The three parties soon reached an agreement, and the Ross Empire sent out another group of androids to Planet Pyrolyte. This time, their purpose was not to snatch the mountain range, but rather to search for traces of Lu Yin. If they were able to confirm that Lu Yin was at the mountain range, then the three organizations would immediately contact the Sword Sect. 

Two fingers had stopped the Que's Mighty Slash. No matter how he had accomplished this feat, such an achievement at the very least proved that this person was close to Ling Que’s power level. He had also killed Jared just recently, so the Limiteers on the ground were clearly not comparable to him. Therefore, they had to rely on the Sword Sect to deal with him.  

However, heaven’s plans superseded their own. The Ross Empire and the other powers never expected that the person who had leaked their hard earned detailed information on the pyrolyte ore distribution was not actually an undercover spy from one of the major powers. Instead, he had been a fugitive. He had been a part of a small gang that consisted of a bit more than a dozen people. They had used various methods to manipulate fugitives and obtain secret information from various organizations, which they would then sell for money, nothing more. 

Originally, this small gang had just wanted to steal some information about the Ross Empire’s geological research, and they hadn’t intended on getting confidential information. However, by chance, their agent had participated in the geological analysis of Planet Pyrolyte and had gotten a hold of this detailed information. Although the man had not wanted to die, he had been forced to sacrifice himself under the pressure of the gang and his own family. He had sent out the information while under duress, and he had been afraid of being forced to confess by the Ross Empire, so he had chosen to kill himself. 

The Ross Empire’s eyes were fixed on the various major powers. How could they have expected that this small gang would be so bold as to covet their information?

The small gang was short-sighted and was also unable to cooperate with any of the major powers to take control of this pyrolyte. As such, they simply sold the information to as many intelligence organizations as fast as they could before immediately disappearing. 

The Ross Empire and their two allies were planning on cooperating with the Sword Sect, but the information that they were relying on was already being sold by several intelligence organizations, and the information quickly appeared on the screens of several major powers. 

All of this happened so quickly that the Ross Empire was not even able to confirm whether or not Lu Yin was at the mountain range before some of the major forces had already sent down their own spacecraft, rushing towards the mountains. 

Newmoon

and the others were dumbfounded. Hundreds of spacecraft were rushing towards the mountain range now, so even a fool would have realized that something unexpected had occurred.

Huo Houye looked at

Newmoon

. “What’s happening?”

Newmoon

frowned, but didn’t reply. Someone had just reported to him that the information had been leaked, and all of the major powers had a copy now.

This report left Huo Houye and the others silent for a long time. This was the bargaining chip that they had been relying on to forge an alliance with the Sword Sect; how could it have spread around so quickly? Were the people who had stolen the information idiots? Or did they not know the value of pyrolyte? 

The three Enlighters had assumed that the people who had stolen the information would secretly try to take control of the mountain range, just like them. Who would have thought that the thieves hadn’t planned to make a move on the pyrolyte at all and had instead simply sold the information at a good price. 

The plan of the three organizations’ had fallen apart, and they were left with no capital to negotiate with the Sword Sect. 

At this moment, Lu Yin sensed that something was amiss. Up in the sky, spacecraft after spacecraft was being launched in their direction, looking just like a rainbow. 

Northgate Gang and the others were dumbfounded.

“Look!” someone exclaimed.

Northgate Gang and the others looked up at the sky to see a group of vessels form the words “Northline—Defend.”

“What does that mean? Defend the mountains?” Northgate Gang was stunned.

Ah Fan and the others were all confused. Who knew what was going on?

Granny Chan’s face was gloomy. “Hurry up and send someone to the mountains to tell Northgate Gang and the others about what’s happened. Also, please ask Lu Yin to guard the mountains. Northline Flowzone will naturally repay him.”

Lily Anne’s expression grew heavy. “What if Lu Yin doesn’t agree?”

Granny Chan looked helpless. “Then we give up. That’s not a place that we can defend.”

Lily Anne nodded. They had also received the information predicting a massive pyrolyte reserve beneath the mountain range. Who would have thought that these ordinary little mineral veins would actually lead to the largest amount of pyrolyte on the planet? What a pity, if only the other forces hadn’t found out about it.

The mountain range was filled with the sounds of explosions and was soon speckled with potholes. Limiteers descended from all directions, and the battle for the mountain range began. Up in the sky, multiple fleets of spacecraft formed arrowheads pointed directly at the mountain range, guiding the cultivators towards the mountain range. 

At this moment, the Sword Sect’s Liu Shaoqiu and the others were also dispatched to the mountain range. 

At Pyrolyte Lake, Wen Qian’er and the others looked at Ling Que. Ling Que frowned, but he still headed north. 

In the Pyrolyte Plains, Zhanlong Daynight and the others looked towards the south and at each other as well. 

In the region between the mountain range and Pyrolyte Plains, Zhuo Daynight raised her head and looked worriedly in the direction of the mountain range. She didn’t know what had happened, but the mountain range seemed to have suddenly become the focus of everyone on Planet Pyrolyte, and they were all headed there to fight. 

Atop the mountain range, Lu Yin opened a hand, and a cultivator crumpled to the ground, unconscious. His expression was unsightly, but he waved his hand and caused a wall of air to sweep out, sending dozens of Limiteers flying. He looked towards Northgate Gang. “Retreat now. You can’t hold onto this place any longer.” 

He already knew what was going on, but he didn’t intend on helping Northline Flowzone keep control of the mountain range. Guarding this place was tantamount to becoming the enemy of every other force on the planet, which went contrary to his original intention.

Northgate Gang also wanted to retreat, but the words written by the spacecraft in the sky flashed without stopping. Northline Flowzone’s Granny Chan was making her orders quite clear. 

“I said that you need to withdraw immediately. I can help you leave, or I’ll just leave by myself,” Lu Yin loudly repeated.

Hai Qiqi could feel the cruelty of the battlefield, especially since more and more people were arriving. Blood had already filled the air. She had killed someone. Just now, she had killed someone for the first time. She felt very uncomfortable, but she didn’t have any time to think about anything.  

The feeling of killing someone made her not want to talk. Suddenly, her body trembled. She looked at the stars with shining eyes, incredulous.

Northgate Gang’s expression changed at that instant, and he shouted, “Everyone, RETREAT!”

Lu Yin breathed a sigh of relief. He raised a hand and struck out, the shockwave from his Spacerender Palm sweeping out and clearing a path for them.

In the starry skies, unsightly expressions appeared on Granny Chan and the others. Lu Yin was planning on leaving.

The Scholar Newmoon and the others also looked at their screen, helpless. The moment the information had been leaked, that mountain range no longer had anything to do with them. The Sword Sect had the highest chance of obtaining it, as they had Mu Rong.

At the mountain range, Lu Yin shouted, “Qiqi, time to go!”

Hai Qiqi appeared next to Lu Yin and grabbed his arm. “We can’t go.”

Lu Yin frowned. “What do you mean?”

Hai Qiqi’s face revealed a complicated expression, and she even appeared a bit apologetic. She was no longer as lively as before, and she whispered to Lu Yin, “My second brother is here.”

Lu Yin was taken aback. His mind flickered as his body shook. He stared at Hai Qiqi. “So I was just a part of your calculations.”

Hai Qiqi looked at Lu Yin with a deeply apologetic look in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know!”

The moment Hai Qiqi mentioned that Hai Dashao had arrived, Lu Yin had figured everything out. The Sea King’s Dome wanted to obtain pyrolyte, and Lu Yin was the chess piece that the Sea King had decided to use to get it. Allowing Hai Qiqi to go with Lu Yin had also been a part of his plans. The moment Lu Yin arrived at Planet Pyrolyte, everything had already gone out of his control.

It was no wonder why the Sea King had happily supported the Great Yu Empire in his own name; he just wanted to get access to Planet Pyrolyte. As long as Lu Yin went there, Hai Qiqi would be able to reveal herself and help Lu Yin collect pyrolyte ore because the Great Yu Empire was under the Sea King’s protection. 

Lu Yin also recalled that Hai Qiqi had deliberately shown him the online videos of the Limiteer battles at the planet. No, even those fighting videos might have been arranged by the Sea King. 

From the very beginning, Lu Yin had been caught in the Sea King’s web of calculations. The only thing that had been neglected was this mountain range, which was actually the site of the largest pyrolyte mine. This was even more advantageous to their plan, so as soon as Lu Yin wanted to retreat, Hai Dashao had appeared. The plan wouldn’t just include Hai Dashao, as the Sea King should have even more powerful experts coming. 

However, why hadn’t the Sea King simply forced Lu Yin to go to Planet Pyrolyte? Why had he relied on using these manipulative methods to coerce him? With the Sea King’s strength, all it would have taken was one word, and Lu Yin would have been forced to go. There was no room for resistance, so why had it been so complicated? Was it because of Lu Yin’s status as a prospective son-in-law? 

Lu Yin stared at Hai Qiqi in a daze, his brain working furiously.

Hai Qiqi really hadn’t known about anything. She had only just found out now. Although she had been mocking Lu Yin this entire time and had not really paid much attention to him, scheming against him in such a manner caused her to feel uncomfortable.

“What if I absolutely have to leave?” Lu Yin said coldly.

Hai Qiqi pursed her lips. “I don’t know, but you can’t escape Elder Tong’s schemes. This should have all been arranged by Elder Tong. He is very intelligent and is the Sea King’s military advisor.”

Lu Yin found that matter strange. “Why calculate me into his plans? Shouldn’t it have been easier and better to just threaten me directly?”  

Hai Qiqi shook her head. “I don’t know, I really don’t. Please don’t ask me. I’ll feel guilty.”

Lu Yin raised his head and looked up at the starry sky. He seemed to see the proud gaze of Hai Dashao up in the sky’s darkness. 

There were too many things that could be used to threaten Lu Yin, and the most obvious one was the Great Yu Empire. Would the Sea King use the Great Yu Empire to threaten him? In order to get pyrolyte, the Sea King had schemed against Lu Yin so thoroughly that it wouldn’t be impossible for that man to threaten Lu Yin with the Great Yu Empire.   

If that was the case, then according to the Sea King’s arrangements, Lu Yin would snatch the pyrolyte ore and make himself an enemy of the major powers. This was the only way. 

The sound of killing kept echoing in his ears. Lu Yin fell silent for a while before finally speaking. “Then the Sea King will commit to protecting the Great Yu Empire.”

Hai Qiqi nodded. “That’s possible. Before we left, my royal father said that if you have any requests, I have full authority to make promises on his behalf.”

Lu Yin laughed to himself. “And here I thought that I was so clever, but every single one of my steps had been predicted by someone else. Sea King, oh Sea King, you’re truly powerful.”

Hai Qiqi looked at him and sighed. She could hear his grievances, helplessness, and sorrow. But so what? The difference between the strong and the weak was like the difference between heaven and earth. What she couldn’t understand, however, was if her father wanted the pyrolyte so badly, then why hadn’t he just sent Lu Yin to directly retrieve it? Why make things so complicated? This wasn’t her father’s style.

Could it be that her father really wanted her to marry Lu Yin? Hai Qiqi’s expression changed, and her lip curled up. 

Surely not.

In the distance, Northgate Gang and the others looked back at Lu Yin. Without Lu Yin clearing a path for them, they would suffer heavy losses as more and more people came.

Lu Yin exhaled. From this day onwards, the Great Yu Empire would fall under the Sea King’s Dome’s protection. If he still wanted freedom, then he would have to leave. 

Sea King, I’ll remember this moment. 

Calculating schemes was something that Lu Yin couldn’t do. He couldn’t scheme better than the Sea King or the various powerful organizations. However, he believed that the power of his innate gift would one day provide him with a chance to settle this score.

His cultivation thus far had already made Lu Yin universally famous, and he was even the strongest Limiteer. However, he was not happy with where he was. The major forces were like giant pythons twined around him, constricting him to the point where he couldn’t breathe. For this reason, he had been forced to come up with ways to attain various statuses that were able to protect him. 

These powers dominated the universe, and they also dominated countless poor cultivators who didn’t have any backing.  

Perhaps this was also one of the reasons why the Ten Arbiters Council had risen to power. The Ten Arbiters Council gave young cultivators a relatively fair environment as well as backing, though this protection was still shrouded by the major powers’ influence.