Star Odyssey

Chapter 4084: Reunion

Back when Boundless had first arrived in the Spirit Nidus, Zhan Hua had created quite a commotion. As a representative of the Zhan family, he had gone to negotiate with Boundless, intending to take Zhan Yan away from the battleship. He had spoken disrespectfully and had even threatened Lu Yin. In the end, Lu Yin had thrown the man out.

Zhan Hua had not seen Lu Yin again afterwards, but he had also never forgotten about this incident. He had always wondered when he might eventually be able to get revenge.

But as Lu Yin’s reputation grew and he had accomplished one astonishing feat after another, Zhan Hua’s desire for revenge had faded away. In particular, after Lu Yin’s victory over Emperor Wu had shocked the entire Spirit Nidus. At that moment, Zhan Hua had completely abandoned all thoughts of revenge.

Later, when Emperor Wu had died and the Arcanum Domain was sealed off, Zhan Hua had finally been able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The outside world was simply too dangerous. Home was far safer.

Finally, after witnessing a war between civilizations and later hearing of Lu Yin’s legendary deeds in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, the entire Zhan family had been left dumbfounded. They had never expected Lu Yin to thrive not only in the Spirit Nidus, but also in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

With that man arriving on their doorstep, Zhan Hua felt as though he was about to face the Spirit Nidus’s invincible being himself.

Zhan Ming was also startled, though he was able to remain far calmer than Zhan Hua. Since Lu Yin had not barged straight into their territory and instead had someone announce his arrival, he clearly held no ill will towards the Zhan family, which was a tremendous relief.

“I will greet him myself.”

The Great Master looked out past the border of the Arcanum Domain. Lu Yin has also come, and it seems the Zhan family has some history with him... How interesting.

She decided not to leave, instead staying to watch.

“Great Master, what about me?”

“Go on.”

Just outside the Arcanum Domain, Lu Yin stood tall in outer space, his gaze sweeping across the entire domain.

There was no need for him to announce himself if he wished to enter. His past relationship with the Zhan family had been neither that of a friend nor a foe even though they had plotted against him. He was being quite generous to them by simply not causing trouble.

But given the heights that he had reached, he no longer cared about such petty grudges. Besides, the Zhan family had stood guard over the Gate of Laws for Greater Sancte Green Lotus and the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. If nothing else, they had endured great hardship.

There was also the fact that, when Lu Yin had captured Yi Shang and taken him away, Zhan Ming had not tried to stop him. Instead, the man had been polite to Lu Yin, and he had even released Grandpa Fa and the others who had traveled with Lu Yin. That was why he had decided not to make problems for them.

Zhan Ming emerged from the Arcanum Domain, followed by Zhan Hua and the other members of the Zhan family cultivators, including Zhan Qianguhou.

“Zhan Ming and the entire Zhan family, greets Mr. Lu.”

“Greetings, Mr. Lu.”

“Greetings, Mr. Lu...”

Everyone from the Zhan family bowed, putting on a demonstration of great respect and even fear. They knew that their past relationship with Lu Yin had been anything but cordial.

Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back and smiled at Zhan Ming. “It’s been a long time, Seraph Zhan Ming.”

Zhan Ming bowed low. He did not dare to even lift his head before Lu Yin. “Mr. Lu, you are being excessive. Before you, what sort of Seraph am I? I’m nothing more than an old man guarding a gate.”

Lu Yin chuckled. “You don’t need to remind me. I know that you are gatekeepers. However, the protectors of this gate don’t necessarily have to bear the ‘Zhan’ surname.”

Zhan Ming was stunned, and Zhan Hua and the others present grew pale. They ducked their heads even lower.

“Of course, Zhan is also not a bad surname. I’m a rather traditional man,” Lu Yin continued. He then looked at Zhan Ming. “Won’t you invite me in to have a seat?”

Zhan Ming heaved a breath of relief, his face still pale. “Please do, Mr. Lu.”

At this moment, Lu Yin possessed a completely different status than the man whom Zhan Ming had once known.

In the past, Lu Yin had represented the Tianyuan, and he had essentially been the entire Spirit Nidus’s enemy, despite gaining the title of Seraph. He had been constantly locked in schemes and struggles against the experts of the Spirit Nidus.

At present, Lu Yin was Mr. Lu, a man whom the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse revered. He was someone whose status rivaled that of Immortals, being invincible beneath that level. Past grudges had evaporated, and his former enemies were now unqualified to even mention such matters to him.

The keys, Yi Shang, Zhan Yan—none of that mattered anymore.

Zhan Ming simply hoped that Lu Yin would not bring any of those details up either.

Zhan Ming led Lu Yin into the Arcanum Domain. This was his first time entering the domain properly. When he had captured Yi Shang, Lu Yin had entered through the Garden of Passing.

“On behalf of Grandpa Fa and the others, I thank you for your generosity, Seraph Zhan Ming,” Lu Yin said.

Zhan Ming respectfully replied, “It was nothing, nothing at all.”

He felt very glad that he had made the decision to release Grandpa Fa and the others at the time. Had he not, the Zhan family would have since ceased to exist.

Lu Yin glanced over at the Garden of Passing. In the past, he had hidden his identity and disguised himself in order to join Grandpa Fa’s group and infiltrate that cemetery so that he could capture Yi Shang. While that incident had not taken place too long ago, it felt like another lifetime.

Zhan Ming had once enjoyed the same status as Lu Yin, but he was currently too intimidated to even lift his head.

Lu Yin wondered how Grandpa Fa and the others were doing, as well as Seventeen. He hoped that she was doing well too.

Upon entering the Arcanum Domain, Lu Yin immediately noticed the Great Master casually lounging around.

“So, you’re here,” the Great Master said in greetings.

Lu Yin nodded. “I didn’t expect the Terminus Cycle to be capable of trapping Luo Chan.”

“I only barely remembered it myself,” the Great Master replied. She then looked over at Lu Yin. “So, how did it feel to fight against an Immortal?”

Lu Yin said, “Exhausting. They’re hard to kill.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If Immortals were easy to kill, wouldn’t that make you a god already?” The Great Master rolled her eyes.

As the two spoke, no one dared to interrupt them. Zhan Ming was even personally serving them tea.

“By the way, what brings you here?” the Great Master asked.

Lu Yin was just as blunt. “I want to see the gate.”

Zhan Ming’s heart sank. The gate was what the Zhan family guarded, and their ancestral teachings stated that outsiders could not see it. But given the power that Lu Yin and the Great Master possessed, if they wanted to do something, there was no one in the Zhan family who could stop them.

The Great Master laughed. “I’m also here to see the gate.”

She turned her attention to Zhan Ming, and Lu Yin also looked over. “Please, lead the way.”

Zhan Ming hesitated, and the Great Master asked, “What is there to think about? Mr. Lu stands on the same level as Immortals. If he wants to see it, no one but one of the Greater Sancti can stop him. The fact that he is even here shows that he is allowed to see it.

“Also, considering Mr. Lu’s strength, the fact that he even bothered to announce himself is quite considerate. Do you think that he couldn’t have just gone and seen it on his own?”

Lu Yin did not dispute anything that was said, as the Great Master had only told the truth.

If Greater Sancte Green Lotus or the other Immortals did not trust Lu Yin enough to see the gate, they would have never allowed him to visit the Arcanum Domain.

Zhan Ming took a deep breath. “Of course, honored guests. Please, follow me.”

He then led Lu Yin and the Great Master to the Gate of Laws.

The Gate of Laws was a legend in the Spirit Nidus. Since ancient times, countless people had speculated about what lay on its other side.

Some said that it led to the invincible being’s place of secluded cultivation.

Some said that it led to the Immortal realm.

Others said that it connected to an abyss. There were so many more conjectures.

The countless legends had elevated the Zhan family and given them a unique status in the Spirit Nidus. Even the High Seraph, Old Yu, and Master Qing Cao had not been able to touch them.

They were only gatekeepers, but the gate that they protected was far too special.

Before long, they stood before the gate.

It was nowhere near as large as Awe Gate’s massive one in the Frightened Sparrow Terrace, and it even had a rather ordinary appearance. However, the moment that a person looked at the gate, sorrow would well up within them.

The carvings on the gate were not of creatures, but rather of civilizations that had been destroyed.

The uncontrollable grief left Lu Yin silent.

The Great Master also stayed silent and just stared at the gate.

Zhan Ming stood a short distance away. He had seen the gate countless times before, but it always evoked a feeling of sorrow. He did not know why, and he was actually hoping that Lu Yin would say something.

Lu Yin studied each carving intently. He wanted to remember the civilizations that had been destroyed. He did not know why he wanted to remember them, as humans had also erased other civilizations. No matter how noble the underlying reason, extinction was still extinction.

In essence, humanity was no different from Obscura.

While staring at the gate, Lu Yin thought of Master Qing Cao. Realistically, the man had not been wrong to protect the Spirit Nidus. Regardless of the means that he had employed, his goal had been to protect his native megaverse.

Master Qing Cao had not necessarily enjoyed a better life than Lu Yin’s. The man had been born in the Spirit Nidus and forced to endure to oppression of countless Nine Odysseys cultivators, unable to resist. As his cultivation and status improved, he had even been forced to protect those Nine Odysseys cultivators who had once oppressed him.

He had personally watched as the people of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse oppressed the Spirit Nidus and plundered its resources.

The better he understood the Aevum Inch, the more certain Qing Cao had become that, one day, the Spirit Nidus would be sacrificed to save the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

For him, that was an unacceptable outcome.

If the Tianyuan had been in the Spirit Nidus’s position, Lu Yin had to admit to himself that he would not have acted any better. He could not even say what choices he would have ultimately made.

Would he have cooperated with Obscura to preserve his native megaverse? Or would he have considered the greater good and fought against Obscura for the sake of the entire human race, gambling on a future that looked bleak and uncertain?

He had endured his Lu family’s exile and climbed up step by step, starting as a nobody on Earth. He had cultivated through life-and-death struggles, fought against Aeternus, and ultimately led an expedition to the Spirit Nidus to secure a chance for the Tianyuan to survive.

In essence, Lu Yin was no different from Master Qing Cao. Both had fought for their native megaverses.

The affection that Master Qing Cao held for the Spirit Nidus was likely no less than what Lu Yin held for the Tianyuan.

Lu Yin was fortunate that he had gained the acknowledgement of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. On the other side, Master Qing Cao had the misfortune that, despite being an Immortal, he was unable to alter the power dynamic between the Nine Odysseys Megaverse and his own Spirit Nidus.

Lu Yin’s hatred for Master Qing Cao stemmed from the war the Spirit Nidus had launched against the Tianyuan, the destruction of the ancient Heavens Sect, and how the Spirit Nidus had crippled the Tianyuan’s potential.

Even so, it was a hatred born solely of differing positions.

From Master Qing Cao’s position, if he truly believed that Obscura was absolutely invincible and that humanity had no hope, it was possible that he had done nothing wrong.

That was why he always urged Lu Yin to get a clear view of the cosmos, hoping that the young man would recognize the same reality as him.

If Lu Yin did see the true situation and verified that Obscura was absolutely invincible, what choice would he make?

Of course, all such theories were founded on the idea that Master Qing Cao had an accurate understanding of Obscura.

Master Qing Cao had his own understanding of Obscura, but did Greater Sancte Green Lotus and the others not have their own as well?

Since Greater Sancte Green Lotus and the others had been the ones resisting Obscura, their resistance meant that they were determined to keep fighting until they grasped victory. If they were right, then Master Qing Cao was wrong.

Many were unable to distinguish between right and wrong, as each individual had their own perspectives.

However, even if perspectives were not inherently right or wrong, the results of actions taken certainly did.

If, years later, Obscura was defeated, then everything that Master Qing Cao had done would have been wrong.

If the opposite happened, then all of his choices would be considered correct.

That was why people longed to see into the future.

Lu Yin also wished to see into the future. He wanted to know if Obscura could be defeated.

Right and wrong both existed, but so did perspectives. Even so, there was one place where hesitation could never be allowed: battle. Humanity’s will and their unyielding spirit to never retreat could never be abandoned.

If humanity lost its backbone, then their civilization would lose its inheritance. In such a condition, could humanity still even be considered a civilization?

“You push me to see the cosmos clearly, but even if I do so, I will still choose to walk the same path. Even if our human civilization is extinguished, that would still be better than surviving without dignity.

“You’ve made your choice, and I’ve made mine.

“Maybe I’ll end up as nothing more than a joke in Obscura’s history, but so what? That’s what it means to be human: the spirit and will of humanity are unshakable.”