Star Odyssey

Chapter 3778: Do Me A Favor

It was not long before the monster’s claws appeared near Beacon City. Both of its eyes were still locked onto Lu Yin as yet another earth-shaking roar rang out.

Far away from Beacon City, on the path leading to the Spirit Nidus, four battleships were flying towards the Spirit Nidus.

Master Qing Cao suddenly turned to look back at Beacon City. “It’s chasing us very closely. That’s unexpected. I’m even more surprised that that child has managed to evade it for so long.”

He then set down the bamboo basket that he had been carrying on his back. The basket fell apart, the bamboo transforming into a vine that sprouted leaves.

Master Qing Cao then whipped the vine out, striking each of the four battleships in quick succession. A single step caused him to vanish in the Spirit Nidus’s direction.

Every person aboard the four ships instantly lost consciousness, unable to withstand the sudden acceleration.

In Beacon City, Lu Yin watched the claws fall and let out a deep breath. “Beast, I don’t know how many megaverse’s you’ve destroyed. But right now, as I stand in front of you, what can you do to me? Hahaha.”

He activated the springboard and instantly vanished towards the Spirit Nidus.

He had used the largest springboard. It had not been created by the Spirit Nidus, though they were currently occupying it. It was unclear if the original springboard had formed naturally or if some unknown hand had constructed it.

In the past, the Spirit Nidus had used the springboard to travel between Beacon City and the Tianyuan Megaverse in just one year.

Lu Yin was using the springboard to flee to the Spirit Nidus.

It was impossible for him to continuously avoid the monster for ten years, especially without the help of the experts aboard Boundless. Lu Yin was not strong enough on his own to threaten the beast, and he also did not have nearly enough Immortal material to keep stalling.

However, if he used the original springboard, there would be no need for him to fight at all, as the monster could not match the speed of the original springboard.

It could only watch as Lu Yin disappeared.

The beast’s eyes turned bitterly cold. Its claws fell, and it effortlessly destroyed more than half of Beacon City before flinging itself forward again, chasing after Lu Yin in the direction of the Spirit Nidus. It refused to let him escape. Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!

Beacon City was vast, yet its size was insignificant in comparison to the monster.

Its claws destroyed more than half of the city. This was not deliberate or malicious, but rather simply because the claws had fallen in that area, nothing more.

If the claws had fallen just slightly differently, all of Beacon City would have been destroyed.

With the beast gone, the people who had narrowly escaped the city’s destruction stared on in shock. What had just happened? A vast city had been reduced to ruins in an instant.

Yi Xia let out a long breath as he turned to look towards the Spirit Nidus. The day they had dreaded had finally arrived.

Why was it forbidden to use the main springboard? Simply because the Spirit Nidus feared drawing the attention of a civilization that they could not defeat.

That monster was the threat that they had feared.

Yi Xia had mentally braced himself, but there was no way that he could deny that the beast had reached Beacon City because it was chasing after Lu Yin.

A short distance away, E' Nan stared at the springboard and then approached it.

Yi Xia blocked the man’s path. “What do you think you are doing?”

E' Nan replied, “I’m going after Lord Lu.”

“You’re just chasing death,” Yi Xia stated in a low tone. “Using that springboard will send you within reach of Lu Yin, but it will also send you past that monster. It will crush you without a second thought.

“Besides, Boundless has already returned to the Tianyuan Megaverse. You can go back home.”

Yi Xia’s hatred of Lu Yin had been stoked by the High Seraph’s words. Despite knowing that the High Seraph only wanted Yi Xia to go back to the Spirit Nidus so that he could lure Yi Shang back from Lu Yin’s side, Yi Xia was still tempted. At this moment, the man decided to not get involved in any part of their conflict; he was the lord of Beacon City.

Had Yi Xia been taken away by Lu Yin? Had he followed Boundless to the Tianyuan Megaverse?

Yi Xia did not mind doing a favor for E' Nan, who was surprised by the information. “Boundless went back?”

He had not noticed the battleship as Lu Yin had dragged Boundless around Beacon City, straight to the springboard that led to the Tianyuan Megaverse.

Yi Xia nodded. “That’s right. You came here looking for Boundless, so now that it’s gone, there’s no need for you to stay. As for Lord Lu’s affairs, you don’t qualify to meddle in such things. Forget about you—not even the Seven Seraphs qualify.”

Despite not knowing how powerful the monster chasing after Lu Yin was, the fact that Lu Yin had been forced to flee told Yi Xia that the beast was at least as powerful as the High Seraph. There was no need to consider things any further, as any other possibility simply defied logic. It was impossible for anyone who had not even reached the High Seraph’s level to escape from a pursuing Immortal. Such a thing was simply not possible.

That meant that the monster was about as powerful as the High Seraph. There was no doubt about it.

E' Nan looked back in the direction of the Tianyuan Megaverse. Boundless went back? That’s wonderful! Those who left our megaverse determined to die should be enough to strengthen our forces at home and give us a better chance against the Nest civilization.

As for E' Nan himself, he could not go back yet.

He averted his gaze. “Where is the springboard that leads to the Spirit Nidus?”

Yi Xia grew puzzled. “Why do you ask that? Are you still determined to go to the Spirit Nidus?”

E' Nan replied, “I have not yet met with Lord Lu.”

Yi Xia frowned. “Boundless is already returning. Meeting with Lu Yin wouldn’t mean much to you now.”

E' Nan retorted, “No, it means everything.”

Yi Xia could not understand E' Nan’s motives, but he did not stop the man. He pointed a finger. “There’s a springboard that way. It will take you to the Spirit Nidus, but you will be discovered if you go there. With Boundless gone and Lu Yin alone, no matter how strong he may be, he cannot suppress the entire Spirit Nidus. There are a great number of groups that are hostile to the Tianyuan Megaverse there. You will need to be very careful.”

E' Nan was grateful for the warning. “Thank you.”

He then immediately flew off in the indicated direction.

His mission was to deliver a Nest to the Spirit Nidus, and nothing could sway him from that task. From the moment he had left his megaverse, E' Nan had never intended to return alive.

Yi Xia watched E' Nan disappear with a conflicted expression.

Just what kind of megaverse is the Tianyuan?

Elsewhere, Lu Yin endured the unmatched acceleration of the original springboard. If he had been lacking even the slightest in his physicality, the force would have ripped him apart.

He was traveling fast enough to reach the Spirit Nidus in just one year.

As for the monster, it would take at least three years to make the journey, and that was more than enough time for Lu Yin to deal with matters in the Spirit Nidus and leave again.

After some time, he wondered why he still had not seen the four battleships yet. If the ships were traveling to the Spirit Nidus along the springboards, then he should have already seen them. Could Master Qing Cao have sped the vessels along with his own power?

That was certainly possible. While the Aevum Inch was unimaginably vast to Lu Yin and others, it might not be the same for someone like Master Qing Cao.

Lu Yin glanced back and then looked forward again. One year would pass in the blink of an eye.

It felt like an instant, but half a year had already gone by. One day, Lu Yin saw someone using a small springboard to travel to the Spirit Nidus. It was none other than Yong Heng.

Lu Yin did not know when Yong Heng had left the Consciousness Megaverse, but based on his current location, he should have left quite a long time ago. He was just four years away from the Spirit Nidus. It was almost certain that the man had not even dreamed that Lu Yin could overtake him.

Yong Heng was speeding towards the Spirit Nidus with a springboard when he inexplicably felt eyes staring at him. When he looked back, he saw Lu Yin rapidly closing in on him.

True God let out a shout of astonishment, “You?”

Lu Yin greeted the man. “Long time no see, Yong Heng. I brought you a gift! Enjoy!”

Yong Heng stared in a daze as Lu Yin disappeared. Clearly, the young man had used the largest springboard.

Just what had happened in the Consciousness Megaverse? How could Lu Yin have left so quickly?

Yong Heng glanced back, puzzled by Lu Yin’s mention of a “gift.” A wave of unease washed over the man.

From that brief exchange, he instinctively felt that something was off. It was clear that Lu Yin was not the same as when Yong Heng had last seen him.

Months later, Lu Yin arrived at the Spirit Nidus’s boundary gate. It was intact, unlike the Consciousness Megaverse’s gate, which had been shattered beyond repair through some unknown means.

No one tried to stop Lu Yin. He passed through the gate and arrived in the Spirit Nidus.

He surveyed the familiar surroundings. In the distance, there were cultivators patrolling, but while Lu Yin was observing them, no one was able to see him.

His expression changed. Were people unable to perceive him?

“Why did that beast chase after you?” A familiar voice asked from behind.

Lu Yin slowly turned to see Master Qing Cao.

The man had arrived in the Spirit Nidus even faster than Lu Yin, despite carrying four battleships with him. That was the power of an Immortal.

“I don’t know. It might not have been chasing me,” Lu Yin replied.

Master Qing Cao grew even more curious. “Then what could it be?”

He was the cause of the beast; he had let it in. However, the Immortal had not expected the monster to become fixated on Lu Yin. The creature had only been intended to cause some trouble, but it had nearly killed Lu Yin. To survive the claws of an Immortal beast... just how much Immortal matter has he gathered?

Lu Yin answered in a somber tone, “It’s also on its way to the Spirit Nidus. We were both just traveling along the same path.”

Master Qing Cao smiled. “Let’s go with that. I want to ask a favor of you.”

“Can I refuse?”

“You can, but I won’t listen.”

There was nothing that Lu Yin could do. He started to calculate what Master Qing Cao might want. The man had not attacked Lu Yin when they had met in the Willbound Spire, and he clearly saw great value in the Tianyuan Megaverse due to its potential to serve as a shield for the Spirit Nidus. However, since Lu Yin had lured an Immortal monster to the Spirit Nidus, Master Qing Cao had most likely changed his mind.

Master Qing Cao slowly walked closer, his eyes deep and dark. “I would like to ask you, Lord Lu, to stay here and watch... for that beast. Don’t allow it to enter the Spirit Nidus.”

Lu Yin instantly grew wary. “I can’t stop it.”

Master Qing Cao chuckled. “Just watch for it.”

As he spoke, he brushed past Lu Yin. The younger man instinctively prepared himself to attack, but he failed to notice that a patch of green grass had appeared beneath his feet some time ago. It grew from nothing at all, sprouting directly from the emptiness of outer space.

Lightstream flickered out, and it accomplished nothing.

The Tri-Azure Sword Intent slashed out, but it was also useless.

No matter what technique Lu Yin tried, he could not escape from the patch of grass.

A wave of frenzied madness surged through his mind, and Lu Yin looked down. His pupils shrank to pinpricks.

He was not standing on grass, but rather Immortal matter. Every last blade of green grass that was imprisoning him was formed from Immortal matter.

How much Immortal matter had Lu Yin managed to gather in total? Perhaps a thousand specks of light. However, at this moment, he was seeing far, far more.

Green grass formed from Immortal matter was in front of him, behind him, and on all sides. He was completely trapped, sealed within Immortal matter.

Throughout the entire ordeal, all of the nearby people were completely unaware.

Master Qing Cao slowly moved away. “Please keep watch for me, Lord Lu. The Spirit Nidus cannot afford to be ravaged by that thing.”

Lu Yin stood frozen where he was, unable to move at all. This was the second time, his second time being sealed by Master Qing Cao.

The first time had occurred in the Mirari Realm, when Master Qing Cao had sealed Lu Yin by borrowing the karma of the forbidden region.

In the second, which was the current time, the man had directly sealed Lu Yin with Immortal matter.

If not for the fact that Lu Yin was able to perceive Immortal matter, he would not even know how Master Qing Cao had trapped him. This was an absolute suppression solely possible by an overwhelming difference in level.

Had the patch of grass appeared while they were talking, or had Master Qing Cao put it in place long ago and been lying in wait for Lu Yin to enter the trap?

Lu Yin peered into the Aevum Inch, lost in thought.

A year passed. On rare occasions, people would pass nearby, or battleships would sail by overhead, but no one noticed Lu Yin.

There were even times when he heard nearby conversations, and Lu Yin even heard his name be mentioned.

He continued to calmly stand in place, always waiting.