Star Odyssey

Chapter 3198: Xuan Jiu And Zhao Ran

"I don't know where Tian Fa is," Lu Yin immediately tried to put some distance between himself and the Boundary Guardian.

"Tian Fa is dead," the butterfly reported.

Lu Yin acted surprised. "Tian Fa is dead? When?"

"Dao Monarch Lu, you... don't know?"

"How could I have known? I was just about to ask you what happened to Shan Gu and the Lost Clan."

The butterfly flapped her wings as she floated in space. "Dao Monarch Lu, you must understand that Tian Fa’s death is no small matter. The duties of the four Boundary Guardians must be continued. Tian Fa’s death has opened a breach in this megaverse, which could lead to disaster."

Lu Yin nodded in agreement. "I completely understand. Why don’t I help you find someone to replace Tian Fa?"

"Dao Monarch Lu, this is not a joking matter."

"I'm not joking. Do you think that the Dao Monarch of the Heavens Sect has the time to toy with you?"

The butterfly remained silent for a moment. "I hope that you have nothing to do with Tian Fa’s death, as if you do, the price you will pay will be too steep."

Lu Yin sneered. "I have nothing to do with what happened, but that doesn’t mean that I’m afraid of your threats. Don't even think about pinning this matter onto me. I personally suspect that Aeternus is likely behind this. By the way, what have you found out regarding Feng Bo?"

"No trace of Feng Bo has been found. According to Yong Heng, he's dead."

"You think I’m going to believe that? We've already talked about this before. Aeternus must have hidden Feng Bo. Since you're so capable of keeping an eye on us humans, why aren't you watching Aeternus? Let me make something clear to you: if you don't bring out Feng Bo, the Boundary Guardians can forget about touching anyone from the Heavens Sect ever again. Leave. You aren’t welcome in the Origin Universe," Lu Yin stated grumpily.

Tian En left. She needed to continue investigating Tian Fa’s death.

Logically, if Tian Fa had died in the current megaverse, she should have already learned of everything that had happened. However, Tian Fa had not died in the megaverse, which was the biggest problem that Tian En faced; just where had Tian Fa died?

"What should have been an impressive demonstration of strength has been ruined by those four. While the demonstration’s purpose was achieved, we can't immediately attack Aeternus, as our people’s morale will crumple," Lu Yuan stated in a quiet voice as he stepped out from behind Lu Yin.

Lu Yin replied, "It's fine. We just needed to put on a show of humanity’s strength. As long as we can remove these final obstacles, I'll be able to officially declare war on Aeternus. When that happens, we’ll raise a flag for humanity, and that is when the true victory will be decided.

"Ancestor, did you ever consider that there could have been other changes to Destiny, other than the fact that she restarted her entire cultivation, after she returned from the Mirari Realm?"

Lu Yuan was taken aback. "Why do you ask?"

"I need to confirm a few things," Lu Yin replied.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment. "It’s too long ago for me to remember clearly, but there shouldn’t have been any other changes. If there were, Master would have noticed."

That was the biggest problem with the matter.

Lu Yin stared out into outer space. How could the Origin Progenitor have not noticed any changes in Destiny? If there had not been any changes, then Lu Yin’s suspicions would have no foundation at all. However, why would Destiny have deceived her companions about a false path to Immortality? Everything about the matter seemed contradictory.

Despite the fact that Lu Yin had achieved such impressive heights of strength, there were still many layers of mysteries to the megaverse that he needed to unravel.

At the moment, the most pressing issue he needed to address was the Boundary Guardians.

Tian En was already certain that Tian Fa was dead. As soon as she could gather evidence that Lu Yin was the culprit, the butterfly would undoubtedly join forces with the other two Boundary Guardians to attack the Heavens Sect. Going by her previous attack on Progenitor Ku, things would not take very long.

It was even possible that her visit just now had been nothing more than a show.

The Heavens Sect needed to be prepared for the Boundary Guardians’ attack at any moment.

If the Boundary Guardians really did attack the Heavens Sect, there was no chance that Aeternus would simply remain standing by the side. If the two joined forces, the Heavens Sect would face a true threat.

Thinking about this, Lu Yin decided that, since his star of consciousness had fully recovered, it might be good for him to go into seclusion again. This time, he wanted to deal a heavy blow to Aeternus.

He was not after memories this time, but efficiency.

Just as Lu Yin was about to enter seclusion, the arrival of someone startled him enough to change his mind; Xuan Jiu and Starsibyl had both arrived.

Starsibyl could have never imagined that she would encounter the bastard Xuan Jiu in the Heavens Sect.

Xuan Jiu also had not expected to meet Starsibyl in the Heavens Sect.

"It’s been a long time, Granddaughter." Xuan Jiu, as the elder, felt that he should be the first to speak.

However, all that met his greeting was Starsibyl's frigid glare.

Even that was not enough to make Xuan Jiu feel awkward, and he just laughed it off.

Lu Yin arrived, and he gave Xuan Jiu a curious look. "You actually came to seek me out?"

As soon as he saw Lu Yin, Xuan Jiu's smile warped into an expression of pure misery. He looked as though he had been abandoned as he started wailing, "Lu brat- no, Dao Monarch Lu! Lord Lu, you have to protect me!"

As the old man spoke, he tried to embrace Lu Yin.

The Second Nightking raised a brow and casually shoved Xuan Jiu back. "How presumptuous."

Lu Yin waved a hand, gesturing for the Second Nightking to take a step back. Lu Yin examined Xuan Jiu's miserable appearance. "What's going on? Were you bullied in the Sixverse Association?"

Xuan Jiu bitterly complained, "It wasn't the Sixverse Association. It was Destiny."

Lu Yin's eyes flickered. "Destiny?"

Starsibyl stared at Xuan Jiu's back. Destiny had become a dark cloud hanging over her head as well.

When Destina had scattered Destiny’s power to others who had cultivated that power so that she could break through and become a Progenitor, the woman’s cultivation had been foisted off onto Starsibyl and Skymender. Destina had been trying to avoid her karma with Destiny, but she had still been taken away and transformed into one of Destiny’s threads. That event had terrified Starsibyl so badly that she no longer dared to cultivate at all.

"What's going on?" Lu Yin asked urgently.

Xuan Jiu shrugged and let out a heavy sigh. "This is my fault. I knew that I shouldn't have cultivated it, but I went ahead and cultivated Destiny’s Enigma technique. In the modern Starsibyl Sect, I was only the second person after Brother Zhu to manage to cultivate it. However, the moment I succeeded, I felt that something was wrong.

"My brother started looking at me differently, and I had a premonition of imminent disaster following me. The more I cultivated Destiny’s power, the stronger that feeling became, especially when I used that to try to look into Destiny. At that moment, the sense of danger was so intense that I thought my head would explode.

"Desperate, I fled from the Starsibyl Sect and started telling fortunes wherever I went, but I deliberately gave out readings that directly opposed what I saw. I did that in hopes of countering Destiny’s Enigma technique. As the years passed, I managed to slightly succeed, though doing so ruined my reputation. Still, the sense of danger faded.

"But, but-" Xuan Jiu gave Lu Yin a miserable look. "Recently, the feeling of danger’s returned, and it's stronger than ever. It feels like I can almost see a hand reaching out for me. It’s like a massive mouth is ready to devour me.

"Dao Monarch Lu, you have to save me! We've known each other for so many years, and I've helped you before, haven't I?"

As he wailed, it seemed as though Xuan Jiu was ready to cling to Lu Yin's legs. It was clear that the man was not going to leave, even if staying meant dying.

Xua Jiu had once regarded Lu Yin as an ominous person, but that dangerous person had become the old man’s only lifeline.

Lu Yin stared at Xuan Jiu. "Where do you feel that sensation coming from?"

Xuan Jiu shivered. "Everywhere."

"Specifically?"

"It’s not something that I can pinpoint, it's just everywhere. No matter if I’m walking, eating, or sleeping, she's always there and always watching. Can you imagine what it’s like to have eyes on you at all times? To have a hand constantly reaching out to grab you, and no matter how hard you try to escape, for it to always be in front of you, behind you, and all around you? Surrounded by hands and eyes and an inescapable sense of doom-

"Enough!" Starsibyl shouted. Her face had gone pale, and terror filled her eyes.

Xuan Jiu looked over at Starsibyl. "Granddaughter, I'm just explaining what it feels like to him. There’s no need to be so dramatic."

Lu Yin looked at Starsibyl. The woman was genuinely scared.

The previously always calm Starsibyl, who had overseen the Origin Universe’s talented youths while plotting for the future, had been reduced to nothing more than a frightened child before the threat of Destiny. Destina's fate had terrified Starsibyl, and even Lu Yin had to admit to feeling a chill.

Lu Yuan, Hongyan Mavis, and Ancient God—each of whom was among the Three Realms and Six Daos—Lu Yin had met them all, and he felt rather familiar with the legendary figures of the ancient era, but he still felt a chill when he thought about Destiny. It was as though the woman was somehow different from her companions.

"You once told me that I was a dangerous person to be around and that everyone close to me would meet a bad end. If that's true, why come to me?" Lu Yin asked.

Xuan Jiu sighed. "Honestly, if I could avoid this, I would stay away from you, even if it killed me. Unfortunately, I don’t have any choice. If I don't stay close to you, Destiny will devour me completely, while staying close to you might give me a slight chance of survival.

"With the Heavens Sect so powerful and the Three Realms and Six Daos joining you, even if Destiny is reborn, she’ll still be wary of this place, won’t she?"

Lu Yin stared at Xuan Jiu for a long time, but this time, the old man calmly met Lu Yin's eyes. If not for his tattered clothes and the broken wooden staff in his hand, the exchange would not seem out of place.

"So, you're seeking my protection," Lu Yin stated flatly.

Xuan Jiu smiled wryly. "You could say that, but there’s another explanation as well: I'm here to help you sense Destiny."

Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. "That's a good explanation. You can stay."

Xuan Jiu heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Zhao Ran, bring some tea," Lu Yin called out as he took a seat on a stone bench. He gestured for Xuan Jiu and Starsibyl to sit as well.

However, Xuan Jiu's attention had already been captured by something in the distance. He was staring at Zhao Ran with wide eyes. "She's still here?"

Lu Yin was not surprised by the old man’s reaction. He already knew that there were issues between Zhao Ran and Xuan Jiu, and Lu Yin intended to use Zhao Ran to force out Xuan Jiu's secrets, or vice versa.

Lu Yin clearly remembered what had happened when he had first met Zhao Ran; she had mentioned that she could always find Xuan Jiu.

The old man had also mentioned that he was never able to avoid Zhao Ran.

There was some kind of connection between the two, and it was also clear that Zhao Ran had some sort of connection to Destiny. Lu Yin had seen Destiny's power appear near Zhao Ran.

"Oh, it's you! The kind fortune-telling grandpa!" Zhao Ran happily exclaimed when she saw Xuan Jiu.

The old man was not at all happy with this development, and his face looked worse than if he were crying. "You still remember me?"

Zhao Ran apologized, "Even if I'm quite forgetful, I try to remember people who are kind to me, especially you, fortune-telling grandpa."

"I wish you would forget me," Xuan Jiu muttered helplessly.

Lu Yin glanced between Xuan Jiu and Zhao Ran. "Alright, come have a seat. We need to clear some things up."

Xuan Jiu sighed. "Lord Lu, you have a good eye. I'll admit, part of why I’ve been avoiding you is because of this girl. She's connected to Destiny."

Lu Yin was not surprised, and neither was Starsibyl. Zhao Ran clearly had a connection to Destiny, though no one had been able to determine just what that connection was.

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