Star Odyssey

Chapter 4020: Manifestation

Wu Er was unwilling to accept her situation. She did not want to be used by Lu Yin, and yet she was powerless to break free. “You-”

Before she could even finish her sentence, a tremor struck her body. Her eyes went blank, and she stood frozen, as though her soul had fled her body.

Within her own karma, she was attempting to find a method for normal human cultivators to fuse with multiple spirit seeds.

She had actually conducted tests on that exact subject long ago, which Lu Yin already knew, but his die’s Possession ability could only show him a creature’s memories. It was impossible for him to deduce what the Possessed being might do next, how they would behave, or their future thoughts.

This was why, while Lu Yin already understood how the Netherfiends’ method of multiple spirit seed fusion worked, extending that to a method for normal human cultivators was far from simple.

If he attempted to conduct the research himself, it would take far too long. Having Wu Er conduct the research would be much faster.

That was one way to approach the matter. An alternative was to use karma itself to deduce an answer, much like how Lu Yin had deduced how to obtain the power of Word Manifestation from Yue Ya’s manifested thought, or how Lu Yin had examined his own karma while inside Broken Time.

However, a certain foundation was required to use karma to deduce information.

Yue Ya had spent ages striving to obtain the power of Word Manifestation. Lu Yin had already seen the outcome of those efforts, which was why he had been able to deduce an answer on his own.

And for Broken Time, Lu Yin had relied on the template that the creature used for its ability.

Deductions could not be performed without a starting point. Some sort of foundation was needed.

Wu Er was currently preparing that foundation. Of course, if she succeeded outright, it would be even better.

The karma of the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm began to be consumed, but as for how much, Lu Yin did not know.

If Greater Sancte Green Lotus had been the one to take action, the consumption would have been minimized. Wu Er was far beneath the Immortal’s cultivation. Much like if Lu Yin wove a Progenitor’s karma, it would not be that costly for an Immortal.

However, Lu Yin was the one using the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm to weave Wu Er’s karma. He could not even begin to guess how much karma this might consume.

Still, the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm was beyond vast. Even if Lu Yin continued to consume karma at this current rate for a year, ten years, or even a hundred years, the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm would still endure.

Lu Yin did not dwell on the cost, and he instead focused entirely on Wu Er.

Time slipped away. Lu Yin had never spent so much karma on one person before. Half a year passed, and Wu Er was still immersed in her own karma, conducting endless experiments, the outcome uncertain.

Lu Yin was able to perceive the scenes playing out within her karma that he was weaving. In the past, he had woven karma that made Shan Lie believe that the Nest civilization had been victorious, which had allowed Lu Yin to estimate the strength of the four Insect Lords.

However, there was no need for him to observe Wu Er’s experiments. He could view everything after it was over, which would reduce the amount of karma being consumed.

Another half year passed, and Wu Er was still conducting experiments within her karma. There was no sign of her ever stopping.

Lu Yin glanced at scenes of the attempts: failure, failure, and more failure. She had failed countless times. Within the karma, there was no need for any test subjects, as the power of karma itself created them. There was also no need for any spirit seeds, as they were also manifested through the power of karma.

Her efficiency right now far exceeded anything in the Netherfiends’ underground testing region.

Over the course of a year, she had made countless attempts, all of which had ended in failure. However, she showed no surprise at all, as these results matched her initial expectations. Still, the countless failures had allowed her to refine some of her ideas.

The process was still failing at the final step of the process.

That step could be completed with the Netherfiends’ red energy, but ordinary humans did not have anything that could compensate for it.

Lu Yin knocked Wu Er unconscious and withdrew his Karmic Dao. There was no need to continue the experiments. The multiple tests had only confirmed what Lu Yin already knew; the obstacle to success lay at the final step.

Cultivating with a spirit seed was like planting a tree within one’s body. The tree served as the source, its branches spreading into myriad forms, giving rise to rebirth from nirvana. It was unlike any cultivation method Lu Yin had ever seen before.

The spirit seeds were the fruit. How many fruits could a single tree bear? No one knew.

So far, the most that any Netherfiend had managed was three fruits. Zhi and Wu Er had both fused with three spirit seeds, while Jie Zun and Hua Wuzui had fused with only two. In theory, there could be more, but it all depended on whether the tree could withstand them.

The Netherfiends used their red energy as the tree that supported the branching phenomena. But what about humans? What could serve as their tree?

The new method of fusing with multiple spirit seeds needed to be created for spirit seed cultivators. All of their cultivation stemmed from spirit seeds and the liquefied seeds plundered from the Spirit Nidus. Spirit seeds were the root of their path. If that root were changed, could they still cultivate spirit seeds at all?

In the Tianyuan Megaverse, there were cultivation methods that treated a Progenitor’s world as the source, planting it within the body like a tree. But that was extremely risky, as not everyone could control the formation of a Progenitor’s world.

The Netherfiends’ red energy originated from Obscura, and it was not a power they cultivated on their own. This was why the energy could be shaped into a tree through external forces. This was the greatest difference between the Netherfiends and ordinary cultivators.

One was a tool, while the other was an individual.

If an individual became a tool, shaped by another’s will, could they still be considered an individual? Who would willingly allow their fate to be controlled by another?

This was the final step, and it was the step that blocked human cultivators.

There was a difference that fully differentiated Netherfiends and humans, and it could also be seen as the difference that fully separated Obscura from humanity.

Lu Yin stared up at the stars. Is it possible that, to become a fishing civilization, it’s necessary to alter the form of cultivation? For people to lose their sense of self, lose their freedom, and allow their destiny to be dictated by a supreme power? Is that the only way for a species’ potential to be fully realized?

If he seized control of all of humanity, the power that would be unleashed would be far greater than what currently existed.

However, in doing so, would humans still be human?

To become a fishing civilization, what was gained and what was lost?

Greater Sancte Green Lotus and the others hoped to raise the Nine Odysseys Megaverse to the level of a fishing civilization, but could they bear such a cost?

To gain was to lose. Every cause had a corresponding effect. Greater Sancte Green Lotus should understand that better than anyone.

Humans possessed too many emotions. This was their strength, but in the cold dark forest of the cosmos, possessing such emotions was like walking around barefoot; no matter how far one could walk, their feet would still end up covered in blood.

Normally, if he couldn’t find a way to break past this step, it would be necessary to deduce a solution with the power of karma.

Wu Er had already laid a foundation, which meant that the rest would be left to fate.

Lu Yin’s Karmic Dao was released yet again, and it connected to the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm. A spiral of karma stretched between sky and ground below as Lu Yin started to deduce a solution.

Boom.

The universe trembled.

The people of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse were practically numb to this commotion. The universe had constantly trembled in recent times, though no one knew why.

In the Frightened Sparrow Terrace, Greater Sancte Awe Gate stared up at the sky, concerned. The disturbances that Lu Yin was creating were growing larger and larger. What effect would his actions have on the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm?

She found herself desperately wishing for Greater Sancte Green Lotus to return and see.

While others could not see it, in Lu Yin’s eyes, the universe appeared to be particularly magnificent at this moment.

The Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm pressed down like a vast ocean while a spiral of karma burned itself out in the process of deducing a method to fuse multiple spirit seeds. Lu Yin remained entirely focused as his consciousness drained away. Cracks opened up across the ground while the void shattered. Unseen power swept through his surroundings.

The cultivators who were held back by Lu Yin’s consciousness all felt their spirits shudder. Many instinctively retreated. They could not see the power of karma, but they felt as though a monstrous beast was looming ahead of them.

Little Lotus King and the other elites exchanged glances. They had to be sensing karma, though they could not see it.

More and more karma was consumed. Lu Yin stood high in the sky above the ground, wind howling as he slowly rose up. Surrounded by karma, it seemed as though some great possibility resided within him.

Lu Yin’s eyes blazed with excitement. If it was possible, then he would succeed. He would find a way to take that final step.

Karma swirled wildly, encircling him as the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm roared louder and louder. It seemed as though the universe itself was collapsing, and countless people were struggling to breathe.

Lu Yin released his inner universe. If you want to see, then look. See where possibility lies.

There was a resounding crack as a fissure split the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, startling countless people.

Even Greater Sancte Awe Gate was shocked, and she stared downward. What on earth is Lu Yin doing? How could he produce such an overwhelming disturbance?

In the Spirit Nidus, Master Qing Cao looked upwards. Spirit threads trembled as the cosmos shook. Throughout the thirty-six domains, countless landmasses shattered. It was as though the skies were falling throughout multiple universes.

What is happening? The man took a step forward, making his way to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

The shaking caused by the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm spread farther out, extending into the Aevum Inch. From far outside the megaverses, a roar rang out. It was filled with excitement and energy, as though it had found a direction.

In the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, the spiral of karma wove through Lu Yin’s inner universe before ultimately converging upon a green mass, which it encircled in a happy manner.

Lu Yin gazed at the cluster of green light. Is that the leftover material after the Mother Trees died?

Is that the answer?

Karma continued to churn, and suddenly, the universe became clear.

Lu Yin withdrew his Karmic Dao and slowly descended to the ground, sitting cross-legged while closing his eyes.

The Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm fell silent.

Peace returned to the universe.

Master Qing Cao appeared just beyond Lu Yin’s consciousness and stared at the young man from a distance. What has that child done with the help of the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm’s?

Lu Yin was responsible for the Netherfiends being dragged out and captured.

It was not surprising to Master Qing Cao that Lu Yin was capable of using a mirebound artifact’s ability to search for what lay within the Netherfiends, but it was entirely unexpected for him to create such a massive commotion.

Even the blue sword shadow that had appeared before and the destruction of the Obscura gate had not caused such an uproar.

The greater the disturbance that Lu Yin caused, the more uneasy that Master Qing Cao felt.

In contrast, Greater Sancte Awe Gate let out an inexplicable sigh of relief. The Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm had grown quiet, and it appeared that Lu Yin had accomplished something.

Was it possible that he had succeeded in finding a way for humans to fuse with multiple spirit seeds?

If so, then the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s cultivators’ strength would skyrocket. If it was a method that could be used by everyone, then...

Her eyes turned to look towards a particular portion of the Mother Tree’s canopy. It was the region that had once belonged to Greater Sancte Mi Jin.

The calm after the storm was soothing yet also strangely disconcerting.

Countless people felt nervous, fearing that an even greater storm might appear at any moment.

This was a feeling held by countless cultivators in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. They stared up at the sky, shaken by the memory of the fissure that had opened up above them. If that tear had appeared on the ground rather than in the sky, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse would have been split in two.

What kind of power could do that?

The power used had not come from Lu Yin, but rather from the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm.

In other words, Greater Sancte Green Lotus possessed the terrifying strength to rip the Nine Odysseys Megaverse in two. That was an unfathomable level of strength.

When Lu Yin had gone to watch the Orchid Megaverse be reset on a Night Pillar, they had had to use the sequence strings to trigger the reset. On the other hand, it appeared that Greater Sancte Green Lotus did not need any such thing, and he could directly destroy an entire megaverse.

Down on the ground, a breeze swept by. Despite its warmth, its touch left Little Lotus King and the others chilled to the bone.

They felt as though the Nine Odysseys Megaverse was not as stable as they had previously believed.

“Huh? What is that?” someone called out.

Everyone looked over. There was grass sprouting from the ground, rising up to sway in the wind. It gave off a gentle glow and appeared to be full of vitality.

“Qing Cao?”

“That grass is growing too quickly.”

“Could Master Qing Cao be here?”