Star Odyssey

Chapter 3139: The Connection Method

Lu Yin spoke at length with Great Elder Shan Gu, saying even more than what he had said to the Nine-Star Civilization’s Mentor Kakawen. While most of what Lu Yin said was mere speculation, as the Great Elder's fears were also founded on speculation and dread for some omnipotent being.

The Lost Clan’s universe had to be connected to the Origin Universe. Only by uniting all their civilizations and gathering their full strength could the Heavens Sect even hope to defeat Aeternus.

The Aeternals were no longer able to destroy the human civilizations one by one. Everything that Lu Yin had been doing was accelerating the fall of Aeternus, provided that there was no invincible being among them.

There were still three individuals among the Three Pillars and Six Skies who had not shown up, and their existence made for some uncertainty. Aside from those three, Lu Yin had mostly seen through Aeternus’s strength, though at the cost of countless lives.

As for the things that still remained a mystery, such as why Wu Tian remained in the Third Scourge or the mystery regarding Wei Nu, it was not possible to wait to take action until everything was understood. While it was important to get to the bottom of both matters, the fact that Mister Mu had given Lu Yin the eight cosmic doors was a signal that it was time for humanity to act.

Humanity needed to unite and initiate a final battle in the war against Aeternus.

Shan Gu stood in silence as he stared outside. Lu Yin's words were still echoing in the old man’s mind. He was already well aware that many of Lu Yin's assertions were only speculative, but at their level of strength, even their speculations were based on evidence. Absolutes should not exist. That being might truly have restrictions placed on them. Was it worth it to fight such a being through repeated victories while constantly risking the threat of extinction?

"Great Elder, there are two things that I need to clarify," Lu Yin said as a chill entered his voice, causing Shan Gu to look over.

The two men’s eyes met. "First, you don't need to worry about the people of this megaverse. We have our own thoughts and are willing to fight to maintain our dignity as humans. Since the Lost Clan doesn't belong to this place, you don't need to worry about us. Our survival is none of your concern.

"Second, building on that first point, while your Lost Clan may not belong to this megaverse, as long as you are here, we will not abandon you. Otherwise, you would have been facing Aeternus on your own for a long time. Since we are uniting to face a final battle against Aeternus, you won’t be able to stay out of things. If you try to, I have my own ways of dealing with you."

Lu Yin's expression grew even colder. "Don't blame me for being so blunt. While I respect you and your Lost Clan has provided me with a great deal of support, that does not give you the right to sit back and watch as the rest of us fight to the death. You must join us, and this universe needs to be connected to the Origin Universe. I've said enough, so if you still refuse, don't blame me for being unkind."

The Great Elder remained calm and simply stared at Lu Yin.

"You can see this as either a threat or as a final warning," Lu Yin continued. "I've already said more than enough. If you still can't see reason, I'll be forced to use other methods.

"For what the Lost Clan has done for me, I will repay them myself, but connecting your universe to the Origin Universe is about the bigger picture, which is dealing with Aeternus. Don't confuse the two."

Shan Gu stared intently at Lu Yin. "Lu Yin, there's no need for you to say anything more. We agree to connect."

Lu Yin arched a brow. What did this mean? Had his final threat forced the Great Elder to agree? Did everything that he had said before mean nothing?

The old man’s expression appeared torn. "Truthfully, your threat was unnecessary, as I was already prepared to agree. You're right, I am afraid of losing everything again. But what here is worth clinging to? I never belonged to this place, and my habit of keeping others at a distance was nothing more than a way to avoid losing things again. There's no longer anything left to lose, so there is no longer any reason to be afraid.

"As for my Lost Clan, we've already become exiles once, and we don't want to go through such a thing again. Doing so would cost us all of our combat strength.

"Lu Yin, do not underestimate us. During the final battle in our homeland, my Lost Clan led the charge, and that resulted in more than half of our people dying without ever retreating."

Lu Yin exhaled in relief. "That’s good. Thank you for your support, Great Elder."

The old man gave Lu Yin a look of admiration. "In our homeland, that last battle was also instigated by a young man. You and he are alike, and yet quite different."

Lu Yin did not ask any questions, as there was no doubt that the person the Great Elder was referring to was already dead. There was no need to dwell on such things. "Senior, what level of cultivation does a Primeval card correspond to? Can I try to draw out the Primeval card now?"

Shan Gu shook his head. "You need to become a peak powerhouse first, which your Origin Universe refers to as Progenitors. Only then can you make the attempt."

"I’ve transformed my strength, which is fundamentally no different from breaking through to the Progenitor realm."

Shan Gu grew serious. "Drawing out a Primeval card is no trivial matter. If you fail, you might end up drawing the attention of that being."

Lu Yin was startled. "The omnipotent being that you mentioned?"

The Great Elder nodded. "We are unable to find our way home, and it’s possible that that being is simply not in this megaverse. But if you try to draw out a Primeval card, the attempt might catch that being’s attention. After all, that individual once had all the Primeval cards in their possession.

"They most likely remember our Primeval cards."

"What level of cultivation do the Primeval cards correspond to?" Lu Yin asked. He had speculated that such cards might match up to the Origin Realm, which surpassed the Progenitor realm, but to be sure, it was important to first understand the Great Elder’s level of cultivation.

It seemed that Shan Gu had never been pushed to the point of revealing his full power. All that Lu Yin knew was that the man was at least as powerful as Lord Xu and Mu Shen.

The Lost Clan kept to themselves, and their Great Elder rarely participated in any battles. Even when the Great Sovereign and Ancestor Lu Yuan had fought against True God and the Seven Skygods, the Great Elder had only used his seven star Immemorial card. His own strength remained a mystery.

Lu Yin had learned of this from Ancestor Lu Yuan, who admitted to being unable to fully determine Shan Gu’s power. That made sense, given the unique and mysterious nature of the Lost Clan’s abilities that were based on their cards. Their abilities were difficult to see through.

Lu Yin’s question was also a subtle way to ask about the Great Elder’s own strength.

Shan Gu was aware of this, and he replied, "Primeval cards correspond to the Origin realm."

Lu Yin felt a tinge of disappointment. If Primeval cards corresponded to the Origin realm, then that meant that the Great Elder’s cultivation was at best equivalent to the peak of the Progenitor realm, but not the Origin realm. Lu Yin felt like he had possibly missed an opportunity.

Lu Yin had placed a significant level of importance on Primeval cards, but the truth was not entirely unexpected. If Primeval cards corresponded to an even higher level, then even the Great Sovereign would have shown a great deal of interest when Lu Yin had drawn out a corner of that card. However, she had never mentioned the Lost Clan’s cards, which suggested that not even a Primeval card warranted her attention.

In the past, everyone had thought that the Great Sovereign was a supreme powerhouse, with Lord Xu claiming that he could sense the difference in strength between them. The truth was that the Great Sovereign was a Dukkhan, and that perceived difference in strength was nothing more than an illusion.

Lu Yin had always thought that a Primeval card surpassed the strength of a peak powerhouse and that the cards were even stronger than the Great Sovereign, but that had been a mistake. The Great Sovereign was someone who had already surpassed the Origin realm, which placed her on the same level as the Origin Progenitor.

The Lost Clan’s Primeval cards had once been seen as a potential key for humanity to defeat Aeternus, but it seemed that the doubts concerning that hope were correct. The reverence of the Primeval cards might have been a strategy employed by the Lost Clan to elevate their own status.

The higher they managed to maneuver themselves, the less likely it was for others to antagonize them, which ensured their stability.

Seeing Lu Yin's expression, the Great Elder chuckled. "Are you disappointed?"

Lu Yin did not try to hide his feelings. "A bit. The Great Sovereign is beyond the Origin realm, so if Primeval cards only correspond to Ortusers, then how can one of them be any sort of threat to that omnipotent being?"

Lu Yin’s implication was quite clear; the cards did not warrant the value they were given. Drawing the attention of an omnipotent being for a relatively weak card would not be worth it.

Shan Gu answered in a soft voice, "Primeval cards certainly do correspond to the Origin realm, but what if the card that you saw wasn’t a Primeval card?"

Lu Yin was taken aback. "It wasn’t a Primeval card?"

The Great Elder’s voice dropped even further. "Do you think that a Primeval card could attract the attention of an omnipotent being? That card carried my people to this megaverse. In a way, our survival is linked to that card. Its true level... well, you can imagine what it is. For the moment, it must be regarded and treated as nothing more than a Primeval card."

Lu Yin understood and did not press the matter further. The Lost Clan had already given him a pleasant surprise, and in the future, they might also surprise Aeternus.

Having secured the support of the Lost Clan, Lu Yin finally felt a sense of peace. Next, he needed to visit the Infinity Empire.

He did not intend to connect their parallel universes through cosmic doors or spatial tunnels like the Endless Frontier, as neither method was secure enough.

Aeternus had already severed the Heavens Sect's connection to the Nine-Star Civilization's universe by sending spies to destroy the cosmic door. Despite the spies’ weak cultivation, they had successfully destroyed the cosmic doors because such things belonged to Aeternus. As far as Lu Yin was concerned, cosmic doors could only be a temporary option.

To truly connect two parallel universes, there either needed to be a natural connection, such as the one between the Three Monarchs Universe and the Fifth Mainland, or the method used by the Infinity Empire, which used ring energy to connect universes.

It would not be difficult to find the Infinity Empire.

Lu Yin returned to the Heavens Sect and met with Master Shan, Bu Qing, Fei Su, and Hong Yi.

After capturing these three people, an idea occurred to Lu Yin. He had allowed the three people to cultivate, and then he had given them an energy converter so that they could tear through the void and find their home universe, which was where the Infinity Empire was based out of.

While the Infinity Empire had fled from the Origin Universe, there were three people who could be beacons that led to the empire’s universe.

"Young Master, the others are dead, and only these three managed to survive," Master Shan reported.

Lu Yin was surprised. "How did the others die?"

Master Shan explained, "They lacked sufficient willpower. The Infinity Empire uses ring energy, which conflicts with cultivation methods. That’s why the people of the Infinity Empire don't cultivate. If they try, and if their willpower isn't strong enough, the internal conflict can lead to madness and death.

"Before any of them started cultivating, they mentioned that the Infinity Empire has already experimented with training a group of cultivators, but most of them failed. Death was common among the test’s participants. These three have relatively strong wills."

Lu Yin looked over at Bu Qing, Fei Su, and Hong Yi, who faced Lu Yin and quickly bowed to him. "Greetings, Dao Monarch."

"Greetings, Dao Monarch."

"Greetings, Dao Monarch."

Lu Yin smiled. "While your cultivation is low, your attitudes are commendable.

"How have you been handling the energy converters?" he asked.

Master Shan answered for the three people. "Not very well."

"Take them to a universe with accelerated timeflow. I’ll give you five days of this universe’s time, and then I want to go to the Infinity Empire," Lu Yin instructed.