Star Odyssey

Chapter 1586: Smoke And Smoke

Elder Yao Shan carefully studied Lu Yin with a newfound fear in his eyes. "Make sure he watches his mouth."

The elder then turned to stare at Yao Ji. "You've shamed us. Go back."

Yao Ji's face grew pale, and he turned to look at Lu Yin, who also happened to be looking at Yao Ji at the same time. His heart trembled as the previous scene replayed in his mind, and Yao Ji lowered his eyes. He did not have the courage to say another word, and he quietly left.

Everyone who had gathered to watch the fight gradually dispersed as well. Still, the shock in their heart all remained, as it was not that easy to erase what they had just witnessed.

During the last match in ZENITH, Lu Yin had single-handedly faced off against all of the most powerful members of his generation. Even though his strength at that time had startled the Fifth Mainland, it had still been at a level that people could accept. On the other hand, they had just seen Lu Yin block Elder Yao Shan's attack. This was something that flew in the face of common sense.

Such an accomplishment would be shocking anywhere, both within the Fifth Mainland and throughout the Perennial World.

After all of the onlookers had dispersed, Lu Yin turned towards Gu Xiao'er. "What are you doing here?"

Gu Xiao'er shouted in an exaggerated manner, "I should be asking you that! Aren't you missing? When did you get back? You can't have been hiding out here in the Cosmic Sect this whole time, right? Bro, this place is too boring! How could you not tell your own brother anything?"

Lu Yin rolled his eyes and moved away from Cosmo Hall with Gu Xiao'er in tow. The Cosmic Sect's main hall was too conspicuous.

After half a day passed, and Lu Yin finally stopped speaking. "You get it?"

Gu Xiao'er nodded. "Got it. You went somewhere super powerful and then ended up being discarded like a piece of rotten fruit that got chucked, right?"

Lu Yin was left speechless. This was a truly brutal metaphor.

"Still, now that you're back, you've grown way too much! You're even able to go against that old ghost! Be honest, have you already become an Envoy?"

"Of course not! Though, I did learn about something," Lu Yin casually mentioned.

"What?"

"Have you ever heard of Smoke Incarnations?"

"What the hell is that?"

"I'll take you to see for yourself." With that, Lu Yin brought out Zenith Mountain and entered the hidden world with Gu Xiao'er.

There were still five people on Zenith Mountain at this time: Long Xi, Wen Diyi, Crown Prince Gui Qian, Liu Hao, and Yun Tingting. Lu Yin led Gu Xiao'er to find Yun Tingting.

Yun Tingting and the others had been imprisoned on Zenith Mountain ever since Lu Yin had left the Forgotten Ruins. For cultivators, a few short years would quickly pass by, and even though the five were trapped on Zenith Mountain, they had continued cultivating and had been slowly making progress.

Lu Yin and Gu Xiao'er appeared 100 meters away from Yun Tingting, startling her. However, she completely ignored Gu Xiao'er and instantly fixed her gaze on Lu Yin. She quietly asked, "The Forsaken Land?"

Lu Yin nodded. "We're there."

Gu Xiao'er blinked and stared at Yun Tingting before turning towards Lu Yin and giving him an odd smile. "Bro, have you been hiding women on this mountain?"

Lu Yin stared at Gu Xiao'er for a moment before saying, "Smoke-Eater Peaks' smoke is really amazing, but this woman has the same kind of smoke."

"Impossible!" Gu Xiao'er instantly declared. "The only place in the entire Fifth Mainland that has smoke like ours is Eversky Island's bridge. It exists nowhere else."

Yun Tingting also heard Lu Yin's comment. "What smoke?"

Gu Xiao'er pointed his index finger and caused a wisp of white smoke to float out. It took on various shapes as his fingers moved about. "This smoke is very powerful, and even the Cosmic Sect needs it. In fact, it's what allowed me to trade for the first level of the Cosmic Art. Do you really think that anyone else in the universe could have something this rare?"

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Yun Tingting's eyes flickered, and she also raised a hand. A wisp of white smoke floated out, and it started to take on various shapes as she twisted her fingers, just like Gu Xiao'er.

Gu Xiao'er sneered. "It doesn't matter how good it looks—you're nothing but a cheating fake!"

He then waved a hand, and his white smoke formed a sharp blade that shot towards Yun Tingting. Her eyes focused, and she also waved a hand, causing her smoke to form a blade exactly like Gu Xiao'er's.

There was a bang, and the sound of blades clashing echoed out. Gu Xiao'er was completely stunned, as his white smoke had been perfectly blocked.

Lu Yin's focus sharpened. As he had suspected, the Smokecloud Sect and Smoke-Eater Peaks shared a common ancestry. It was to be expected, since they both used this miraculous white smoke.

During the battle against the Sixth Mainland in the Cosmic Sea, Lu Yin had personally witnessed Gu Xiao'er using his smoke to block Zhi Yi's Vitality Qi, which perfectly demonstrated the smoke's defensive power. Smoker had also used this smoke to escape from Leader Hong after a failed assassination attempt. Finally, Gu Xiao'er had just mentioned how the Eversky Bridge used this same smoke, which indicated that all three places had similar origins.

This smoke was simply beyond amazing; just who had created it?

Gu Xiao'er was actually able to stand up to Yun Tingting. He refused to believe that the girl's smoke was actually comparable to the smoke from his Smoke-Eater Peaks. However, Yun Tingting felt the exact same way; to her, it was impossible for someone from the Forsaken Land to have mastered Progenitor Smoke's power.

As far as the two's cultivation was concerned, Yun Tingting was an Enlighter who had qualified to accompany Bai Shaohong to the Dominion Realm. Gu Xiao'er was thus far weaker in terms of cultivation, but the two were competing purely in terms of their control over the smoke.

Lu Yin simply watched as the two bits of white smoke intertwined and fought against each other. It seemed as though they could merge with each other, but that was just Lu Yin's guess.

Before too much time passed, Yun Tingting asked, "Is this all?"

Gu Xiao'er's eyes blazed red; this smoke formed the very foundation of Smoke-Eater Peaks, so seeing that someone else had also mastered it was a terrible blow. "I refuse to believe that your smoke is real! Can your smoke strengthen your body?"

"Alright then, can your smoke form a clone?" Yun Tingting asked in reply.

Gu Xiao'er was stunned. A clone? He had never heard of that possibility before. "Can your smoke hide your aura?"

"Well, can your smoke defend against a secret technique?" Yun Tingting retorted yet again.

Gu Xiao'er felt his heart twitch. "Can your smoke- can your smoke-"

He was suddenly unable to say anything further, which caused Yun Tingting to frown. "Can your smoke allow you to deduce battle techniques?"

Lu Yin's eyes lit up. That was what Eversky Bridge was capable of doing.

Gu Xiao'er took a step back, and he stared blankly at Yun Tingting. In the air, his smoke suddenly and completely disappeared; it had been absorbed by Yun Tingting's smoke. Gu Xiao'er had not been able to control his own smoke. This was a matter of absolute suppression.

Yun Tingting withdrew her hand. The white smoke disappeared, and she turned to face Gu Xiao'er. "It seems that you've only received a portion of Progenitor Smoke's inheritance. My Smoke Cloud Sect is indeed the true inheritor."

Gu Xiao'er was lost. "The Smoke Cloud Sect?"

Yun Tingting looked over at Lu Yin. "How much does your Forsaken Land know about my Perennial World?"

"Barely," Lu Yin replied.

Yun Tingting shook her head. "Unfortunately, while Progenitor Smoke's battle techniques are truly miraculous, the Progenitor did not leave much behind. Legends claim that the Progenitor was able to traverse through the true universe as an Envoy and that he could create clones of himself. He was supposed to be able to use smoke to form various objects. Regardless, neither your Forsaken Land nor my Perennial World have much of the Progenitor's inheritance. No secret techniques have even been found. Since this person can indeed use the white smoke, I thought that he might have something new. Unfortunately, he only knows the basics of my Smoke Cloud Sect."

Gu Xiao'er stared at Yun Tingting. "Are you saying that my Smoke-Eater Peak's foundational power is just your sect's basics?"

"Do you doubt me?" Yun Tingting casually asked. She was not speaking derisively, and she ignored Gu Xiao'er. It was similar to how she would treat an outer disciple of the Smokecloud Sect.

Gu Xiao'er felt extremely suppressed. This had been going on all day! While he had dared to speak back to Elder Yao Shan, what could he possibly say to this woman? She had already slapped down all his best efforts.

This was the day that all of Gu Xiao'er's self-esteem was trampled upon.

Lu Yin was rather amused by the whole matter, and he left Zenith Mountain along with Gu Xiao'er.

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Yun Tingting immediately tried to stop them, but she could do nothing to Lu Yin.

Once the two were back in the Cosmic Sect, Gu Xiao'er was feeling rather dejected. He felt as though his life had been deprived of all meaning.

"My Smoke-Eater Peaks stands in the Neoverse, maintaining its status with our white smoke that everyone needs. The Cosmic Sect, the Hall of Honor, even the Seven Courts! Everyone wants our white smoke, as it can be used as a valuable protective treasure. And yet, despite all of that, we're nothing but a failure. It turns out that we've been sitting at the bottom of the well, thinking that we can see the entire sky," Gu Xiao'er muttered.

Lu Yin spoke up, "That woman isn't from our Fifth Mainland. She's from that place that I told you about."

Gu Xiao'er lifted his head. "The place where they abandoned you?"

Lu Yin pursed his lips. "They hate me, and she is also an enemy."

Gu Xiao'er dropped his head again. "So what?"

"Learn her secrets. We'll strengthen ourselves, and then one day, we'll be able to surpass them! The whole reason why she was willing to spar with you was to see if Progenitor Smoke left behind an inheritance that the Smokecloud Sect does not possess. In that case, why can't you learn what she knows? It's clear that her sect has an inheritance that your Smoke-Eater Peaks doesn't," Lu Yin suggested as he stared off into the distance.

Gu Xiao'er considered the suggestion for a bit, and then he smacked his thigh. "That's right!"

He looked at Lu Yin with evident excitement. "Bro, let your buddy here take that woman! I want to interrogate her."

Lu Yin laughed. "It's time for me to meet your father, as the leader of the Great Eastern Alliance."

Gu Xiao'er was not stupid. He understood that there was a purpose behind Lu Yin taking him to see Yun Tingting and then making such a suggestion. He understood the universe that they lived in. Besides, he was not that close of a friend with Lu Yin.

A gadget made a quiet sound, and soon, Gu Xiao'er connected to his father, the master of Smoke-Eater Peaks: Gu Laogui.

"You little bastard, did you get the Cosmic Art?" The older man's voice sounded rough, as though he had been a heavy smoker for years. It was not a pleasant sound, and it was reminiscent of grinding metal. All in all, it left people feeling very uncomfortable.

"I got it." Gu Xiao'er scratched an ear.

"If you have it, then get right back here! You better not lose it again! If you do, your old man will sell you to Azure Mansion!" Gu Laogui shouted. Lu Yin could only hear the audio from the call.

Gu Xiao'er sighed. "Dad, we're in trouble."

The older man was stunned. "What's the problem?"

"Dad, everything we know might be wrong,"1 Gu Xiao'er slowly said, but his words were enough to make his father resist the urge to leap through the display and kill his own child.

"You little bastard! You dare to mock your own father? You must be looking for a beating, just you wait…"

At this moment, Lu Yin walked over next to Gu Xiao'er's and looked at the gadget's display, where he saw a heavy-set man on the other end of the call. "Senior Gu, this is our first time meeting. I am the leader of the Great Eastern Alliance, Lu Yin."

Gu Laogui had certainly not expected Lu Yin to suddenly appear, and he was greatly surprised to see the youth. The older man's expression quickly changed, and it was as though he was an entirely different person. "So it's Alliance Leader Lu. Haven't you been missing? Why are you with my son?"

Lu Yin smiled. "It was merely a coincidence. This junior is also in the Cosmic Sect right now."

Gu Laogui stared at Lu Yin for a moment. "That's quite the coincidence."

He did not dare to underestimate Lu Yin in the least. His information sources all stated that the young man was brave, resourceful, and also highly ambitious. He had a strong foundation as he was supported by multiple powers that could not be looked down upon. No matter what happened, there would be people who would step forward to protect this child. Most importantly, he seemed to have some sort of relationship with the Interstellar Supreme Court's Chief Justice and even Semi-Progenitor Zen.

It was impossible to know what this youth wanted.

Despite his youth, he had already explored Progenitor Chen's Mausoleum, survived many catastrophes, and even started a war with an Innerverse power. Although young, Lu Yin was not an easy person to deal with.

[1] The original translates to "Our three views might be subverted." Explanation note from OMA:

The three views of the Chinese are how you view the world, philosophy in life, and your values. Basically, it's the way you see the world or life and how you value things. ☜