Star Odyssey

Chapter 1919: Nearly Perfect, But Still One Flaw

Lu Yin had once witnessed many of Progenitor Chen's memories. Of them, the one that stood out the most was one where Progenitor Chen was staring out at a sea of flowers in a daze. That place held a strong resemblance to this pocket dimension. Could it be?

"Seventh Bro, do you want to look around?" Qian Zou asked. He had no idea what the origins of his Inverse Step was, so naturally, he was also clueless as to who this pocket dimension used to belong to.

Lu Yin took Qian Zou and the little old man out of the pocket space and back to the asteroid, and then returned there on his own. He completely released his domain as he indeed wanted to search through the entire place.

The range of Lu Yin's domain had increased dramatically with his newly increased strength, and he quickly swept through the entire pocket dimension. In the end, the riverbed drew his attention, as he had found something there.

The water in the river was cool as Lu Yin descended to the bottom. Once there, he squatted down and blew out, removing the sediment covering the riverbed and revealing ancient footprints. They were so old that they had fossilized. Could they be Progenitor Chen's footprints?

There was more than just a single footprint, but they seemed rather chaotic. Still, there was some hidden order that could be observed. Could it be…?

A possibility occurred to Lu Yin, and he tentatively stepped out and followed the footprints. Each step forward merged with another footprint, but there was no reaction. There were more than ten footprints, and when the possibility that they might need to be taken while walking backwards was also taken into account, then there were numerous possible paths to take.

After testing out just a few options, Lu Yin gave up. He had no idea how long it would take to test out every single option, and he had Qian Zou. So, Lu Yin went out to fetch the young man. Qian Zou was completely confused as to what was happening.

"Look at these footprints. Is this Inverse Step?" Lu Yin asked as he pointed at the footprints embedded on the riverbed.

Qian Zou blinked and began to study the footprints. Finally, he nodded. "Yes, that's it."

"Show me the correct order to take," Lu Yin said.

Qian Zou carefully observed the footprints before marking out the proper path for Lu Yin. After that, Qian Zou commented, "Seventh Bro, even though this is the proper path to take when using Inverse Step, comprehending the technique is more important than the order of the steps. Otherwise, you could have learned it by simply looking at it. Still, the initial mastery can only be gained by using that path. Are you still going to try to learn Inverse Step?"

"Cut the crap," Lu Yin replied.

Qian Zou pursed his lips as he stared at the footprints on the bottom of the river. He wondered just how long Lu Yin would need to learn this movement technique.

Qian Zou had managed to almost instantly learn the technique as he had obtained it from a jade slip that he had picked up in that auction house. However, he felt like he had only comprehended the first bit of the first level of Inverse Step. The movement technique certainly increased Qian Zou's speed substantially, but he still felt like he was missing the essence of the technique. Was Lu Yin going to stay here to study Inverse Step? Did that mean that Qian Zou would have to wait in this asteroid field for a long time?

"Seventh Bro, can I go now? You've found the place and even the method to start learning Inverse Step," Qian Zou hesitantly asked.

Lu Yin took Qian Zou back out to the asteroid. "Just wait here a bit longer."

With that, Lu Yin returned to the pocket dimension.

He had no worries that Qian Zou would try to leave. The man lacked the necessary courage.

Sure enough, Qian Zou did not dare to disobey Lu Yin's orders. Even though Qian Zou was constantly being chased, that was simply because of who was chasing after him. The thought of being pursued by Lu Yin made Qian Zou's scalp tingle. That would be no different than having the entire Fifth Mainland after him.

Lu Yin returned to the river, and he began following the footprints in the order that Qian Zou had marked out. Lu Yin was not walking forward, but rather backwards. He was learning Inverse Step, so clearly, he needed to move backwards and step back through wherever he wished to go.

After completing the path, there was a momentary disturbance in the air around Lu Yin. Although it was incredibly subtle, it encouraged him to continue practicing.

The reaction increased Lu Yin's excitement. He had been missing a movement technique in combat, and Inverse Step could not have fit his needs more perfectly. This was a technique that Progenitor Chen had dedicated a single clone to mastering.

A few days later, Lu Yin had become very proficient in following the steps. All that he was missing now was the necessary understanding of the technique. If he kept training in this fashion, he should be able to slowly comprehend the technique from what he had observed in Qian Zou's movements. While Qian Zou had gained his comprehension from the jade slip, Lu Yin could only improve his understanding in a slower, more thorough exploration of the movement technique.

This would take a great deal of time.

Lu Yin exited the pocket dimension, stepped back onto the asteroid, and was greeted by Qian Zou's expectant gaze. "You can leave."

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Qian Zou was thrilled. "Thank you, Seventh Bro!"

"Take him with you. Don't let him say anything stupid," Lu Yin ordered, indicating towards the little old man.

The old man quickly spoke up. "My lord, this lowly one would never dare to say a thing. After all these years, if my lord had not brought this matter up to me, I would have already forgotten all about it. Huh? Where am I? What am I doing here? Who are you!"

Lu Yin arched a brow. This man was quite sharp.

Qian Zou led the old man away while warning the old man that if he did not wish to die, he had to keep his mouth shut. The universe was a very cruel place.

"If you don't want him to talk, I can take care of that," the Second Nightking offered. He had always been present, merely keeping himself hidden the entire time.

"That's not necessary." Lu Yin was not a murderer.

As Lu Yin rejected the Second Nightking's suggestion, a display appeared with a bit of text on it. "What does this say?"

The Second Nightking was someone from the era of Daosource Sect, so he should be able to read the ancient characters.

The old man was surprised by what he observed in the image. "Ancient characters?"

"Are these not from your era?" Lu Yin was puzzled.

The Second Nightking shook his head. "No, this manner of writing far outdates me and my era. I'll need to study this for a moment."

Lu Yin nodded and waited quietly.

Even though the Daynight clan had been slaves of the Celestial Frost Sect's Bai family, the Daynight clan still boasted a long history, and they had also managed to acquire a portion of the Bai family's inheritance. Despite that, the Second Nightking was able to unravel the meaning of the ancient text.

"Even if the heavens and the earth are destroyed, even if the infamy is left forever, I only want to wait for you after the rain ends," the Second Nightking slowly read out, "This is what the text says."

Wait for you after the rain ends? Was it really that simple? Who had Progenitor Chen been waiting for? Did it refer to the white flowers? Lu Yin suddenly thought of Forgotten Ruins God and of how she had Progenitor Chen's emblem upon her face. Could this be referring to her?

That was not very likely. Forgotten Ruins God was much, much older than even Progenitor Chen.

"It's a love poem," the Second Nightking commented.

Lu Yin was taken aback for a moment, but then he remembered that Ku Wei had mentioned stumbling across some writings when he had been alone in Progenitor Chen's Mausoleum. Although they had doubts back then, it was evident that those writings were nothing more than love poems.

Lu Yin soon returned to the pocket dimension and revisited the riverbed. He saw no reason to get caught up in Progenitor Chen's personal affairs. Any one of those matters would be ancient, and Lu Yin needed to focus on practicing Inverse Step.

Cultivating was a terribly time-consuming endeavor, but that was exactly what Lu Yin feared the least. He lifted a hand and brought out his die. After he tapped it, it slowly stopped on four pips. His luck was incredible this time.

His die innate gift was truly miraculous, and Timestop had provided Lu Yin with a means of cultivating at a freakish speed. Even without the Timestop Space, Lu Yin's cultivation speed was abnormal, and with it, he defied all understanding. But the only shortcoming was that he was able to absorb neither star energy nor stellular energy. Otherwise he could cultivate in the space for as long as he liked.

Feeling a little regretful regarding this flaw, Lu Yin started training Inverse Step.

…

Elsewhere in the Neoverse, just outside of Mt. Microcosms, a strong wind blew as a cniu rushed by. As it passed through, yellow sand hid its passage.

There was a figure within the powerful wind before the cniu, and the beast slowed to a stop, crushing the ground with each step.

"My lord, I brought him," an old woman spoke from atop the cniu's back.

The figure leaped onto the cniu and gazed upon a boy who was also there. When the figure lifted their head, they revealed themselves to be Nan Yuan.

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"Child, what's your name?" Nan Yuan asked softly.

The boy warily looked at Nan Yuan. "Bo."

"Bo? That's a very good name. Who else is in your family?" Nan Yuan continued asking questions.

Bo dropped his head. He was not sure how to answer this question.

Nan Yuan squatted down and smiled at Bo. "What's your connection to old man San Shang?"

Bo's eyes moved over to Nan Yuan, and the boy gathered his courage. "He is my grandfather."

Nan Yuan was caught off guard. "Your grandfather? Then why aren't you living with him?"

Bo's eyes flushed red when he heard this question. "Because of him! That person named Lu Yin! He captured me in order to control Grandpa!"

"How do you know this?" Nan Yuan pressed.

Bo replied, "He didn't even try to hide it! He threatened Grandpa right in front of me!"

Nan Yuan smiled as he looked at the vicious glint in Bo's eyes. The old man was quite satisfied with what he was hearing. "In that case, do you want to see your grandpa?"

Bo leaned closer to Nan Yuan. "Can you take me to him?"

"Of course, child. You're the grandson of one of the Hall of Honor's overseers who's one of the most respected people in the entire universe. How can you remain separated from him and allow him to be controlled by others? Don't worry, I will help you." Nan Yuan was growing increasingly excited.

The old woman stood nearby, and a smile spread across her face as heard Nan Yuan's words.

A short while later, the cniu continued on towards Mt. Microcosms.

The sand drifting about in the sky grew still, and Mt. Microcosms became clear on the horizon. Bo's eyes lit up as he recognized this sight. It was Mt. Microcosms, his birthplace and where he had grown up. It was also where he had been captured, and it was about to be where he reunited with his grandpa.

Nan Yuan sat atop the cniu, his back to Bo. There was a complacent expression on the old man's face. With Bo in hand, old man San Shang would completely be in Nan Yuan's pocket. Even though this was not comparable to Lu Yin's influence among the overseers, it would still be incredibly useful in critical moments. After all, San Shang was an overseer.

Nan Yuan felt incredibly lucky that his people had accidentally discovered this child and secretly brought him to Nan Yuan. Lu Yin's carelessness would cost him dearly.

…

In the Perennial World's Higher Realm, there was a mountain valley that was shaped like it had been formed by a massive hand. At this moment, it was densely packed with cultivators. They numbered at least a million, and more cultivators were on their way.

"Brother Rong, are you here too?" A person racing through a forest called out in a tone of surprise to someone nearby.

The second figure stopped. They were a young man, and he looked towards the person who had called out to him as joy quickly covered his face. "Brother Wei?"

"Haha, Brother Rong, I knew that you'd come, but I didn't expect to meet you so quickly!" Brother Wei answered excitedly.

"Of course! How could I fail to show up for something like eliminating the last bastard of the Lu family? Long ago, one of my Rong family's most talented ancestors was anointed as a Champion by someone from the Lu family, which humiliated my Rong family. I must avenge that humiliation!" Brother Rong gritted his teeth as he spoke.

Brother Wei sighed. "It's true, the Lu family offended too many people. The four ruling powers took advantage of the White Dragon Rolls Over to exile the Lu family, but no one expected that bastard Lu Xiaoxuan to still be alive. He even managed to stir up the entire universe! He has to be chopped into a thousand pieces in order to appease our ancestors."

"The Lu family has committed too many sins. Of the millions of cultivators in this valley, who doesn't hate the Lu family? Who doesn't want to personally kill Lu Xiaoxuan?" Brother Rong asked excitedly.

As the two spoke, Brother Rong was dazed by someone stepping on his head. They forced half of his body into the ground, and he was unable to react at all.

Only the word "Sorry" was shouted behind, as the culprit was already long gone.

Brother Rong was left stunned, and his eyes had glazed over. It took him a bit to recover. "Wei- Brother Wei, what just happened?"

Brother Wei's cheek twitched. "Um… someone just stepped on you."