The Dark Phoenix Clan had joined forces again, and soon after, countless arrows were fired towards the west. The Temple of Taimo had also joined the fray.
"Your Highness, according to our estimates, we should be able to reach the Wei family's ancestral planet in half a month at most," En Ya reported.
Lu Yin nodded. "Don't be careless."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. The Great Eastern Alliance is already under martial law, and there's an Enlighter overseeing Zenyu Star. Wei Rong won't be able to cause any trouble," En Ya reassured him.
Lu Yin frowned. The further they went, the more likely there would be problems.
"Your Highness, we've received news that the Wei family has withdrawn from the ancestral planet," someone reported.
Lu Yin raised his brows. Wei Rong had admitted defeat?
The spacecraft shook, and Hugh Phinhas suddenly attacked. However, he was still blocked by Aden.
Lu Yin looked at the rune lines that filled the heavens and took a deep breath. As long as he dealt with Wei Rong and dealt with this person, then even if the central weaves joined forces, Lu Yin would not necessarily care about them.
Wei Rong was like a thread that connected the central weaves. If this thread was broken, then the other weaves' alliances would be easily broken.
Just like how Wei Rong was the thread of the Great Eastern Alliance, the moment something happened to him, the Great Eastern Alliance would also collapse.
Lu Yin was once again conflicted. Should he hire the old smoker to deal with Wei Rong?
He could not make up his mind about this person. This person was like a mirror to him, and Lu Yin could not assassinate him. He only wanted to defeat him fair and square, no matter what method he had to use.
In the universe, the victor was king. Perhaps Lu Yin still harbored some unrealistic fantasies of subduing this person, but the possibility of that happening was too small.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard. "Your Highness, Captain Peach has died in the line of duty."
Lu Yin was shocked. "What did you say?"
"Captain Peach was just killed." The reporting soldier's face went pale.
Lu Yin's pupils shrank, and his heart ached. He took a step into outer space and headed towards the battlefield.
At this moment, the disciples of the Temple of Taimo were crazily attacking the Dark Phoenix cultivators. Gong Ke, Gong Chou, and the rest were all shouting something.
Hugh Phinhas no longer tangled with Aden and the rest, and he blocked the allied forces' attacks by himself.
When Lu Yin arrived, Hugh Phinhas sneered, and black flames transformed into a wall that blocked the allied forces.
The disciples were all dazed, especially Gong Chou, who was trembling all over.
Lu Yin walked up to him and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
Gong Chou stared at Lu Yin and bellowed, "Little Peach is dead, and her body has been shattered. Are you satisfied now? You were the one who sent her into battle, and you were the one who caused her death!"
The Tai Mo Palace's disciples all stared at Lu Yin with murderous intent.
Around them, the various Hunters from the allied army, including Aden and Yan Yan, appeared and faced off against the disciples from Taimo Temple.
Lu Yin stared at Gong Chou, "What's going on?
Speak clearly. "
Gong Chou exhaled and said bitterly, "The battlefield was too chaotic, and Little Peach was unknowingly separated from us. By the time we found her, she had already exploded at the same time as a warship and turned to dust."
"Where?" Lu Yin shouted.
Gong Chou pointed in a certain direction, and Lu Yin looked over to see the wreckage of a spacecraft floating in space. As far as he could see, there were no other rune lines besides the disciples of the Tai Mo Palace who seemed to be searching for something.
His heart sank, and he walked over to the wreckage of the spacecraft. He released his domain, but there were no signs of life. There wasn't even a corpse. Had the spacecraft really been destroyed?
"There were so many of you, so how did you get separated from her?" Lu Yin questioned as he stared at Gong Chou.
Gong Chou angrily replied, "This is a battlefield, and there are enemies everywhere. Also, that old bastard Hugh Phinhas suddenly appeared. We couldn't find Little Peach at all."
Lu Yin looked at Aden. "Why did Hugh Phinhas suddenly retreat?"
Aden shook his head. "I don't know. He suddenly retreated as we were fighting."
"Senior, there's nothing here," a disciple from the Tai Mo Palace reported to Gong Chou. They had been searching for something.
Gong Chou was unwilling to give up, and he personally went to search the wreckage of the spacecraft.
Lu Yin knew that Gong Chou was looking for the arrow, and his heart sank. Peach was his friend, and he would definitely take revenge.
However, the entire situation was too strange. Wei Rong wanted to kill Peach, and that had caused the Tai Mo Palace to turn against him. This was normal, but why couldn't they find the arrow that had been embedded in Peach's body?
That was a divine arrow that had been passed down since ancient times, and it had been eroded by the passage of time. It could not have been destroyed in a single attack, and according to Peach, she had always been carrying that arrow.
If it was really on Peach's body, then it had either been picked up by someone on the battlefield, or Peach hadn't died at all and had been smashed to pieces. Gong Chou did not believe this statement the most, as it was similar to Undying Yushan. As long as there was no corpse, then there was a possibility that Peach was still alive.
However, Gong Chou had rushed over as soon as he had received news of Peach's death, and he had not seen any rune lines on her body.
The disciples from the Tai Mo Palace were still searching for the spacecraft's wreckage. Although they were arguing with Lu Yin, they did not leave. Gong Chou also guessed that the arrow might have been obtained by someone else, and he wanted to stay on the battlefield so that he could wait for the experts from the Tai Mo Palace to gather and search for the arrow.
That arrow was too important to the Tai Mo Palace.
Lu Yin returned to the spacecraft and immediately contacted Wei Rong.
Wei Rong quickly appeared on the screen with a beaming face. "Brother Lu, long time no see."
They had not spoken since the start of the war, and Wei Rong had not appeared on the battlefield at all. It had already been two months.
"Is Peach dead or not?"
Lu Yin asked directly. His tone was low, and he sounded both expectant and apprehensive. This was not only because of the Tai Mo Palace, but also because he had treated Peach as a friend.
Wei Rong helplessly replied, "The battlefield is constantly changing. My condolences, Brother Lu."
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. "Is Peach really dead?"
Wei Rong smiled. "Brother Lu shouldn't be asking me this question, as I didn't appear on the battlefield. You should ask those disciples from the Tai Mo Palace. They saw it with their own eyes."
Lu Yin was unwilling to accept this outcome. "Brother Wei, if Peach isn't dead and has been captured by you, then I'm willing to end this war in exchange for her."
Wei Rong's expression changed, as he had not expected Lu Yin to be willing to pay such a high price. "Is it worth it?"
Lu Yin firmly replied, "She's my friend."
Wei Rong laughed. "Brother Lu, you're afraid of the Tai Mo Palace's revenge, right?"
Lu Yin solemnly replied, "You're underestimating me too much. The universe is a place where the strong prey on the weak, and we believe in the Dark Forest Law. The word 'friend' is especially precious, and the friends that I, Lu Yin, acknowledge will never change in this lifetime."
Wei Rong's face was solemn as he looked at Lu Yin seriously. He then sighed. "Today, I've gotten to know Brother Lu all over again. Although you're ambitious, you have a bottom line when you do things. Unfortunately, you've disappointed me. If you care too much, you'll become afraid of losing something, and in the end, you'll lose even more. Brother Lu, in the future, I'll walk ahead of you."
"Is Peach dead or not?" Lu Yin asked sternly.
Wei Rong sighed. "It's a pity that she's dead."
Lu Yin's heart sank, and he stared into Wei Rong's eyes. "This is your only chance to seize the opportunity to end this war. Think carefully before you answer."
Wei Rong replied, "If Brother Lu doesn't believe me, then there's nothing I can do about it. Brother Lu, you should be careful of the Tai Mo Palace's revenge. Goodbye." He then hung up.
Lu Yin stood in his spacecraft and looked out into space. The battle in the distance had stopped, and he somewhat regretted sending Peach to the battlefield. He should have withdrawn her the moment the Wei family had retreated from the homeworld. Hugh Phinhas had suddenly retreated in order to deal with Peach.
Wei Rong's move had been beautifully executed, and he had successfully stopped the war and forced Lu Yin to face pressure from the Tai Mo Palace.
Beep beep beep beep!
Lu Yin looked at his gadget and tapped it open. Gong Ling's image appeared.
"Alliance Master Lu, you haven't forgotten what I told you, right?" Gong Ling's tone was icy, and his eyes were filled with killing intent.
Lu Yin's tone was bleak. "I'm sorry, Headmaster Gong Ling. I didn't take good care of Peach."
"There's no need to say anything else at this point. Everyone who participated in this war must remain behind and be thoroughly investigated. As for you, Alliance Master Lu, my Tai Mo Palace will personally pay you a visit. Even if you have the support of the Hall of Honor, my Tai Mo Palace will not let this matter rest. I'll ask Ancestor Arrow Mountain to personally make a trip there." Gong Ling then ended the call.
Lu Yin took a deep breath and smiled bitterly. All his efforts had been for naught. All his efforts had been for naught!
They hadn't been that far from the Wei family's homeworld, but this had happened.
It was impossible for the Tai Mo Palace to help him, as it would be impossible to take down the Wei family in a short period of time without their help. Hugh Phinhas had single-handedly blocked off the allied army's path of attack.
"Your Highness, please give the order. Even without the Tai Mo Palace's help, we can still attack the Wei family's homeworld," Liuying Zishan said resolutely as she arrived at Lu Yin's spacecraft.
Lu Yin waved a hand. Wei Rong's backup was not limited to the Dark Phoenix Clan, but also those Lockbreakers. The closer they got to the end, the crazier they would become. Lu Yin still had to deal with the pressure from the Tai Mo Palace. There were internal and external threats, and if he wasn't careful, he could easily lose everything. Right now, he had to think about how to deal with the Tai Mo Palace.
"Control the battlefield. No one is allowed to leave without permission," Lu Yin said. That arrow was of utmost importance, and if they could find it and hand it over to the Tai Mo Palace, they might not do anything.
Lu Yin's gaze was bleak. This was war, and he had lost his friends. Peach's bell-like laughter echoed through the air, but he was about to lose them forever......
Did he regret it?
A little, but if he could choose again, he would still go to war. Just as Wei Rong had said, if he was afraid of losing something, he would lose even more. He was indeed afraid of losing his friends, family, and lovers, but he could endure any kind of loss. Even if he was afraid, he still had to do it.
"Seventh Bro, my condolences," the monkey's tone was bleak. He had quite liked Peach as well, and that girl was like a pure child who was very likable.
Lu Yin took out the miniature arrow that Peach had given him and reminisced about the past.
As he was looking at it, the miniature arrow suddenly trembled.
Lu Yin thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him, but then, the miniature arrow trembled again and soared into the sky. It pierced through the void and shot off into the distance.
Lu Yin immediately chased after it and grabbed the arrow by the skin of his teeth. He had almost lost it.
The arrow's speed increased, and from the direction it was heading, it seemed to be heading southeast.
Lu Yin grabbed the arrow and allowed it to carry him into the distance. His heart was in turmoil. This arrow couldn't be one of the three arrows that Peach had inherited, right? Otherwise, there was no way to explain its might. At this moment, the number of rune lines on this arrow had already surpassed that of an Enlighter's, and it was still increasing.
"Seventh Bro, what's that?" the monkey cried out.
Lu Yin was shocked. Peach had actually given that arrow to him. Why?