Star Odyssey

Chapter 2750: The Umbral Universe

Sovereign Shao Yin had actually thrown Wendy onto the Endless Frontier. This was forcing Lu Yin to stay there himself. If not, how could Wendy hope to survive the Endless Frontier?

Even with Lu Yin’s strength, he had nearly died at the hands of Cheng Kong.

"The Umbral Universe, Platinum Universe, or Gourd Universe."

Lu Yin's eyes grew cold. He immediately hung up and returned to the Gemini Universe’s data center. He wanted to speak directly with Sage Bodhi.

In Proximity, there was no expression on Sage Bodhi's cold face. Since Sovereign Shao Yin had sent Lu Yin the message through Proximity, the woman was naturally aware of its contents.

It could only be said that Lu Yin had been extremely unlucky. Sage Bodhi knew that, as soon as word that Lu Yin was allowed to leave the Endless Frontier reached Sovereign Shao Yin, the Sovereign would definitely move against Lu Yin. What should have mattered was whether the Sovereign received word before or after Lu Yin left the Endless Frontier.

However, things had taken an unpredictable turn, as right before Lu Yin left, Cheng Kong had attacked. If not for that, Lu Yin would have most likely left the Endless Frontier before receiving the message.

All that could be said was that life was unpredictable.

While Sovereign Shao Yin's methods were despicable, the truth was that such things were all too common. After all, if Lu Yin was willing to abandon Wendy Yushan, then he could freely leave the Endless Frontier. It all depended on just how important the woman was to Lu Yin.

Soon, Lu Yin was again speaking with Sage Bodhi.

"Please give me some information about these three parallel universes," was Lu Yin’s first message to Sage Bodhi. Anything more was meaningless. There was no point in asking about why Wendy Yushan had been allowed to enter the Endless Frontier, or why Sovereign Shao Yin was allowed to plot against Lu Yin, ignoring the situation on the front lines. Such questions would lead to nothing, as all that could be said was that, as a Sovereign, Sovereign Shao Yin had the qualifications to act against Lu Yin almost however he pleased. In the eyes of the Sixverse Association, Lu Yin was not qualified to even speak directly to a Sovereign, though that was only true for the time being.

Both Sage Yuan and Sovereign Shao Yin regarded Lu Yin as an enemy, so it made sense for them to work against him in whatever manner was most effective. By the same token, if at all possible, Lu Yin would not allow the two men to get away with what they had done.

This was another reason why Lu Yin had infiltrated the Sixverse Association before. He had used the alias of Xuan Qi to learn about the Sixverse Association, and without that, Lu Yin would have been completely passive and helpless against Sovereign Shao Yin, and he would not have even been able to obtain the qualifications to fight back in the future.

Sage Bodhi asked someone to share the requested information with Lu Yin.

Lu Yin calmly stared at the display. The most important thing at this moment was to locate Wendy Yushan. As for what Lu Yin felt towards Sovereign Shao Yin, he could only suppress those emotions for the time being.

Lu Yin expected each of the three parallel universes to be dangerous battlefields, only to learn that Sovereign Shao Yin had been far more malicious than expected. The Sovereign was too familiar with the Endless Frontier, and he had carefully selected the three worst parallel universes to deal with Lu Yin.

Lu Yin had already learned about the Umbral Universe, as it neighbored the Gemini Universe on the Endless Frontier. While it was a very dangerous universe, Wendy Yushan had most likely not been sent there, as it was too close to him. Still, Lu Yin needed to check the place, which was why it was such a clever choice for Sovereign Shao Yin.

There was not a lot of information regarding the Umbral Universe. The universe had no contact method with the rest of the megaverse, and even for the reinforcements sent to the Endless Frontier, they were only told one thing about the Umbral Universe: there was no distinction between allies and enemies.

The warning that there was no distinction was made in reference to the natives of the Umbral Universe, who were known as Umbrians. Not only did Umbrians regard the Aeternals as their enemies, but they would also occasionally kill the Sixverse Association’s cultivators. While they claimed that those deaths were accidents, the truth of the matter was more of a matter of opinion. If Sage Bodhi could prove that the deaths were indeed accidents, then the reinforcements would not be given that warning.

In short, it was a chaotic and barbaric universe, full of death and ambushes. Because of the universe’s unique characteristics, the Sixverse Association sent many violent people into that universe. They were all people whose life and death the Sixverse Association did not care about. If they could accomplish something of note on the battlefield, they could return, but if they were killed by Aeternus or the Umbrians, the Sixverse Association would not care at all.

Most of the reinforcements who were sent to the Umbral Universe were members of the Lost Clan.

The cards that the Lost Clan employed meant that they excelled at setting traps and ambushes, which made them a force to be reckoned with in the Umbral Universe.

As for how much power the Aeternals had sent into the Umbral Universe, the Sixverse Association had no idea. In fact, they could not even say if any peak powerhouses were present.

Cang Bi was absolutely certain that there were some peak powerhouses present in the Umbral Universe, as that was what he had been told by Chen Le. However, even if that was true, there was no evidence that the Sixverse Association had been able to detect.

This was extremely unusual, and it amply demonstrated just how dangerous the Umbral Universe was.

Anyone with a brain would understand that Sovereign Shao Yin would not have sent Wendy Yushan to the Umbral Universe, but because the universe was so close to Lu Yin’s current location, he still needed to check it.

From Sovereign Shao Yin perspective, investigating the Umbral Universe would be quite dangerous for Lu Yin.

However, the man simply did not have a clear enough understanding of the Fifth Mainland; Lu Yin had a wireless jincan, which meant that, as long as he entered the Umbral Universe, he would be able to contact Wendy Yushan, if she was there. As long as Wendy Yushan had any freedom at all, she would be able to communicate with Lu Yin without being detected.

With this, no matter how challenging a universe the Umbral Universe might be, Lu Yin had no intention of investigating the place, as he merely intended to use his wireless jincan.

There was no hesitation at all in his decision to save Wendy Yushan. She was his family, and he had become her only family after Undying Yushan died.

The Umbral Universe was actually quite straightforward; no matter how dangerous the place might be, Lu Yin would not die simply for entering the universe, and once there, he would only need to wait one or two days to see if Wendy Yushan responded to him.

The challenge would be the other two parallel universes.

The Platinum Universe was a very ordinary universe, much like the Lilliput Universe. There were absolutely no peak powerhouses, and there were even very few experts who were comparable to Semi-Progenitors. The problem was the fact that the Platinum Universe was simply too far away.

If the Endless Frontier was viewed as a straight line, then the Platinum Universe would be at the opposite end of the line from Lu Yin’s current location. If the Endless Frontier was viewed as a circle, then the Platinum Universe was directly opposite Lu Yin’s current location. Regardless of what mental map was used, Lu Yin would need to cross through more than ten portals, traveling through possibly dozens of parallel universes to reach his destination.

It was impossible to know what might happen in any of those parallel universes.

Sage Bodhi specifically emphasized that even she could not guarantee that she could safely cross these parallel universes.

It was not at all unusual that Lu Yin had been attacked by a Progenitor-level corpse king the moment he had entered the Big Stone Universe. There were some universes where the portals were controlled by Aeternus.

There was a shortcut to the Platinum Universe, which was to leave the Endless Frontier and use an escort to directly enter the Platinum Universe, but no one knew where such an escort might appear next.

Since the Platinum Universe was one of the possibilities mentioned by Sovereign Shao Yin, the man must have already put a back-up plan into play. The path to the Platinum Universe had likely already been blocked off. The only thing Lu Yin could do was to attempt to enter with his identity as Xuan Qi, but that would be a feeble attempt at best. The Sovereign could very well have blocked all paths leading to the Universe.

The final possibility was the Gourd Universe.

It was a common name, and it even sounded a bit cute, but it was the most dangerous of the three parallel universes.

The Endless Frontier consisted of sixty-two parallel universes, and the Gourd Universe was dangerous enough to rank in the top ten, closing in on the top five.

As for the Gourd Universe, Sage Bodhi had but one thing to say: it was a battlefield for no less than six peak powerhouses.

Six peak powerhouses. What kind of battlefield could that be? Given their strength, their fights could easily encompass the entire universe, and one might be caught up in an apex fights no matter where one went in the universe.

Although there had been more than six peak powerhouses present when Lu Yin had faced off against the four ruling powers, they had never actually started fighting. When Xia Shenji had visited the Fifth Mainland on his own, his Shenwu World had encompassed nearly the entire Fifth Mainland, plunging it into the depths of despair. Even when the Progenitor of Secret Arts or the Progenitor of Combat released attacks, their destructive power had been terrifying.

Any fight involving peak powerhouses could affect an entire universe, let alone a battle involving six peak powerhouses.

The most likely place that Wendy Yushan had been sent to was the Platinum Universe, according to Sage Bodhi. Sovereign Shao Yin wanted to ensure that Lu Yin died on the Endless Frontier, so there was no way that he would risk Wendy Yushan dying. The Platinum Universe was the safest of the three parallel universes.

"Dao Monarch Lu, if this person is not particularly important to you, it would be best to not go to the Platinum or Gourd Universes. Of course, as the commander of the Endless Frontier, I must admit that I personally hope that you visit those places, as your presence will at least help alleviate some of the pressure of the battlefield." Sage Bodhi sent a rather contradictory message back.

Lu Yin looked at the display. "Has Sage Yuan made contact with Sovereign Shao Yin?"

"No, but all reports sent out from the Endless Frontier can be immediately seen by Sovereign Shao Yin, if he wishes to see them. Sage Yuan will not make contact with the Sovereign, as he cannot afford the consequences of doing so."

Lu Yin exhaled. "I'm going to the Umbral Universe."

Sage Bodhi was not surprised. If this Wendy Yushan was very important to Lu Yin, then there was no doubt that he would go to the Umbral Universe, though whether he would visit the other two universes remained to be seen.

After learning of Sovereign Shao Yin’s actions, Sage Bodhi had submitted a report to the Great Sovereign, as well as a formal complaint. The Endless Frontier was regarded as sacred. It was humanity’s front lines in the war against Aeternus, and it was not a place to be used in schemes and personal agendas. Even if Sovereign Shao Yin had not broken any specific rules, his behavior could not be tolerated.

Lu Yin stepped out of the Gemini Universe’s data center, just as Cang Bi arrived. Running into Lu Yin stunned the Semi-Monarch.

"Do you want to go to the Umbral Universe with me?" Lu Yin asked

Cang Bi blanched in horror. "Dao Monarch Lu, don't be ridiculous! Someone like me would die without question in the Umbral Universe."

Lu Yin looked at the man calmly. "How long did Chen Le survive there?"

Cang Bi shook his head. "Senior did not share that with me, though he did mention that if he ever returned, he might not be able to leave the universe alive, even after becoming a Monarch."

The more the man spoke, the more his voice trembled. He had always felt that Lu Yin's eyes carried evil intentions.

Lu Yin never considered taking Cang Bi to the Umbral Universe. He stepped past the Semi-Monarch and disappeared.

Once Lu Yin was gone, Cang Bi let out a sigh of relief, his back already soaked with a cold sweat.

He decided to return to the Lilliput Universe. The Gemini Universe was still too dangerous, as he might run into Lu Yin at any moment.

...

The Umbral Universe, as its name suggests, was completely dark.

Before entering the universe, Lu Yin had assumed that the Umbral Universe was a dark place. The darkness had even been mentioned in the information supplied by Sage Bodhi, but nothing had said that there was absolutely no light in the Umbral Universe.

It was not a place with both light and darkness; rather, it gave off the impression of an ever-encroaching darkness. This darkness suppressed all light.

Lu Yin passed through a portal to enter the Umbral Universe. Upon arriving, the first thing that he did was dodge and escape from his point of entry.

He had no idea if there might be an ambush laid at the portal exit, much like what had happened in the Big Stone Universe.

Stellular energy appeared at Lu Yin’s fingertips, producing a hint of light, but that light was quickly quenched by the endless darkness.

Lu Yin’s eyebrows rose. This darkness seemed to consciously devour any light. In fact, not only had the light been consumed, but so had the stellular energy that Lu Yin had used. This universe devoured all that entered it.

Lu Yin made several more attempts, but regardless of whether he used energy or tools to produce light, all light was quickly swallowed by the darkness.

This same thing happened to anything that entered this universe; it was like a dark monster that constantly devoured everything in it.

The terrifying darkness made it clear why it was called the Umbral Universe.

There was no light, so Lu Yin could not see. He could only sense his surroundings through his domain. However, he gradually realized that the darkness was devouring even his domain. This Umbral Universe was completely bizarre.