Star Odyssey

Chapter 3115: Hongyan Mavis

Lu Yin smiled. "That’s only natural. I want to become an Ortuser, and since a senior like you is offering to help me accomplish that, I should do my best to complete the tasks you ask of me."

"Good. If you do well, I might even consider taking you as my disciple. By the way, have you heard of Aeternus?"

Lu Yin's eyes flickered. "Of course."

"What do you think of them?"

"They are humanity’s greatest enemy."

"And what do you think of them personally?"

Lu Yin was not certain why the man was asking such a question. Was he a part of Aeternus, or was he loyal to humanity? Judging by how the man had been behaving, he most likely to be part of Aeternus. He wanted Lu Yin to pose as a member of the Lu family, most likely in order to target someone related to them.

However, if the man was not from Aeternus and Lu Yin gave the wrong answer, it could mean a great deal of trouble.

Lu Yin was not afraid of the unknown powerhouse attacking, as Lu Yin was confident that he could protect himself, or if needed, at least escape. However, since this person wanted Lu Yin to impersonate a member of the Lu family, Lu Yin was curious who the target was.

"I only want to become an Ortuser," Lu Yin replied cautiously.

After a moment's silence, the man responded, "Hmm... you think only of yourself. I like that. Only by being willing to use any means necessary can one achieve their goals."

Lu Yin exhaled a breath of relief. "Thank you, Senior. May I know your name?"

There was a thunderous sound as something appeared in front of Lu Yin. It was a Champions’ Stage.

However, this was not a real one, but rather a false one made by the hidden powerhouse.

"Examine this closely. I’ll give you a bit of time to get used to it. This is your Champions’ Stage, so you need to treat it as your innate gift. Remember, this is your source of power. You are Lu Yin, a descendant of the Lu family. Understand?"

"Yes, Senior. I am Lu Yin, a descendant of the Lu family."

"Who is your ancestor?"

"Lu Yuan."

"Who else?"

"Lu Tianyi."

"What is the most tragic event to strike your family?"

"Lu Yuan's own child died, and our ancestor was unable to reverse time to save his child because the Origin Progenitor refused to allow it."

"And what is the most frustrating matter for your family?"

"Someone named Qingluo Jiantian injured Lu Tianyi, which forced my family to cultivate one of the Origin Progenitor's techniques to compensate for our lacking spiritual force."

"There is also a madman in your family. He is one of Lu Yuan’s direct descendants. Remember, that madman is considered a forbidden topic to your family."

Lu Yin confidently replied, "I am Lu Yin, of course I know that. Lu Yuan and Lu Tianyi are my ancestors, and I have met both of them."

"Good."

...

The mist started to disperse a bit, and Lu Yin moved towards the forest.

It had been a long time since the old man had first threatened Lu Yin with the candle. During this time, Lu Yin had been forced to familiarize himself with the Lu family’s history. Surprisingly, he had actually learned some things that he had not previously known, and the information had come from an outsider.

The man had given Lu Yin a simple task: to enter the forest and find a certain woman. After that, he was to get as close to her as possible.

Lu Yin was never told why he was impersonating a member of the Lu family.

Lu Yin cautiously moved through the forest. He was able to see the distant form of the cabin, but it was much further away than when he had first seen it.

There were narrow paths through the bamboo groves, and the ever-present mist gave the place a serene and elegant atmosphere.

Lu Yin automatically reached out to touch the bamboo. What kind of bamboo could withstand the erosion of mist of time?

He was unable to find anything strange about the plants.

He continued on towards the cabin.

He quickly arrived at a bamboo fence. There was grass inside the fence that swayed gently in the breeze. It gave off a soft green glow, and it was soothing to look at.

There was a beautiful woman wearing simple clothes walking across the grass, a hint of a smile touching her lips.

She wore no makeup and exuded a natural elegance that mirrored the pristine mountain forest. Her smile made Lu Yin feel truly at ease.

While not stunning, the woman’s presence was soothing. It was like returning to nature, and that made her the most pleasant person to look upon.

Lu Yin stood outside the bamboo fence, where he watched the woman tend to the grass.

After some time, the woman looked up and noticed Lu Yin.

Lu Yin bowed. "Junior Lu Yin greets you, Senior."

The woman stared at Lu Yin for a moment. "How did you get here?"

"I entered the Mirari Realm by collecting some broken stones."

"Is your surname Lu?"

"Yes."

"That's a lie."

Lu Yin was speechless. "It's true."

The woman smiled and pointed to Lu Yin's shoulder. "You still have his candle burning on your shoulder."

Lu Yin blinked. What was this? The old man had said that no one but Lu Yin would be able to see the candle.

"He believes that I can't see those things, but this is my domain. How could I not see something here? He underestimates me. Still, I did lead him to believe that I can’t see his candles," the woman commented before she resumed tending to the grass.

Lu Yin sighed. "I apologize for this embarrassing situation, Senior."

The woman sighed. "I should be the one apologizing to you. You got involved because of me. If not for me, you wouldn’t have been targeted by him. I'm sorry, but I can't remove that candle or its flame."

Lu Yin grew curious. "Who are you, Senior? And who is that man?"

There was a wooden chair on the lawn, and the woman sat in it. "Stay on that side of the fence. From this distance, he can't harm me, but if you come any closer, that might change."

Lu Yin nodded and sat down, maintaining his distance while he observed the woman.

"The one who is manipulating you is Feng Bo, and he has betrayed humanity. As for me, I am Hongyan Mavis," the woman spoke slowly.

Lu Yin went bug-eyed in shock. "The founding ancestor of the Mavis family? That Hongyan Mavis?"

Hongyan Mavis glanced over at Lu Yin. "I can see in your eyes that your surprise is genuine. Did he not tell you who I am, or are you just that good at acting?"

Lu Yin continued to stare at the woman. "Are you really Hongyan Mavis, the founding ancestor of the Mavis family?"

The woman gave a small smile. "Referring to me as a founding ancestor makes me sound so old. I've just lived for a little while. What's your name?"

Lu Yin never expected to encounter one of the Three Realms and Six Daos, the founding ancestor of the family which had ruled over the Second Mainland, much less meet her in the Mirari Realm.

Lu Yin had only ever heard of this woman from Lu Tianyi. No one knew where she had gone, but many people believed that she had perished with the Second Mainland.

He had never imagined that he would find her in this place.

Lu Yin grew excited. This was the founding ancestor of the Mavis family, one of the Three Realms and Six Daos! Hongyan Mavis was a legend. While the Mavis family history did not have much to say about the woman, the Lu family did.

In the Origin Universe, the Lu family had been the ones to truly understand Hongyan Mavis.

"Senior, why are you in the Mirari Realm? Why haven’t you left?" Lu Yin asked.

Hongyan Mavis stared at Lu Yin quite intently. "How long has Feng Bo been training you? Your surprise makes it seem like you’re actually from the Origin Universe."

"I am." Lu Yin could not help himself.

Hongyan Mavis chuckled. "Feng Bo is truly capable. You're not the first person he's sent to get close to me. He knows that, when the Second Mainland was destroyed, Lu Yuan helped me. It was for my sake that even the Immovable Heavenly King Elephant died. I know that that man sent you here to impersonate a descendant of the Lu family, hoping that you would be able to get close to me. But he doesn't know that I can see his candles. You don't need to pretend. It's been a long time since I've had anyone to talk to. Meeting you is fate.

"Still, I can't free you from Feng Bo's control, and I am truly sorry for that. But if you're willing, we can at least chat a bit."

Lu Yin did not know how to feel. He had hoped to use the fact that Feng Bo assumed that Lu Yin was merely impersonating a member of the Lu family to turn the tables on the man, but unfortunately, the target of Feng Bo's ploy also did not trust Lu Yin.

The situation was rather awkward.

"What’s your real name?" Hongyan Mavis asked again, clearly eager to speak with another person after being isolated for so long.

Lu Yin sighed. "This junior's name is Xuan Qi."

Hongyan Mavis smiled. "Where are you from? I can't tell if your reaction to hearing my name was real or just an act."

Lu Yin replied, "I was genuinely surprised. I’m from the Sixverse Association. Have you heard of the Great Sovereign?"

Hongyan Mavis was taken aback. "Tai Hong?"

Lu Yin nodded. "Yes, her."

Hongyan Mavis let out a long breath as she was overcome by nostalgia. She turned to stare off into the distance. "Tai Hong... So, you're from her universe. It’s no wonder you know about me. How is she?"

Lu Yin shared various details about the current situation in the Sixverse Association with Hongyan Mavis. During the Heavens Sect era, the Sixverse Association had not yet existed, though the Great Sovereign had already been a renowned figure, as well as an overbearingly arrogant one.

Hongyan Mavis took the opportunity to recount various events from the Heavens Sect era.

She mostly focused on matters that had involved the Three Realms and Six Daos, and there were even some details concerning the Great Sovereign.

"Believe it or not, we almost ambushed Tai Hong at one point in time, and we very nearly succeeded." Hongyan Mavis laughed heartily as she reminisced about the past.

Lu Yin smiled. He believed this to be true, as he had heard about this matter before.

Unfortunately, the Three Realms and Six Daos had not gone through with their plan. This was despite the fact that the God of Death had created the Mask of Death technique in preparation for the ambush.

"That woman, Tai Hong, was so arrogant! She was always looking down on everyone else, and she even disrespected our master. She considered herself to be the noblest person in existence, and because of that, we really wanted to beat her up. Still, her strength was intimidating. At first, we knew that we would not be able to defeat her even if we ganged up on her, but later, as each of us became Progenitors, that changed. Any one of us had the courage to scold her, which caused her to constantly complain to our master. You wouldn't believe how..." Hongyan Mavis chuckled as she recounted various stories of the past.

Who could even guess at how long the woman had been in the Mirari Realm? She had probably stayed there since the Heavens Sect era.

Rather than a conversation, Lu Yin's visit offered Hongyan Mavis an outlet for all the words that she had been keeping to herself for so long.

She spent a very long time talking to Lu Yin, to the point where he even felt as though he had been transported back to the Heavens Sect era and personally witnessed the greatest pinnacle of human civilization.

Actually, was Hongyan Mavis a chatterbox? Maybe she had inherited this trait from the Origin Progenitor.

"Sorry for talking so much," Hongyan Mavis apologized, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Lu Yin replied, "It's fine. I was bored anyway. You can talk as long as you want, Senior."

Hongyan Mavis smiled. "You're very kind."

"It’s only normal."

"By the way, there's something interesting here. Do you want to see it?" Hongyan Mavis pointed toward the cabin, puzzling Lu Yin.

"I wasn’t the one to build that cabin. Wu Tian made it. Go in and look at the floor," Hongyan Mavis said with a grin.

Lu Yin grew excited. Could there be some sort of powerful battle technique or cultivation method? If anyone else were to have this opportunity, they might not care, but Lu Yin was different. His path encompassed all powers, and he could cultivate any form of energy or power.

That thought occupied Lu Yin’s mind as he walked toward the cabin and pushed the door open. He made sure to stay a reasonable distance from Hongyan Mavis, so that she would not feel threatened by him at all.

When Lu Yin entered the cabin, he discovered that it was a simple construction, and the design reminded him of the hut that he had once shared with Bai Xian'er in Food Paradise.

The floor, huh?