Star Odyssey

Chapter 1530: Cloakstone

After Master Deng Guo left, Long Laogui raised his hand to quickly contact someone. After a while, his communication crystal vibrated, but no image appeared. Instead, there was an eye, one that was murky and aged.

Long Laogui slowly bowed as soon as he saw this eye. "I greet the ancestor."

Long Laogui had called the White Dragon Clan’s ancestor, who was known as Progenitor Long. This man was one of the top powerhouses in the entire Perennial World. The four ruling powers represented the four most powerful organizations in the Perennial World, and Progenitor Long was a pillar of one of the four ruling powers. The progenitors of the four ruling powers restricted each other, but they also supported each other in order to protect humanity. Progenitor Long was essentially one of the four ruling powers.

The ancient, murky eye turned to look at Long Laogui. "What's the matter?"

The voice was not loud, but it caused the void to tremble. It was full of unfathomable dignity, and for Long Laogui, the entire world bowed down before this eye.

"Ancestor, a descendant of our family known as Long Qi has shown a peerless talent for lockbreaking. Master Deng Guo, an Array Master, is eager to accept the youth as his apprentice. This junior has searched for an Array Grandmaster to guide the youth, but Grandmaster Gu Yan is odd and refuses to speak about this matter. So, this junior has attempted to find other Array Grandmasters, but I have no no way to proceed," Long Laogui respectfully informed the ancestor.

Progenitor Long was surprised by the news. "This is about Long Qi once again?"

Long Laogui was shocked to hear this question. "Has the ancestor already heard of him?"

The four ruling powers’ Progenitors were different from Humility’s Gate’s Commander. Lu Yin’s accomplishments while working for Humility’s Gate warranted the Commander’s attention, but the Progenitors of the four ruling powers stayed in the Dominion Realm at all times to hold back Aeturnus’s Progenitors. Progenitor Long normally did not interfere in the lower realms’ affairs. Even when the Junior Progenitors had been trapped, the Progenitors had ignored it. Long Laogui could not think of anything that Long Qi could have done to attract Progenitor Long's attention.

"Old Xie called me wanting to accept Long Qi as his disciple, and so he asked me for my opinion," Progenitor Long stated.

Long Laogui was absolutely shocked. "Humility's Gate’s Commander wishes to accept Long Qi as a disciple? Ancestor, what does this mean?"

Progenitor Long remained silent for a while. "Let me check."

Long Laogui’s mind was in chaos at this moment; Long Qi was a lockbreaking genius, a gifted combatant, and even skilled at finding and exposing traitors and Redbacks. Long Qi was simply talented in every aspect, which was terrifying. In a certain manner, he even surpassed the four Junior Progenitors.

After some time passed, Progenitor Long's voice returned, and this time, it was full of excitement. "Contact Long Ke and send out invitations to the rest of the world! I will contact Old Xie—the child will become a disciple and a member of the main family on the same day. We must invite all four of the ruling powers, the Middle Realm’s Nong family, Virtue Archives, and people from the Lockbreakers’ Headquarters. Let everyone see that my White Dragon Clan is on the rise! The four Junior Progenitors may be trapped, but my White Dragon Clan will not flounder! Even though the girl who was once known as our clan’s hope died, geniuses can still rise from my White Dragon Clan! We still have talents who can draw the attention and admiration of Progenitors! We will overwhelm all of the other powerful forces."

Long Laogui bowed low. "Yes, Ancestor."action

The murky eye disappeared, and once it did so, Long Laogui immediately contacted Long Ke. Since he had received a direct order from their ancestor, Long Laogui did not dare to delay for even a moment.

Long Ke was similarly shocked by what he was told. "We are to distribute the invitations that widely?"

Long Laogui somberly answered, "Yes. Send out invitations everywhere. We are to inform the entire Perennial World that my White Dragon Clan has a genius at fighting, cultivating, and most importantly, lockbreaking. This youth is the son-in-law of your, Long Ke’s, main family of the White Dragon Clan. This son-in-law is to be accepted as a disciple, and he will also enter the genealogy of the White Dragon Clan’s main family. This is to be a day to symbolize the rise of my White Dragon Clan."

Long Ke answered respectfully, "I understand."

Long Laogui grew solemn. "Long Ke, you should know how your family rose to power—it happened by wading through the blood of countless clansmen. You stepped through the blood that was considered the symbol of hope for a generation of my White Dragon Clan, and her death caused the ancestor’s heart to ache. Our ancestor has just made a large move on his own, and this might cure his heartache. It is possible that this Long Qi could surpass even her and end up becoming a true symbol of hope for my White Dragon Clan."

Long Ke’s fingers twitched. "I understand. Elder needn’t worry."

Long Laogui nodded and ended the call.

Up above Dragon Mountain, Long Ke lowered his arm. The image of a certain woman appeared in his mind. She had been the daughter of the main lineage, as well as one of the seven heroes of the Perennial World. She had been expected to raise the status of the White Dragon Clan above the Celestial Frost Sect, surpassing all of the other organizations in the Middle Realm. She had excelled in lockbreaking, cultivation, and fighting.

Her talent had shaken the entire Perennial World, and her cultivation speed had been truly astounding. Even more shocking had been her talent for lockbreaking. She had truly been a daughter blessed by the heavens, and Progenitor Long had frequently spent time with her, instructing her. However, in the end, she had died during the calamitous event.

Her death had broken Progenitor Long's heart, and that was also why, when Long Tian had become a Junior Progenitor, Progenitor Long had not particularly cared. After all, Long Tian was simply far too lacking when compared to that woman.

However, Long Qi’s appearance had given Progenitor Long hope that someone from his clan might be able to compare to that woman, but was Long Qi really that talented?

The more gifted Long Qi was, the greater suppression he had on Long Quan’s branch family. There was no longer even a need for Long Ke to slander Long Quan, as Long Qi’s rise was the same as the clan’s main family’s rise. As long as Long Tian safely returned, the main family’s position would be as stable as Mount Tai.

With this thought in mind, Long Ke quickly called Lu Yin.

At this moment, Lu Yin was following Qing Chen back towards the Bifrost in order to return to the Huaiyuan Gate in the Middle Realm, where he would await news from the Commander.

"Supervisor, this subordinate would like to ask, how did that anteater hide from us? We searched that particular place at the very start," Lu Yin asked.

Qing Chen took something out of his cosmic ring. "Because of this."

Lu Yin looked at what the old man held, and the youth’s mouth dropped open. Cloak- cloakstone?! Isn’t this the same cloakstone that Aegis’s top assassins used?

"Supervisor, what is this?" Lu Yin was surprised.

Qing Chen explained, "This is a curio, though I’m guessing that you haven’t seen one before now. That’s quite normal, as only Envoys are able to use these things. This particular item allows Envoys to hide in the true universe and absorb stellular energy. However, I never expected a mere beast to take advantage of such an item. Curios are able to completely hide a person’s aura so that they are utterly undetectable."

Lu Yin's face twitched; was this really a curio? It was true that Aegis’s assassins used cloakstones and that it even concealed their runes from being detected. In the Fifth Mainland, runes could be seen in both the true universe and the visible universe, so if cloakstone could hide a person from even a Progenitor’s remnant power, then why could they not conceal an Envoy’s aura?

Why had Lu Yin not thought of this sooner?

Lu Yin grew excited. He had indeed heard of curios before, and he knew that they were a rare and precious thing, and yet, Aegis seemed to have quite a few, to the point where they were even generous enough to give some to their Explorer realm assassins.

Lu Yin gulped; did this mean that he actually had access to an absolute fortune?

Qing Chen did not notice Lu Yin's expression change, and he continued to explain a bit more about curios to the youth.

Lu Yin managed to eventually calm himself down. He coughed, took particular note to remember the word ‘curio,’ and then promptly changed the subject. "Supervisor, what kind of person is the Commander?"

Qing Chen smiled. "What sort of person do you believe is behind all of Humility's Gate?"

"Someone who can kill decisively, though is also upright, righteous, and also tactful."

Qing Chen showed a small smile. "You cannot describe a Progenitor in this manner."

Lu Yin blinked.

"The Commander is very protective and overbearing."

Lu Yin was left speechless, as this description was too simple!

"It’s not appropriate to speak of Progenitors. Once you meet the Commander, you will come to understand what sort of person he is, as the Commander intends to accept you as his disciple. You’ll meet him soon," Qing Chen said.

Lu Yin nodded.

The two continued on towards the Bifrost. As they traveled, Lu Yin’s communication crystal vibrated, and Long Ke’s image appeared.

After seeing that Long Ke was the one calling, Lu Yin had initially wanted to ignore the call with every fiber of his being, but he still needed to at least try to make an appearance of effort. "Son-in-law greets father-in-law."

Long Ke had a smile on his face, and he was clearly in a good mood. He nodded to Lu Yin, and politely greeted Qing Chen when he saw the Semi-Progenitor. "Senior Qing Chen is also present, though I see that you are still troubled with keeping Long Qi safe."

Qing Chen replied, "It's fine. You can talk."

He moved to leave.

Long Ke interrupted, "Senior, there’s no need to step away. This concerns your Humility's Gate."

Qing Chen stopped and turned to look at Long Ke.

Long Ke redirected his attention to Lu Yin and solemnly stated, "Long Qi, you have received the luck of the heavens—Humility's Gate’s Commander wishes to accept you as his disciple. Prepare yourself and hurry back to Dragon Mountain as soon as possible. My White Dragon Clan has already sent out invitations, and we have invited many of our friends and allies to attend your ceremony. This will celebrate not only your discipleship, but also your acceptance into the clan’s main family."

Lu Yin was stunned; he had not expected the Commander to have moved so quickly. Even Qing Chen was startled by the news.

"Commander has already spoken to Progenitor Long?" Qing Chen asked.

Long Ke nodded. "Everything is being done at the orders of the ancestor. Long Qi, both our ancestor and Humility’s Gate’s Commander have both shown their appreciation for you, and even Master Deng Guo wishes to accept you as his apprentice. However, there’s no need to worry about him. We will do our utmost to find an Array Grandmaster to guide you, but for now, hurry back to Dragon Mountain to quietly await the discipleship ceremony in safety.”

Lu Yin felt torn at this moment, though he could not reveal a single thing. He had to act very happy, and he put on a mask of delight. “Understood! This Long Qi will rush to Dragon Mountain as soon as possible."

Long Ke was satisfied with this answer, and he turned to look at Qing Chen. "Long Qi has always troubled you, Senior. Starting today, the relationship between my White Dragon Clan and your Humility’s Gate will become much closer. Senior, you should visit my Dragon Mountain more often, and you can enjoy some White Dragon Brew while you wait. It’s been a long time since you’ve visited, haha.”

Qing Chen smiled back at the clan patriarch. "This change is only natural."

After ending the call, Qing Chen patted Lu Yin on the shoulder and excitedly told him, "In the past, if I could have worshiped a powerful Progenitor as my master, I might have opened my three meridian points by now. I do regret that."

Lu Yin looked over at Qing Chen and said, "Even if you haven’t opened your three meridian points, it's still not impossible to become a Progenitor. There is always hope."

Qing Chen revealed a bitter smile. "There’s no need for you to try to comfort me, little one. Let’s go. I’ll take you to Dragon Mountain."

…

After the passage of more than a year, the Forgotten Ruins in the Dominion Realm finally welcomed a Progenitor.

Two Semi-Progenitors had been standing guard outside the Forgotten Ruins this entire time. After the four Junior Progenitors were trapped inside, the four ruling powers had done their best to save the youths, but even Semi-Progenitors would almost instantly forgot everything when they came in contact with the Forgotten Ruins. They only had barely enough time to escape, and it would take a Progenitor to rescue the four youths.

"Progenitor Ku’s tactic mutual destruction to eliminate enemies caused a great deal of damage to Aeternus back then, and that’s also why Aeternus did their best to place traps in the Withered Glory region. This trap is designed for Semi-Progenitors, and the Wang family's Forgotten Ruins continue to be powerful enough to lure in powerhouses. This place itself was forgotten after the passage of so much time, and it is no longer able to pose a lethal threat to Semi-Progenitors.”

"There should have been a Semi-Progenitor powerhouse working in tandem with this trap. Even if it was not a powerhouse on the same level as the Twelve Marquises, it should have been someone at almost that level in order for this trap to pose a threat to a Semi-Progenitor."

A soft voice was heard just outside the Forgotten Ruins.

The two Semi-Progenitors standing guard quickly bowed. "Thank you, Ancestor, for your guidance. We understand."