Star Odyssey

“Who the hell are you?!” the middle-aged woman shouted. Blood kept flowing from her abdomen—she’d been injured. 

The young man remained silent as he continued advancing. He casually stepped through the puddles of blood, emanating a horrifying aura. 

Paige was on the verge of fainting. 

The young man stopped three meters away from Paige and the middle-aged woman before raising the blade in his hand and slicing through the void. 

A crazed look appeared in the middle-aged woman’s eyes as she grabbed Paige and tossed him towards the transparent metal window. “RUN!” 

As an Explorer, the middle-aged woman was actually fully capable of tearing the spacecraft apart with her attacks, so it was easy for her to toss Paige out of the vessel. Although the young man attacking them was also an Explorer and would be able to chase Paige into outer space, she wouldn’t let any chance for Paige to escape pass by. Paige could not die! That could not be allowed to happen. 

Paige felt a sharp pain in his back as the transparent metal cracked and he was flung an unknown distance away from the spacecraft and into outer space. What did space feel like? He didn’t really know because he wasn’t even a Limiteer—he was just a mere Melder. He was deathly afraid of the unknown aspects of outer space, but before he could even think about his fear, the scenery around him retreated and suddenly seemed to draw far away from him. Paige had been thrown back into the spacecraft by some outside force and bashed against the wall. 

The middle-aged woman was stunned. What was going on? 

The young man holding the sword had not even swung it yet, and he was looking to the side. 

Lu Yin was incredibly excited to finally encounter a spacecraft that had come near enough to land his star energy net. The strings that he had made were incredibly sturdy, especially since he had comprehended a domain. Due to how quickly the spacecraft was moving, it was impossible for it to avoid Lu Yin’s web. When the spacecraft ran into the strings, the huge force had caused Lu Yin to swing around in a huge circle before landing in the spacecraft itself. 

It was a bit like being on a swing. 

Lu Yin had been delighted and eager to enter the spacecraft, but then, a human-shaped figure had suddenly appeared in front of him, heading straight for him. He had become extremely irritated. What was this about? Was this person trying to kick him away? That wouldn’t do! Without a second thought, Lu Yin kicked the figure hard and sent them flying right back inside the vessel. He then paused for a moment, not wanting to rush into the spacecraft right away. Thankfully, he was in front of the vehicle now, so there would only be a moment or two before it caught up to him. 

Lu Yin pathetically fell into the cockpit, entering through the broken transparent metal window that had been cracked open. 

Cough cough!

It had been a while since he’d last taken a breath, so Lu Yin huffed and puffed when he encountered air again. Finally. Finally! This was so difficult. 

The atmosphere in the room became rather strange. Paige was stuck inside a wall, and it was unknown if he was dead or alive. The middle-aged woman and the young man were both staring at Lu Yin. At that moment, nobody moved. 

Lu Yin took a few deep breaths and then frowned. The stench of blood was incredibly strong, causing him to look up. All of a sudden, he felt his scalp go numb, and he dodged to the side as fast as he could. A blade swiped past his ear, nicking him and causing a thin line of blood to run down his cheek. 

Lu Yin became furious; that attack had been meant to kill him! He looked up, and the first person to enter his vision was a young man holding a sword.

The youth seemed surprised that Lu Yin had managed to dodge his attack, and without any hesitation, he launched another attack that was even more malicious than the first. As the second attack tore through the void, Lu Yin could tell that, although it was very direct and didn’t have much variation to it, it still gave off a sense of danger due to its sheer power. The attack carried an aura about it that was vaguely reminiscent of Liu Shaoqiu’s First Sword: vast, precise, and embodying the full physical power of the attacker. This person was undoubtedly an expert. 

Nine stars revolved around Lu Yin as he stared intensely at the sword’s trajectory before dodging the attack. At the same time, he swept out with a foot. A heavy thud resulted from the collision as he kicked the young man out of the room. 

The middle-aged woman’s pupils constricted as she stared at Lu Yinm in shock. This person was incredibly strong. Wait a second, why does he look so familiar? 

Lu Yin retracted his left foot and frowned hard. He had felt a strange reaction when his foot had connected with the young man’s body. That person had an incredibly tough body, and it almost felt like he had kicked a piece of solid steel. 

He turned to look at the middle-aged woman again as he checked his surroundings. Lu Yin seemed to have landed himself in more trouble. 

But before he could say anything, a blade flashed out as the attacker from before swung his sword. Lu Yin quickly evaded this attack as well, but the transparent metal window of the spacecraft was torn apart even further, and the air within the vessel began leaving at an even faster rate. 

That young man passed through the void and struck out with his sword even more viciously than before. Lu Yin was given no time to think, but with the aid of his Cosmic Art, he managed to stop the sword before it connected by grabbing the attacker’s left arm while counterattacking with his own right hand. Lu Yin struck the youth’s chest with a Twenty Stacks Thirtyfold Shockwave Palm. 

There was a huge boom as the massive force destroyed the room. The entire vessel went dark, and the young man was sent flying through the walls of the vessel and into outer space. 

Lu Yin grimaced. He’d used too much strength just now, and the spacecraft was done for after that last attack. This wouldn’t do! He’d just escaped from certain death! He turned towards the woman. “Are there personal spacecraft on board?” 

The middle-aged woman had already guessed who Lu Yin was by this point, and she nodded in response. “Yes.” 

Lu Yin sighed in relief. He didn’t care how many were present, just so long as there was one that he could use. After all, he’d just saved this woman’s life. 

“Are you Lu Yin?” she asked. 

Lu Yin just grunted in acknowledgement. “This spacecraft is about to be destroyed. You should leave.” 

The middle-aged woman opened her mouth and was about to say something, but her expression suddenly changed to fear as she looked above Lu Yin’s head. 

Lu Yin felt his heart thump hard, and he looked up as well. His eyes widened when he once again saw the young man from before. The youth should have been injured or even killed by Lu Yin’s earlier strike, but there he was, standing atop the spacecraft looking perfectly fine as he calmly stared at Lu Yin. Those eyes… Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. Those eyes could only be from the Neohuman Alliance! He’d only ever seen something similar in the eyes of the Neohuman Alliance’s members. 

Those entirely emotionless eyes that looked like they belonged to a zombie. 

Could this person be from the Neohuman Alliance? Lu Yin wasn’t entirely sure. There were all sorts of battle techniques in the universe, and there were even a few that could cause the cultivator to lose their emotion. One could not generalize and say that having a cold gaze meant that someone was from the Neohuman Alliance. 

However, what happened next allowed Lu Yin to confirm that this person was from the Neohuman Alliance. That was because the youth’s eyes transformed, taking on a scarlet color with vertical pupils. 

The slitted scarlet eyes were a distinct feature that only belonged to those of the Neohuman Alliance. 

Lu Yin wasn’t alone in this realization; the woman beside him also recognized these features and went pale. “The Neohuman Alliance?” 

“You. Must. All. Die.” The young man stared at Lu Yin with his scarlet eyes. The sword in his hands vanished as he charged straight at Lu Yin. The spacecraft jostled, and the young man threw out a strong punch. The terrifying force of the fist caused the entire spacecraft to start speeding out of control at a startling rate. The punch was enough to kill an ordinary Explorer. 

Lu Yin was careful to not underestimate a Corpse King from the Neohuman Alliance. These people were enemies of the entire human race. 

Boom!

Lu Yin matched the attack with a punch of his own. 

Ferocious shockwaves spread out in all directions and caused cracks to appear all over the entire spacecraft. The area under Lu Yin’s feet shattered, and the attack nearly tossed him back into outer space. He really didn’t want to fall out of the spacecraft, so dark-gold light surrounded him as his battle force activated. Lu Yin then suddenly seized the young man by the wrist and exerted his full force. The young man was a Corpse King, and technically speaking, he should not have the lower hand in terms of physical strength against anyone of his realm. However, he was confronting Lu Yin, so there was little he could do. 

Crack!

The Corpse King’s wrist fractured, and he quietly howled in pain. His scarlet eyes stared at Lu Yin, leaving the Limiteer with a minor feeling of fear. But Lu Yin gritted his teeth and instead exerted even more strength. The extra force completely broke the Corpse King’s wrist, and he howled in agony. The scarlet eyes vanished, or rather, they transformed, turning into grey eyes. They went completely grey, the kind of color that devoured everything in its path. Even the Corpse King’s hair turned grey. 

At that same moment, the broken wrist became as good as new as an indescribably powerful aura descended, filling the area. Lu Yin felt his heart start to race. “Seventh Bro, you need to attack! This is a Corpse King Transformation! This guy won’t be an easy opponent, so you need to stop him before he finishes transforming!” 

Lu Yin did not hesitate and planted his palm on the young man’s chest, exactly where he had landed his previous attack. “Thirty Stacks, Fortyfold Shockwave Palm.”

Everything seemed to go quiet for an instant. After that instant passed, the Corpse King was blasted away by Lu Yin’s attack. Thirty Stacks was a terrifying attack, and it was truly unbeatable within the Limiteer realm. It was also Lu Yin’s strongest attack and capable of sending the young man flying. 

“RUN BRO! You won’t be able to kill a Transformed Corpse King as long as you’re still a Limiteer!” the Ghost Monkey shouted in a panicked voice. 

Lu Yin had no time to ask any questions and only glanced at the middle-aged woman before racing toward the spacecraft’s hold. 

The woman also knew that things had gotten serious, and she gritted her teeth as she pulled Paige out of the wall and carried him to the hold as well. 

Soon enough, two spacecraft soon flew away from the ruined vessel and headed in two different directions. 

After the two spacecraft had left, the young man returned. His appearance was completely different from before. His entire body was now grey, and his strength was enough to warp the void. When he casually waved his hand, the ruined spacecraft was reduced to dust. After looking about, he quickly started pursuing one of the spacecraft. 

“How’d you get involved with the Neohuman Alliance again, Seventh Bro?” the monkey shrieked, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. 

Lu Yin was speechless. “I didn’t get involved! This was a complete coincidence.” 

“That’s even worse! That means that trouble turns up wherever you go! A Hunter just tried to kill you! Wake up, man! Can’t we just stay somewhere safe in the future? Don’t leave home!” the monkey howled miserably. 

Lu Yin frowned. “I’ve got a question for you. What’s a Corpse King Transformation?” 

“It’s the ultimate battle technique of the Neohuman Alliance, and it was specifically created for the Neohumans. With each transformation, their power levels spike,” the Ghost Monkey explained listlessly, feeling like his future was bleak. The incident where Lu Yin had been attacked by a Hunter had traumatized him.

“How much stronger do they get?” Lu Yin asked curiously. The monkey knew how strong Lu Yin was, but despite all that, he had still immediately urged Lu Yin to escape. That had to mean that the increase in strength wasn’t a small amount. 

“Do you know why the entire universe fears the Neohuman Alliance?” the monkey asked. 

Lu Yin didn’t answer. 

“I’ll tell you why. First of all, it’s because of their philosophy, which is to turn all humans into Corpse Kings in order to obtain immortality. The second part is their strength. You already know how powerful that Corpse King just now was. Before transforming, his physical body was already incredibly strong. And after that transformation… his strength increased to somewhere around ten times as strong than before,” the monkey stated grimly. 

Lu Yin’s expression changed. “Ten times?” 

“Yes. Ten,” the monkey answered seriously. 

Lu Yin was shocked. What kind of technique was so terrifying that it could strengthen a person’s body tenfold? 

“Even a regular Corpse King’s body has been enhanced through various means. With your abilities, you’re definitely invincible amongst Limiteers. Even the other true Ten Arbiters’ candidates are no match for you. You’re at the top. However, that Corpse King isn’t much weaker than you. Even a Limiteer Corpse King wouldn’t be much weaker than you. That is the standard of the average Corpse King from the Neohuman Alliance,” the monkey stated definitively.