shan grew large as he stared at the black energy converter in shock. "Such a thing exists?"

For the people of the Origin Universe, the Transcendent Universe’s energy converters were an unimaginable source of strength. These energy converters offered a shortcut to reaching the Progenitor level, which was something that no one had ever imagined to be possible.

Lu Yin had similarly been unable to believe that energy converters were real when he had first come into contact with the Transcendent Universe, but he had since become accustomed to the idea.

Master Shan was the most suitable person to use the black energy converter that Lu Yin had acquired. To begin with, the man’s loyalty was without question. He had been willing to sacrifice his life for Lu Yin by facing a stellular tribulation unprepared. On top of that, he was perfectly suited as a guardian. At his peak, he had been known as the Semi-Progenitor with the strongest defenses.

As for Lu Buzheng and the other Semi-Progenitors of the Heavens Sect, they were making their own preparations to become Progenitors, and giving them a black energy converter would be a bad idea, as easily acquired power could lead them astray on their path of cultivation.

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