Star Odyssey

Lu Yin truly had no idea about what the Limits and Sanctis, Ascendant Hall, or the ten sequence bases were. Progenitor Xi had not mentioned any of them, possibly due to concerns that learning about such things would be too intimidating and would cause the Tianyuan Megaverse to retreat.

"What does all of that even mean?"

Yuan Qi was astonished. "You don’t know?"

Lu Yin did not bother hiding his ignorance. "I don't."

Yuan Qi sneered. "It would appear that there are hidden agendas on your side as well. Someone wants to trick you into fighting against my Spirit Nidus. Who could that be? Someone from the Consciousness Megaverse? I suspected that some of those creatures might betray us. Was it Blackless God or Whiteless God?"

Both Blackless God and Whiteless God were natives of the Consciousness Megaverse. They had betrayed their megaverse and joined the Spirit Nidus, but the Spirit Nidus did not completely trust traitors. Thus, the two had been sent to the Tianyuan Megaverse to help Aeternus.

"That’s not anything you need to know. If you want me to join the Spirit Nidus, then you should tell me everything," Lu Yin calmly replied. Yuan Qi had no choice in the matter.

The old man coughed up more blood.

At that moment, another person arrived. It was Chu Yi. He had visited the Heavens Sect to speak with Lu Yin and had learned that the Dao Monarch had left to chase after a Nest that had produced Sky Orchids. After waiting for a bit, when Lu Yin still did not return, Chu Yi had decided to go check on things.

When Chu Yi arrived and saw that Yuan Qi had been gravely injured, he was startled. "Yuan Qi?"

Yuan Qi shot a cold glance at Chu Yi and then turned back to Lu Yin. "The so-called Limits and Sancti, Ascendant Hall, and ten sequence bases refer to the top powerhouses who dominate our Spirit Nidus.

"Sequence techniques are the eighty-eight laws of the universe that we cultivate, just like your Tianyuan Megaverse’s sequence powerhouses. Any cultivator who masters those particular laws can fight against your megaverse’s sequence powerhouses. Even in the Spirit Nidus, we don’t allow cultivators who are not at least peak powerhouses to fully master the laws of the universe. However, they can still use them to gain insights and prepare for their breakthroughs to become peak powerhouses.

"This is far superior to what your Tianyuan Megaverse does. Lord Lu, even now, you probably have no direction on how to proceed and start comprehending the laws of the universe, right?"

Lu Yin did not deny the allegations, as it was true that he had no path forward.

The laws of the universe… Just what sort of law should Lu Yin cultivate? He did not know. The Three Realms and Six Daos had each mastered destructive laws of the universe, breaking laws that already existed in order to develop their own version of those laws. In theory, Lu Yin’s inner universe completely repelled sequence particles, and it could be considered a law of the universe. However, aside from repelling sequence particles, there did not seem to be any other abilities to his law of the universe.

Lu Yin had never considered himself a sequence powerhouse.

This was an issue that he had frequently considered since the battle at the Immemorial Citadel, but he still had not been able to find any sort of direction.

"The people of the Spirit Nidus have a clear direction forward. We have ways for every cultivator to find sequence particles that suit them, which avoids slowing down their cultivation while also speeding up their progress. This also eliminates those who will never be able to become sequence powerhouses. It allows for a rational use of resources.

"The ten sequence bases serve as the foundation of our laws of the universe. You’ve probably heard of these, but I can tell you that, in addition to the ten sequence bases, the Spirit Nidus is still creating more. We just haven’t used them yet."

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. There are more?

Chu Yi could not help clenching his fists. There are more?

Yuan Qi sneered. "Did you really think that sequence bases can’t be destroyed? Or that there will always be ten? That’s completely wrong. Having ten is simply a tradition in our Spirit Nidus. If one is lost, it will immediately be replaced to ensure there are always ten sequence bases. If not for that, we would have lost them long ago. For instance, if you had managed to destroy the Rivers and Mountains Painting just now, we would be able to replace that sequence base. Don’t believe that your enemy is limited to ten foundations. Even I don’t know how many more are being made. Only some specific members of the Ascendant Hall are aware of that.

"The Ascendant Hall is the name of a palace that all the top experts from the Spirit Nidus belong to. Our megaverse has been unified for countless years, and every powerhouse born in the Spirit Nidus is required to join the Ascendant Hall. I am no exception. The Ascendant Hall represents the fact that the Spirit Nidus’s peak powerhouses are beneath none and stand above all others. In our megaverse, we call those who stand at the peak Seraphs, and I am one of them. We represent those who command the heavens in the Spirit Nidus.

"The Seven Seraphs oversee the Spirit Nidus, but above us, there is the High Seraph. All of us are under the command of the High Seraph, and our lives belong to that person. The High Seraph is the most powerful being that anyone in the Spirit Nidus can encounter. The High Seraph is second only to the Spirit Nidus’s supreme being.

"Limits and Sancti, the Ascendant Hall, the ten sequence bases, and our codified laws of the universe. Lord Lu, what can your Tianyuan Megaverse do to fight against such power? I never even used the Rivers and Mountains painting when fighting at the Immemorial Citadel. If I had, even that old freak Mu wouldn’t have been able to measure up to me. There are six more powerhouses just like me, and above us, there is still our High Seraph. How will you fight against that?

"Your only path forward is to join the Spirit Nidus. You, Lord Lu, your master—that old monster Mu—and even Tai Chu are all capable of becoming Seraphs. It makes no difference to you if you’re from the Spirit Nidus or the Tianyuan Megaverse. Why bother caring about the lives and deaths of the insignificant ants of this megaverse?

"I can even ask the High Seraph to save your Heavens Sect and allow it to join the Ascendant Hall as an entire entity, which would preserve your people’s legacy."

Lu Yin suddenly struck, knocking Yuan Qi unconscious with a single blow.

As the old man collapsed, Chu Yi said, "Progenitor Xi didn’t tell us everything."

Lu Yin replied, "She was afraid that we wouldn’t want to fight against the Spirit Nidus."

"We can now truly see the Spirit Nidus for what it is: the High Seraph, the Seven Seraphs, their sequence bases, and their codified laws of the universe. That’s quite intimidating," Chu Yi remarked.

Lu Yin responded with a slight smile, "The scariest enemies are the ones you don’t know. Now that I understand the Spirit Nidus, they don’t seem quite so terrifying anymore.

"There are very few in our Tianyuan Megaverse who can stand against a Seraph, but we don’t have the numbers to match theirs, let alone someone to deal with their High Seraph. Along with their sequence bases, they won’t be easy to deal with.

"In that case, why didn’t Yuan Qi use his Rivers and Mountains Painting while fighting at the Immemorial Citadel? I just attacked it, and that sequence base would have truly miraculous effects against anyone beneath the Ortuser level. Even Progenitor Chen was almost trapped within it. However, it’s not very effective against those who are immune to the laws of the universe.

"This old man wasn’t being honest. If the Spirit Nidus was truly able to simply crush us, they would have done so long ago.

"Still, if we do go to war, there’s no doubt that we’ll be the ones at a disadvantage. The biggest question is, just how powerful is their High Seraph if they’re able to suppress Yuan Qi even at his peak? Also, how many experts are in their Ascendant Hall? I also forgot to ask him about Tian Ci and Zhan Yan’s ranks.

"It’s clear that they aren’t Seraphs, or else Zhan Yan wouldn’t have schemed against Yuan Qi."

Chu Yi was taken aback by this comment. "Zhan Yan plotted against Yuan Qi?"

Lu Yin shared what had happened, and Chu Yi took a bit to consider things. "This means that Zhan Yan must be a very powerful member of their Ascendant Hall who hasn’t quite reached the level of a Seraph. That’s bad. I’d prefer her to be a Seraph."

Lu Yin sighed. "Me too."

There were seven Seraphs, as well as the High Seraph, all of whom were supreme experts. Beneath those top powerhouses, there was no way to determine just how many sequence powerhouses or peak powerhouses were in the Spirit Nidus. According to what Yuan Qi had just shared, that megaverse’s cultivation method could certainly raise a considerable number of sequence powerhouses.

All this new information gave Lu Yin a headache. He had been working to mass-produce Progenitor-level powers in order to deal with the Spirit Nidus’s unknown threats. However, the Nests were already proving to be a problem.

Lu Yin stared off into the distance at the area where Hen Xin and the members of Team Resolution had all perished. There were only remains left.

At first, Lu Yin had not thought much of Hen Xin and his team, as there had been conflicts between them and Lu Yin in the past. They had schemed against each other. Hen Xin was someone originally from Ancient God's faction, which had caused the people of the Heavens Sect to be wary of the man. However, after Ancient God died, people’s perceptions of Hen Xin and his Team Resolution had changed. Ancient God was gone, and Hen Xin and his team had also died.

The influence of the Third Mainland was slowly fading away.

As for the Nest that had produced the Sky Orchids, no one knew where it had gone.

The Nests and the Spirit Nidus had both converged on the Tianyuan Megaverse, and not by chance. The situation had been developing for a long period of time.

The presence of the Lost Clan meant that they were bound to eventually attract the attention of the Nests’ Immortal Lord, and when Lu Yin had drawn their most powerful card, he had also caused the Nests to appear.

The Spirit Nidus had been plotting against the Tianyuan Megaverse for countless years, even during the ancient Heavens Sect era.

Neither threat was something that had recently appeared, but were rather threats resulting from long-standing tensions that had only intensified over time. At the moment, all such threats needed to be resolved, just like how the endless war with Aeternus had been stopped.

Lu Yin suddenly thought of something, and he decided to make his way to the Immemorial Citadel. As for Yuan Qi, Lu Yin asked Chu Yi to take the old man to the Heavens Sect.

Lu Yin had initially planned to execute Yuan Qi, but the old man was an invaluable source of information about the Spirit Nidus. Progenitor Xi was not entirely reliable about such matters, so it was better to keep Yuan Qi alive. Besides, the old man was afraid of death, and he would likely reveal anything, if it meant his survival.

Also, the Rivers and Mountains Painting formed from the law of Near and Far had escaped from Lu Yin’s control. The void had been repeatedly torn apart, in order to prevent Lu Yin from catching up to the sequence base.

Within the Rivers and Mountains Painting, Zhan Yan let out a sigh of relief. She had finally escaped.

"Yuan Qi, thanks for your help so that I could escape. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of your descendants."

A Seraph’s position was finally vacant, though there were still competitors, especially that one woman.

Throughout the years, Yuan Qi was not the only Seraph to die. This thought put a smile on Zhan Yan’s face, and her already sparkling eyes grew even more lively.

"It would appear that Yuan Qi’s fate is sealed," Forgotten Ruins God commented, though she appeared a bit regretful.

Wang Xiaoyu stood calmly atop a mountain, gazing at the region where Progenitor Chen had once fought. The Rivers and Mountains Painting itself had shrunk so it was barely more than a tenth of its original size. Portions of the sequence base had been used to repair the landscape, the mountains, and the rivers, but most of it had been consumed during the recent battle with Lu Yin.

At the foot of the mountain, the man who controlled the Nest nervously glanced around. He was not entirely sure where he was, but he did know that he could not afford to make even a single mistake.

Zhan Yan said, "Yuan Qi’s death won’t be in vain. Our Spirit Nidus will definitely avenge him."

"What do we do now?" Forgotten Ruins God asked.

Zhan Yan looked down at the man. "Where’s your Nest?"

The man hesitated, but as Zhan Yan stared at him, he brought out his Nest and handed it over.

Zhan Yan accepted the Nest and curiously examined it. "So is this what the Heavens Sect has been so desperately searching for? This thing allowed an ant like you to fight against a Semi-Progenitor and even nearly escape. Is this the inheritance of the insects?

"How many kinds of insects are in this thing?"

The man was about to answer, but suddenly, he blankly stared behind Zhan Yan.

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMAn/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om