Star Odyssey

Chapter 3062: Testing

The man grew annoyed when he saw that Lu Yin still had the same cold expression, but he continued speaking. "For example, Di Xia is ranked first. He’s a powerful corpse king who was personally trained by Lord Di Qiong, and he’s been chosen to represent the Third Scourge for the Divine Selection. Then there’s the second-ranked Senior Fei. She was born in an Aeternus Kingdom right here in the Third Scourge, and she’s trained in the Corpse King Transformation since her childhood.

"There's the third-ranked Senior Xin Wu, who was brought here by Lord Di Qiong many years ago. There’s also…"

Lu Yin closed his eyes. He was no longer paying any attention to the man, as he had already learned what he needed to know; there were at least twenty peak powerhouses in the Third Scourge, as well as dozens of Progenitor-level corpse kings. Lu Yin understood the strength of the Third Scourge now.

Truthfully, it could not compare to the First Scourge, but if the Seven Skygods were not included, then the Third Scourge was not much weaker than the First Scourge. The fact that the first ranked Di Xia was qualified to represent the Third Scourge during the Divine Selection meant that he absolutely had to be a sequence powerhouse. On top of that, what about Fei?

Unfortunately, he had no way of forcing the woman to reveal her true strength at the Wu Tian Observatory.

After seeing Wu Tian’s situation, Lu Yin had decided to stay in the Third Scourge. Mu Ji was not something to worry about for the moment, as he wanted to use Lu Yin, and Lu Yin intended to do the same thing. They were both aiming at their own goals.

When Lu Yin considered that Mu Ji wanted help finding True God’s ultimate techniques, Lu Yin would much rather take Wu Tian away.

This was also why Lu Yin had decided to start training the Corpse King Transformation; he wanted to stay in the Third Scourge.

He calmed himself and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was surrounded by darkness. His mind had entered the Corpse King Monument, and he was in the body of a corpse king.

It was just his consciousness. The Corpse King Monument had somehow used the power of consciousness. How did Di Qiong have that power?

Lu Yin instantly grew wary, as consciousness was not an easy power to deal with. The Chiliagonist had relied on his mastery of consciousness to become one of the True God Guard Captains. If Di Qiong could also use consciousness, then Lu Yin would need to tread very carefully as he moved around in the Third Scourge.

Using the body of a corpse king to master the Corpse King Transformation was a reasonable way to test the technique.

Lu Yin was already familiar with the Corpse King Transformation, but it was only at this moment that he was willing to try cultivating it. He had always found the technique very powerful.

…

In the First Scourge, a cosmic door activated as a figure passed through it. Xin Wu appeared.

He landed in the First Scourge and looked around, where he saw rents in the ground. Were they scars from when the Sixverse Association had invaded?

Xin Wu looked up at the sky and immediately noticed that most of the cosmic doors that should have filled the sky were missing. The First Scourge had been dramatically weakened by the repeated invasions.

"Did Di Qiong send you here?" Progenitor Xi suddenly spoke up, startling Xin Wu. He had no idea when or how the woman had appeared.

"Yes. Three of your True God Guard Captains are in our Third Scourge. Lord Di Qiong sent me here to ask how you would like us to deal with them," Xin Wu replied. His eyes revealed his wariness.

Before he left the Third Scourge, Di Qiong had strictly warned Xin Wu to not offend Progenitor Xi. It was clear that this woman was truly extraordinary.

Lu Yin and the other captains had guessed correctly, and Di Qiong had only recently thought to send someone to inform the First Scourge that three of the True God Guard Captains were in the Third Scourge. The man truly did not care about them at all.

In fact, if Di Qiong had not seen Ye Bo at the Wu Tian Observatory, Xin Wu would have never been sent to the First Scourge.

"Why didn't he come here himself?" Progenitor Xi asked calmly. She did not look away from the lake of divine energy that she was staring at.

"Lord Di Qiong recently fought a battle, and he is currently in seclusion," Xin Wu replied.

"Tell me more."

Xin Wu did not hold back and shared everything he knew, though he was ignorant of the fact that Di Qiong had entered the Origin Universe and faced Lu Yuan. Xin Wu only knew that Di Qiong had destroyed God’s Domain and brought three of the First Scourge’s True God Guard Captains to the Third Scourge.

However, while Xin Wu did not know about these things, Progenitor Xi did.

She knew that Ye Bo and the others had been captives of the Origin Universe, so if Di Qiong had taken them back to the Third Scourge, he must have gone to the Origin Universe.

"It seems that he didn't gain much of an advantage," Progenitor Xi muttered. She looked over at Xin Wu. "Bring them to me. They belong to my First Scourge, so it's not good for them to remain in the Third Scourge."

"I understand," Xin Wu replied, though he then hesitated instead of leaving.

Progenitor Xi looked at the man. "Is there something else?"

Xin Wu still hesitated, but after looking at Progenitor Xi for a moment, he asked, "May I inquire if the First Scourge intends to participate in the Divine Selection?"

"Of course we're participating," Progenitor Xi answered flatly.

"In that case, do you have a representative?" Xin Wu continued.

Progenitor Xi observed Xin Wu. "Stop beating around the bush."

Xin Wu gritted his teeth. "If the First Scourge has no one suitable to represent you for the Divine Selection, I would like to represent the First Scourge."

In the Third Scourge, Di Xia and Fei were clearly going to be the chosen representatives for the Divine Selection, and Xin Wu knew that he was no match for those two. After seeing the condition of the First Scourge, he naturally believed the Scourge had been greatly weakened. It seemed possible for him to join the First Scourge and represent it for the Divine Selection.

Progenitor Xi chuckled, but she did not answer.

Shao Yin approached from the distance. "Why don’t you represent the Third Scourge?"

Xin Wu had not noticed Shao Yin's arrival any more than he had Progenitor Xi’s, and this increased the lesser giant’s nervousness.

"Is it because you simply aren't qualified to represent the Third Scourge? If we allow you to represent our First Scourge, then wouldn't we be eliminated even before the selection begins? What do you take our First Scourge for?" Shao Yin sneered as he moved closer to Xin Wu.

The lesser giant’s expression fell. "It's not that I'm any less capable than them, but that Di Qiong is biased."

Shao Yin scoffed. "Get lost. You aren’t qualified to represent my First Scourge."

Xin Wu grew furious. "What did you say?"

Shao Yin looked at Xin Wu and casually waved a hand. Sequence particles of merged Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang erupted, instantly blasting Xin Wu away. The lesser giant instantly underwent a Corpse King Transformation, but not even that let him withstand the blow. The terrifying sequence particles caused his skin to start decaying, but at the same time, the scorching heat caused his organs to start to burn. He was shocked, and he spat out blood.

Shao Yin did not even look at the fallen man. "Get lost."

Xin Wu stared at Shao Yin for a long moment and then left.

Once he was gone, Shao Yin looked over at Progenitor Xi. His entire demeanor was far more polite and respectful than in the past. In the past, Shao Yin had respected Progenitor Xi for her unfathomable strength, but after the First Scourge was invaded, Shao Yin had learned that Progenitor Xi had once managed to force the Lu family to alter their training methods. Ages ago, the woman had been known as Qingluo Jiantian, and her current sword had ended the invasion of the Scourge.

It was clear that Progenitor Xi was far stronger than Shao Yin, and he did not dare to act rashly in front of her.

"What do you need?" Progenitor Xi asked flatly.

"I want to join the Divine Selection," Shao Yin stated.

Progenitor Xi was not surprised. "You are already one the Seven Skygods, which is a status comparable to the Three Pillars and Six Skies."

Shao Yin's eyes flickered. The Seven Skygods were only acknowledged by the Sixverse Association, while the Three Pillars and Six Skies were recognized by True God himself as the most elite powerhouses in all of Aeternus. They held a status that was only below True God’s, and they were all renowned throughout the six Scourges. They were comparable to the Three Realms and Six Daos of the ancient Heavens Sect.

When Shao Yin had been part of the Cyclic Universe, he had been heralded as one of the Three Sovereigns. At that time, he had regarded himself as on the same level as the ancient Three Realms and Six Daos. Only later had he realized that he had been vastly overestimating himself. One of the Six Daos, Lu Yuan, was capable of openly challenging the Great Sovereign, while Shao Yin knew that he was nowhere close to matching the Great Sovereign's power.

The Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages were not even close to reaching the level of the Three Realms and Six Daos.

Only the Three Pillars and Six Skies, the greatest powerhouses of all the Aeternals, could compare to the Three Realms and Six Daos.

Shao Yin aspired to become one of those elites.

"I am asking you for your help, Senior." Shao Yin gave a deep bow.

Progenitor Xi looked over. "None of the Seven Skygods have ever offered me such respect."

Shao Yin took a deep breath. "Senior, you deserve such respect."

The woman’s expression never changed. "Aeternus’s six Scourges all compete against each other. My First Scourge has always been the strongest, but it seems that we are now being underestimated."

Shao Yin sneered. "How dare trash like that underestimate the First Scourge? During the Divine Selection, I promise that I will shatter the other Scourges’ dignity!"

Progenitor Xi coldly stated, "He was testing us."

Shao Yin's expression changed.

"Di Qiong is quite cunning. You want to reach the same level as the Three Realms and Six Daos, but the Third Scourge holds Wu Tian prisoner," Progenitor Xi commented indifferently.

Shao Yin's eyes flickered, and he momentarily found himself speechless. He had not considered the possibility of Xin Wu being a test, nor had he ever imagined that someone as powerful and famous as Wu Tian could be imprisoned in the Third Scourge. Was that how strong the Three Pillars and Six Skies really were?

Despite his arrogance, Shao Yin never believed himself capable of surpassing Wu Tian, at least not at the moment. After all, he had nearly been killed by Lord Xu, and that man was far inferior to Wu Tian.

"You may join the Divine Selection," Progenitor Xi consented.

Shao Yin offered another bow. "Thank you, Senior."

Xin Wu returned to the Third Scourge and went to deliver a report to Di Qiong.

"You were injured by a single strike? The man uses formidable sequence particles," Di Qiong remarked with some sense of gravity as he acknowledged Shao Yin's strength.

Xin Wu maintained a respectful attitude. "That man is not one of the Seven Skygods, but there is no doubt that he will represent the First Scourge in the Divine Selection."

Di Qiong looked up. "The strength of the First Scourge is profound, and they are not so easily weakened. Still, the rulers of the other Scourges are formidable in their own right. This next Divine Selection will certainly be fiercer than the last.

"Go. Return those three True God Guard Captains to the First Scourge."

Xin Wu nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait," Di Qiong called out.

Xin Wu quickly turned back around. "Yes, my lord?"

Di Qiong studied the man. "Do you feel resentful?"

Xin Wu was startled by the question. "I don’t dare."

"Do you really not dare, or do you simply not dare to show the resentment you feel?"

"I hold no resentment, my lord. Di Xia and Fei are both beyond me. I genuinely hold no grudge," Xin Wu answered anxiously.

Di Qiong's eyes were ice. "You are not their equal. Remember that."

Xin Wu quickly agreed and then nervously took his leave.

The other Scourges might be strong, but that did not mean that the Third Scourge was inferior to them. Whoever lasted to the end of the Divine Selection remained to be seen.

Two of the Seven Skygods were already dead, and another had been severely wounded. Who could say that the Three Pillars and Six Skies would remain unscathed? If one of Di Qiong’s people could become one of the Three Pillars and Six Skies, then his Third Scourge would wield even greater influence within Aeternus.

…

In the Third Scourge, at the Corpse King Monument, the man who had tried to explain things to Lu Yin had grown extremely annoyed, and his hands itched to strike Lu Yin. The young man appeared to be completely unfazed by anything he was told, and he treated the man’s words like air.

If not for the strict prohibition of any sort of combat within the vicinity of the Corpse King Monument, the man would have already attacked Lu Yin.

After returning to the Third Scourge, Xin Wu did not immediately go find Ye Bo and the other True God Guard Captains. Instead, he went into seclusion to recover. He had been wounded by Shao Yin’s attack.

Finally, the day that Xin Wu emerged came, and he went to find the captains.

He found Dual Bladeform and Chong Gui easily enough, but Xin Wu found it impossible to locate Ye Bo. It did not even occur to Xin Wu that Ye Bo might be attempting to cultivate the Corpse King Transformation.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA