Star Odyssey

Chapter 2616: Opportunity

Xu Ji answered in a low voice, "Cheng Feng is quite special. People say that he's astoundingly handsome, and you can even consider him the male version of Yi Jun. If that was all there is to it, he wouldn't be a problem. The real problem is his other identity: he’s a disciple of Sovereign Ninth Lotus."

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. "Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciple?"

Everyone else in the room became increasingly somber as Xu Ji continued to explain, "You should already know about the Cyclic Universe’s Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages, and Sovereign Ninth Lotus is one of the Three Sovereigns. She has disciples spread across the entire Sixverse Association. Anyone who catches her eye might end up as one of the Sovereign’s disciples, regardless of their background or strength. Cheng Feng has been invited to visit Sovereign Ninth Lotus on three different occasions, which is very rare, even for her disciples. Despite hailing from my Voidforce Universe, he is highly respected in the Cyclic Universe and has a truly exceptional status."

Old Dian sighed. "Arresting him means that we will need to face Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s many disciples and possibly even the Sovereign herself."

"Given the fact that Cheng Feng has been invited to visit Sovereign Ninth Lotus on three different occasions, we can only imagine how highly she regards him," Ghost Three spoke carefully before turning to face Lu Yin, "Acting Bureau Director, I think that we need to report this to Bureau Director Wuji and ask him to make a decision."

Old Dian interjected, "Even Bureau Director Wuji is unlikely to enter a dispute with Sovereign Ninth Lotus. We must first definitively prove that Cheng Feng is a spy, without giving them any room for arguments. If there is any leeway, Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s other disciples will become our greatest obstacle."

Lu Yin stood there with his hands clasped behind his back. While in seclusion, he had already started planning how they had to go about arresting Cheng Feng. Nothing that was being said was a surprise to Lu Yin.

With the possibility of facing off against Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples, and even the possibility of facing one of the Three Sovereigns, a single mistake could lead to disastrous consequences.

No one was implying that Sovereign Ninth Lotus would protect a spy. If someone was proven to be a spy, then not even the Great Sovereign would protect them. However, until there was conclusive proof, they could not lay a finger on Cheng Feng. Doing so would be disrespectful to Sovereign Ninth Lotus, and that would antagonize her many disciples.

This was no different from Lu Yin's Heavens Sect. Anyone who harmed someone from the Heavens Sect would face retaliation from Lu Yin, unless there was solid proof that the person was a spy.

"How do you plan to proceed?" Xu Ji asked as he stared at Xuan Qi’s back.

Lu Yin responded with a question, "Sovereign Ninth Lotus has invited him to visit three different times. Why?"

"His singing," Xu Yue answered.

Lu Yin looked surprised. "His singing?"

Xu Yue nodded, and admiration filled her eyes. "Cheng Feng has the most enchanting voice in all of human history. When he sings, it can mend broken hearts."

Lu Yin looked at Xu Ji before glancing at Old Dian and the other captains. All of them nodded in agreement. "There’s no denying that his voice is beautiful. I’ve heard it myself, once."

"I’ve also heard him sing once."

Boss Guan grinned. "I heard him once too, though only from a distance. Still, his singing, it's..."

The man failed to find the words to describe it.

"It can make enemies set aside their weapons," Skinner finished the hanging sentence.

"You've all heard him before?" This did surprise Lu Yin.

Old Dian sighed deeply, "Every year, Cheng Feng sings in a particular location. We don't know whom he sings for, but during that event, throngs of people gather to listen. After all, even Sovereign Ninth Lotus was moved by his singing. Among the renowned cultivators in the False God dimension, cultivators from extraterrestrial dimensions, and big shots of the Sixverse Association, many have watched him perform."

"Sovereign Ninth Lotus is not the only one to have taken an interest in Cheng Feng. The Three Monarchs Universe’s Monarch Xing has also invited Cheng Feng to sing for her. There are many people who hope to be able to enjoy Cheng Feng's voice," Xu Yue finished.

Lu Yin let out a breath. Things were even more complicated than what he had thought. Yi Jun could not even come close to comparing to Cheng Feng in status. If things were mishandled, then the entire Sixverse Association would go crazy, and Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples would relentlessly hunt Xuan Qi down.

"Bureau Director, unless you can make it impossible for anyone to deny Cheng Feng’s status as a spy, it will be incredibly difficult to arrest him," Old Dian reiterated.

Xu Yue was in a dilemma. "The problem is that we aren't even sure if he's a spy in the first place. How can we force him to admit it? And if it turns out that he isn't one, we'll be in big trouble."

Lu Yin was lost in thought. During his six months in seclusion, he had learned that Cheng Feng was a spy in the fourth month, and he had immediately understood that the man would be difficult to arrest. The only way forward was to test his luck. For that reason, Lu Yin had spent his last two months of seclusion trying Possess Cheng Feng. Unfortunately, those efforts had failed.

It was impossible to deal with Cheng Feng in the same manner as Yi Jun. The entire Voidforce Universe had already learned that Xuan Qi was the acting Bureau Director of the Bureau. The trick that he had used to capture Yi Jun had also become common knowledge. Cheng Feng was a very cautious person. If he could be easily exposed, then he would have never managed to hide such a secret from even Sovereign Nine Lotu.

The only option that Lu Yin had was to exploit the spy who had been recruited by Cheng Feng and use that person to force Cheng Feng to expose some openings of his own.

"How is news of Yi Jun's arrest being received?" Lu Yin suddenly asked.

Hearing this question, Ghost Three immediately started flattering Xuan Qi. "It’s being regarded as practically miraculous. People are in awe of your skill, Bureau Director. They claim that you are the bane of spies and of Aeternus itself. Under your guidance, the spies lurking in our Voidforce Universe are now terrified to show their faces, and the Bureau’s reputation will soon experience a complete transformation.”

"Bureau Director, you might not be aware of this, but proving Yi Jun’s status as a spy has shocked many people, and we now have all eyes on us. Your accomplishments haven’t only spread throughout the Voidforce Universe—even parallel universes have learned of them. Many have started to incorporate what you’ve done into stories for propaga-"

Lu Yin massaged his temples. "Just get to the point."

"People see you as incredible and consider you an adept strategist," Ghost Three summarized, though this only served to cause Lu Yin's heart to drop even further.

"So, you’re saying that what happened with Yun Wu’s arrest is now public knowledge?" This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

Ghost Three awkwardly looked away, and no one else responded either. They understood that Xuan Qi had a good relationship with the Cloudview clan, and Xu Wuji had made a promise to not publicly announce Yun Wu's status as a known spy. Yi Jun’s arrest after being visited by Yun Wu naturally led people to learning of Yun Wu's arrest as well, and things were not looking good for the Cloudview clan.

However, Lu Yin was not particularly concerned with the Cloudview clan’s problems. Uncovering spies took priority over a single clan's losses. What Lu Yin cared about was that people had learned that Yi Jun had been arrested because of Yun Wu. This meant that it would no longer be possible for him to use the spy that Cheng Feng had recruited to entrap the man. Cheng Feng was no fool, and given the fact that he was also a spy, he was definitely paying careful attention to matters regarding the Bureau. Given the man’s status, he would naturally be even better informed than most people, and he might even be aware of more than what Lu Yin had purposely revealed.

Suddenly, Lu Yin remembered someone, a person he had casually thrown onto Zenith Mountain. He had forgotten about her, but at this moment, she might finally prove useful.

...

A few days later, news spread from the Bureau that captured the attention of many people in the Voidforce Universe: Tu Shuangshuang had appeared.

Tu Shuangshuang was an incredible genius who had been Sage Hua’s disciple. She should have lived a brilliant life, during which she surpassed the vast majority of her peers.

However, the woman had betrayed humanity and even become a disciple of Cheng Kong. She had attacked all of the top students of the Sixverse Academy, which had captured the entire Sixverse Association’s attention. After that, her whereabouts had become a complete mystery.

No one had expected Tu Shuangshuang to show up in the Voidforce Universe, let alone for her tracks to be discovered by the Bureau.

The Bureau issued a public announcement: anyone who provided information related to Tu Shuangshuang would be rewarded, and whoever captured or killed the woman would be given the opportunity to become Xu Wuji's disciple.

As a Void Suprema, Xu Wuji was one of the Voidforce Universe’s peak powerhouses. Few were capable of reaching his level. Becoming such an expert’s disciple would be taking a step into the heavens, which would allow a person to instantly achieve the same status that Xu Ji and others enjoyed. This was an irresistible temptation to many, and in an instant, the entire Voidforce Universe sprang into action. Countless people appeared and started searching for Tu Shuangshuang, including even some older experts who had been in seclusion. Even members of the older generations wished to become Xu Wuji's disciple. It was only normal for anyone who had not yet become a Void Suprema to wish for such a master.

At this moment, all the information brokers in the Voidforce Universe became popular destinations, but not in the way of thriving business. They were surrounded and intercepted. No one believed that these people would sell news about Tu Shuangshuang; they were sure to take action themselves. Those without leads could only focus on these people, as they were the most likely to locate Tu Shuangshuang.

Eventually, the news spread to the Cyclic Universe, where it instantly gained the attention of Sage Hua's followers. Every last one of them tried to travel to the Voidforce Universe to join the hunt for Tu Shuangshuang. There was no one who hated Tu Shuangshuang more than the followers of the departed Sage Hua.

The once revered Hua Gate had become a laughingstock, and it was all because of Tu Shuangshuang.

A single announcement caused the Voidforce Universe to become the focus of a large portion of the Sixverse Association.

...

Broken Cliff was a renowned location in the Voidforce Universe, and it was only because Cheng Feng had been born there. His otherworldly singing enchanted countless people, and had even caught Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s attention. The three invitations she had extended to Cheng Feng had made his birthplace one of the most popular tourist destinations in the entire Voidforce Universe.

Every year, countless people would wait around Broken Cliff, hoping to hear the man sing. Even a single line would be enough to satisfy them.

Broken Cliff was not a planet, but rather a landmass that drifted through outer space. Its appearance was the source of its name of Broken Cliff. The landmass was not small, and it was home to hundreds of empires of varying sizes. However, the moment Cheng Feng's fame spread across the Sixverse Association, all of those empires had disappeared, and Broken Cliff had become a quiet place.

A man stood at the bottom of a towering mountain of snow, facing into the wind. His arms rose as the icy wind buffeted his body, causing his white clothes to flutter. He looked like a celestial being who was gracing the mortal realm with his presence, as he had a stunning and nearly divine appearance. This man was Cheng Feng.

Beneath the snowy mountain stood a village. It was a very ordinary village, and there were no powerful cultivators there. The only inhabitants here were ordinary people. It was Cheng Feng's hometown and where he had been born. Despite the fact that none of the villagers were cultivators, Cheng Feng took care of them, and all of them were able to live to ripe old ages.

As the cold wind slowly diminished, Cheng Feng dropped his arms and stared up into outer space. He was not standing on the highest point of Broken Cliff, though this was his favorite place. When he had been young, he had met someone at this location, and that meeting had changed his life. That person had given Cheng Feng the chance to seize control of his own life.

Cheng Feng soon descended from the top of the snowy mountain, and he arrived at a place where a woman was waiting for him. Although her appearance was unremarkable, her bearing was exceptional, and she carried a delightful fragrance that would lift the spirits of those who smelled it.

"Tu Shuangshuang has appeared," she said. She was Ling Mu, another one of Sovereign Ninth Lotus’s disciples. She had just arrived in the Voidforce Universe, and she had traveled straight to Broken Cliff to meet with Cheng Feng.

The man asked, "Does Sovereign Ninth Lotus have any orders for me?"

"No."

Cheng Feng nodded. "Tu Shuangshuang is beneath Sovereign Ninth Lotus's attention."

"This is an opportunity for you," Ling Mu stated, much to Cheng Feng’s puzzlement.

The woman stared at him. "Do you truly wish to stay here for the rest of your life and sing? You may have a very high status here in the Voidforce Universe due to Sovereign Ninth Lotus's influence, but this is as far as you'll ever go here. However, if you can seize this opportunity and capture Tu Shuangshuang, then I can speak to Sovereign Ninth Lotus on your behalf and ask her to move you to the Cyclic Universe. With the Sovereign’s assistance, you may even receive a chance to compete for Sage Hua’s seat."