Star Odyssey

Chapter 1553: The Name of Zhu Tong

As Lu Yin passed by a restaurant, he suddenly saw someone he recognized. More accurately, it was someone Lu Yin knew, but who did not know Lu Yin: Xia Ru.action

Lu Yin felt a bit of excitement, and he entered the restaurant.

The city itself was just illuminated by a dim light, and only the insides of the buildings were bright.

Lu Yin sat down close to Xia Ru.

Before much time passed, a group of people arrived and sat down next to Xia Ru.

"There are orders from the sect that we return to the Middle Realm," one person complained.

Xia Ru frowned. "It's impossible for someone from the Lu family to want to go down to the Middle Realm. Does the sect really believe those rumors?"

"Of course not. The sect just thinks that people like us are useless!" One person slammed the table while angrily complaining.

"Don't talk like that." Someone else quickly tried to hush up his words.

Xia Ru sighed. "It’s hard for us to accomplish anything of note. The sect is too hard on branch families like ours. That kid from the Lu family’s arms and legs are already ruined, and he might even be dead. If we can find him, then we’d definitely become known throughout the entire Perennial World."

The others all fell silent.

"Still, if we look at it from the other direction, things aren’t too bad." Xia Ru suddenly changed topics and looked at the confusion in the eyes of his companions. After a moment, he continued in a more serious tone, "Don't forget, how long ago was it that the Lu family was exiled? Too many people still hold that family in high regard, and the Higher Realm and the Middle Realm have both been thrown into a mess because of those people. If we actually find that Lu bastard, would the Lu family’s supporters ever let us go?

"No one knows how many people among the Lu family's vassals and retainers survived, but there’s definitely an entire group in Star Alliance."

The people all glanced at each other. "Forget it. Since we’ve been ordered by the sect, we’ll just go back to the Middle Realm."

"It’s our only option."

Several people stood up from the table and moved to leave. Lu Yin looked over, still processing the information that he had learned from Zhu Xian. After a moment, he shouted at Xia Ru, "Second Uncle!"

Xia Ru and the others were momentarily stunned, but then they turned around and saw Lu Yin staring at them with excited eyes.

"Boy, what did you just say?" someone asked.

Lu Yin showed clear excitement as he walked up to Xia Ru. Several of the people in the group grew wary at his approach. "Second Uncle, is that you? Second Uncle?"

Xia Ru felt the need to ask, "Do we know each other?"

Lu Yin quickly replied, "Are you Xia Ru, the patriarch of the Blue Moon District branch of the Xia family?"

His eyes were full of both anxiety and anticipation.

Xia Ru was taken aback. "That is me, but you are…?"

Lu Yin grew more excited. "It's me, Second Uncle! I’m Zhu Tong! Zhu Xian’s my uncle, and you are his sworn brother. We met once before."

Xia Ru thought for a moment before suddenly remembering something and coming to a realization. "That child from back then? That Zhu Tong?"

Lu Yin eagerly nodded. "That’s me! Second Uncle, you actually remember me!"

Xia Ru was surprised. "Are you really Zhu Tong? You aren’t in the Middle Realm?"

"This little nephew came to the Higher Realm specifically to try to become a disciple of Shenwu’s Sky," Lu Yin explained.

Xia Ru nodded. He did not grow suspicious, as not many people knew about this detail, and more importantly, no one had any reason to pretend to be Zhu Xian's nephew. After a moment’s consideration, he introduced Lu Yin to his companions. “This is the nephew of my big brother, Zhu Xian. Little Tong, greet your seniors."

Lu Yin respectfully bowed to the older men. "Little nephew Zhu Tong greets the seniors."

The little group nodded, but no one really spoke, as all of them were in a bad mood.

Xia Ru was not particularly concerned with their situation. He had traveled to the Island of Hope in an attempt to form a connection with Xia Shenfei but failed. He had then traveled to the Higher Realm, only to be ordered back to the Middle Realm. By now, he had become used to disappointment.

"Little Tong, since you became a disciple of Shenwu’s Sky, what are you doing here?" Xia Ru asked. The people with him all sat back down again.

When it came to Zhu Xian, even though Xia Ru intended to use his sworn brother, the man put on a show of doing a good job. Even worse, Xia Ru was ignorant as to the relationship between his own wife and Zhu Xian.

Lu Yin felt pity for the man, as he was an unknowing cuckold. "Your little nephew wanted to be accepted into Shenwu’s Sky, but…"

Over the course of half an hour, Lu Yin created an image of himself as a tragic young man who worked hard on his cultivation, had a bit of talent, but possessed terrible luck. There were too many cultivators in the same situation in the Perennial World, and Xia Ru and the others were familiar with many similar stories. For this reason, they looked at Lu Yin with sympathy and understanding, and a few even grew slightly emotional as they listened to the youth’s story, as it closely mirrored their own youthful ambitions.

Xia Ru patted Lu Yin’s shoulder. "Child, you’ve already suffered enough, and you’re alone here in the Higher Realm."

Lu Yin responded with a determined voice, "This little nephew needs to stand out from the rest of the crowd! I will one day become an Envoy and build up the reputation of my Zhu family. No matter how hard it may be or how tired I become, this little nephew will never stop trying!"

Xia Ru praised the youth, "Well said."

The others similarly grew a bit more comfortable after hearing Lu Yin’s last proclamation. "Brother Xia, your nephew is quite ambitious."

"That’s true. Brother Xia, I think that you should take him into your Xia family and train him yourself. You might even be able to get him a position in Shenwu's Sky with the quotas provided to your Blue Moon District branch of the Xia family."

Lu Yin looked at Xia Ru with great excitement.

Xia Ru considered the matter for a bit. “You can give it a try.”

He had no intention of deceiving the youth with false hope. The Xia family had many branch families, but how many of them were actually able to send anyone to Shenwu’s Sky in a given year? It all depended on one’s talent. If this Zhu Tong was truly talented as well as ambitious, it was not impossible for him to gain a position in Shenwu’s Sky. They did recruit youths from all of the branch families, and if Zhu Tong was able to qualify, Xia Ru would also be rewarded.

"Little Tong, why don’t you return to the Middle Realm with me for now? Maybe even meet with your uncle?" Xia Ru softly suggested.

Lu Yin respectfully answered, "I’ll ask Second Uncle to make all the arrangements."

Xia Ru was very satisfied with the attitude that Lu Yin displayed, and his companions were happy with what they saw as well. Before long, the group started making their way towards the Cloud Shuttle.

Even though Xia Ru was only a patriarch of a branch family of the Xia family, he was still a patriarch and a true disciple of Shenwu’s Sky. Given such an identity, no one dared to create any trouble for him as he proceeded towards the Cloud Shuttle. Besides, everyone had been told that Lu Yin’s limbs had been destroyed, and who would believe that a member of Xia Ru’s group was Lu Yin? Nobody would believe that, not only had Lu Yin fully recovered, but that he had also hidden himself within the Xia family.

Xia Ru led the way, which made their progress much smoother. After just a few days, the Cloud Shuttle entered their sights.

"Brother Xia, Humility's Gate is growing more and more bold! They are actually blocking our path and forcing us to go around them!" someone complained angrily.

Xia Ru replied, "Humility's Gate is different from my four ruling powers. They are unconcerned with the ruler of the Perennial World, and that survivor of the Lu family has contributed far too much to Humility’s Gate.

"Fortunately, the commander was never able to accept him as a disciple, as that would have created even more trouble."

"The Lu family is the Lu family, and Lu Xiaoxuan was also one of the Seven Heroes back then. After returning, he’s amazed the entire Perennial World. He single-handedly fought off four Envoys. People like you and I would have no chance of survival if we ran into him. The only reason why I even dared to try to search for him was because he was seriously wounded. I actually hope that he’s already dead, because if he’s not, things will only get worse in the future."

"Don't worry, the four ruling powers have already stabilized their rule over the Perennial World. Even a survivor of the Lu family will not be able to make any real waves or cause serious problems."

Lu Yin quietly listened as the older men spoke about the current situation. He never commented even once, as his current identity was that of a youth who did not qualify to interject in his elders’ conversation.

Lu Yin looked up ahead at the distant Cloud Shuttle. There was a veritable net of people in place across the ground and throughout the sky. Even though the Semi-Progenitors were all still fighting, things were not over just yet. Lu Yin believed that those monsters had also made arrangements to keep humanity’s Progenitors occupied. However, there was no shortage of Envoys.

And any Envoy could see through Lu Yin’s disguise.

He only hoped that he would be able to successfully slip through to the Middle Realm by traveling with Xia Ru.

However, Lu Yin had still underestimated the four ruling powers' determination to capture him.

Xia Ru and the people with him led Lu Yin to just outside the Cloud Shuttle. There, Lu Yin learned that everyone who wished to travel to the Middle Realm needed to be individually searched, and even their cosmic rings needed to be turned over to be examined. Security was tight and strict.

Everyone was absolutely certain that Lu Yin had already lost his arms and legs, but despite that, the four ruling powers had still set up an extremely strict security checkpoint, all to make sure that Lu Yin did not have even the slightest crack to slip through.

"Child, they need you to take everything out of your cosmic ring and show it to them in just a bit, so don't make any trouble," Xia Ru reminded Lu Yin.

Lu Yin nodded. "Don't worry, Second Uncle."

Xia Ru turned back around, completely content with Lu Yin’s attitude. The youth was respectful, and admiration could also be seen in his eyes. The youth could be very useful, though, unfortunately, Zhu Tong was not Xia Ru’s true nephew.

"Brother Xia, where did the child go?" one of Xia Ru’s companions asked.

"Isn't he right behind me?"

He turned around; where had Zhu Tong disappeared to?

Some distance away, Lu Yin kept his distance from the Cloud Shuttle while considering hiding and leaving once things relaxed, or even finding another way to leave the Higher Realm. Just as he was thinking about his options, he felt the danger field of a sourcebox surround him. This was not good!

"Someone’s trying to escape! Get them!" There was a stern shout, and everyone turned to look at Lu Yin, including Xia Ru and his companions. All of them looked angry; why was Zhu Tong making trouble at a time like this?

Several people moved over to arrest Lu Yin, and he replied by lifting his hand. He did not release a Vacuum Palm, but rather released a wave of pure power that caused his surroundings to tremble and sent his would-be captors flying.

Xia Ru was startled, as neither he nor any of his companions had expected the youth traveling with them to possess such strength. It was at this moment that Xia Ru suddenly felt that something was wrong. Given Zhu Tong's age, how could he possibly possess such strength? He had just sent Enlighters flying!

Lu Yin stepped forward and fled.

"This old man wants to see just who is trying to escape!" A loud voice erupted, and an indescribable spiritual force attack shot out. Lu Yin's eyes focused. He was a master of spiritual force himself, so he looked up and took the attack head-on. His body swayed, but fortunately, he was able to endure the attack. His opponent was only a one-tribulation Envoy.

An old man stood in the void, shocked by the outcome. "You actually managed to block this old man's attack?"

Lu Yin put on his universal armor and stepped forward. He tore through the void and entered the true universe.

The old man was startled. "It's the Lu bastard!"

When considering cultivators below the Envoy realm, just who was capable of entering the true universe? The four ruling powers’ Junior Progenitors were capable of doing so briefly, but they were literally the most outstanding geniuses of their entire generation. Other than those four, Lu Yin was the only other possibility.

No one had even considered that Lu Yin might not be seriously injured when, in reality, his strength had not fallen in the slightest.

The moment Lu Yin entered the true universe, he knew that he would be exposing himself. However, he had no choice but to do his best to escape as quickly as possible. He still remembered how Long Kui had managed to quickly travel to the Middle Realm, and the four ruling powers definitely had a hidden way of traveling to the Middle Realm from the Higher Realm. Perhaps he could take advantage of that.

"Bastard, die!" The old man appeared in the true universe as well, and he raised a hand to attack. Lu Yin prepared to retaliate when the old man’s expression suddenly and drastically changed. The stellular energy within his body was ripped away from him, terrifying him. “No, I’ve been exposed!"

He did not mean that his identity had been exposed, but rather that his presence had been revealed to the true universe.

Lu Yin then remembered that someone had once told him that Envoys could not fight in the true universe without any restrictions, especially when it came to using stellular energy. They had to keep their stellular energy hidden within their bodies. Otherwise, the true universe would forcibly take it back, no different from when stellular liquid was exposed to open air. This was why Envoys were always looking for curios to hide their presence from the true universe.

The old man facing Lu Yin must have only recently become an Envoy, and he was still not fully familiar with the restrictions of his new cultivation realm. He had used too powerful of an attack, and it had caused all of the stellular energy within his body to be ripped away from him.

Lu Yin instantly slapped out with a Vacuum Palm, and it tore through the old man’s body, forcing him out of the true universe. The Envoy spat out a mouthful of blood that was mixed with his own internal organs. He was deader than dead.