Star Odyssey

Chapter 3813: Deathmound's Third Peak

Shui Su started to feel a bit nervous. She was aware that Lu Yin’s goal was to make trouble for the Autumnspring Slip, so what should she do? Stay away from Lu Yin and Ming Xiaoling? That felt a bit rude, but if Shui Su stayed with them and was dragged into their conflict, then what?

Ming Xiaolong also did not look very pleased. Why hasn’t that woman left yet?

"Let’s go," Lu Yin urged. Soon, the orchid leaf entered Ridgeplain, and the bustle of the Worldscript slowly unfolded before them.

Shui Su instantly forgot all about Lu Yin’s malintent against the Autumnspring Slip. Her eyes could not take everything in fast enough. There were book stalls everywhere, as well as other tool vendors, trade centers, and even restaurants. Fragrant aromas drifted through the air, and Shui Su inhaled deeply. She loved good food.

Far away in the distance, a group of exotic beasts released their cries. Some were indigenous to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, while others were from destroyed megaverses. Powerful auras put a great deal of pressure on the region near the beasts, some of which were incredibly formidable. There were multiple crowds of eager cultivators who sought to purchase the creatures.

Bickering and arguing filled the air. Crowds gathered around various bookstalls, and people argued with vendors. Every person who manned a bookstall was a disciple of the Autumnspring Slip.

"Ugh, they’ve already found sixteen! Why couldn’t I find a single one?" someone passing by grumbled.

A man nearby responded with a bitter chuckle, "Brother, are you really planning on finding a character?"

"Why else would I be here?"

"Finding characters is just one part of these Worldscript festivals. They’re like trying to find a specific fish in the ocean: damn near impossible. The real attraction of these events is being able to broaden your horizons and shop for rare items. The Autumnspring Slip requires all vendors to sell their goods at a 20% discount. You won’t get prices like these anywhere else."

"That’s true... I guess the Autumnspring Slip is helping us."

"They’re also helping themselves. They’re the biggest sellers here! No matter where someone sets up a stall, they need to pay rent in the form of resources. Meanwhile, the sect contributes their characters and gains people’s goodwill. It’s impossible for them to lose out."

Ming Xiaolong put the orchid leaf away, already glaring at the Autumnspring Slip disciples with contempt. "Such petty tricks. Most sects refuse to stoop so low."

"You may not be willing to do it, but they are. That’s also why they’re slowly surpassing you," Lu Yin stated in a flat tone.

Ming Xiaolong wanted to argue, but she found that she could not. Lu Yin’s words were harsh. Just who the hell is he siding with, anyway?

"The Autumnspring Slip is the most hypocritical sect," Shui Su chimed in. This one comment prompted Ming Xiaolong to instantly find the other woman far more likable. This woman really knew how to talk.

Ming Xiaolong glanced back over at Lu Yin and huffed. "So what’s your plan?"

Lu Yin lazily stretched. "Let’s stroll around first. There’s no rush, and something interesting is about to happen. Say, does the Autumnspring Slip have a grudge against the Skyward Gate’s Luo family?"

"Not that I’ve heard of," Ming Xiaolong replied.

Soon, the three people were standing at a bookstall where the vendor was eagerly promoting a particular character. Lu Yin watched with interest. The character was “水” (water), and it could unleash a tsunami-like attack. Of course, nothing could be seen unless the character was used, but Lu Yin could sense the character’s power the moment he touched it.

This wave attack originated from the bamboo slip hanging in the sky. Reportedly, disciples of the Autumnspring Slip needed to directly write characters onto the bamboo slip in order for them to be effective.

Essentially, all the characters written by the Autumnspring Slip disciples derived their power from the mirebound artifact. If the bamboo slip was ever altered, then every character that was connected to it would become powerless.

This would be a huge disadvantage to anyone who had ever purchased a character.

Did this not count as a form of controlling profits?

The more characters that the Autumnspring Slip distributed, the more reliant on them other factions would become. Because of their investments, many would feel compelled to assist the Autumnspring Slip in a crisis.

While the Autumnspring Slip could not compare to the Everchange Valley’s history, the younger sect had already surpassed the ancient power. If the two had existed for the same length of time, then the Autumnspring Slip would likely be far more formidable, and they would likely completely outclass the Everchange Valley, Ruler Garden, and even the Four Commands Sword Sect.

This sect was simply too ambitious.

Still, they approached things in the same manner as Lu Yin; both were schemers in a world that knew nothing but open combat and cultivation. They had both introduced an entirely new method of doing things.

Ming Xiaolong glanced at Lu Yin. She was in absolutely no hurry to have him take action. In the end, both people were deliberately trying to stall.

She simply hoped that that woman would leave soon. Her presence could easily lead to unpredictable complications.

Just as Ming Xiaolong was thinking about such things, a commotion broke out in Ridgeplain. Vicious-looking people stormed into the area from all directions, and they refused to back down. A few bookstalls were overturned, which completely enraged the Autumnspring Slip disciples. However, nothing was done to stop the intruders; they were people from Deathmound.

Bang!

Someone crashed to the ground in an unseemly manner. They were a Autumnspring Slip disciple. The man shouted angrily, only to be immediately pinned to the ground by a foot. He was being stepped on by a woman with a cold expression and a gruesome scar marring her face. Cultivators could easily heal such injuries, but this woman had chosen not to do so. It was clear that she was vicious to the core.

She sneered. "Deathmound is fulfilling their duties! How dare you try to interfere? I believe that you must be harboring a criminal. Come with me!"

The disciple roared, "You destroyed my stall, and now you're even slandering me? This is the Autumnspring Slip’s territory, not your damn Deathmound!"

There was a thud, and the man was sent flying by a vicious kick.

Many other disciples gathered around, though none dared to make any moves.

Despite it being the Autumnspring Slip’s own territory, no one would dare to lay a hand on anyone from Deathmound.

This was far from an isolated incident. There were people from Deathmound everywhere. They had apparently surrounded Ridgeplain.

"They're from Deathmound’s Third Peak." Ming Xiaolong recognized the people.

Lu Yin asked, "Do they have some kind of distinguishing mark?"

"Each Deathmound Peak has its own unique style. The Third Peak consists entirely of women, and each one has a vicious appearance. No... it’s more accurate to call them 'fierce-looking.' Even naturally beautiful women deliberately scar their faces so that they will blend in with the rest of the Third Peak."

"Why?" Lu Yin asked in surprise.

"Because the Third Peak’s lord, Long Yin, has a scar on her face," Shui Su replied. When she noticed Lu Yin still looking at her, she pursed her lips. "It’s just something that I heard somewhere."

Ming Xiaolong nodded. "She has it right. The women who belong to Deathmound’s Third Peak respect Long Yin as both their master and their mother. Even when she explicitly forbade women from scarring their faces, they still find ways to get injured during battles. They’re considered quite the oddity in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse."

Lu Yin peered off into the distance. To command such loyalty from her subordinates, this Long Yin was clearly a remarkable commander.

Following Lu Yin's gaze, a woman was walking slowly towards Ridgeplain.

She wore a black robe and a bamboo hat, though her face was fully visible.

A hideous, centipede-like scar ran across her face. It was impossible to miss, and it was quite intimidating to look at.

As Lu Yin observed the woman, she looked up and met his gaze across the distance. Her expression did not change, and she revealed no surprise at being seen by Lu Yin.

Lu Yin averted his gaze. There was no question that the master of Deathmound’s Third Peak must know Chao Yi.

Given that he was in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, Lu Yin had expected to eventually interact with Deathmound, though he had not expected it to be quite so soon.

Deathmound’s appearance disrupted the Worldscript, though most people remained unfazed. They were already used to these disruptions.

Deathmound would only target people who had violated the laws of the megaverse, particularly those who murdered others and stole their spirit seeds. Such thieves could never escape from Deathmound's pursuit. Deathmound also never got involved in the power struggles between different factions. This was a rule that had existed since ancient times. However, the Autumnspring Slip was an exception. Every time the sect did anything at all, Deathmound’s Third Peak would cause a bit of trouble. That was because the Third Peak’s master, Long Yin, was entirely fixated on the Autumnspring Slip.

Neither the outside world’s perception of her nor the potential punishments that she would receive from Deathmound's Great Lord had ever stopped Long Yin from making trouble for Chunqiu.

Very few knew her true motivations for this.

Faced with people from Deathmound, the Autumnspring Slip’s disciples could only retreat. Open conflict with Deathmound would benefit no one.

Additionally, the Third Peak’s women were terrifying. If they were willing to scar their own faces and adopt such hideous appearances, then what would they not dare to do?

"Enough," a man with jade-colored skin declared. He held a paper fan as he stepped forward and stared at one of the women from Deathmound. "You cause disruptions every time the Worldscript is held. You had best stop here, or else the Great Lord’s punishments for Peak Lord Long Yin will only grow harsher."

Violence danced in the woman’s eyes. “Yu Ru.”

"That’s me," the man said with a nod. He was indeed Yu Ru, heir to the Spirit Coalition’s White Jade Clan.

"Do you not know why we’re here?" The woman sneered, tightly clenching her broken dagger, looking ready to plunge it into Yu Ru.

The man’s expression fell. The white jade of his face gleamed in the sunlight. "You’re deliberately provoking the Autumnspring Slip. Doing this will inevitably impact all of Deathmound. You’re only damaging your own reputation. Deathmound’s three mountains and seven peaks have spent years building up their reputation, only for your Third Peak to destroy all of those efforts."

"We're arresting a criminal!" the woman snapped. Her broken dagger suddenly shot up, stopping just inches from Yu Ru’s face.

The man remained cold and proud. "Go ahead. Have I broken any laws?"

The woman’s eyes instantly flared, and her dagger shot forward. Yu Ru’s pupils shrank in fright. He had not expected the woman to actually attack him. Fortunately, a White Jade Clan elder pulled the young man back just in time, catching the dagger in one hand while glaring at the woman and radiating killing intent. "Our young master has not broken any laws, so why are you trying to kill him? This matter will be reported to the Autumnspring Slip and passed up to the Greater Sancti. Your Third Peak will not escape this without consequences."

The woman coldly retorted, "I’m the only one trying to kill him. What do my actions have to do with the Third Peak? Just today, I withdrew from the Third Peak."

The jade-skinned old man laughed coldly. "You’ve withdrawn from the Third Peak? That means, if I kill you, Deathmound can’t do a thing to me."

As the man finished speaking, bloodlust exploded from him.

The nearby people quickly retreated.

The woman was no match for the old man. She was only a sequence powerhouse, while the old man was Yu Ru’s guardian, an Ortuser who had been sent to protect the clan’s heir.

However, the woman was not alone. More and more women from Deathmound’s Third Peak stepped forward, joining her. “Old man, we’re leaving the Third Peak too. Why don’t you try to kill all of us, if you dare!”

"Come on, old man! Make your move!"

"It’s either you or us. Someone’s going to die here."

None of the women feared death. In fact, it appeared to be the opposite. These women looked eager to fight to the death.

The White Jade Clan elder’s face darkened. He could kill one or two of the women, given that they had announced that they had left Deathmound. But with such numbers, even if all of them had withdrawn, there would be massive consequences if he killed so many. The situation instantly entered a tense stalemate.

For Yu Ru and the people of the White Jade Clan, this was a deadlock, but for the women formerly of the Third Peak, that was not the case. They were ready to attack.

Just then, a voice descended from the bamboo slip in the sky, “The people of Deathmound capture and punish criminals on behalf of the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse. No one may obstruct them from their duties. People of the White Jade Clan, please stand down. Women of Deathmound, do as you will. This Worldscript will be paused for the time being and will resume once you are gone.

“As an apology, the Autumnspring Slip will release an additional hundred characters to be found.”

Cheers erupted throughout Ridgeplain. With another 100 characters, everyone would have much higher chances of finding one. On top of that, the Worldscript had just been extended, which was beneficial to many people.

Lu Yin looked up at the bamboo slip. The person who had spoken was someone he was familiar with: Qian Shu. He was the Young Sancte from the Autumnspring Slip, as well as the man who had watched Lu Yin and Luo Ning be driven out of the Skyward Gate. The man was extremely talented, and it was clear to Lu Yin that he was also strategic and scheming. He understood how to take advantage of timing, benefit from retreating, and also win people over. The man’s political maneuvering was quite skillful.