Star Odyssey

Chapter 3772: Dispute

Lu Yin’s heart sank further and further. He was hearing truly grim news from Master Qing Cao. Had the Tianyuan Megaverse encountered an unprecedented crisis?

Master Qing Cao continued to observe Lu Yin. “The Tianyuan, Spirit Nidus, and even the Nine Odysseys megaverses are all ruled by humans. The loss of the Tianyuan means relatively little. Preserving the other two will better serve humanity’s future. Sadly, you cannot see that.”

Lu Yin could offer no argument. Emotionally, he naturally wanted to protect his home megaverse, but from the perspective of the entire human race, he could not say that Master Qing Cao was wrong.

He still remembered the scene of the meteorite’s megaverse being reset and its species wiped out. Since that moment, the meteorite had lived on without any family, existing as the sole survivor of its species in the omniverse. Lu Yin could not even imagine the emotional torture the creature was suffering from.

“Then why didn’t you reset it?” Lu Yin asked.

Master Qing Cao stared at Lu Yin with growing intensity. “The Tianyuan is not as fragile as I believed. Each time it faces critical danger, someone rises up to turn the tide. Last time, it was you. This time, it is Jiang Feng.”

“Uncle Jiang?” Lu Yin was surprised. “Wasn’t he... Didn’t you...?”

“He carved another path for himself.”

“That’s why you mentioned ‘another one.’” Lu Yin understood why Master Qing Cao had referred to Lu Yin as “another one” earlier. Uncle Jiang had been the first to stand up to the Immortal. That was wonderful news. Finally, Lu Yin was hearing some good news.

Master Qing Cao shook his head. “Without becoming an Immortal yourself, there will always be a gap. That civilization certainly has Immortals, and the moment they arrive, your megaverse is doomed.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Lu Yin asked.

Master Qing Cao casually replied, “I’m treating the Tianyuan as a shield to protect the Spirit Nidus, just the same as how the Nine Odysseys Megaverse uses my Spirit Nidus as a shield to protect them.

“I want you to be able to hold out.” With those words, the man vanished.

Lu Yin stared at the empty ground in front of him. A shield? It was a blunt description, but also quite honest. Still, that could not be everything, could it? If the Nest civilization truly arrived and the Tianyuan was unable to endure, then what would the Nine Odysseys Megaverse do? They prided themselves on existing above the other three megaverses. There was no way that they would allow the Tianyuan Megaverse to be destroyed by the Nests. At the very least, resetting the megaverse was always an option held in reserve.

When seen from this perspective, the Tianyuan not only served as the Spirit Nidus’s shield, but also as Master Qing Cao’s bait to drag the Nine Odysseys Megaverse down.

The Immortal wanted the Tianyuan to be a battlefield that would drag in both the Nest civilization and the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

Even if the Nine Odysseys Megaverse emerged victorious, a price would have to be paid. The Tianyuan Megaverse was already serving as a torch. Unless the Nine Odysseys Megaverse immediately reset the Tianyuan Megaverse, that torch would attract endless war. The final beneficiary might very well end up being the Spirit Nidus.

Lu Yin exhaled. He really wanted to return home and take a Nest to the Spirit Nidus. His own megaverse would not easily accept being used as a torch. The Spirit Nidus was a much more suitable candidate for that role.

He would wait until his journey in the Consciousness Megaverse was complete, and only then would he go back.

He looked up at the steep cliff, intending to continue waiting down below, standing watch for the Origin Progenitor.

Eventually, Everlasting Will reached the top of the cliff. The High Seraph quickly created a bit of space between himself and the Origin Progenitor, and the two men faced each other.

The High Seraph clutched his shoulder, his hand becoming stained with blood. The Origin Progenitor observed him from in front. “Your wound is quite serious. What perfect timing. Pillar, shall we finish him off?”

Lu Yin’s lips curved. “Of course. My Tri-Azure Sword Intent contains Immortal matter. It is far from simple. His wound is essentially incurable. The more he fights, the more that Immortal matter will erode his body, breaking it down even further. There is no power that he possesses that can suppress it. Forcing him to fight is no different from forcing him to die.”

The High Seraph’s gaze grew sharp. Immortal matter? No wonder he was able to fight back against Master Qing Cao. How did he manage to master that?

The High Seraph was aware of Immortal matter, but even after so many years, he had never managed to master it. In fact, he was unable to even see it. Lu Yin had only been in the Consciousness Megaverse for a short while, so how had he undergone such a swift transformation?

A sword attack that contained Immortal matter would undoubtedly leave behind wounds that were difficult to recover from, but that did not necessarily mean that things were as grave as what Lu Yin claimed.

After all, the High Seraph had never been wounded by an Immortal-level attack. Would continued activity really weaken him further and further?

The Origin Progenitor glanced down the cliff. Is that true? Is it really so serious?

Even the Origin Progenitor found it hard to believe Lu Yin.

However, that brat Pillar is best at lying through his teeth. Since he’s unable to climb the cliff on his own, he could very well be bluffing to intimidate the High Seraph... That certainly isn’t impossible. If I attack, it could reveal the lie.

The Origin Progenitor found himself in a dilemma.

Lu Yin urged, “Senior, finish him! Quickly!”

The Origin Progenitor glanced back down at Lu Yin, the old man’s heart dropping. So he really is just bluffing.

He knew Lu Yin all too well; the more serious the young man behaved, the more likely it was that he was lying.

Naturally, Lu Yin had been lying. Master Qing Cao had shattered the Tri-Azure Sword Intent, so how could it be as powerful as Lu Yin had claimed? The High Seraph had been struck by the last bit of power in the slash, and while he had indeed been badly wounded, it was nowhere near as disastrous as Lu Yin had claimed.

He had simply been trying to scare the High Seraph. Mentioning an Immortal’s attack and that his sword technique contained Immortal matter had been to target the High Seraph’s blind spot. The man had no way to determine whether Lu Yin was being honest or deceptive.

“Pillar, if I push him to his death, I won’t be able to get back down,” the Origin Progenitor said, playing along.

Lu Yin frowned. “Senior, are you confident that you can reach the palace? If you just touch it, you can obtain an Immortal’s memories, and you might even be able to break through. If you can’t, just wait. Other people from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse will doubtlessly come back here, and you can leave with them. Given your strength, not even a Lesser Sancte can stop you.”

The Origin Progenitor sighed. “I can’t reach the palace. As for waiting... no. That would waste too much time. What about Boundless? There are many matters that you are unable to handle on your own. I spent so many years suppressing the sequence strings. I don’t want to end up trapped in one place again.”

“Senior, the High Seraph is very powerful. Before time was rolled back thirty-seven years, he shattered the Immemorial Citadel and massacred the Heavens Sect. He’s one of the Tianyuan Megaverse’s greatest enemies. Senior...”

“Pillar, you are strong enough to finish him off easily enough. There’s no reason for me to die to take him down.”

“What do you mean, die taking him down? He’s already dead! Just attack him.”

“Becoming trapped atop this cliff is no different from dying with him.”

“Don’t underestimate the High Seraph, Senior. He might be able to reach the palace. If we don’t kill him, he will always remain a threat.”

“Then I’ll simply make it impossible for him to reach the palace.”

“Senior...”

“Pillar...”

One atop the cliff, the other below it, two men continued to bicker. Lu Yin’s expression grew uglier and uglier, and the Origin Progenitor was not looking much better.

“Are you willing to accept me being trapped atop this cliff forever?” the Origin Progenitor shouted.

Cough, cough.

A violent bout of coughing rang out, pulling both Lu Yin and the Origin Progenitor’s attention.

The High Seraph cleaned a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes darting back and forth between Lu Yin and the Origin Progenitor. The more the man looked, the more convinced he became that the other two were putting on a performance. Unfortunately, he could not be completely certain. If Lu Yin had told the truth and Immortal matter would erode his body, then Mo Shang was doomed. The palace lay before him, and his best chance was to break through. It was impossible for him to become an Immortal by resetting a megaverse; the Nine Odysseys Megaverse would never be willing to give him such an opportunity.

At this moment, taking a step forward could offer him a chance at the Immortal realm. If he retreated by one step, even if doing so would ensure his survival, he would forever lose this opportunity.

Even if Mo Shang was rather certain that Lu Yin and the Origin Progenitor were bluffing, he still needed to play along with them. This was both to give Lu Yin peace of mind, while also ensuring that Mo Shang would receive the same chance as Tai Chu. However, even if the Origin Progenitor was given the opportunity, he was not Lu Yin and would never be able to reach the palace.

It was so frustrating! If he had not lost Everstone, the High Seraph would have been able to block Lu Yin’s sword technique.

“I understand the severity of my own injuries. Just tell me what you want.”

“Come down here and take me up,” Lu Yin said.

The High Seraph instantly refused. “Impossible.”

“Senior, kill him.”

The Origin Progenitor’s eyes grew frigid as he glared at the High Seraph. “Either you go down there, or I’ll throw you down!”

The High Seraph’s voice dropped low. “You can’t.”

The Origin Progenitor raised an eyebrow as he looked down at Lu Yin. “Pillar, are you sure he’s injured? He sounds very confident.”

Lu Yin replied, “Absolutely. He can’t resist Immortal matter.”

“Then why is he so confident? He’s making me question his injuries.”

“Don’t worry, Senior, just attack. He’s as good as dead already. Just toss him down here, and I’ll finish him off.”

“Very well, then this old man will do it.”

The High Seraph’s expression fell, and he pulled a massive wooden statue out from his cosmic ring.

It was about five meters tall and seemingly entirely made of wood. It was a statue of a woman, though its details were rather vague.

The High Seraph placed a hand upon the statue and instantly vanished. A few moments later, the statue’s face shifted and revealed the High Seraph’s features in eerily lifelike detail.

“This is a mirebound artifact.”

Upon hearing the words “mirebound artifact,” both Lu Yin and the Origin Progenitor felt their hearts drop. This was a problem. No mirebound artifact was ever easy to deal with. Who knew what this statue might be capable of?

“So long as I remain inside this wooden statue, nothing weaker than an Immortal can harm me,” the High Seraph’s voice rang out from within the statue.

Lu Yin stared up at it. “Are you sure?”

The Origin Progenitor casually attacked the statue with the weapons from his Verdant Arsenal. There was no deafening impact, merely the sound of a blade striking wood. However, there was not so much as a scratch.

The Origin Progenitor could hardly believe his eyes. He was unable to break a wooden statue.

Lu Yin arched a brow. “So no one can hurt you? However, you’re not exactly mobile yourself. If you could move while in that, you’d have used that statue before climbing the cliff before.”

The High Seraph did not deny it. “You’re right, I can’t move. This statue’s weakness is its immobility, but it’s perfect for surviving. Lu Yin, I refuse to believe that the Immortal matter will continuously corrode my body. Given time, I will fully recover. As for mirebound artifacts, I don’t have just one.”

Lu Yin sneered. “Is this really your plan? Let me be clear: so long as you don’t fight, the Immortal matter will do nothing to you. You can recover, it’s true, and with enough time, you will even be able to expel it from your body. However, that will take more time than you’re willing to wait.

“Given everything that’s recently happened in this megaverse, no one can guess how the Nine Odysseys Megaverse will react. A Greater Sancte might even be drawn over. Yue Ya broke the rules, and there’s no doubt that he’ll be punished for that. What about you? Your fate won’t be much better.

“At the very least, you will forever lose your chance to approach the palace.”

The Origin Progenitor agreed. “That’s precisely why I don’t want to be stuck on top of this cliff. If an Immortal shows up, I won’t be able to bear the feeling of not being in control of my own fate.”

The High Seraph peered down at Lu Yin. “That is why I’m willing to take a step back. I swear that I will do nothing at all to Tai Chu. We will both approach the palace, using our own means. When we’re both done, I’ll take you down the cliff. I swear that I will not attack you.”

“And what makes your word so trustworthy?” Lu Yin challenged in a doubtful tone.

The High Seraph looked at the Origin Progenitor. “Swear it. Should either of us break this oath, Immortality shall forever remain out of reach. Tai Chu, you must also swear not to attack me. For as long as we remain in the Consciousness Megaverse, neither of us will attack the other. What do you say?

“With this, you can try to reach the palace, and when this is all done, I will carry you down. You may even choose the timing.”