Star Odyssey

Chapter 3243: Ethersand

The box at Xu Wuji's feet was knocked over, and its contents spilled onto the ground.

There was a sculpture of a man flexing his muscles that was rather humorous, and the rest seemed to be grains of sand. The grains were tiny, somewhat translucent, and almost invisible.

"What’s that?" Lu Yin asked, his curiosity piqued.

Xu Wuji replied, "That’s the token of love between me and Xiao Fang."

Lu Yin glanced up at Xu Wuji. "Sand?"

Xu Wuji took another swig of wine. "It looks like it. We called it Ethersand.

"As long as you’re close enough to it, if you think about something else while focusing on it, the sand will form whatever you picture in your head. Xiao Fang and I found it by accident, and we decided to keep it for ourselves."

Lu Yin was amazed. He had never heard of such a thing before.

He moved closer and saw that each and every grain was perfectly identical in size. He focused on the sand while also picturing a sword. As he watched, the Ethersand moved, and the grains formed into the shape of a sword.

There were too many strange things in the megaverse. The first thing that Lu Yin was reminded of was Mirrorbane, which was a substance that seemed to have a will of its own. Whenever it was struck, it would retaliate with a perfectly copied attack. The Ethersand was just as remarkable.

"Hmm? Why is there so little of it?" Xu Wuji muttered as he stared at the sword of Ethersand in confusion.

The sword fell apart as the Ethersand collapsed.

Xu Wuji stared blankly, hatred suddenly filling his eyes. "It was him!"

Lu Yin was puzzled.

Xu Wuji’s hands were clenched into fists, and his eyes became bloodshot. "Ethersand is slightly sticky. When that man killed Xiao Fang, she must have had the sand out. When she died, the sand stuck to him. That's why there's less of it now."

He punched the ground, his whole body trembling like a raging beast. Overwhelming bloodlust surged and caused the sky to grow dark, yet the man’s aura also contained a touch of guilt. Xu Wuji knew that he was no match for Tian Ci.

However, Lu Yin thought of something. "Are you saying that some of this sand might still be on Tian Ci?"

Xu Wuji said nothing, as he was lost in his own feelings of hatred and guilt.

Lu Yin placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, his expression very serious. "Tell me, is some of this sand stuck to Tian Ci?"

Xu Wuji glanced at Lu Yin, and his eyes flickered. "So what if it is? Can you find him?"

Lu Yin smiled. It was a very cold smile that would give people chills. "If there is, I should be able to find him."

The grains of Ethersand were tiny and practically invisible, much like dust. It was entirely possible that some of them were still clinging to Tian Ci.

Xu Wuji's eyes flared, and he turned around and grabbed Lu Yin’s clothes. "Lord Lu, can you really find him? Take me with you! I have to avenge Xiao Fang!"

Lu Yin pushed down with a hand, and he effortlessly pushed Xu Wuji to the ground.

The man was completely helpless given Lu Yin's strength, and he was pinned to the ground, unable to move.

"Even if you do find him, what’s going to happen? You’d just die. Wuji, calm down! Right now, your only job is to help me find him. I’ll get revenge for you. Xiao Fang wasn't just your lover—she was a member of the Heavens Sect, as were the countless Lost Clansmen who died with her. Even before that, Garan Zhiluo needs revenge, as does the Origin Progenitor, and so many others. I will settle all of these accounts."

Xu Wuji panted as he lay on the ground. His fists clenched tightly as he tried to get up, but with Lu Yin holding him in place, the man could not move at all.

Xu Wuji's emotions erupted into a roar at the sky as he lay on the ground, shouting his helplessness.

Since Shan Fangyi’s death, the man had been like a walking corpse, drowning himself in alcohol and muttering to himself while ignoring everyone.

Finally, he had something he could focus on, and his grief erupted.

Lu Yin released the man with a sigh, and then quietly waited for him.

Xu Wuji needed a long time to calm himself down. He then slowly climbed to his feet and put his sunglasses back on. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, but it was also clear that he had shaken off his previous despair. "There were a total of 278,952 grains of Ethersand. We searched the megaverse, but that was all we ever found. If that guy really has some Ethersand stuck to him, then we can figure out how much by counting what’s missing."

He squatted down, staring at the Ethersand on the ground.

"There are 203,642 grains still here, which means that 75,310 are missing, but that doesn’t mean that he has that much stuck to him. Some might have fallen off during the following fight, or while he was traveling. Let's first see if any of the grains fell here in this city."

Lu Yin’s domain swept across the city, and he found some more grains of Ethersand. Tian Ci had slaughtered everyone in the city, and Shan Fangyi had not been the last to die, but rather the first. She had been the strongest cultivator present, and she had been the first to fall to Tian Ci.

The two men searched the entire city, and they found 21,005 grains, which left 54,305 grains still unaccounted for.

Lu Yin and Xu Wuji then went to the Second Scourge, and they searched everywhere Tian Ci had fought, much to the confusion of Wu Tian and the others who saw them. Eventually, they gathered a total of 32,102 grains of Ethersand from the Second Scourge.

The conclusion was clear: Tian Ci most likely had about 22,203 grains on him still.

Of course, everything was pure speculation. Tian Ci was an Ortuser, and the chances of some sand grains sticking onto him were quite low. However, it was the only clue that they had to finding Tian Ci for the moment, and Lu Yin did not want to simply give up.

"Are you sure that this sand is something that occurs naturally and isn’t in any way man-made?" Lu Yin asked again, knowing that Bi Rong’s compass could only search for naturally occurring items.

Xu Wuji nodded firmly.

Lu Yin nodded. "Wait to hear from me. If at all possible, I'll bring you Tian Ci's head."

With that, he left the Second Scourge and returned to Heavens Sect.

Xu Wuji also returned to the destroyed city.

On the mountain behind the Heavens Sect, Lu Yin thought about Ethersand as he took out Bi Rong’s compass.

He was confident that he could find the Ethersand because every single grain of sand was perfectly identical. This was a bizarre situation, as people generally believe that no two grains of sand could be the same.

It was possible that this homogeneity was part of what made Ethersand so mystical.

As long as Lu Yin knew exactly how much sand he was searching for, he could picture it in his mind. There was a good chance that he would be able to find it.

Of course, it was highly unlikely that all the missing sand was stuck to Tian Ci. Some might have been lost along the way, so Lu Yin would need to gradually reduce the amount of sand he was searching for, one grain at a time.

First, 22,203 grains.

He pictured 22,203 grains of Ethersand in his mind and used the compass while tearing the void open. No response.

Next, 22,202 grains. He used the compass again. Still nothing.

Then 22,201 grains, 22,200, 22,199, 22,198, 22,197...

Lu Yin continued reducing the number of grains while tearing the void open each time, constantly using the compass.

Time slowly trickled by.

Every possible means of finding Tian Ci had to be attempted; how else would the Heavens Sect ever be able to locate the Boundary Guardians?

The truth was that humanity’s understanding of the megaverse was too lacking when compared to the Boundary Guardians'.

More than ten days passed, when, suddenly, the compass tore through the void, and Lu Yin's eyes lit up. He had found something.

Excited, he noted that he was tracing 16,842 grains of sand. It was quite possible that this amount would lead Lu Yin to Tian Ci’s hiding place.

Lu Yin did not immediately race off. Instead, he put the compass away and went to visit Whitecloud City.

During the battle in the Second Scourge, out of everyone who had faced Tian Ci, the Lord of Lightning had undoubtedly been the one who had fought the Boundary Guardian the most.

While Garan Zhiluo knew of Tian Ci’s abilities, she had never fought him herself, and all of her knowledge had been gathered during her time being sealed within Tian Feng. Only the Lord of Lightning had fought Tian Ci for an extended amount of time, which made him the best choice for the next fight.

Upon returning to Whitecloud City, Lu Yin easily found Jiang Feng.

The man was relaxing in his garden, chatting with his wife. There were snacks spread across a table.

"Little Seven? What brings you here?" Jiang Feng asked in surprise. "Come, try your auntie's cooking. She made these herself."

Lu Yin was about the same age as Jiang Chen and Jiang Qingyue, which placed him in the younger generation when compared to Jiang Feng. Since Whitecloud City was not part of the Heavens Sect, there was nothing wrong with Jiang Feng calling Lu Yin Little Seven. During their first meeting, Jiang Feng had called him Lu Yin, but the man was clearly showing a greater level of intimacy.

At the moment, there were very few people who could call Lu Yin Little Seven.

Lu Yin smiled. "Auntie's cooking? Of course, I’ll try some."

He took a bite and praised the food highly.

Liu Pianran gave him a small smile. "Who would tell the cook their food is bad to their face? Alright, you two go ahead and chat. I'll go make dinner. Little Seven, what would you like to eat?"

Lu Yin took another bite and smiled apologetically, "Auntie, maybe next time, but when I do join you for another meal, I’d love to have your tomato and egg stir-fry."

Liu Pianran laughed. "Alright, I’ll prepare that next time then."

She glanced at Jiang Feng, and the man nodded before Liu Pianran left.

"What’s the matter?" Jiang Feng asked, turning serious.

Lu Yin looked at Jiang Feng. "I think I may have found Tian Ci."

Jiang Feng's eyes lit up, excitement dancing across his features. "Are you sure?"

"No, but there’s a good chance."

"Good enough. Finally, we’ve found him! Let’s go!" Jiang Feng said, only to then frown. "However, that guy won't be easy to deal with."

Lu Yin spoke in a solemn tone, "That’s exactly why I came to find you, Uncle Jiang. I didn’t fight against Tian Ci in the Second Scourge, so I don’t really understand his power. You should know him quite well."

Jiang Feng’s excitement dimmed. "Tian Ci’s strength is incredible. First, he’s an Ortuser, so no laws of the universe can approach him. That already puts us at a disadvantage. Next, his innate gift is quite powerful, even if it’s not an offensive ability. It somehow seems to see through everything, including battle techniques, abilities, and energy types. I never managed to leave a single injury throughout the entire fight."

Lu Yin’s heart dropped as he listened to Jiang Feng. He was well aware of the Lord of Lightning’s strength. The man was one of the most powerful humans in the megaverse, and he was comparable to the Three Realms and Six Daos. With the addition of his mirebound artifacts, it was possible that not even the Three Realms and Six Daos could defeat the man. Even so, if Jiang Feng had not been able to even touch Tian Ci; just how strong was the Boundary Guardian?

"I didn’t understand the law of the universe that he comprehended while we fought, but after thinking about it afterward, I believe that it’s Stacking."

"Stacking?" Lu Yin pondered.

Jiang Feng explained, "He can stack his own attacks or stack his opponent’s attacks."

Lu Yin was surprised. "He can stack his opponent’s attacks? What does that mean?"

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