Star Odyssey

Chapter 4193: Well Done

Lan Meng harshly shouted, “What about Kuang? They should have been the one to go replace Qi Xu.”

“They have not joined Obscura yet. We are able to extend invitations at any time. There is nothing to discuss. Teleportation is useful to us,” the first creature replied.

Another creature mockingly said, “It’s hard to believe that the ones who were tossed out as bait because they were miserable failures have managed to stir up a bit of noise in the end. Orange, do you have any thoughts?”

The orange coffin remained perfectly still.

“I still don’t want to accept any creature that isn’t even an Immortal. If he never breaks through, we will be mocked.”

“Then give this little one a bit of time. If he fails to break through, we can assign a suicide mission to him. Can there be a shortage of dead ends in the Aevum Inch?”

“How old is that little human, anyway?”

The first creature answered, “Less than 1,000 years.”

“What?”

“Hm?”

“That must be a joke.”

Everyone was left stunned.

“For him to reach such a level in less than 1,000 years... I agree to him joining us.”

“I agree as well.”

“Let him come. I am very curious about a child with such talent.”

“Hehehe, can he spare me a little blood? Or shall I take it myself?”

“How exciting. A child joining might even give us old fossils a bit of life. Youth... is gone forever.”

“Hurry and bring that child. Soft skin, tender flesh... surely adorable...”

...

In the Tianyuan’s Mirari Realm, Mister Mu stood beside the River of Aeons, gazing into the distance at a shabby little boat that was drifting farther and farther away.

“Zhao Ran doesn’t want to accept your gratitude, Master, so she went far away,” Lu Yin said.

Mister Mu’s expression grew complicated. “My breakthrough only succeeded because of many people. If Greater Sancte Blood Tower had not replaced the River of Aeons in the Mirari Realm with his own branch stream, this place would have vanished and Zhao Ran would have been taken away. Even though she is still with us, Bai Xian’er was taken away.”

He then looked over at Lu Yin. “I simply never expected Bai Xian’er to still be alive.”

Lu Yin nodded. “I was also surprised. Bai Xian’er comes from Wei Nu, as she is one of her clones, like Zhao Ran. Wei Nu died, and yet Bai Xian’er revived. There might be a connection there.”

“It is a pity that Bai Xian’er didn’t reveal the identity of Obscura’s hidden expert before leaving,” Mister Mu lamented.

Lu Yin felt a jolt in his heart. That was true. Zhao Ran did not know that Immortal’s identity because she had been completely separated from Wei Nu, but Bai Xian’er had likely revived because of Wei Nu’s death. Could she know?

If she did, then why had she not told him before joining with the main stream of the River of Aeons? She had even chosen to replace Zhao Ran in leaving.

Either Bai Xian’er did not know, like Zhao Ran, or she did but was unable to say anything. Lu Yin peered off into space. Or... she left with her own purpose.

Lu Yin felt that the last possibility was the most likely, as it matched the personality of the Bai Xian’er that he knew.

Still, he had never doubted Bai Xian’er’s feelings for Lu Xiaoxuan. The Bai Xian’er who had died in his arms had been sincere, and the smile that she had shown him when taking Zhao Ran’s place had also been sincere.

But what lay beneath that sincerity?

Mister Mu stared across the River of Aeons as it flowed by. It no longer existed solely in the Tianyuan, as it now flowed through the Nine Odysseys Megaverse and the Spirit Nidus as well. Only the Mirari Realm happened to remain within the Tianyuan.

For Lu Yin, it no longer mattered where the Mirari Realm was located. Teleportation made everything far more convenient.

“Little Seven, you have suffered for many years,” Mister Mu said.

Lu Yin smiled. “Master, your disciple also fought for his own life.”

Mister Mu nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. “True. Living is the hardest. Wealth, status, power, desires—everything is ultimately reduced to just two words: to live. If one cannot live, then everything else becomes meaningless.

“The same is true of even civilizations.”

He solemnly looked at Lu Yin. “You must live. Remember: live forever.”

Lu Yin smiled. “Of course. You must also live, Master.”

“Hehe, those other Immortal seniors should live too. Anyone who can live should live. Life is wonderful.” Mister Mu sighed. “By the way, that Greater Sancte Blood Tower... his way of speaking is rather...”

He struggled to find the right words.

Lu Yin shrugged. “Strange.”

Mister Mu nodded. “Quite strange indeed. Does he have some connection to Ming Yan? Why does he keep calling me his in-law?”

Lu Yin did not know where to start that explanation. It was not even just Greater Sancte Blood Tower; Greater Sancti Green Lotus and Awe Gate had also tried to play matchmaker for Lu Yin, though no one had been even remotely as shameless or brazen as Blood Tower.

“Master, where would you like to live from now on?”

“Naturally, here in the Tianyuan.”

“That’s good. That puts my mind at ease.”

“Go. Do what you must. Leave this place to me.”

Lu Yin nodded, but just as he was about to leave, he remembered something. Even so, he hesitated to say something.

Mister Mu was puzzled by the reaction. “What is it?”

Lu Yin spoke about the invitation that he had received from Obscura, shocking Mister Mu. “I thought that you were bluffing when you told Hui that. It was real?”

“Half real, half fake. I did receive an invitation, but I wasn’t invited to replace Hui. I should be Qi Xu’s replacement, given that I have the red line and coffin.”

Mister Mu met Lu Yin’s gaze. “What do you intend to do?”

“What are your thoughts, Master?” Lu Yin cared greatly about Mister Mu’s opinion. While Hui was dead and his vengeance had been sated, the only reason why Hui had attacked Mister Mu’s megaverse was because of Obscura.

Before his master’s breakthrough, Lu Yin had wanted to force Obscura’s hidden expert out with the invitation. If he were truly forced to join them, he wanted to first get revenge. Only after that would he accept the invitation. That had been the plan.

But given that Mister Mu had emerged from seclusion, Lu Yin needed to respect his master’s opinion on the matter.

Mister Mu pondered for a moment. “If possible, I would certainly want to eradicate all of Obscura, but that is practically impossible. Moreover...” His expression grew heavy. “Earlier, you shared the words of a senior: Obscura is both our mortal enemy and our shield. If they fall, what awaits humanity beyond them remains unknown.

“It is difficult for me to lay down my hatred for Obscura. After all, it is the hatred of an entire megaverse that they destroyed. However, one cannot allow hatred to blind their eyes.

“Joining Obscura may allow you to see them clearly. You mentioned before that Master Qing Cao remained determined to maintain his current positions. This means that whatever about Obscura shocked him far exceeds anything that you can imagine. I don’t want a day to come when disaster descends upon this branch of human civilization, causing everyone to perish in a repeat of that same tragedy.”

Lu Yin could hear the reluctance in Mister Mu’s voice. Everyone felt the same frustration, but what could they do? They had to face reality.

If Obscura was weaker than humanity, there would be no dilemma. But in that case, they might be facing an even stronger civilization.

Disaster could befall them at any time.

“Besides,” Mister Mu continued, a hint of a smile appearing. “Who says that you can’t withdraw after joining?”

Lu Yin’s eyes suddenly flared. It was true; he had forgotten about that possibility. Who said that joining was irreversible? Obscura was already humanity’s sworn enemy, and humanity had killed several of Obscura’s Immortals. Why would it be impossible to leave again?

But if that was true, was it not likely that Obscura’s invitation was a trap?

Just as how Lu Yin could leave, Obscura could also retract their goodwill at any moment. They might be luring him over in order to ambush him. While ambushing a non-Immortal like Lu Yin was highly unlikely, that did not make it impossible.

There was nothing binding and restraining the two sides.

Lu Yin considered the implications, as did Mister Mu. This made it even harder to decide whether to accept Obscura’s invitation.

Lu Yin also believed that news of Hui’s death would eventually reach Obscura.

Hui was different from Qi Xu.

Qi Xu had been completely alone whereas Hui had had their Hui-Silver Sky Army. The members of the army who had been in Mister Mu’s megaverse had been slaughtered, but there were still others scattered throughout the Aevum Inch.

There was no way to know if any had remained near Mister Mu’s megaverse.

Even so, Obscura should not learn of Hui’s death anytime soon. Distance alone made communication difficult.

The Aevum Inch was not a single megaverse, and it was extremely difficult to transmit messages across the cosmos.

But when Wang Miaomiao appeared before Lu Yin, he immediately knew that his assumptions had been wrong: Obscura already knew about Hui’s death.

Wang Miaomiao, Forgotten Ruins God, appeared with a veil of thin gauze covering her face. Her appearance was elegant and alluring. Her eyes seemed to be capable of stealing one’s soul as she approached Lu Yin, her voice soft and seductive. “Little Lu Yin, it’s been a long time.”

Lu Yin looked at her with a slight bit of surprise. “You actually dare to show yourself to me? Aren’t you afraid that I’ll kill you?”

Wang Miaomiao smirked. “Kill me? Why? What have I done?”

Lu Yin’s voice was icy. “You are one of Aeternus’s Seven Skygods. You built up countless blood debts throughout the Tianyuan. You led Wang Xiaoyu to betray us. You fought me again and again with our lives on the line. Do you think that I should spare you?”

“Hehe, and yet I never did anything to you personally, little Lu Yin,” Wang Miaomiao said with a coy smile.

Lu Yin met her gaze. “Who is Obscura’s hidden expert?”

Wang Miaomiao’s lips curved. “I don’t know. But I do know that they have a message for you.”

“Speak.”

“Well done.”

Lu Yin was startled.

Wang Miaomiao laughed softly. “Hui is dead. Well done. Now Obscura is even more eager to invite you.”

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. Hui had only been dead for a few days, and yet Obscura already knew about it. It seemed that they had learned from how Qi Xu’s death had been hidden from them. Every member of Obscura was most likely being monitored, or at least whether they were alive or dead.

“You’re part of Obscura, and yet you seem pleased. It appears that Obscura isn’t quite what I had thought it to be.”

Wang Miaomiao shrugged. “I don’t know about that. I’m only the messenger.

“That person says that Obscura was strongly split about your invitation, and even the one who holds the final decision was not fully committed. Master Qing Cao was sent just to test your attitude. By killing Hui, you demonstrated your value, especially with your ability to teleport.” A tongue gently touched her red lips. It was clear that she was impressed. She had never imagined that an innate gift like teleportation could exist. It was much too extraordinary.

“Now, Obscura has decided to invite you, and the one placed in charge of this matter is that person.”

“Obscura?” Lu Yin arched a brow.

Wang Miaomiao nodded.

Lu Yin indifferently replied, “I told Master Qing Cao that the hidden expert needs to come to me in person.”

Wang Miaomiao giggled. “They will never show themselves.”

“What makes you think you’re qualified to invite me?” Lu Yin asked coldly.

“Not one being,” Wang Miaomiao replied, correcting herself. “Two.”

Lu Yin frowned, looking at her.

She smiled, her eyes curving slightly. “Zhu... and Yong Heng.”

Lu Yin looked at Wang Miaomiao in confusion as her eyes crinkled with a smile. “Zhu and Yong Heng?”