Star Odyssey

Chapter 3446: Preparations

Such a thing was infuriating. The Bifrost Palace was too overbearing in how they broke up families. For the children who joined the palace, all of their memories were erased so that they would know nothing, but their parents were left with lifelong scars.

They would lose their child forever.

Bian Ji and Yan Xiang’er would never give up, even if they died trying.

Hearing the couple’s story caused Lu Yin’s expression to darken. He had not expected the Bifrost Palace to have such practices.

Palace Master Yao enjoyed a close relationship with the High Seraph, and she was also one of the most talented members of the Ascendant Hall. She was famous throughout the megaverse, and Lu Yin had not expected the woman to have such a cruel streak.

It just so happened that he already wanted to resolve his karma with Palace Master Yao. This incident could be his excuse to go after the Bifrost Palace.

After hearing that Lu Yin intended to take action against the Bifrost Palace, Old Tao expressed his concern. "The relationship between Palace Master Yao and the High Seraph is something that people have always speculated about, but there is one thing that is known for certain: no matter who goes after the Palace Master, the High Seraph will never sit back and watch. Doing this is equivalent to a direct confrontation with the High Seraph."

Lu Yin arched a brow. "Aren't we already doing exactly that?"

"This is different."

"It’s not any different. I’ve already decided to deal with the Bifrost Palace," Lu Yin stated.

Old Tao continued to explain, "It won’t be easy to deal with the Bifrost Palace because the Bifrost Domain is completely sealed off. Only members of the Bifrost Palace are allowed to enter and exit that domain. If we try to force our way in, the Palace Master will have enough time to leave and go straight to the Ascendant Hall."

Lu Yin’s brow furrowed. This was a problem. If he frightened Palace Master Yao off, he would not be able to resolve his karma.

The High Seraph knew that Lu Yin was trying to mend his broken karma, and he even knew that Palace Master Yao was one piece of Lu Yin’s karma. Would she hold back because of that?

Lu Yin had been deliberately antagonizing the Ascendant Hall since he had entered the Spirit Nidus. But in reality, the High Seraph already knew that Lu Yin’s ultimate goal was to resolve all of his karma. All the High Seraph needed to do was wait for Lu Yin to show up.

Unless something big happened that made it so that the High Seraph could not worry about the Bifrost Palace, then even if she knew that Lu Yin was just deliberately stirring up trouble, Palace Master Yao would be forced to respond to Lu Yin’s actions. That should give him an opportunity to take her.

Lu Yin’s eyes flashed. To stir up trouble, something big has to happen…

No, if the High Seraph had already made preparations, then as soon as Palace Master Yao learned that she was being targeted, she would be on guard, regardless of whatever was happening outside of her domain.

Lu Yin thought of Wei Rong and his other strategists and felt regret. He should have brought them with him. Wei Rong's cunning might have been enough to find a solution to the current matter.

"Actually, it's not impossible to deal with the Bifrost Palace," Old Tao suddenly commented.

Lu Yin looked at the old man. "Do you have a solution?"

Old Tao thought for a moment. "Palace Master Yao is quite arrogant. She considers herself to be the most powerful cultivator beneath the Seven Seraphs, and because of her close relationship with the High Seraph, she is treated with a great deal of respect by the Seven Seraphs. Things have developed to the point where she is understandably haughty.

"While she doesn't reveal this attitude very often, there are very few individuals in the entire Spirit Nidus who can catch her eye.

"Such an arrogant person will never allow themselves to be humiliated. Instead of plotting against the Bifrost Palace in secret, it would be better to go straight to their door. While you might scare her away, as long as we can find the right manner of doing so and make some preparations, we could instead force her to stay, or possibly even force her to open access to the Bifrost Palace herself."

Lu Yin grew curious. "What kind of preparations?"

Old Tao's eyes flickered. "Humiliating ones."

Lu Yin understood. He stared at Old Tao for a moment. "You seem to understand Palace Master Yao quite well."

Old Tao chuckled dryly. "Who doesn’t know about the Ascendant Hall’s Absolute Duo? Palace Master Yao will very likely become a Seraph herself one day, which is something that everyone knows."

"If this works, I'll remember your contributions."

"I don’t dare! It's an honor just for me to be able to serve the Third Boss," Old Tao hurriedly replied.

…

Things gradually quieted down for the Grandverse Manor. After attacking the five domains and leaving them without leadership, no one was willing to offend the Grandverse Manor, and they remained idle in the Hundred Grasses Domain.

The gossip regarding the Grandverse Manor also faded away, though the discussions concerning Yuan Qi did not.

After all, the matter with Yuan Qi involved the opening of a Seraph’s seat, which meant that everyone was watching closely.

Someone suddenly raised the question of who the next Seraph would be if Yuan Qi lost his title. As soon as this question was raised, countless people became interested.

"I think that it will be Lord Yi Xia, the Lord of Beacon City. That city is of vital importance, since it is the midpoint stopping point for attacks on both the Consciousness and Tianyuan Megaverses. Lord Yi Xia is also supported by the Chamber of Commerce, and he’s cultivated the Devouring sequence technique, which would be perfectly complemented by the Heaven-Devouring Umbrella. He will become the next Seraph after Bao Qi."

"I think that it will be the master of the Heavenly Hand. The Heavenly Hand evaluates cultivators, preparing both the Black and White Spirit Lists. For many years, the people who have become Seraphs have almost always ranked at the top of the White Spirit List. The master of the Heavenly Hand has lived for a long time, but he has never become a Seraph. That’s not because he can't, but because he doesn't want to. However, things have changed recently. The Tianyuan Megaverse will definitely be reset, and the master of the Heavenly Hand will undoubtedly make an appearance when that happens, as he will try to enter the Immortal realm."

"Wrong. The master of the Heavenly Hand doesn't need to take the title of a Seraph in order to achieve Immortality. The High Seraph once stated that all cultivators who are at least Spirit Ancestors will be offered an opportunity when the Tianyuan Megaverse is reset. The master of the Heavenly Hand won’t be an exception to that.

"Personally, I think that the next Seraph will be Lord Tian Ci. He has been in the Tianyuan Megaverse this entire time, and when the invasion was about to be launched, the High Seraph stopped it. Something may have happened in the Tianyuan Megaverse, and the only one who can keep an eye on things there is Lord Tian Ci."

"Hmph! Of course the next Seraph will be Palace Master Yao! She is the most powerful cultivator beneath the Seven Seraphs, and by all rights, she should be given the position. She has cultivated the Bifrost Unscathed Sword, so who in the Spirit Nidus can compare to her? On top of that, there’s her mysterious relationship with the High Seraph."

"True, I also think Palace Master Yao will succeed. She is very powerful. There was once a powerhouse who disagreed with her being proclaimed as the greatest beneath the Seven Seraphs. So, they challenged her, only to die to her Bifrost Unscathed Sword."

"I think that there might be some old monster in the Gate of Laws who has been pretending to be on the brink of death. Someone like that will emerge during the competition for the title of Seraph."

"It has to be Palace Master Yao."

"It will definitely be Palace Master Yao."

"Actually, whoever is able to deal with the Grandverse Manor at this moment will have the opportunity to replace Yuan Qi and take his title as Seraph."

"That’s right. The Grandverse Manor is still a threat. They keep antagonizing the Ascendant Hall and are constantly breaking all the rules. They have to be eradicated."

"As soon as there is an opening for one of the Seven Seraphs’ positions, someone will definitely go after the Grandverse Manor."

…

The Bifrost Domain was very small, to the point where it was almost the smallest out of all the thirty-six domains. This was entirely because of the Bifrost Palace. After all, no outsiders were allowed to enter the Bifrost Domain.

To enforce this rule, the Bifrost Domain had repeatedly shrunken down.

Palace Master Yao had already returned from Ascendant Hall, though she was still unwilling to accept the High Seraph’s comment. She could have become a Seraph in the past, but no longer. Why not?

How long had she waited to become a Seraph?

Had her hope been stripped away by one sentence from the High Seraph?

What had changed things? The only new event was the arrival of the Grandverse Manor. Why would people from the Tianyuan Megaverse affect her chances of becoming a Seraph?

She was unwilling to accept such a thing.

Shui Hua arrived with a respectful bow. "Palace Master."

"What is it?" Palace Master Yao replied coldly.

Shui Hua said, "There are more and more speculations outside regarding who will be the next Seraph. Still, at the moment, you are receiving the greatest amount of support. May I ask if you wish to put a stop to this?"

Given Palace Master Yao’s nature, in the past, she would have stopped such speculations, as she had her relationship with the High Seraph.

Instead, she looked over at Shui Hua and stated, "There’s no need."

Shui Hua grew confused, but she did not press the matter. "Understood. I will take my leave."

"Wait, what are they saying outside?"

Shui Hua said, "The people outside claim that the Palace Master is the greatest beneath the Seven Seraphs, and thus, it is only natural for you to become the next Seraph. Regardless of whether it is your strength or virtue, you alone deserve to become the next Seraph."

Palace Master Yao was taken aback. "Virtue?"

Comments regarding her personal strength were only normal, as all of the Seven Seraphs needed to be overwhelmingly powerful. However, who would consider a candidate’s virtue? That had never come up before.

Was Bao Qi a virtuous person? Was Seraph Yi a virtuous person? What about the Emperor Wu of the Primal Beastland? What of Yuan Qi? Who among the Seven Seraphs could be regarded as a virtuous person? Who had even brought up such an idea?

Shui Hua continued her explanation. "Outsiders are saying that the Palace Master protects all creatures, maintaining the order of the Spirit Nidus. Women are like water, and the Palace Master overcomes strength with gentleness. Regardless of courage or strength, you surpass the current Seraphs and are the best candidate to become the next Seraph.

"Palace Master, outside of our domain, people are praising you to the sky."

Palace Master Yao’s mood slightly improved. "Hmph. While those people may not possess much strength, their insight is not bad."

Seeing that the woman’s mood had improved, Shui Hua continued to say, "The outside world is claiming that you are guaranteed to become the next Seraph and that not even the master of the Heavenly Hand or the old monsters who are pretending to be on the verge of death in the Gate of Laws can compare to you. Your courage is unmatched, and your beauty surpasses even all who have undergone a Spirit Transformation. Some day, you might become the High Seraph, or even attain Immortality."

Palace Master Yao raised a hand. "Enough, those things are too far off."

She then stood up and stared at the distant starry sky.

The High Seraph had said that she could not become a Seraph, but Palace Master Yao still wanted to try. Why could she not succeed? Just because of the High Seraph’s words?

If she became a Seraph, she would no longer have to act so humbly before the High Seraph.

The debate outside the Bifrost Domain grew increasingly intense, with some fights even breaking out. The people who supported Palace Master Yao shouted frantically, as if there would be no future for Spirit Nidus if she did not become the next Seraph.

The woman herself continued to observe the developments.

She had no idea where so many supporters had come from. She asked Shui Hua, but that woman just said that the people had certainly not been arranged by the Bifrost Palace.

This matter was strange. Where had such frenzied supporters come from?

Their praise was so excessive that even Palace Master Yao herself felt that these people were being a bit excessive.

Still, given her unmatched beauty, it was somewhat normal for her to have a group of people supporting her.

"The Palace Master will definitely become the next Seraph! Under her leadership, the Spirit Nidus will move toward a brighter future."

"The Grandverse Manor? Everything will be dealt with by the Palace Master! She will never allow those who break the law to persist."

"The Palace Master’s beauty is unmatched in the megaverse! And her strength is invincible!"

"The Palace Master is the next Seraph!"

"The Palace Master is the next Seraph!"

…

Countless people cheered, creating a wave of excitement that could be heard everywhere outside of the Bifrost Palace.

Shui Hua was stunned. The Palace Master’s supporters were so egregious! Where had they come from?

However, right after that, many people throughout the megaverse started to oppose Palace Master Yao becoming the next Seraph. These two groups started verbally attacking each other right outside the Bifrost Palace, each for their own reasons.

At this moment, the Grandverse Manor made an announcement, in which they demanded that the Bifrost Palace release all captured children and restore their memories. Also, they demanded that the Bifrost Domain be opened up.

When this news reached the Bifrost Domain, Palace Master Yal did not immediately react, though her supporters instantly grew enraged.

"Outrageous! Being allowed to join the Bifrost Palace is a blessing for any child! Cultivators live in a ruthless world! How can something as minor as a bit of family affection deprive them of their future?"

"What is the Grandverse Manor? How dare they speak against the Bifrost Palace like this?"

"Do they think that, by killing a few useless people, they are the dominant power? They are too arrogant! When they encounter the Palace Master, they will surely be killed."

The people who opposed Palace Master Yao’s ascension to the position of Seraph also spoke up. "The Grandverse Manor was founded by Yuan Qi. No matter how you look at it, Yuan Qi is a Seraph. Why is it certain that his people will die?"

"I think that the brains of those who support the Palace Master must have been damaged."

…

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA