Lu Yin closed the diary and looked away from the book before suddenly realizing that he had unwittingly finished reading through the diary. Was this Ellen Gale an idiot or a romantic?

“Could you please save the Fireplume Tribe?” Hai Qiqi was still sobbing uncontrollably.

Lu Yin was struck speechless. Was this diary that moving? Men and women sobbed in different situations, but this level of weeping was a bit too much. Women could be emotional, and this diary seemed to have really hit Hai Qiqi’s heart.

He waved the diary that was still in his hand. “Do you know where this Fireplume Tribe is located? That way I can go and save them.”

Hai Qiqi shook her head. “Go and search for them. Maybe they’re in the Outerverse.”

Lu Yin laughed. “Wrong. They’re in the Innerverse, Daynight Flowzone.”

“How do you know that?” Hai Qiqi was astonished.

Lu Yin explained, “Ellen Gale wrote that the man had black and white hair, along with a little grey. That’s the telltale sign of someone being from the Nightking Clan. This man has to be someone from the Nightking Clan, which naturally means that they’re in Daynight Flowzone.”

Hai Qiqi grew flustered. “How have you not found where Old Gu De is hiding yet? Hurry up. You’re taking too long!”

Lu Yin was stumped, as this girl had changed topics rather abruptly.

“The earlier you take care of Old Gu De, the sooner I can go back to searching along the edge of the Astral River. This time, I’ll definitely find a way back to the Innerverse,” Hai Qiqi said.

Lu Yin shoved the diary into her hands. “I hope that you can find a way to enter the Innerverse. As for Old Gu De, I’ve already sent out people to search for him. This person is very crafty, and he won’t reveal any traces in the normal places. Rest assured, as there are only so many places he can hide. There’s no way he’ll be able to escape.”

“That’s good.” Hai Qiqi gently stored the diary away. “I’m going to take a nap and think about this for a while.” She then ran off.

Lu Yin watched as she disappeared from sight before picking up his gadget and searching for more information on the Fireplume Tribe. He only managed to find something after using the clearance granted by his Honor Points.

It had to be said that this tribe was one that was favored by the world but plagued by misfortune.

The Fireplume Tribe originated from Planet Fireplume, which was a very peculiar planet. Every creature native to the planet was born with wings; even the fish in the rivers or the underground earthworms had them. Every single last one of them had burning, white wings, and the humans there were naturally no exception.

Every member of the Fireplume Tribe had fiery white wings, and more peculiarly, the tribe had no males—only females. Even if they had children with outsiders, the children were either normal males or beautiful girls with burning white wings with no exception. Additionally, all of the girls had unbelievably beautiful voices that could refine a listener’s spiritual force and boost their battle force.

When this effect was first discovered, many powers suddenly began coveting the Fireplume Tribe. From that moment onwards, they were never free again. For years, they had been constantly subjugated by one power or another, and their tribe members were invariably suppressed, which naturally made all of them completely miserable. This went on for ten years, until the Daynight clan gained control of them. From that moment onwards, the Fireplume Tribe vanished without a trace, their voices lost to the universe.

And the person who had taken them away was Arbiter Zhenwu.

Lu Yin released a breath. Arbiter Zhenwu, Nightking Zhenwu. It had ended up being him once again. Many matters were connected to him, as this person was always unwilling to be left out.

Knowing this, Lu Yin instantly realized that the “him” in Ellen Gale’s diary had been referring to Nightking Zhenwu.

Lu Yin smiled bitterly. Even if the Outerverse had not been cut off from the Innerverse, given Arbiter Zhenwu’s strength, it would not end well for Lu Yin if he tried to face off against him through force. Although Lu Yin had external items that boosted his battle strength, it was highly likely that Arbiter Zhenwu also had similar items.

The battles in Ironblood Weave had clearly shown Lu Yin the issues that came with relying on external items to boost his strength. If he was targeted, he would be done for the moment his items weren’t able to display their intended effects. What he needed to do was focus on improving his own personal power.

As for this Fireplume Tribe, they had nothing to do with him. If it was possible, he would save them, but he would not forcefully do anything out of the way.

Speaking of the Daynight clan, the Sixth Mainland was about to send out a Progenitor to sweep through the Innerverse. It still remained to be seen whether or not the Daynight clan would even manage to survive. Lu Yin realized that he was thinking too far ahead.

Over the next few days, Lu Yin signed multiple orders related to various matters of the empire, recited the Stonewall Scriptures in King Zishan's palace, and practiced the Finger Tap Technique. He also used this time to check on Ku Wei’s whereabouts with the Second Squadron.

Ku Wei had not bothered trying to hide his actions. In fact, he openly loitered about in front of the Imperial Palace, and he had almost been arrested on a few occasions, though he quickly slipped away every time.

It would take about eight more days before the people from the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society arrived on Planet Hydrotink, which was right before the Alliance Conference was due to start. This was exactly what Lu Yin was hoping to see, as he wanted to use the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society’s reputation to elevate his own standing in the view of the other alliance members.

During these past few days, the eastern weaves remained very quiet, as all of the various affiliated powers were busy preparing for the upcoming Great Eastern Alliance Conference. As for the others, Lu Yin was not too clear on the details, but they were probably making their own plots.

The Outerverse’s native powers wanted to gobble up the colossal organizations that had dominated the universe for centuries. In some sense, this was inevitable, but nothing would happen before the Alliance Conference, as even Wei Rong himself was headed towards Frostwave Weave.

Exactly twenty months after the Outerverse was cut off from the Innerverse, the Limiteer Mistchild from Mafioso Planet sent word that they had confirmed Old Gu De’s location. There were still thirteen days left before the Alliance Conference.

Lu Yin immediately decided to take Yan Yan with him for a look.

When En Ya received word that Lu Yin was about to leave, she hurriedly tried to stop him. “Your Highness, the Alliance Conference is about to begin, and the top echelons of the various weaves will soon arrive at Zenyu Star, one after another. If Your Highness leaves now, it will show that our Great Yu Empire has no sense of propriety.”

“Just tell them that I’m in temporary seclusion and help me to welcome them,” Lu Yin sternly requested. Old Gu De had been his enemy for many years, and even before he had started cultivating on Earth, he had been thinking about getting revenge. Now that revenge was right before him, nothing would be able to stop him.

En Ya felt helpless, as she could only follow Lu Yin's instructions.

***

In Darkmist Weave, on a dim, primitive planet, an enormous spacecraft with people occasionally flying in and out floated in midair. These people were hunting large beasts and then taking the corpses back to the vessel.

This was a huge vessel that could comfortably hold at least 20,000 people.

Within the spacecraft, there were cultivation rooms, gravity training rooms, entertainment facilities, and more. It was extremely well-equipped.

Old Gu De was lying in a luxurious lounge. There was a trembling girl sitting on his lap and carefully slicing meat to feed to him.

Suddenly, someone shoved the door open, and Gu Er barged in, draining the glass of alcohol in his hands as he did so. “How much longer are we going to hide in this wretched place for?”

Old Gu De looked at Gu Er with discontent. “Why are you being so impatient?”

Gu Er snorted and sat down. “If it were up to me, we’d head to the central weaves. At least there, there are a lot fewer people who will recognize us. It has to be better than hiding on such a primitive planet. There’s nothing but beasts and more beasts here.”

“We will definitely leave, but not right now. The brat that we were chasing before escaped into Frostwave Weave, and she must have reported us to Lu Yin. We cannot go anywhere right now. We’ll only discuss moving again after the various waves have settled down,” Old Gu De said sternly.

“Lu Yin, Lu Yin, and Lu Yin again. This bastard has caused me trouble since the Astral Combat Academy days, and now even my father is scared of him!” Gu Er complained.

Old Gu De’s eyes turned malicious. “That brat has killed a few Enlighters, and he has too many tricks up his sleeves. Now that he’s established this Great Eastern Alliance, his influence is enormous. Remember this: never go where he might appear in the future. Don’t forget—you’ve already crossed paths with him before, and he’s also mentioned to you that he holds some animosity against me.”

“Got it.” Gu Er was not satisfied. He glanced at the girl sitting on Old Gu De’s lap, and his gaze suddenly grew more heated. But then, he seemed to remember something. “Right, was that brat really someone from the upper levels of the Sea King’s Dome?”

Old Gu De sneered. “One of the other Astral River Envoys sent me her image before. For her to have a spacecraft that bears the symbol of the Sea King’s Dome, she has to be someone from their higher levels. Let’s ignore the bit about her possessing some of the Sea King’s Dome’s treasures. After a few more years, once the Innerverse and Outerverse are reconnected, you’ll become someone who’s a part of the Sea King’s Dome if you can wed her. Then, nobody will be able to touch you. Do you think that the two of us will still have to remain trapped on the Astral River Ark at that time?”

Gu Er grew excited. “Then, Dad, let’s hurry up and find her.”

“I’ve already told you that we can’t touch them for now. First, wait for the waves to settle down. She was constantly skulking around the Astral River, so she must be trying to find a way to enter the Innerverse. If that’s the case, she will definitely be back,” Old Gu De said.

Gu Er nodded, licked his lips, and then downed another glass of wine.

At the top of a spacecraft that was some distance away from the primitive planet, the bespectacled Limiteer Mistchild appeared in front of Lu Yin with a smile. “Your Highness, I’ve completed a task for you.”

Lu Yin stared in the direction of the planet. “Go on, tell me about his strength.”

She adjusted her glasses. “The strength that Old Gu De has gathered during his many years on the Astral River Ark is quite impressive. At the moment, he has five Cruisers, seventeen Explorers, and over 3,000 cultivators of lower grades. Those people from the Astral River Ark have offended too many cultivators in the Outerverse, so most of them continued to follow Old Gu De after the separation. This ship won’t be easy to deal with.

“Old Gu De himself is a Hunter, and the amount of time that he’s spent fishing in the Astral River Ark must have allowed him to accumulate quite a few treasures as well. You’ll need to trap him first before you deal with him.”

“Go on, let's head to Old Gu De’s hiding spot,” Lu Yin ordered.

She quickly gave a reminder, “Your Highness, Old Gu De is very cautious. If we suddenly show up, we have to trap him beforehand. Otherwise, he’ll slip away as soon as we move, and then it’ll be very difficult to find him again.”

“I got it.”

Their spacecraft quickly flew towards the primitive planet.

Although it was quite some distance away, the Aurora was fast, and they soon neared the planet. At this range, Lu Yin could observe the rune lines on the planet.

Old Gu De’s rune lines were extensive, but they were definitely not on par with Aden or Yan Yan’s.

Ever since Yan Yan had awakened, his power level had continuously risen. His Iceburst Flames could give Lu Yin a sense of crisis even when his universal armor was on. Although Yan Yan’s power level had decreased a great deal after his initial outburst, he had still stabilized at the same level as a Hunter. By Lu Yin’s estimation, Yan Yan’s original power had been at least that of a peak Hunter, and at this moment, his rune lines had surpassed Old Gu De’s.

Above the primitive planet, an alarm rang out on the large luxury spacecraft, and Old Gu De immediately appeared in the control room and looked at a screen.

“Captain, a spacecraft stopped outside of the planet, and we can’t tell what their goal might be.”

Old Gu De’s face was solemn. “Have we identified whose spacecraft it is?”

“No, as the symbol has been hidden.”

Old Gu De’s heart dropped. He had a bad feeling about this. “Immediately take off from this planet. Hurry!”

At that moment, a figure floating through outer space appeared on the screen. That person then suddenly raised both of their hands. A white frost shot out that rapidly enveloped the planet before the screen suddenly went entirely white.

Old Gu De’s pupils shrank, and he leaped out of the spacecraft. He threw all sorts of weapons that blasted into outer space, distorting the void as they did so. The disturbances left deep cracks on the sturdy ice, but they could not break through it.

Just ten seconds later, the planet was surrounded by the sturdy white ice, and the extreme chill caused the planet to suddenly enter an ice age. The animals and plants rapidly froze and died while the oceans and streams were frozen solid in the blink of an eye.