Star Odyssey

Chapter 1947

Lu Yin had originally assumed that, even if the Xie family had built their home upon the collection of bones that was the Bone Plains, at the very least, the surface of the Bone Plains would have a bit of covering, such as some soil on top of the bones.

However, Lu Yin had underestimated the Xie family. The Bone Plains were nothing more than a collection of real bones. He found it quite odd to travel across a plain of bones.

"Alliance Leader Lu, are you tired? You don't seem to have much energy." Xie Xiaoxian approached Lu Yin, a faint fragrance arriving with her.

Lu Yin pursed his lips. "Possibly."

"Then I'll wait for you to rest up," Xie Xiaoxian replied, her eyes sparkling.

Lu Yin quickly refused. "Matriarch Xie, could you show me the collection of items that you have from the Specter clan?"

Xie Ahua smiled impishly. She glanced at Xie Xiaoxian and then back at Lu Yin. "Are you in that much of a hurry, Alliance Leader Lu? Why don’t you allow Xiaoxian to first show you some place to rest for now? Then, we can go afterwards."

"There’s no need for that, as I really am in a bit of a hurry," Lu Yin urged.

Xie Ahua looked disappointed. "In that case, please follow me, Alliance Leader Lu."

She then shot a glance at Xie Sen, who suddenly disappeared.

A short while later, Xie Ahua and Xie Xiaoxian led Lu Yin to an empty location on the Bone Plains, where Xie Sen was standing nearby.

After Lu Yin and the others arrived, the bones beneath Xie Sen shifted to reveal a massive and bottomless pit.

Xie Ahua moved over next to the hole in the ground. "Alliance Leader Lu, please."

Lu Yin led the Second Nightking forward, and the two followed Xie Ahua into the pit.

Of everyone in the Seven Courts, Xia Ji was the only person who could pose any threat to the Second Nightking at all. So, Lu Yin felt very relaxed as he could not think of even a single reason for the Xie family to want to attack him.

The hole led straight down to the center of the Bone Plains, where Lu Yin discovered a massive chamber with what looked like a palace. Right in front of Lu Yin was a massive gate that looked like it was made of bronze.

"Is this where you live?" Lu Yin asked.

The bronze gate was a thousand meters tall, which caused him to consider how large this chamber deep beneath the Bone Plains actually was. Apparently, the Bone Plains did not entirely consist of bone, as there was an enormous chamber beneath them.

Upon arrival, Xie Ahua's entire demeanor changed, and a solemn expression appeared on her face. Xie Xiaoxian demonstrated a similar change, and the two women acted as though they were on a sacred pilgrimage.

"My Xie family lives atop the Bone Plains, and this is where the treasures of the Specter clan are kept." Xie Sen spoke for the first time, his voice heavy as he walked over to the gate. He then raised a hand and pressed it to the gate to slowly open them.

Once the gate opened completely, Lu Yin got a clear view of the inside.

It really was a palace, and while it was not overly luxurious, it possessed an incomparable majesty and grandeur. He could not see the entire structure from where he was, but the oddest thing about the place was that there was absolutely no one present inside.

The palace was automatically illuminated once the gate opened, and the light came from a strange stone that lit up. The stones were not bright, and their light did not give the palace a dazzling appearance, but instead a warm glow. Instantly, the coldness of the Bone Plains dissipated.

Xie Ahua stepped into the palace and then turned to face Lu Yin. "Alliance Leader Lu, this is where you will find the true Xie family."

Lu Yin was intrigued. "The true Xie family? So, are you saying that what I find here will completely change everything that I know about your Xie family?"

A smile slowly spread across Xie Ahua's face. "That’s right."

Lu Yin was taken aback. He had only asked casually, so Xie Ahua’s response was actually unexpected. He did a double take towards the Xie matriarch.

Xie Ahua was staring straight back at Lu Yin.

After a moment of the two staring at each other, Lu Yin gave a small smile and then stepped into the palace as well.

"Does this entire palace contain items from the Specter clan?" Lu Yin asked. He refrained from releasing his domain as such actions were considered impolite.

Long ago, in the Outerverse, Wendy Yushan had warned Lu Yin to not casually use his domain in the presence of others or in their territories, as doing so was considered rude and could easily create misunderstandings. He had always remembered her warning.

Both Xie Sen and Xie Xiaoxian remained at the gate while Xie Ahua, Lu Yin, and the Second Nightking entered the palace on their own.

Upon hearing Lu Yin's question, Xie Ahua unexpectedly asked, "Alliance Leader Lu, have you ever wondered why my Xie family fought against the Specter clan? Or why we prefer to fight to the death rather than let the Specter clan go?"

Lu Yin was taken aback. This was indeed something that he had thought about in the past. Aside from being interested in the Specter clan’s treasures that the Xie family possessed, as well as the possibility of them having the bones of a Progenitor, he had also wanted to uncover the reason behind the Xie clan’s enmity with the Specter clan.

"Why?" Lu Yin was quite curious.

The sides of Xie Ahua's mouth curled up to form a faint smile. "Alliance Leader Lu, you rose to fame during the last battle of ZENITH when you defeated all of your peers. The power that you used at that time seems very similar to what the Specter clan uses to cultivate." action

Lu Yin froze and his eyes grew cold. "I’m not sure what you’re saying, Matriarch Xie."

The Second Nightking looked up, and his eyes locked onto Xie Ahua.

"If my guess is right, the power that you used is indeed the same as what the Specter clan uses, Alliance Leader Lu. Did you ever think that, since my Xie family holds so much hatred for the Specter clan, that we would also view you the same?" Xie Ahua stared at Lu Yin, completely disregarding the threat that the Second Nightking posed. "Alliance Leader Lu, are you that confident because of the old man next to you? Do you really believe that he can protect you?

"My Xie family is known to have risked everything in order to defeat the Specter clan. But even though you cultivate the same power as them, did you have even the slightest worry or hesitation to visit my Xie family?"

Instantly, the Second Nightking took action, and he grabbed Xie Ahua's neck, glaring at her with murder in his eyes. "You’re asking to die!"

Lu Yin's expression grew serious. Xie Ahua's questions had reminded him that he had never really considered his situation in connection to the Specter clan. He had simply thought that since he had not been corrupted by the death energy, it meant that he had no connection at all to the Specter clan. However, he had overlooked the fact that, as far as others were concerned, Lu Yin was still using the same power as the Specter clan..

Ignoring this matter had caused Lu Yin to be perfectly at ease with the prospect of visiting the Xie family.

However, would anyone from the Specter clan feel comfortable visiting the Xie family’s home?

The Second Nightking held Xie Ahua by her throat, lifting her into the air and squeezing hard enough that her face flushed red.

Compared to the Second Nightking, the Xie matriarch’s strength was less than even that of a child.

"Matriarch Xie, were you just threatening me? Does your Xie family really have the power to hold back or stop the Second Nightking?" Lu Yin asked. He no longer had anything to fear, so he unleashed his domain and swept it out across the entire Bone Plains.

His domain swept past both Xie Sen and Xie Xiaoxian. Although the two noticed it, neither one reacted at all. Lu Yin found this to be rather odd, and his wariness spiked.

Xie Ahua was completely unable to speak, so the Second Nightking relaxed his grip a bit. “Speak."

Xie Ahua let out a few coughs, and the veins in her forehead were all bulging out. “Alliance Leader Lu, I already told you that you will meet the true Xie family here."

"What an act!" the Second Nightking yelled. However, just as he was about to attack Xie Ahua again, an inexplicable, indescribable chill spread across his entire body. He instantly went stiff, and both Lu Yin and Xie Ahua disappeared from the old man’s vision. All that he could see was a pair of golden eyes that had appeared a few meters in front of him. Those golden eyes filled his entire vision.

Fear overwhelmed the Second King as he sensed a killing intent that pierced through his very bones. The old man’s scalp went numb, and his pupils constricted tightly. His spiritual force surged forth as he released his full strength to combat the incomparable danger that he had suddenly sensed.

How many people in the entire universe could intimidate the Second Nightking so badly? He was someone who had cultivated for countless years and who was inferior to only Semi-Progenitors!

The old man stared into the golden eyes, but the longer he stared, the greater the fear that he felt. Soon, that fear replaced everything else, and he no longer sensed anything around him at all.

Caw!

Caw!

Endless spiritual force burst forth from the Second Nightking, and his eyes gleamed brightly, though they were burning with a crazed light. He instantly arranged a sourcebox array: Ten Prison Formation. This was his strongest spiritual force attack.

However, the golden eyes suddenly vanished, only to reappear behind the Second Nightking. They continued to stare at him, and the Second Nightking's head almost exploded.

He could not think about anything except those golden eyes. Lu Yin? The Xie family? The Bone Plains? None of those things had anything to do with the Second Nightking at this moment. The only thing on his mind was the golden eyes and how he could escape from them.

He was the Second Nightking, so why was he panicking?

Right when the Ten Prison Formation was about to erupt, the pupils of the golden eyes suddenly shrank, and a person appeared. Their arrival was accompanied by the sound of metal chains being dragged across the floor. They seemed to be wielded by a god of death as there was a stream of death energy swirling around them. The death energy sliced right through the Second Nightking’s spiritual force and severed his ability to control his sourcebox array.

The Second Nightking responded by raising a hand and pointing out with a finger. This was the Nightking Advent Immortal Finger, and it could freeze everything.

The person who had inexplicably appeared lifted their head, and the black death energy gathered before them. The Second Nightking's attack struck the death energy, but it had no effect at all.

"You rely on the strength that you’ve accumulated over the years, but that will amount to nothing in the end." A hoarse voice spoke as the black death energy formed into chains that wrapped around the Second Nightking's finger. The old man was horrified by this sudden development, and he tried to break the chains binding him, only to discover that it was completely impossible.

The end result was that the Second Nightking was bound and incapacitated by the chains of death energy, and he was strung up in the air.

At that moment, the area lit back up.

The Second Nightking was finally able to see his surroundings again, and he found that he was in the same place as before. He looked around and found Lu Yin, as well as Xie Ahua, who had a faint smile on her face.

In the other direction, but still close to Lu Yin, a figure had appeared. The person was hidden by black death energy until only their golden eyes could be seen.

This was the person who had easily defeated the Second Nightking and bound him above the floor.

It was at this moment that Lu Yin finally saw that the Second Nightking had attacked. Lu Yin had not noticed anything until this moment, and when he was able to see what was happening, the Second Nightking had already been incapacitated.

Lu Yin was stunned by this revelation. Who was capable of defeating the Second Nightking so easily? It had to be a Semi-Progenitor, as other than a powerhouse at that level, the only other person capable of doing such a thing was the Chief Justice himself. Could the Xie family actually have an expert who was as strong as Lu Yin’s senior brother?

Lu Yin whipped around, and when he saw the person with the golden eyes. He blurted out in confusion, "The Specter clan?"

Silence reigned in the palace, and Lu Yin could hear his own ragged breathing.

He had not expected to run into someone from the Specter clan while visiting the Seven Courts’ Xie family, but those golden eyes were a unique trait of the Specter clan.

"Chief Justice." Xie Ahua offered a respectful bow.

Lu Yin's eyes flickered, Chief Justice? Aside from the Interstellar Supreme Court’s Chief Justice, there was only one other person who held such a title. They were indeed affiliated with the Specter clan, as they were the Chief Justice of the Dark Interstellar Supreme Court.

Lu Yin had started investigating the Dark Interstellar Supreme Court after Tong Yu had attacked Gaia's Swamp.

The so-called Dark Interstellar Supreme Court was an organization that answered to the Neohuman Alliance. It had not always existed, as it had only formed after the Specter clan joined the Neohuman Alliance.

The Dark Interstellar Supreme Court was actually the Specter clan.

Naturally, the Dark Interstellar Supreme Court’s Chief Justice was the Specter clan’s patriarch.

The Second Nightking was still bound and hanging in the air, and he stared at the Chief Justice in complete shock. He could clearly sense that this person absolutely was not a Semi-Progenitor, and yet, they had been able to defeat the Second Nightking just as easily as the Hall of Honor’s Chief Justice. This person was a complete monster.

Lu Yin stared at the Dark Interstellar Supreme Court’s Chief Justice as the figure moved closer step by step. Every step that they took caused the death energy to dissipate a bit more, as though it was dissolving into space itself. When the person was only about three meters away from Lu Yin, the death energy had completely disappeared from their body, revealing an elegant-looking middle-aged man.