Star Odyssey

Chapter 3857: Whence Comes Fortune?

The Morrow Behemoth rose up from beneath the earth, its movements causing the Sixth Night Pillar to tremble. All the cultivators sat down cross-legged, calming their minds and focusing their energy.

The Morrow Behemoth climbed out of the ground and released a roar that shook the sky. Its immense power twisted the void as it rose up towards the stars. At the same time, another roar rang out from the South Domain.

The Morrow Behemoth reached for the ground with one hand, grabbing the band of elastic gray-brown skin. The beast wrapped the band around the massive Sixth Night Pillar and pressed the pillar to its back. The roars grew increasingly savage.

Boom, boom, boom!

Each thunderous heartbeat echoed across the stars in the sky, sending ripples through space. This was the Morrow Behemoth’s heartbeat as it exerted its full strength to pull the slingshot back, causing the entire Sixth Night Pillar to tilt.

Qiunan Hongye remained unmoved. She continued to beat the war drum, uninterrupted even by the Morrow Behemoth’s thunderous heartbeat.

There was a deafening explosion, and the Sixth Night Pillar soared upwards, launched by a tremendous force, instantly vanishing from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse as it rose up like a fleeing meteor.

At the same moment, two more streaks appeared in the sky above the South Domain. The Second and Fourth Night Pillars had also left.

Across the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, countless people stared up as the three streaks of light vanished. They had just seen the signal marking the start of the next war. The expedition’s outcome remained uncertain, despite the existence of the three Immortal Greater Sancti.

The Nine Odysseys Megaverse had seen defeats before, and on more than one occasion at that. After all, there had originally been four Greater Sancti.

The purpose of the Nine Odysseys was to wage war against other civilizations. The purpose of the Temporal Heavens was to constantly enrich the Nine Odysseys Megaverse itself, improving their cultivation conditions.

At the edge of the East Domain, where the Sixth Night Pillar had once stood, a vast, bottomless hole had appeared.

The Morrow Behemoth slowly laid down and fell asleep where it had just been standing. The burst of power that it had just used had pushed it past its limits, and its muscles had torn apart.

A short distance away, Lu Yin watched the creature lay down with eyes filled with awe.

That demonstration of power had far exceeded what the Morrow Behemoth in the Spirit Nidus had used to hurl Lu Yin into the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, even if it was still inferior to his own physical strength.

He had no doubt that his strength surpassed that of the Morrow Behemoth.

If he were the one to use the slingshot, who could say where the Sixth Night Pillar might end up.

The Morrow Behemoth’s strength had to be related to the distance it threw the Night Pillar.

Slingshots shot the Night Pillars out while the skyswings sent people around the Mother Tree. The Nine Odysseys Megaverse was completely different from what Lu Yin had first imagined. There was a sense of irreverence toward the rest of the cosmos, and yet the iron-blooded battle lust that had just appeared was not in the least bit fake.

If the day came when the Nine Odysseys Megaverse invaded the Tianyuan, how would Lu Yin feel upon witnessing such a scene?

The next moment, countless voices rose across the East Domain, echoing from every major family and sect as everyone offered their gratitude to the universe.

Even the Four Commands Sword Sect and Everchange Valley offered their thanks. This was not mere gratitude, but also a farewell for those who would not return home.

At this moment, the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse was giving thanks to the universe.

Further away, Jian Hong was also present. Due to the fact that he belonged to the Seventh Night Pillar, it was only natural that he was unable to join the expedition.

When Lu Yin looked over, Jian Hong offered a deep bow, but he did not say a word.

Lu Yin nodded, oriented himself, and then started moving towards the East Domain’s skyswing. It was time for him to visit the West Domain.

A bamboo slip floated high in the sky, crossing the East Domain as it moved closer to the Mother Tree.

That bamboo slip was the Autumnspring Slip. Lu Yin sat cross-legged on the mirebound artifact, lost in thought as he stared out at the star filled sky.

Behind him, Qian Shu struggled to write a single character, Luck, onto the mirebound artifact. It was not easy to write the character. Throughout his sect’s entire history, only a few Luck characters had ever been written on the Autumnspring Slip. They had used those characters to manipulate what had appeared to be fair wagers. However, using the characters had also exposed the sect’s actions. They had done so in order to replace Everchange Valley, but in doing so, they had also provoked Lu Yin. The price paid had ended up being the destruction of the entire sect.

"If the Autumnspring Slip were given another chance, would you still make that bet with Everchange Valley? Would you still bet with me?" Lu Yin’s voice reached Qian Shu’s ears.

Qian Shu’s hand froze. His expression grew complicated, he merely whispered, "Absolutely not."

"Then what do you think this character brought you? It allowed you to take Ming Xiaochou, yet doing that also led me to you," Lu Yin asked.

Qian Shu stared blankly at Lu Yin’s back, momentarily feeling completely lost.

It was true; manipulating luck had allowed the Autumnspring Slip to take Ming Xiaochou, as well as achieve various other goals over the years, but what had the final result proven to be? Manipulating luck had brought them Lu Yin, who had destroyed the Autumnspring Slip. If everything from the moment the "Luck" character had first been written on the mirebound artifact to the moment the sect had been destroyed was seen as a continuous thread, just what had that thread brought them?

They had gained nothing and paid the price of total annihilation.

Why had things turned out in such a way?

Qian Shu felt completely powerless. Indescribable agony overcame him, and he felt as though there were countless voices mocking him, as well as the Autumnspring Slip. He could not help but ask, “Why?”

Lu Yin stared blankly up at the sky. Why? He also did not know.

If the Autumnspring Slip had actually obtained good luck, then why had the sect been destroyed? Luck had helped them many times, but the ultimate price had been their destruction. Was that still good luck? If they had truly obtained good luck, then where had the bad luck that led to their destruction come from?

Wait... Good luck, bad luck... Lu Yin turned around to look at Qian Shu. “Does Luck... always mean good luck?”

Qian Shu met Lu Yin’s gaze, his pupils unfocused. “Of course.”

“Then why did it end like this?”

Lu Yin looked away. If the Autumnspring Slip had started with the Luck (运) character, then was it necessary that it end with the same character? If luck could be manipulated, then before humans had started controlling it, who had? The unseen laws of the universe? If the Autumnspring Slip had gained good luck, had doing so somehow violated something?

If obtaining luck was considered a violation, then what about karma or sequence particles? Could wielding those powers also lead to similar transgressions?

“Continue,” Lu Yin calmly ordered.

Qian Shu took a deep breath, suppressed his confusion, and resumed drawing the Luck (运) character.

However, Lu Yin was no longer looking forward to the completion of the character. The downfall of the Autumnspring Slip gave him chills. Had they obtained good luck, or bad luck? Did seizing good luck in the short term result in bad luck in the future? Did seizing luck somehow violate something? He had no answers.

Despite his questions, every Luck (运) character that Qian Shu drew seemed to lose its light.

Shortly after Lu Yin left the Sixth Night Pillar, a blue orchid leaf appeared in the sky. Unlike the leaf that Ming Xiaolong had used, this one was absolutely enormous. There was no question that the two were in completely different classes.

Jian Hong had not yet left, and he was startled to see the orchid leaf suddenly appear. “What are you doing here?”

A middle-aged man was sitting upon the orchid leaf. He looked to be of about average height, yet his skin was dark green, and his features were a bit flattened. He looked human, yet he clearly was not quite the same.

There was a cigarette dangling from the man’s mouth, and he glanced sideways at Jian Hong. A hand rose and removed the cigarette before the man exhaled. As he did so, dark-green smoke erupted in murky clouds that caused the trees that it touched to visibly wither. The grass on the ground and the creatures that lived in it all choked and died from the smoke.

Jian Hong frowned as he stared at the man. “Be careful. This is still the Sixth Night Pillar’s territory. If you cause trouble, it’ll be embarrassing for everyone.”

The man just sneered and stuck his cigarette back in his mouth. He inhaled deeply, and then released another wave of dark-green smoke. Each action caused Jian Hong’s expression to grow even darker.

"Since when was it your place to lecture me, Jian Hong?"

Jian Hong stared at the man. "Why are you here? The Sixth Night Pillar has already left."

"I’m not here for the Sixth Night Pillar. I’m looking for that Lu Yin." The man’s voice was rough and raspy, and as he spoke, another stream of dark-green smoke spewed forth.

Jian Hong was surprised. "You’re looking for Mr. Lu?"

The man sneered. "Mister? Do you really respect him that much? He’s just a lowlife from one of the lower three megaverses. Merely being allowed into the Nine Odysseys Megaverse is a divine favor to such a creature, and yet he has repeatedly caused trouble and was even arrogant enough to challenge the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse. Does he really think that there is no one here who can compare to him?

"I want to see if he actually has the skills to back up his arrogance."

Jian Hong warned, "You’re from the Seventh Night Pillar. Don’t bring trouble down upon them."

"Him? Sure, destroying the Autumnspring Slip was impressive, and the ruckus he kicked up with his breakthrough into the Origin realm was massive. However, neither of those are enough to justify challenging the entire megaverse. So long as he is not an Immortal, I, Venerable Lan Ye, have nothing to fear. Where is he?" Contempt oozed from the man’s voice as he spoke.

Jian Hong’s tone grew grave. "Mr. Lu is far stronger than what you imagine. Did you not see that from his Origin realm breakthrough?"

Venerable Lan Ye sneered. "I could have created such a commotion as well, had the Immortal Greater Sancti not forbidden it. This man is too arrogant, and I am not the only one who wants to teach him a lesson. Tell me where he is. I will restore the Seventh Night Pillar’s face and show those otherborn scum that, when they enter the Nine Odysseys, no matter who they may be, they must kneel before me."

Jian Hong shook his head. "I don’t know where he went."

"A waste of my time," Venerable Lan Ye snorted before vanishing.

Jian Hong looked at where the man had just stood, his head aching. There were some people, with the support of their talent and cultivation, who would act recklessly and ignore the rules entirely. Lan Ye was one of those people.

Even within the Seventh Night Pillar, not even the Odyssey Commander could suppress Lan Ye. Still, judging by what Mr. Lu demonstrated during his breakthrough, even a Lesser Sancte like Yue Ya wasn’t his match. Lan Ye might not be able to cause any real trouble, though he’s guaranteed to make a minor nuisance of himself.

With that thought, Jian Hong pulled out his communication device and called Lu Yin to give him a warning.

Atop the Autumnspring Slip that was flying through the sky, Lu Yin put his own communication device away. "Is this Venerable Lan Ye supposed to be strong?"

Qian Shu was surprised. "Venerable Lan Ye?"

When Lu Yin said nothing, Qian Shu continued to say, "Venerable Lan Ye is a very powerful independent cultivator. While he is only a Dukkhan, because of his unique physique, even peak Dukkhans don’t willingly provoke him. He joined the Seventh Night Pillar when it went to the Orchid Megaverse, and because of his body, there’s no doubt that he benefited greatly from that expedition. As for exactly how much, I can’t say.

"Sect Master Ying Mei once said that, if Lan Ye managed to become a peak Dukkhan, even she might not be his match.

"He is absolutely one of the most powerful cultivators in the East Domain, which is why even the Autumnspring Slip was always polite to him. He’s considered only slightly less of a threat than the Skyward Gate’s Luo Clan or the Four Commands Sword Sect."

Lu Yin was surprised. If not even Ying Mei had been confident that she could defeat the man, it was no surprise that he dared to move against Lu Yin.

A single man with the power to rival an entire faction. That was a true top-tier expert.

If he did manage to become a peak Dukkhan, he would most likely be about as strong as Yue Ya had been.

"What’s unique about his physique?" Lu Yin asked.

Just as Qian Shu was about to answer, the distant sky suddenly took on a dark-green color that continued to spread out in all directions. At the same time, a deafening, hoarse voice called out, "Where is Lu Yin? I, Venerable Lan Ye, want to see what gives you the right to challenge the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

"Show yourself, if you have the courage."

Qian Shu was stunned. What’s going on? Lu Yin challenged the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse?

Lu Yin calmly peered into the distance. "Interesting, though slower than I expected."