Star Odyssey

Chapter 3132: New Heights

Lu Yin had fought countless battles, but he rarely felt this frustrated with an opponent. Being unable to use the same attack twice was a significant restriction.

This was Di Qiong's Progenitor's world—Martial Scriptures.

The spear reformed in Di Qiong's hands as he stepped forward. He immediately thrust the weapon at Lu Yin again.

Lu Yin tried to use Inverse Step, but it instantly failed. As long as he was within the range of Di Qiong’s Martial Scriptures, it was impossible to use the same technique twice, no matter if it was Inverse Step, a punch, a palm strike, or even the landmass from his inner universe.

"Die, boy!" Di Qiong's spear pierced through the void, its sharpness unmatched.

Lu Yin let out a breath. The star of consciousness in his inner universe quivered, and his consciousness surged, a terrible amount of energy slamming into Di Qiong.

Di Qiong abruptly stopped moving. He let out a long breath as his pupils dilated. He stared at Lu Yin in utter disbelief. "Is this... consciousness?"

Lu Yin's head was spinning. It was not easy for him to use his power of consciousness, but what else could he do against Di Qiong? Even if he combined his Wordless Heavenly Book with the continent of fatesand and then used Flipping the Sky to attack, Di Qiong’s Martial Scriptures would prevent Lu Yin from using the attack more than once.

Lu Yin needed to push Di Qiong hard enough to force him to use his trump cards. Only after that could Lu Yin use his full power to end the fight.

Di Qiong gritted his teeth as he tightly clenched the shaft of his spear while glaring at Lu Yin. "This is Xu Jin's consciousness! You devoured Xu Jin's consciousness!"

"Shut up!" Lu Yin roared as he sent his consciousness slamming into Di Qiong again.

To hurt the enemy by a thousand was to damage oneself by eight hundred.[1] This was because he had not fully digested Xu Jin's consciousness yet, which had been accumulated over the course of countless years. Despite the extensive amount of time that Lu Yin had spent in the Mirari Realm, that was still like the blink of an eye compared to Xu Jin’s life.

To fully usurp Xu Jin's consciousness, Lu Yin would have needed to fully dedicate his time in the Mirari Realm to reciting the Origin Sutra, and he had clearly not done so.

Fortunately, Lu Yin's own consciousness remained as solid as a rock. Although he was injured by each attack, Lu Yin suffered much less than Di Qiong.

Di Qiong’s Martial Scriptures invalidated the repeated use of any attack, and the only way to overcome that was to deliver an instantly lethal attack. However, the ability’s weaknesses were also clearly evident; the powers of time and consciousness were Di Qiong’s Achilles’ heels.

Lu Yin barely did not have enough power to decisively end things.

The consciousness attacks left Di Qiong clutching his head and letting out roars of pain. Seizing this opportunity, Arch-Elder Zen and others attacked in unison, all of their different assaults striking Di Qiong. He roared, "How long are you going to wait for?"

Lu Yin's eyes widened; were there more?

A barely perceptible sense of danger sent a chill down Lu Yin's back. He instantly became certain that there was an expert hidden nearby. He could not afford to wait any longer. His focus sharpened as he waved a hand to bring out his Wordless Heavenly Book and wrote Di Qiong's name on it. At that moment, Di Qiong felt his strength sap away, which caused his expression to change dramatically. He had just been shunned from the Origin Universe.

Initially, as long as Di Qiong did not use divine energy, he would not suffer any suppression in the Origin Universe as he had never visited this place before. This was why he and Ji Liu had been sent to attack the Heavens Sect.

However, Lu Yin was able to shun people from the Origin Universe at will by wielding the will of the universe itself. When Lu Yin’s consciousness was added to the mix, Di Qiong realized that he was unable to deal with Lu Yin.

"Let's see who will kill who!" Lu Yin shot forward, no longer hesitating. His left arm rose up, and he attacked with a finger. As long as he did not use the same attack twice, Di Qiong’s Martial Scriptures could not stop the attack.

Di Qiong had already been hit by Lu Yin's punch, and he was also reeling from the continuous consciousness attacks, as well as being shunned. He did not think twice and immediately tore through the void to escape.

Lu Yin wanted to prevent the man from fleeing, but it was nearly impossible to do so. Di Qiong had not even been forced to use any of his trump cards, and the hidden danger that Lu Yin had sensed was still present. This was not the time for an all-out battle against Aeternus. Lu Yin still had other means to defeat them besides brute force.

If only he had as much information about Di Qiong as he had with Feng Bo. The battle could have ended very differently.

As soon as Di Qiong fled, Shao Yin and Ji Luo also retreated.

Without surrounding and attacking such powerhouses from all sides, it was difficult to stop them from escaping. After all, Shao Yin and Ji Luo were both about as strong as the Seven Skygods.

Even after Di Qiong and the others left, the frenzied corpses continued to wreak havoc at the Heavens Sect.

Lu Yin stepped forward and quickly dealt with all the frenzied corpses. With that, the Heavens Sect was out of danger, and the hidden danger had also silently disappeared.

Once the battle at the Heavens Sect ended, the skirmishes in the Perennial World and the other universes of the Sixverse Association also ended very quickly.

...

In the First Scourge, Di Qiong and the others who had attacked the Heavens Sect gathered in front of Progenitor Xi, who was surprised by their report. "Lu Yin is still alive? And he's become significantly stronger?"

Di Qiong's expression was grim. "If his physical strength hadn't spiked to reach my level, I would have never retreated."

Blackless God quietly spoke up. "Lu Yin has become a major threat now. It will be difficult to eliminate him."

Progenitor Xi turned to Ji Luo. "Did you also encounter a powerful opponent?"

Ji Luo’s face remained hidden beneath his cloak, which made it impossible to read his expression. "A man wielding a knife. He was always a step ahead of me."

"The Abandoned!" Arrow God exclaimed in surprise.

Progenitor Xi looked over. "You know him?"

"He's one of the targets of this Divine Commandment."

"It would appear that Lu Yin has gathered a considerable amount of external support. This third Divine Commandment is proving to be quite difficult to carry out. We lost Xu Jin right at the outset, and even before that, two of the Seven Skygods were killed, while humanity continues to unite. We have to find a way to eliminate Lu Yin before anything else," Progenitor Xi mused.

...

The battle at the Heavens Sect ended swiftly, and news of Lu Yin's return spread equally quickly throughout the entire Sixverse Association.

Many people were elated at the news, as Lu Yin’s survival gave people hope that Aeternus could be defeated.

As soon as Lu Yin revealed that he was alive, he ordered a group of people to be arrested. They were the ones who had slandered the Heavens Sect and attempted to create a fissure between the Origin Universe and the Sixverse Association. Their arrest caused many within the Sixverse Association to despair.

As for Lu Yin himself, he took a trip to the Lotus Realm.

There were problems there that needed to be dealt with.

In the Cyclic Universe, Chu Jian and others still had the Lotus Realm under surveillance. The fact that Lu Yin was alive had no direct connection to the list of spies, and they needed to carry out an investigation to determine whether or not Sovereign Lotus was actually a spy.

Many things had happened in a very short amount of time. Aeternus had stirred up many hidden currents within the Sixverse Association, but Lu Yin's return had almost instantly averted the worst crises.

Even so, determining whether the people listed as spies had nothing to do with Lu Yin's return.

Of the people on the list, Luo Shan had fled, and Wu Hen had been revealed as a spy, along with hundreds of other people. This proved just how credible the list of spies was, and given the situation, not even Sovereign Ninth Lotus could escape suspicion in the Cyclic Universe.

Shao Yin had set a precedent, so why could Sovereign Lotus not also be a spy?

Chu Jian and the others standing guard over the Lotus Realm all had somber expressions on their faces. It should have been good news to learn the identities of spies, but they absolutely did not want Sovereign Lotus to be a spy. This was not simply because of her strength, but also because of her status as one of the Cyclic Universe’s Three Sovereigns. Shao Yin had already been exposed as a spy, so if Sovereign Lotus was also a spy, then the Great Sovereign’s reputation would be utterly destroyed, and that would leave the Cyclic Universe in a precarious position.

Fortunately, after the list was publicized, Sovereign Lotus had not made any suspicious moves. Even when the Origin Universe’s Heavens Sect had come under attack, she had done nothing at all. This served to reassure Arrow Sage and the others, and they all felt that the Sovereign was most likely not a spy.

When Lu Yin arrived at the Lotus Realm, everyone offered bows of respect.

"Greetings, Lord Lu."

"Greetings, Lord Lu."

...

Even Chu Jian and Arrow Sage bowed. "Greetings, Lord Lu."

Lu Yin landed in front of the man and glanced around. "It’s rather lively here. Chu Jian, are you looking for a partner?"

The Lotus Realm was a beautiful place, as it was covered with mist and filled with Sovereign Lotus’s lovely disciples.

Chu Jian had let go of his past grudges towards Lu Yin long ago, and he actually felt increasing admiration for the other man. Without Lu Yin, the Sixverse Association would have never been able to achieve its current state.

"You must be joking, Lord Lu. We are here to ensure that Sovereign Lotus is not a spy."

Lu Yin chuckled. "If she were, could you stop her?"

Chu Jian said nothing.

Lu Yin had a certain level of respect for Chu Jian. It was impressive for him to have survived attacks from both Ancient God and Arrow God and still be active. Chu Jian’s Nine of Ten Chambers Empty was an incredibly difficult innate gift to deal with if a person did not know about it. But once they learned the details, it was rather simple to overcome Chu Jian’s innate gift; once simply needed to launch ten attacks simultaneously.

Sovereign Lotus emerged from the Lotus Realm, accompanied by Little Lian and Yao Lan. The three women approached Lu Yin and offered slow bows. "Greetings, Lord Lu."

"Greetings, Lord Lu." Yao Lan and Little Lian echoed their master.

Lu Yin focused on Sovereign Lotus. "This is the first place I came to after dealing with matters in the Heavens Sect. Do you know why?"

Sovereign Lotus's expression turned grim. "Because of the list."

Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. "Wrong."

Sovereign Lotus grew puzzled.

Everyone else also gave Lu Yin looks of confusion. At the moment, aside from how the Heavens Sect had captured certain individuals, the question of whether Sovereign Lotus and several other people were spies was the most important issue in the Sixverse Association.

Lu Yin’s eyes remained fixed on Sovereign Lotus. "You are not a spy. I know that to be true just as I know that neither Arch-Elder Zen or Senior Brother Mu Xie are spies. In fact, it’s highly unlikely that Luo Shan is a spy either, though I can’t be completely certain, which means that he needs to be watched."

"How can you be so certain, Lord Lu?" Arrow Sage asked.

Lu Yin looked into the Lotus Realm. "Trading the lives of hundreds of spies for three of humanity’s peak powerhouses, all of whom are people with great status and power, is quite the bargain for Aeternus, isn’t it?"

Arrow Sage wanted to argue, but he held his tongue.

The bottom line was that the Sage lacked the status to argue with Lu Yin. During the most recent battle at the Heavens Sect, Lu Yin had almost single-handedly driven Di Qiong back, and that man was one of Aeternus’s most powerful experts. News of the battle had already spread throughout the Sixverse Association, and people knew that Lu Yin’s power had dramatically increased. He had reached brand new heights.

Even peak powerhouses needed to be cautious around Lu Yin.

In the past, Lu Yin’s authority had come from his position and backing, but the latest battle had made it clear that his own strength was sufficient as well.

Sovereign Lotus smiled wryly. "Lord Lu’s trust in me makes me rather nervous."

Chu Jian stared at Lu Yin. "I also don’t believe that Sovereign Lotus is a spy, but what brings you here to the Lotus Realm, Lord Lu?"

Lu Yin's focus shifted to Yao Lan, who stood behind Sovereign Lotus. "Some people have demanded that I come here and apologize to Yao Lan, claiming that I wronged her before. So, here I am."

Yao Lan looked helpless as she slowly bowed to Lu Yin. "They’re just some busybodies who are stirring up trouble. Please don’t take the matter to heart, Lord Lu."

Sovereign Lotus added, "Lord Lu, I’ve heard of this as well, and I’m sure that Aeternus has a hand in it."

Lu Yin nodded. "You’re absolutely right, Aeternus has had a hand in this. However, how do you know that your disciple isn’t one of them?"

These words caused Sovereign Lotus's expression to change drastically, and she turned to stare at Yao Lan.

Chu Jian, Arrow Sage, and everyone else also stared at Yao Lan.

Lu Yin had spoken loud enough for Sovereign Lotus’s nearby disciples to easily hear him, and they were all stunned. Could Yao Lan be a spy?

1. This is a very commonly used Chinese expression. It's like kamikaze attack; "Injure the enemy by a thousand, but at the cost of eight hundred of your own," "Cutting off your nose to spite your face."

This expression means that while you may cause significant harm to your opponent, you also suffer considerable losses in the process. It emphasizes the idea of a pyrrhic victory, where the cost of winning is almost as great as the gains. ☜