Star Odyssey

Chapter 4120: Cause And Effect

After a brief pause, Greater Sancte Green Lotus continued to say, “When traveling through the Aevum Inch, it is perfectly normal to take decades or even centuries to finish a journey, and that is assuming that one is traveling at an Immortal’s speed. If someone beneath that level were to make such a journey, it would take them 10,000 times as long, or even more. If that were not the case, then neighboring civilizations would have started fighting ages ago. Many civilizations are relatively close to one another, but even if my green lotus leaves can make such a journey in a single year, those two might never make contact.”

Lu Yin interjected, “Just like the Tianyuan, the Spirit Nidus, and the Nine Odysseys megaverses.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus nodded. “The Nine Odysseys Megaverse, the Tianyuan, and the Spirit Nidus are far too close. In the entire Aevum Inch, it is rare for megaverses to sit in such close proximity. A more typical distance would be that between the Nine Odysseys Megaverse and the Allsense or Skyveil Megaverses. Even that distance can be crossed in just a few years on a green lotus leaf.

“The truth is that distance is what truly protects a civilization. It is the one kindness that the cosmos grants.

“Any method that shortens those distances is really a way of burying oneself. We are the same, but after reaching this point, we have no path of retreat.

“If the distances between megaverses in the Aevum Inch were several times greater, it might not be so easy to stumble across a fishing civilization...”

Half a month later, the lotus leaf came to a stop. They had arrived.

The fact that it had only taken them a bit over half a month made it clear just how close this megaverse was to Obscura’s gate.

“If not for the fact that there are no Immortals here, I would have never allowed a civilization to exist so close to us. However, this one cannot even access the Aevum Inch, and thus it poses no threat,” Greater Sancte Green Lotus explained.

Lu Yin stared at the megaverse ahead of him and saw countless creatures. Life was abundant in this megaverse, though it was ruled by a race of reptilians that had their own unique cultivation methods and culture. A Mother Tree stood in the megaverse, rooted in the void. It should have been overflowing with vitality, yet it was instead withering. Its branches were barren, and its bark was scarred and pitted. It looked utterly desolate.

“This civilization sees their Mother Tree as a source of evil and takes pride in trying to destroy it. Many of their internal conflicts revolve around damaging that tree. That is why I brought you here. Compared to allowing the Mother Tree to continue to suffer this destruction, reducing it to ashes may not be a bad thing. If Mother Trees have spirits, then this one must be in endless agony,” Greater Sancte Green Lotus commented.

Lu Yin was puzzled about something. “How did things come to this?”

“They are not entirely at fault,” Green Lotus explained, “This megaverse once suffered a calamity from a foreign civilization. If the invading civilization had not been rather weak and retreated after the initial attack, these creatures would have already been wiped out. After that, some incomplete records were left behind, and there was one mention that claimed that the attackers had located this megaverse because of its Mother Tree.

“That disaster cost the civilization far too much. Even if they are hideous to look at, they still understand concepts like kinship and the need to protect their own kind. They see creatures like us as insects, much like how we might view them. The hatred left by that calamity eventually turned towards their Mother Tree, and now, they wish to destroy it in order to hide their civilization.”

Lu Yin understood. “Even if they know nothing of the Aevum Inch, their instincts still drive them to conceal themselves. It’s a survival response of all forms of life.”

Green Lotus nodded. “Every creature has instincts. Theirs are telling them that, unless their Mother Tree is destroyed, their civilization will never be safe.

“It is possible that they were initially trying to destroy the Mother Tree solely to conceal themselves, but over the years, it has morphed into an obsession that has become a part of their very nature. Sooner or later, they will destroy it entirely, or worse, their actions might draw other civilizations here and cause their megaverse to be reset.”

Lu Yin asked, “Can we take the Mother Tree away?”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus looked steadily at Lu Yin. “Mother Trees are the source of civilization, but they also expose it. Humanity cannot survive further exposure. This has never been proven, but more Mother Trees may draw more foreign civilizations to us. Even if it is only a possibility, we cannot afford to test it. The price would be beyond what we can bear.”

Lu Yin offered a slight bow. “I was careless, Senior.”

Green Lotus smiled and shook his head. “There is no need to apologize. I’ve considered taking them away myself. Such is only natural.

“Let it go. This is kindness. The end of life is merely another beginning.” The older man’s expression grew solemn. “Such words sound like self-comfort, but they hold truth to them, do they not?”

Lu Yin vanished, reappearing at the bottom of the withered Mother Tree.

Creatures crawled all around him, but none were even aware of his presence.

Raising his hand to touch the trunk of the tree, Lu Yin murmured, “You’ve suffered long in this megaverse.”

A gust of wind rustled the Mother Tree. Its shriveled branches swayed, prompting the crawling reptiles to hiss angrily, as though any motion from the tree might expose them.

Lu Yin looked up and spoke softly, “Rest easy. I’ll send you off now. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

Boom.

There was a faint rumble, and the Mother Tree trembled. The ground in which it grew split apart, the cracks spreading out endlessly. The nearby crawling reptiles let out shrieks of terror as they scattered in panic.

The Mother Tree rose high into the sky, and its tremors passed through the fabric of the megaverse itself.

Enormous reptilian creatures exploded up from the ground, letting out roars as they raced towards the Mother Tree, as though trying to communicate with it.

Lu Yin had no interest in what the creatures were saying. There was another tremor, and at that moment, the Mother Tree turned to ash.

The entire universe instantly grew clear again. The massive creatures froze and blankly stared at where the Mother Tree had been. The greatest source of evil... was simply gone?

The reptilian inhabitants of the megaverse were stunned. They stared at the empty space. Gone. It was entirely gone.

Lu Yin was surrounded by floating ash. He released his inner universe, and as soon as he did so, specks of green light poured in, all of them from the mother tree.

After all the green lights had entered his inner universe, Lu Yin looked around at the bewildered reptilian creatures, his heart a tangled mess of emotions.

Their ignorance was no different from his own in the past.

If the Spirit Nidus had never invaded, then he might have never led an expedition aboard Boundless or even left the Tianyuan. When the Nest civilization fully invaded them, everything would have been gone.

Lu Yin left the megaverse, returning to the Aevum Inch.

Greater Sancte Green Lotus seemed surprised. “Even I am unable to see anything.”

Lu Yin was taken aback. “Senior, you can’t see the green lights either?”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus shook his head.

That was strange. When Lu Yin had first reset the Orchid Megaverse and reduced its Mother Tree to ash, the same green lights had appeared, though Gu Duanke and the others had not been able to see anything. At the time, Lu Yin had assumed that the green lights were similar to karma, something only visible to Immortals. However, not even Greater Sancte Green Lotus could see the green lights.

How could they be invisible even to that Immortal?

Green Lotus let out a sigh of admiration. “Each Immortal has their own world. Awe Gate has her gates, and Ku Deng has his heart lamps. So long as they do not manifest their worlds, even I am only barely able to perceive them, which is perfectly normal. Every Immortal has their own unique power. It is possible that this is yours.”

“Then why can’t Immortals see anything?”

“Because karma, time, and space exist everywhere. They are not unique powers. It is possible that, one day, an enemy who has also comprehended karma will appear.”

Lu Yin felt a chill. If that ever happened, they would be a troublesome opponent indeed.

Karma had allowed Lu Yin to create endless obstacles for others, and the thought that he might one day experience the same frustrations was terrifying.

“Look at how happy they are,” Greater Sancte Green Lotus commented while staring at the distant megaverse.

Lu Yin followed the man’s gaze to see that the crawling reptiles who had previously appeared lost and anxious were clearly filled with joy and excitement now. Their Mother Tree was gone. Finally, their desire of countless years had been achieved.

They believed themselves to finally be safe.

Their celebrations took some forms that were completely foreign to Lu Yin and Green Lotus, as they were unique to the reptiles’ culture.

“Are they really safe now?”

“At the very least, they are safer than before. Many often use the presence of a Mother Tree as a sign to determine whether or not a civilization still exists in a megaverse.”

“Like the black Mother Tree that once caused the Death Megaverse to believe that the Nine Odysseys Megaverse had been destroyed?”

“That was merely one condition. A fishing civilization such as that one may choose to strike, or not. If a civilization has destroyed its own Mother Tree in order to hide, then in the eyes of most fishing civilizations, the megaverse is not worth them acting. Such civilizations are far less important than an Immortal who has comprehended karma.”

Lu Yin could not determine if that was fortunate or pitiful. The human civilization had several Immortals, and yet they still did not dare to fight against the Death Megaverse. Instead, the human Immortals had chosen to destroy one of their own Mother Trees.

Only a civilization powerful enough for even Greater Sancte Green Lotus to feel a sense of mortal peril could be considered a true fishing civilization.

Lu Yin could not help but wonder how Obscura compared to the Death Megaverse.

The single green lotus leaf started drifting in another direction.

As it moved along, Greater Sancte Green Lotus asked, “Did you ever consider resetting the megaverse that we just left?”

Lu Yin frowned. “Resetting it? Why?”

“You seem to hold particular emotions towards Mother Trees.”

“It’s not exactly emotion,” Lu Yin explained, “In the Tianyuan, our Mother Tree served as humanity’s greatest shield against Aeternus. It protected us, while also holding up the sky itself. So yes, I do feel a desire to protect them. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s up to me to judge whether that civilization’s treatment of their Mother Tree was right or wrong, nor to avenge the tree. That was their own choice.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus gave a faint smile. “Then what about Immortal matter?”

He looked at Lu Yin. “Resetting a megaverse produces Immortal matter. Your current strength means that resetting that megaverse could net you vast amounts of Immortal matter. It would be enough to satisfy all of our top experts, strengthen human civilization as a whole, and also enhance your own ability to survive.”

Lu Yin shrugged. “That seems more important to you, Senior, but I’ve never claimed that I would protect humanity on my own. You’re the one who’s most qualified to do that.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus smiled. “It appears that you have managed to let go of certain things. Stepping beyond Dukkha is truly different.”

Lu Yin shook his head. “It’s not about letting go, but gaining self-awareness.

“I am simply not able to bear the weight of all of humanity. That’s for you to consider, Senior.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus looked away. “Resetting a megaverse to acquire Immortal matter is a path that can be taken, but resetting a megaverse that has absolutely no connection to us, to destroy a civilization and wipe out all of the creatures there, would be too cruel.

“Karma, every cause has its effect. A debt taken today will be repaid tomorrow. I refuse to shoulder a debt tied to Immortal affairs that I can never repay.”

Lu Yin looked at Greater Sancte Green Lotus. The more he grasped karma, the more he accepted that every cause produced its own effect. Any action would influence its surroundings, just like the principle behind runes, where every influence accumulated into traceable runic data.

The Rune Progenitor’s development of rune technology had been founded on the same principles as karma. Lu Yin had often wondered... if the Rune Progenitor had survived, would he have also comprehended karma?

It was possible that he had been the most suited of all for the path of karma.