Star Odyssey

Chapter 3146: The Past

Hongyan Mavis's expression grew conflicted. "The Origin Progenitor never intended to enslave the astral beasts. He just wanted humans and astral beasts to coexist peacefully. However, not even Master can control human nature. Despite his efforts to suppress humanity’s tendency to enslave the astral beasts, he wasn’t able to overcome human nature.

"We got along very well with Yellowy. While he was an astral beast, we never ostracized him. Often, before our cultivation was very developed, he took us to parallel universes to play. However, as time passed and humans started enslaving more and more astral beasts, he started to distance himself from the rest of us. He isolated himself on the Fourth Mainland, where he gathered astral beasts in order to prevent them from being enslaved by humans."

Hongyan Mavis looked at Lu Yin. "The first Mainland to be destroyed was the First Mainland. No one knows how or why it happened, but even with the Origin Progenitor present, it was still destroyed. After that, the Fourth Mainland was next, though a considerable amount of time passed between the two events. We were all still investigating the mystery of the First Mainland's destruction, and we had never anticipated that another Mainland would be destroyed.

"During that time, we didn't pay much attention to the Fourth Mainland itself, so it was only after it was destroyed that we became vigilant. Unfortunately, that was far too late.

"In hindsight, it seems possible that the Fourth Mainland's destruction didn’t come about solely due to external influence. It’s possible that the astral beasts played a role as well, and I'm afraid that even Yellowy might have been involved."

Lu Yin said, "That's rather unlikely. If he had been involved, he would have betrayed humanity like Gu Yizhi."

Hongyan Mavis exhaled. "That’s true."

"Still, it might have been at least partially destroyed due to Wilderness God's indifference. While he might not have helped Aeternus, he certainly didn't stop them," Lu Yin speculated.

Hongyan Mavis remained silent.

Yellowy had once been such a genuine and straightforward individual, but as time passed, he had changed. He had become distant and resentful when he looked at the others.

In that era, despite the Three Realms and Six Daos’ overwhelming power and dominance across the six Mainlands, many things had remained hidden and unknown to them. This was especially true due to the fact that their secluded training sessions could last for ages, and entire generations of humanity would rise and fall during that time. It was impossible for the Three Realms and Six Dao to fully grasp the Origin Universe.

Not even the Origin Progenitor had been able to accomplish such a thing.

After hearing some answers from Hongyan Mavis, Lu Yin became more determined to not allow Wilderness God to resurrect.

An entity filled with hostility toward humanity, and one with the strength of one of the Three Realms and Six Daos at that, would not be much better for humanity than Aeternus.

Unless Lu Yin was fully confident that he could overpower everything in the same manner as the ancient Heavens Sect, he would never consider reviving Wilderness God.

Still, Wilderness God had never openly sided with Aeternus.

"Senior, why did Gu Yizhi betray us?" Lu Yin asked. The Second Mainland had been the last of the four Mainlands to be destroyed. Gu Yizhi's Third Mainland had fallen earlier, so Hongyan Mavis should know what happened with Gu Yizhi.

Hongyan Mavis's gaze trembled. "He was too stubborn."

Lu Yin did not understand.

"Forcing oneself to pursue strength can lead to madness. Gu Yizhi was not himself for a long time, and the powerful Musclehead that we knew disappeared long ago. Now, there is only an enemy, Ancient God."

Lu Yin felt heavy-hearted, and he remembered a scene that he had seen while fishing in the River of Time. Was Ancient God really a traitor?

Musclehead was the name that the Origin Progenitor had given Gu Yizhi, and it was a perfect example of the Origin Progenitor's sense of naming.

...

One day, three months after the Infinity Empire started connecting parallel universes to the Origin Universe, the Heavens Sect officially announced that there would be a military announcement that would be made to the entire Sixverse Association.

This announcement was intended to serve as a demonstration of power after the various parallel universes were connected and different civilizations were united. It was intended to intimidate their enemies by revealing some of the power and influence of both the Heavens Sect and Lu Yin.

This event was not only intended to intimidate Aeternus, but also the various other parallel universes and outside civilizations.

This was the first step in Lu Yin's plan to restore the ancient glory of the Heavens Sect. This was the true beginning to reclaiming that ancient might. After military declaration, the Heavens Sect's future progress would be unstoppable.

The ultimate goal of this upcoming announcement was to invade the Scourge again.

The ultimate battle in the war between humanity and Aeternus was fast approaching.

Every time Lu Yin thought back to the scene of the Origin Progenitor being struck by that severed sequence string, he felt an indescribable heaviness weigh on his heart.

Lu Yin wanted to settle things quickly, lead the Heavens Sect to the Immemorial Citadel, and then utterly annihilate Aeternus.

A few days after the Heavens Sect announced Zhao Wu, someone from the Scourge Occupation paid a visit.

After the cosmic doors connecting the Heavens Sect to various universes had been destroyed, Lu Yin had become unable to visit the Scourge Occupation. He had been forced to wait for them to enter the Origin Universe.

The purpose of this visit was simple: the Scourge Occupation wanted to urge the Origin Universe to resume the war against Aeternus. They craved destruction and needed to release the pent-up energy that they absorbed from their ancestor. Destroying stars and planets was not nearly enough. Fighting against the Aeternals had given the Scourge Occupation’s people a thrill that they sought to experience again. They loved that feeling.

Of course, their people frequently died in battle, but death was something that the Scourge Occupation faced on a daily basis. Their people enjoyed extravagant lives as long as they lived, and they faced death calmly afterwards.

However, as long as they lived, they needed to release their power.

E' Ji arrived in the Heavens Sect, where she marveled at its grandeur. Any outside civilization that saw the Heavens Sect for the first time would be astonished by its incredible size.

The presence of the jiao and Ancestor Tortoise only added to the visual impact of the Heavens Sect. All together, it was a scene of extraordinary grandeur.

Lu Yin welcomed E' Ji in the sect’s main hall, but when he saw the woman’s discomfort, he led her to the mountain behind the Heavens Sect.

"This is more like it. That place is too formal, and it doesn’t fit my people at all," E' Ji said with a playful smile.

Lu Yin returned the smile. "The Scourge Occupation's fearlessness in the face of death is quite admirable. Who decides what's proper or unconventional in a given universe? There are no real rules to such things."

Even the Origin Progenitor had merely established what was considered normal in the Origin Universe.

Zhao Ran brought tea for Lu Yin and his guest.

E' Ji blinked at the tea’s unusual appearance. "Lu Lord, your tea here is... quite unique."

Lu Yin took a sip. "It may look strange, but its taste is excellent. Would you care to try it?"

E' Ji never even considered that Lu Yin might poison her, as there was no need for anything like that. She boldly took a sip of the tea and savored the flavor. "It is good. I’ll have another."

Zhao Ran happily refilled the woman’s cup. The girl was content so long as someone enjoyed her tea. How the tea was drunk did not matter, and E' Ji seemed to genuinely relish the drink.

Lu Yin swirled his tea as he observed it.

The tea had a much better appearance than in the past. Zhao Ran’s tea-making abilities were clearly improving.

Lu Yin and E' Ji spoke of many things. She was very interested in the Origin Universe, the Sixverse Association, and Aeternus, while Lu Yin was curious about how he could integrate the Scourge Occupation into the Heavens Sect’s combat strength. Both incorporating them and whether the people would agree were significant issues.

After some time, but before Lu Yin could bring the matter up, E' Ji addressed the issue first. "Allow my people to join the Heavens Sect."

Lu Yin was taken aback. "You want to join my Heavens Sect?"

E' Ji nodded while showing a brilliant smile. "It sounds like fun!"

Lu Yin chuckled. "It's certainly possible, but what about your people?"

E' Ji dismissively waved her hand. "They'll follow me."

Lu Yin nodded. "Alright then."

"However, we won't fully integrate ourselves into the Heavens Sect. Rather, we’ll join nominally. You can order us about however you want during battle or war, but you won’t be allowed to interfere with us during times of peace," E' Ji clarified.

Lu Yin considered the proposal for a moment. "How about this: I'll create a separate division of our military that consists entirely of outside civilizations. How does that sound?"

E' Ji nodded. "That's up to you, but whatever we are given needs to be prestigious."

Lu Yin smiled. "Of course."

E' Ji finished her second cup of tea. "Little sister, give me another."

"Of course!" Zhao Ran eagerly refilled the cup, watching Lu Yin’s guest intently and enthusiastically.

E' Ji sighed deeply. "During that battle with Aeternus, aside from seeing the Aeternals, we also encountered that Nine-Star Civilization. They are ruthless, as they simply destroyed their entire universe! That kind of destruction is different from what we do. It was swift and merciless.

"Don’t be deceived by the power of the Scourge Occupation. There have been times when we faced enemies that could have easily annihilated us. If not for Mister Mu, we would have been annihilated long ago."

Lu Yin asked, "Is that why you want to join the Heavens Sect?"

E' Ji was as blunt as ever. "The Heavens Sect has many strong powerhouses, and you're still very young. Who knows how long an orthodox cultivator like you can live for? You might go into seclusion just once, and I’ll be dead before you come back out. Lu Yin, I don’t expect much for my Scourge Occupation—I just want my people to enjoy their lives for as long as they’re alive. All that I ask is that your Heavens Sect protect my people as much as possible. In return, before I die, I’ll do you one favor."

As she spoke, Lu Yin saw how much E' Ji had aged. At best, the people of the Scourge Occupation could live for 300 years. They were not true cultivators. E' Ji was likely quite close to the end of her life.

This was probably why she had sought out the Heavens Sect’s help.

Lu Yin grew serious as he stared at the woman. "Do you want a grand feast for your death?"

E' Ji’s eyes lit up. "That’s what every member of the Scourge Occupation wants, especially when they’re reaching the end of their lives."

"Alright, I’ll grant you what you want. You won’t have to wait very long."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you. By the way, if you die, who will take over as chief of the Scourge Occupation?"

"E' Nan, of course. He is already able to bear about as much power as me, so I can die without any worries."

Lu Yin nodded. Everyone needed to eventually face death. He had seen many friends and acquaintances die, and it would only happen more in the future.

If he saw death frequently enough, he would eventually become numb to it.

E' Ji left. The Heavens Sect had thus formed a formal alliance with the Scourge Occupation.

Unfortunately, there was still no way to contact Ye Wu’s universe, or the Nine-Star Civilization.

Lu Yin did not know what had happened to the Nine-Star Civilization. With Kakawen's death, unless another eight-star expert appeared, the civilization’s survival might be in jeopardy.

After saying goodbye to E' Ji, Lu Yin intended to go visit Madam Nalan in order to settle matters with the Merchant Exchange. However, before he could do that, Jiang Chen and Jiang Qingyue arrived.

Lu Yin had been waiting for them, as he needed the Lord of Lightning to stir up trouble in the First Scourge.

"You want us to invade the First Scourge again? Brother Lu, you’re not treating us like your thugs, are you?" Jiang Chen complained. "We came here to see you out of goodwill."

Lu Yin shrugged. "It won’t just be the Lord of Lightning. I’m sending other experts to the First Scourge. They just need to stir things up, not fight True God himself."

Jiang Qingyue stared at Lu Yin. "I heard that you were killed by True God. How did you survive?"

Jiang Chen was also curious about this. "That’s right. News spread everywhere about the death of the Origin Universe’s Dao Monarch after you killed some Aeternus expert and enraged True God. Apparently, he personally made a move, and he even launched a sneak attack. When we heard you had died, we mourned your loss for some time.

"Especially my sister. She even cried."

Jiang Qingyue showed a rare flash of anger. "Don’t be ridiculous!"

She quickly turned to Lu Yin. "Don't listen to him. I didn’t cry."

Jiang Chen grinned. "Yes, that’s right, you didn’t cry, I did. Happy now?"

Jiang Qingyue was furious and really wanted to hit her brother. She really had not cried, but with how Jiang Chen was portraying things, who would ever believe her?

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