After hearing the old man, Lu Yin fell into deep thought. The Leiao family... Pirate Harbor... being attacked... He seemed to have grasped something, but he hadn't fully thought it through.
The old man said flatly, "If a person encounters an overly powerful enemy, the first thing he will do is hide, eliminating all clues that could lead to him."
Lu Yin's eyes lit up, and he clenched his fist. That's right! If this planet truly belonged to the Leiao family, then the only reason they would attack Pirate Harbor was to eliminate all traces of themselves, even fabricating a war to make the entire family "disappear," thereby avoiding a powerful enemy.
He was just unlucky, happening to run into this. A small fry was just a small fry. Even if he was killed by accident, no one would seek justice for him. Lu Yin believed that if the Leiao family had discovered Zhuo Baiye's existence, they would never have thrown her onto a planet like this. In the end, it all came down to power. Lu Yin began to feel a thirst for power.
He never thought he would be sacrificed so easily. So what if he was strong? Unless he was truly invincible and could roam the universe, he would only be a chess piece. He didn't want to be a chess piece; he wanted to be the player.
The suffering he had endured these past few days was unforgettable. This inhuman torture had changed his way of thinking.
The old man looked into Lu Yin's eyes and saw a different kind of spirit. The corner of his mouth twitched. Sometimes, a single sentence could ignite a fire.
"You just said the Leiao family hasn't collected ore in a month. That proves they've already left, right?" Lu Yin asked.
The old man shook his head. "This planet is very hidden. The Leiao family wouldn't give it up. But..." At this point, the old man paused, his eyes profound, "Once they do give it up, this entire planet will turn to dust."
Lu Yin's heart leaped. "What do you mean? This planet will also be destroyed?"
The old man nodded. "The great powers all have their own methods. You said Pirate Harbor was attacked before you were thrown here. If the Leiao family truly wanted to disappear, they shouldn't have made any moves afterward. Yet, you were thrown onto this planet. Your very existence is proof that the Leiao family still exists. To destroy all evidence, once they abandon this planet, this place will inevitably be completely destroyed."
"The Leiao family doesn't know I'm alive," Lu Yin said.
The old man scoffed. "They don't need to know. What they want is to eliminate all possible evidence. Even if the 'white meat' (human flesh) wasn't finished, they could still analyze the flesh to determine the time."
"What about you? Why are you on this planet?" Lu Yin suddenly changed the subject. The old man was so calm; perhaps he had a way to escape.
"My story... perhaps you'll find out in the future. But for now..." Suddenly, the old man's expression changed drastically. "Kid, my words came true! Start praying! Whether you live or not depends on this!"
Lu Yin looked up, his pupils shrinking. He saw a beam of light bombarding the earth. It was so familiar, so seared into his memory. He had nearly died to this very kind of beam!
BOOM!
The earth shook. A shockwave rolled in from the distance. The fierce wind blew away the thick clouds. For the first time, Lu Yin saw the Starry Sky.
A giant fissure spread across the land. Red-hot magma erupted from underground, releasing searing heat. The old man grabbed Lu Yin and leaped into the air. Although Lu Yin's injuries had recovered significantly, and he could even use battle-qi, his internal organs were still severely damaged, making it difficult to use techniques. He had only absorbed a tiny amount of Star Energy via the Heavenly Star Art, making it impossible to dodge the beam's attack.
"Kid, at my grandson's burial place, five miles north, there's a spaceship underground. Good luck!" With that, the old man threw Lu Yin. He clapped his palms together. An indescribable chant suddenly emanated from his body, seeming to come from ancient times, or perhaps the distant future. It broke through the starry sky, shooting directly into the universe.
...
Outside Planet Toflo, a super-massive warship hovered. Beams of light rained down, attempting to utterly destroy the planet.
Inside the ship, a young man watched the bombardment with bright eyes, exclaiming, "Third Grand-uncle, thank you for letting me watch! The destruction of a planet is so rare. It's beautiful!"
Not far away, a middle-aged man smiled, looking down on Toflo with a superior gaze. "This was our Leiao family's property. But we have to abandon it, or our enemies will find our trail."
"Is there anyone left on the planet?" the young man asked curiously.
The middle-aged man laughed. "They can't be considered people. Just slaves."
"A pity. I can't see the moment they're blown to bits," the young man sighed.
The middle-aged man laughed heartily. "There will be plenty of opportunities later. When we get to another territory, Third Grand-uncle will get you more 'test slaves' to play with."
"Thank you, Third Grand-uncle!" the young man was overjoyed.
Suddenly, the immense chant broke through Toflo's atmosphere, resounding through space.
The super-massive spaceship trembled. Everyone stared blankly at the anomaly. The "Third Grand-uncle's" expression changed, then grew fervent. "A 'Transmission' (Inheritance)! This is an ancient inheritance! To think a scrap planet would have one!" With that, he shot out of the ship, rushing toward Toflo.
At the same time, several other figures shot out, also heading for Toflo.
They were all the Leiao family's Star-wanderer experts. The Third Grand-uncle was the family's only Cruiser-realm expert. They were the guardian gods of the Leiao family. Now, drawn by the old man, they all charged toward Planet Toflo.
To a Star-wanderer, a planet's destruction was not enough to threaten their lives. An inheritance was far more important.
...
Lu Yin slammed onto the ground far away, right next to the old man's grandson's grave. He looked into the distance. The old man had created a massive commotion. What was he trying to do?
"Go, kid! Remember to recite the text on the wall often; it's good for you. I've removed your 'dark-jìn' as well. Forget everything that happened here. Live well!" The old man's voice rang in Lu Yin's ear.
Lu Yin stared at the old man. They had been together for two and a half months. From his initial wariness, to his later resentment, and now... Lu Yin didn't know what he was feeling. It was complex. Regardless, this man had saved his life and his strength had soared. "Let's go together!" Lu Yin shouted.
The old man turned back and smiled. His face was clearly as thin as a skull, yet this smile was full of sunlight. Lu Yin even saw kindness and joy in his eyes. "Your words are enough. Good child, survive. Go! This old man will 'block the road' (intercept them) for you!"
Lu Yin felt a fierce wind blast him, pushing him hard toward the north. There was a spaceship there, prepared for him.
"Your name!" Lu Yin roared.
"Hahahaha! I, this old man, have roamed freely all my life! I never thought I would be buried in a remote corner of the Outerverse like this! Fate is fickle! Heaven is fickle!" the old man laughed madly. At that moment, several figures descended—the Star-wanderer experts from the Leiao family.
When they saw the old man, they were stunned. "Why would such a powerful cultivator be here?"
"To be buried with me is your honor!" The old man waved a single hand. The entire Planet Toflo seemed to shift. Time itself seemed to stop. The Star-wanderer experts, including the Cruiser-realm one, had no power to resist and appeared before the old man, all in a daze.
Lu Yin hit the ground again. He looked back just in time to see this. He couldn't comprehend how the old man had done it. The difference in power level was too vast. In the next instant, the void erupted. A black fissure swallowed everything, gradually expanding.
Lu Yin's pupils shrank. He slammed a palm on the ground, revealing a personal spacecraft. He jumped in without hesitation and started it immediately.
The ship shuddered and gradually ascended. In the distance, the black hole (hắc động) expanded, having already devoured the old man and the Star-wanderer experts, and was now beginning to swallow all of Toflo.
The landscape was obliterated. Magma erupted, only to be devoured by the black hole. Far away, a few slaves screamed in despair, but no one could save them. A wave of magma swept over them like a tidal wave, and everything vanished.
The ship whooshed and shot upward, narrowly escaping the black hole's pull. It passed through the atmosphere and emerged into space.
Lu Yin looked back. Planet Toflo was gradually disappearing.
Ahead, a super-massive spaceship entered his vision. It was the Leiao family's ship.
A tractor beam locked on. The personal ship Lu Yin was piloting was pulled uncontrollably into the Leiao family's massive vessel.
Everyone in the Leiao family was staring at Toflo in terror. The entire planet was almost gone. Why hadn't the family's experts returned?
...
The ship shuddered. Lu Yin opened his eyes. As the cabin door opened, a dozen Leiao family cultivators rushed in, pointing their weapons at Lu Yin. "Out! Get out, now!"
Lu Yin walked out slowly. His entire body was wrapped in a single ragged cloth, making him look like a primitive man. His hair had grown out a bit, and his face was grimy, looking no different from the slaves.
"Take him to the young master!" one of them, a Limiteer cultivator, barked. There were at least five other Limiteer experts around.
Lu Yin didn't make a rash move. With the Lock-Breath Art, these people had no idea of his true strength. What they wanted to know most right now was what happened on Toflo. The family's Star-wanderer experts had all vanished. This was a catastrophe for the Leiao family. Without their protection, the family couldn't transport its resources, no matter how vast.
This super-massive ship was equivalent to a small city, housing over a hundred thousand people. Its master was the Cruiser-realm expert, but he had vanished with Toflo. At this moment, the Leiao family was gripped by fear. They were desperate to get information from Lu Yin.
A large door was pushed open, and Lu Yin was shoved into the main hall. He was surrounded by a circle of the Leiao family's leaders.
Lu Yin's gaze swept over them. These were the people who had almost gotten him killed. That beam of light had thrown him into the abyss, and they... they simply didn't care.
"Speak! What happened on Toflo?" a middle-aged man shrieked, staring at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. This man's strength was considerable; he could give him a slight sense of danger. A peak Limiteer expert, comparable to a Domain Master. And around him, there were several other peak Limiteers.
These people, while not as exceptionally talented as the Academy students who were strong at a young age, had still managed to reach the Domain Master level—or perhaps stronger—through time. Fortunately, he hadn't yet sensed a Limiteer strong enough to make his scalp tingle. In other words, the Leiao family had no Limiteer experts comparable to a Zone Master.
Their strongest group—the Star-wanderer cultivators—had all died on Planet Toflo.