Star Odyssey

Chapter 3174: Duty

Lu Yin shook his head. Within his cosmic ring, he still had the sword that could kill Mo Shang. It had been Undying God’s sword, and it contained his power of decay. There was a time when Lu Yin had thought that he would need to use the sword to kill Mo Shang, but it had since become unnecessary. Since he was capable of overpowering Feng Bo, Mo Shang would be even easier to deal with. The moment Mo Shang was moved to the Heavens Sect, his fate had been sealed. His only use was to serve as a demonstration of Lu Yin’s power for the military declaration. Did humanity need powerhouses? Of course, but not just any expert. Mo Shang was selfish, and he would readily enjoy the benefits of the Heavens Sect only to betray them in the end. While he was human, he cared nothing for humanity as a whole. He was someone who could only be used as a sacrifice.

"Lord Lu, don't push me! I know that you’ve cultivated divine energy. Don't force me to expose you! I just want to live, and I'm willing to submit to you," Mo Shang threatened quietly as he glared at Lu Yin, who just sneered.

"Go ahead, say whatever you want. Who doesn't know about it already?" Mo Shang was startled. Did people already know about this?

"What do you think allowed me to become the Dao Monarch of the Heavens Sect? What do you think I’ve sacrificed? Do you think I can be controlled by divine energy?" Lu Yin asked in a mocking tone.

"Lord Lu, I will submit to you! Lord Lu-" Mo Shang shouted as blood splattered down the Stairway to Heaven.

His Darkest Sky had already dissipated, and everyone was focused on the Heavens Sect as Mo Shang continued to collapse, pressed down by the landmass. He could neither avoid it nor escape. The landmass was inevitable. Lu Yin could use it to crush countless people, or to crush just one.

Lu Buzheng let out a breath. This was the end. Old Mo, our grudge is finished now. There was a loud crash, and the landmass abruptly disappeared. Mo Shang had been slammed down into the Heavens Sect, and he fell beneath the Stairway to Heaven. His limbs had been shattered, and his body was contorted in an unnatural position. It was a pitiful sight. Everyone who saw him fell silent and simply observed. A mighty sequence powerhouse had met his end so easily.

Lu Yin stared down at Old Mo. He was the first Sequence Progenitor Lu Yin had ever fought against. At that time, Lu Yin had been outmatched and desperate. If he had not suddenly acquired Heaven’s Sight and also used divine energy, he would have died back then. Fighting against Old Mo could be regarded as a turning point in Lu Yin’s path. He had changed after facing the man, as Lu Yin had only truly appreciated the power of sequence particles afterwards. But Old Mo, who had once appeared invincible, now appeared so small.

Old Mo's face was bleeding and destroyed. He whimpered, "Lord Lu, please, spare me! I'm begging you, please, please, please!"

Lu Yin looked down at the man. The golden light that surrounded Lu Yin gave him a divine appearance, while the shadow of death hung over Old Mo.

"When you betrayed Wu Tian, did you ever imagine that this moment would come?" Lu Yin asked coldly. "When you decided to act against the Heavens Sect, did you even consider the future consequences?"

Lu Yin glanced around at the people along the Stairway to Heaven, and then out at the stars beyond the Heavens Sect. "People’s actions have consequences, and there is no returning from betrayal. Anyone who dares to betray humanity will meet the same fate. There will be no exceptions."

With that, he waved his hand. A terrifying power flashed down like a meteor and struck Old Mo, instantly killing him. Right after that, a Champions' Stage appeared, and Lu Yin immediately anointed the man. This was his fate. Betraying humanity would not lead to anything other than a bad ending.

The sight terrified countless people. Anyone who had been considering the possibility of playing both sides, thinking that they could take advantage of the war between humanity and Aeternus, were currently filled with fear. They absolutely could not betray humanity, no matter what. The Aeternals were undeniably intimidating, but Lu Yin was beyond terrifying. This military declaration had won over countless vacillating hearts, and Lu Yin’s demonstration of power had intimidated just as many. There was a balance to brutality and diplomacy, and this was the path of a king.

Lu Yin was no saint, and he did not even consider himself a particularly good person. He was just an ordinary human, made of flesh, blood, and emotions. He might be able to sacrifice everything for the human race, but he could also take the lives of his fellow humans if he saw it fit. He only sought to live a life without regret while completely eradicating Aeternus and removing all mortal enemies of humanity.

Lu Yin’s goal was to live a peaceful life, but he could not even begin to guess how far away he was from that day.

He turned around and walked back to the top of the Stairway to Heaven. He passed everyone as he moved to the top of the stairs, and he once more took his place before the statue of the Origin Progenitor. He turned to face everyone and declared, "No matter how strong our enemy may be, do not fear. I will stand before you all.

"Always remember, there is a path in front of you, and its name is Lu Yin."

Endless cheers erupted throughout the Heavens Sect and across all the parallel universes. Everyone looked at one man who stood ahead of them, shielding and protecting them from disasters. That man was Lu Yin, and he would always lead the path forward.

Countless people were inspired by Lu Yin, and they were filled with excitement and determination.

Even people who tended to be cold and rarely betrayed their emotions, such as Wendy Yushan and Zhuo Daynight, were barely able to contain their excitement at this moment. It was as if they could already see the day when humanity would rise to the pinnacle. On that day, the same man would still be in front of them all, leading them to the light.

The other parallel universes fell silent. At this moment, Lu Yin's dominance had been put on full display. Everyone understood that humans were no longer scattered and weak. They had someone they would follow into the unknown, even if it meant diving into an endless abyss.

The most terrifying detail was the man’s youth. He was so young that, in both the next era and the one following that, all would have to bow to him.

The First Scourge was eerily quiet. Di Qiong and the others had been rendered speechless. At this moment, all of them were feeling immense pressure from Lu Yin.

Blackless God readily regretted his previous choice. He should have never offered the kid 100,000 years of peace. The Skygod should have dealt with the youth when they first met. By this point, it was too late.

"Do you remember how the Heavens Sect era, when the sect was at its greatest peak, came to an end?" Progenitor Xi's voice shattered the silence, drawing everyone’s attention.

Progenitor Xi looked around at Ancient God and the others. "It was their arrogance. The Origin Progenitor, the Three Realms and Six Daos, the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas—did any of them not consider themselves invincible? The Heavens Sect refused all outsiders, and yet myriad races submitted to them. How glorious that era was for them.

"And yet, despite it all, they fell because of their arrogance.

"They never realized that Aeternus was secretly plotting against them. They refused to believe that they even had enemies, which is why they lost.

"What about now? When Lu Yin was rising up to power, did any of you truly care about him?" Progenitor Xi turned to look at Forgotten Ruins God. "Standing on the same stage? He’s already dismantled the stage that you built.

"Already, he has reached heights that you can hardly comprehend, despite being a mere Semi-Progenitor."

The woman finished speaking and turned to look at the black Mother Tree. "He didn't anticipate this either. If he had, he would have prevented it, no matter the cost. Tell me, is this third Divine Commandment the end of humanity, or of us? Are you still confident?"

In a column of light beside the black Mother Tree, the Great Sovereign was staring intently at the screen. "Little one, you've really come so far. Show me how much further you can go."

...

The military declaration had inspired an unprecedented sense of confidence within humanity. The strength of the Heavens Sect had silenced both Aeternus and outsider powerhouses, which more than validated Lu Yin's efforts.

In the following days, more and more parallel universes sought to connect to the Origin Universe, and the Infinity Empire never stopped working.

As for Lu Yin, he was calm and relaxed. He was fishing in the Heavens Sect.

If he were to go make trouble for Aeternus right after his grand event, it would be all too easy for him to fall into a trap.

It was important to always seize the initiative. There was no doubt that the Aeternals would eventually initiate a decisive battle to determine the overall war, but Lu Yin had many more preparations that he needed to complete before that happened. It was not the right time yet. He had not intended for the military declaration to be a declaration of war, as it was simply supposed to be the first step towards restoring humanity's confidence. The declaration of war had not come yet, though that day was not far off.

At the moment, Aeternus would struggle to attack any human civilization. Already, they had lost the initiative.

One day, a butterfly flew through outer space. It passed through one parallel universe after another until it arrived in the Lost Clan's universe.

In the Perennial World, Lu Yuan’s eyes instantly snapped open, and he took a step forward and disappeared.

In the Lost Clan's universe, a faint light had enveloped every member of the clan, freezing all of them in place like statues.

Even peak powerhouses, such as Shan Zheng, Shan Yan, and Great Elder Shan Gu, were unable to move, even with their cards in their hands.

The butterfly slowly flapped her wings, and she spoke in a soft, melodious voice. "Please don't misunderstand. I have nothing against you humans, but your clan must be taken away. This is my duty."

Lu Yuan suddenly appeared in the universe, and he glared at the butterfly, murder blazing in his eyes. "Is this some kind of joke? The Lost Clan has joined my Heavens Sect. How can you go after them while claiming that you’re not targeting us?

"Before, when Aeternus was losing a battle, you helped them survive. What is your real goal?"

The butterfly sighed. "I already made it clear at that time. Aeternus and humanity are evenly matched, and fighting will not benefit anyone. That's why I stopped the war. If you want to fight now, I won't stop you.

"As for these people, they are from another megaverse. My duty is to drive out all outsiders from this megaverse. I am not targeting you, so please don't misunderstand."

Lu Yuan roared, "Then why wait until the Lost Clan joined my Heavens Sect? Why wait until after the military declaration to come here? How is this not slapping us in the face?"

The butterfly's voice grew even gentler. "I'm sorry, but I was informed about this matter by Aeternus. I was unable to find these people before, but now that I know that they are here, I can’t ignore this matter. Again, please don't misunderstand me. Humanity has done me a favor in the past, and I have no intention of targeting you, truly.

"And besides, I don't intend on harming these people, only to force them to leave."

At that moment, Great Elder Shan Gu finally regained a bit of control of himself. He stared at the butterfly with complete confusion. "Who are you, and why are you attacking us?"

The butterfly flapped its wings again. She really was beautiful to look at. "Your people do not belong to this megaverse, so please leave."

The Great Elder's face fell.

Lu Yuan saw his expression change and knew that the words were true. He frowned and then turned to stare at the butterfly. "No matter what, the Lost Clan is now part of my Heavens Sect, and there's no reason for them to leave. You should go. We will protect these people."

The butterfly replied, "Please don't interfere. I am merely doing my duty. If I don't drive them out, I will have failed in my duty. Please don't make things difficult for me."

Finally, Lu Yin arrived. The Lost Clan's universe was already connected to the Origin Universe, and he had even received the universe’s acknowledgement, which was why he had been able to sense that something was off.

"It's you again? Your name is Tian En, isn’t it?" Lu Yin warily eyed the butterfly.

The butterfly greeted him with the same soft voice as ever. "We meet again. You have my most sincere apologies. I don't mean to go after you, but these people do not belong to our megaverse, so they must leave. Please don't make things difficult for me."

Lu Yin frowned. "You're mistaken. The ones who don't belong to this megaverse aren’t the Lost Clan, but rather the Aeternals."

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