Star Odyssey

Chapter 3764: One Day

"Additionally, even if he wasn’t stronger than me, are you just going to ignore Boundless?" The High Seraph wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Everyone on that ship can use the Nine Heavens Transformation, and I’ve sensed that they have also cultivated the Wayfinder Sutra. They are the most talented among the Tianyuan cultivators. Given time, their accomplishments will be extraordinary. With such a group of people gathered together, you will only be surrounded and eventually killed. Run. Run and get as far away from them as you can."

With that, the man tore the void open and left for a parallel universe.

Mo Shang would not leave the Consciousness Megaverse. The palace in the Willbound Spire was his opportunity. He would recover from his injuries and then negotiate with Lu Yin before once again attempting to approach the palace.

No matter how powerful Lu Yin became, he would not be able to ascend or descend the cliff in the Willbound Spire. That was a fact.

The High Seraph still had a chance, but Yue Ya had nothing remaining for him.

Yue Ya stared off into space in a daze after the High Seraph left. Yue Ya was gambling everything. He had already sacrificed Ruler Garden, only to gain nothing in the end. He could not accept suffering such losses. How could things have turned out this way? Yue Ya had never suffered such a setback before.

He had become one of the elite Lesser Sancti. He had been arrogant and proud when he had discovered a method to transform his manifested thought into a greater power that would also open up a path to Immortality. How could things end in such total failure?

He was alone without any sort of support, and he had even become a criminal. How could he return to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse? Was that even an option any longer? If he did go back, what would happen to him? Even Xing Fan looked down on him.

On the other hand, if Yue Ya refused to return, would he only be able to wait for death?

Return, or not... return, or not...

A long while later, Yue Ya moved elsewhere. He could not stay in one place for too long, as it was important to avoid Lu Yin’s detection.

Lu Yin’s battle with the High Seraph may have been brief, but it had shaken many different people.

Even Yue Ya, who had been close to Boundless at the time, had been affected.

Further away, Che had also been watching, and he was quite amazed. “To think that he even wields the power of karma and has united so many different powers into a single whole. His cultivation is exquisite, and his combat power is absurd. In addition to all of that, he still has a good temperament. Hmm, he’s a good person.”

As he finished speaking, Che turned his head to look in a different direction. If someone followed the man’s gaze, then far, far away, there was a Broken Realm, and in it was a meteorite.

When Che’s eyes locked onto the meteorite, the stone instantly froze in place. Its lone eye became filled with nervousness and fear, which were soon joined by madness, bloodlust, hatred, and every other possible negative emotion. Everything flooded the eye in an instant.

Che took just one step, and when he reappeared, he was already in that same Broken Realm, standing directly in front of the meteorite.

The lone eye glared at the man, even as the meteorite trembled with wariness.

Che raised a hand, and two of his fingers seemed to grab something as he continued to stare at the meteorite. “Allowing you to continue on is the greatest form of cruelty you could suffer. Allow me to send you on your way. Let’s call it...” At this point Che placed a hand on his chest and bowed. “Atonement.”

The meteorite’s eye instantly flared, and a strange sound echoed through the void. It was a sound that Lu Yin had heard once before.

Che straightened back up and slashed sideways, seemingly at random. While there was no visible change where he struck, the sound vanished. One of the man’s fingers then thrust forward and instantly struck the meteorite’s eye. The moment contact was made, both time and space disappeared.

The meteorite abruptly pulled back, leaving streaks of after-images behind.

In the place where the meteorite had just stood, darkness flowed like ink. The void had melted away.

Che looked at the fleeing stone. “Still unwilling?”

The eye in the meteorite stared at the man, its blood veins swelling and dying the entire eyeball a deep scarlet.

Che sighed. “While the Dao is unpredictable, it still has fixed numbers. Only by abandoning obsession can one become truly free. You’ve come so far, and yet you are still unable to understand. In that case, stay. Watch carefully and live to the very end. You will eventually know whether I have given you mercy or cruelty.”

“Both life’s blooming and withering were long predetermined.”

With that, Che stepped back and slowly vanished.

Only after the man left did the red slowly fade from the meteorite’s eye, eventually returning to normal.

Even so, hatred, bloodlust, and various other negative emotions still lingered in the depths of the eye. It retained the most hateful expression imaginable.

As for the Broken Realm, it had vanished the moment that Che had struck.

...

Back in the Tianyuan Megaverse, the fight between humans and insects grew increasingly intense. One parallel universe after another was found to be filled with insects, and rather than the insects being hunted as they once had been, they had completely turned the tables and were now hunting humans.

The Heavens Sect kept evacuating people from various parallel universes into the Origin Universe, reducing the scope of the war.

The insects were able to reproduce rapidly, while humans were not.

If the day ever came when the insects’ numbers spiraled out of control, humanity would suffer a terrible catastrophe.

In one parallel universe, Garan Zhiluo wielded a long spear while fighting against a bizarre, upright insect. It was another Verdant Sage, and it possessed the strength of a sequence powerhouse. The law of the universe that this Verdant Sage had mastered left Garan Zhiluo struggling greatly.

After several days of fierce battle, Garan Zhiluo finally used her Garan Realm as bait before using her Eight-Star Garan innate gift. The silver spear shot forward, the thrust finally putting an end to the Verdant Sage.

Verdant Sages were exceedingly difficult foes. They developed much too quickly, and they were also able to acquire the strengths of every creature that they encountered. Their natural talent and intelligence was beyond astonishing.

So far, the strongest Verdant Sage that the Heavens Sect had ever encountered had possessed the appearance of an exquisitely beautiful woman with crystal-like features. However, that stunning woman had succeeded in crushing the combined efforts of Lord Xu, Mu Shen, and Great Elder Shan Gu. If not for Lu Yuan’s timely appearance, the other men would have very possibly been killed.

That woman had only appeared once.

Additionally, three other Verdant Sages had been killed within the Tianyuan Megaverse. If the one that Garan Zhiluo had just defeated was added to the count, it would be four.

No one knows how many Verdant Sages were still around.

So far, the most powerful Verdant Sages had only been sequence powerhouses, like the one in the form of a beautiful woman. However, it was anyone’s guess when she would break through and become an Ortuser.

The Heavens Sect continuously shrank the war front, which was the only they were barely able to endure the growing strain.

After returning to the Origin Universe, Garran Zhiluo entered the Heavens Sect’s main hall, still breathing heavily. She had not received any help or reinforcements while fighting against the Verdant Sage. This was not because no one had been willing to help her, but rather because no one had been available to offer any assistance.

In addition to the Verdant Sages, there were countless other powerful insects. The Scrollbane Centipedes and the other insects that had been identified first were nothing more than the Nests’ most basic creatures. With the passing of time, the spawned insects continuously evolved as the Nests adapted to the war in their current megaverse; they were adjusting to fight against humans.

Humanity no longer held any advantage in the war: not with battle techniques, cultivation arts, or even in sheer numbers.

Humanity’s sole edge at the moment was that there were still only a few Verdant Sages. If more appeared and rose to power, or even worse, the existing Verdant Sages become Ortusers or Dukkhans, then with the insects’ growing knowledge of humanity, things would become truly desperate.

Silence filled the Heavens Sect’s main hall. Garan Zhiluo said nothing about defeating another Verdant Sage. Not even the death of such a powerful foe could shift the overall situation.

Lu Yuan also returned. “Another parallel universe has been found filled with the bugs. There are far too many of them. Just how many Nests are there?”

Great Elder Shan Gu answered in a low voice, “This is exactly what happened when our megaverse was defeated back then. Step by step, we were outnumbered and outmaneuvered. I never thought that I would relive that experience.”

Before long, Ancient God returned, looking utterly exhausted.

When Big Sis arrived, she muttered a few curses to herself. Xu Wuwei simply headed out once again to continue fighting.

Some of humanity’s powerhouses returned, while others went right back out to fight.

So far, while weaker cultivators had suffered casualties, none had appeared among the most powerful humans. The only time when they faced any sort of risk was when they encountered a Verdant Sage, and calling for reinforcements was enough for them to survive even an unfavorable encounter. However, given a bit more time, the insects would only grow stronger. Casualties would eventually become inevitable.

The only reason why humanity had been able to endure for so long was entirely thanks to the battle armors, micro-array weapons, and other tools that they had developed and prepared, but such tools would eventually be exhausted.

A sense of doom hung over everyone’s head.

A short time later, Ancient God considered himself rested enough and ready to head back out, but he suddenly stared at the entrance to the room in a daze. Someone was standing there, and it was someone whom Ancient God would never be able to forget: Master Qing Cao.

The Immortal met Ancient God’s gaze with eyes filled with pity. There was a hint of both helplessness and pressure. “If possible, I wouldn’t have come here, but you can no longer hold out.”

Lu Yuan, Big Sis, and everyone else in the main hall turned to look at the entrance, their expressions changing dramatically. “Master Qing Cao? Is that you?”

While no one else in the room had ever interacted with Master Qing Cao before, they still had a very deep impression of him. He was the only Immortal who had ever appeared in their megaverse.

Everyone thought that Master Qing Cao had returned to the Spirit Nidus, so it was a surprise to discover that he was still in the Tianyuan Megaverse.

Everyone in the Heavens Sect stood up at full alert as they stared at Master Qing Cao.

Wang Wen shot straight into his transparent coffin, not daring to even stick his head out.

Wei Rong showed a wry smile. If they were facing an Immortal, then it was useless to try to hide. What Wei Rong was wondering was why Master Qing Cao had appeared at this moment.

The man glanced around the crowd. “You cannot handle these Nests. I have observed for a long time, and they belong to an absolutely terrifying civilization. The Nests you currently see have only just appeared. Once they arrive en masse, they will surely be supported by Immortals. When that happens, your megaverse will be done for.”

Lu Yuan spoke up, his voice low, “So, what do you intend to do?”

Master Qing Cao sighed. “While the Aevum Inch may appear to be vast, it is not endless for Immortals. Your megaverse is much too close to my Spirit Nidus. Should this horrifying civilization be drawn here, you will not be the only ones to suffer, as we will also be dragged into the fray.

“The only remaining option is to reset this megaverse and completely erase the Nest civilization’s ability to locate it.”

Master Qing Cao’s words caused every heart in the room to sink. A reset meant the total destruction of their entire civilization.

“You want to reset our megaverse?” Ancient God’s hands clenched into fists as he stared at Master Qing Cao. It felt like he had attacked the Immortal just the other day. Ancient God had never before felt so utterly powerless. He had used his full strength, sacrificing his very life, but he had only managed to share the man’s face with others. If Lu Yin had not managed to roll back time for their megaverse and save him, Ancient God would be dead.

Even so, he still had not fully recovered from those injuries.

An Immortal was strong to the point of being invincible. It was practically impossible to oppose such a being.

Master Qing Cao’s voice remained cool and collected. “I will give you some time. Leave this place. Go anywhere else, even to the Spirit Nidus, if you must. You have one day, no more. After just one day, I will reset this megaverse.”

With that, the man was gone.

Lu Yuan and the others continued to stare blankly at the spot after Master Qing Cao had left. Some time later, they finally glanced at each other.

The Tianyuan Megaverse would be reset after just one day, and there was absolutely nothing that they could do to stop it.

“To the Immemorial Citadel.”

For the megaverse to be reset, it was necessary to go to the Immemorial Citadel. That was the endpoint of the megaverse’s sequence strings.

The Immemorial Citadel had already survived countless years of battle without falling, but that was only because Master Qing Cao had never taken direct action against the city. That was all about to change.

Lu Yuan, Ancient God, and the others immediately raced for the Immemorial Citadel.

At the moment, Mister Mu was the one stationed beneath the Immemorial Citadel to suppress the sequence strings.

When Mister Mu learned that Master Qing Cao was planning to reset the Tianyuan Megaverse, he remained silent.

It was impossible for anyone to stop an Immortal. Mister Mu had not been able to do that even at his peak.

“We can’t let him reset our megaverse. One day is nowhere near enough time to evacuate people. There are simply too many of them. That’s not even enough time to withdraw all of the cultivators, let alone all of the ordinary humans,” Lu Yuan commented in a grave tone.

Ancient God said, “But no one can stop him. I know that very well.”

Wu Tian interjected, “Resetting our megaverse right now is not about anyone becoming an Immortal. When it comes to the dangers of the Aevum Inch, Master Qing Cao is far more aware of things than any of us.”