Star Odyssey

Chapter 1924: Peacewater Planet

"If you were the one to decide the fate of the Sixth Mainland, what would you do?" Arch-Elder Zen asked with his back to Lu Yin. The man was staring out at the endless sea of white.

Lu Yin grew puzzled. "This junior doesn't understand."

Arch-Elder Zen returned to himself. Stones suddenly rose up from the ground to form a go board. "Can you play Go?"

"I'm not very good at it," Lu Yin replied. "There's no way that I can compare to you, Senior."

Arch-Elder Zen casually sat down on the ground, cross-legged. He had no sense of dignity as he sat there and pulled out the game pieces and set them on the board. "Then we'll just play casually."

Lu Yin also sat down on the ground cross-legged.

"Long ago, Progenitor Hui made predictions that spanned eons that led to the Sixth Mainland being destroyed by the Aeternals. However, even his perfect calculation had certain flaws. To be more precise, there were certain mistakes and a few details that were missed. Right now, there is a passage in the Starfall Sea that connects my Fifth Mainland to the Sixth Mainland. Their three Progenitors threatened us, and we were forced to hand over possession of our Outerverse. Even thinking about it now, I don't see any alternatives. However, if it had been up to you, what would you have done?" Arch-Elder Zen asked.

In a game of Go, just a few simple moves could allow one to make a decision. Lu Yin was far from being a master of the game, but he was still a cultivator, and it was normal for them to run thousands of mental calculations in a moment. So, playing such strategy games were normally pointless to those who had reached Lu Yin's level of strength. After all, winning was not only determined by one's skills, but also on their mental calculations.

"If it were up to this junior, I would have moved to give the Sixth Mainland control of the Technocracy," Lu Yin replied. This was a matter that he had considered in the past. After all, he had long seen the Outerverse as his own territory, and he had never once abandoned his desire to drive the Sixth Mainland away.

Given that Lu Yin wanted the Sixth Mainland to leave the Outerverse, the Technocracy was naturally his first choice for their destination. In fact, there was not even really a choice in the matter as the Astral Beast Domain was too far away from the Outerverse.

Arch-Elder Zen was not surprised by Lu Yin's response. After all, there were few choices available in the Fifth Mainland. "The Technocracy would not be willing to allow the Sixth Mainland entry, so why should we try to push them there?"

"The Sixth Mainland originally had three Progenitors, so forget about them wanting to take over the Outerverse—they could have easily taken the Outerverse, Innerverse, and even the Cosmic Sea. In that case, why did they agree to only occupy the Outerverse? They must have some hesitation towards us, and since that's the case, it gives us some leeway. The Technocracy and my Human Domain have been at war for many years, and this junior is aware that even Semi-Progenitors are hesitant to enter the Technocracy. Even if all the Sixth Mainland's Semi-Progenitors worked together, they likely wouldn't be able to occupy the entire Technocracy. However, they most likely could have taken control of half of it, which would have been enough," Lu Yin said. He kept his eyes on the game board as he spoke, and he continued to play the game.

"You've witnessed the Technocracy's strength for yourself, and you should know that even if all seven of my Human Domain's Semi-Progenitors had worked together, there would be nothing that we could do against the Technocracy," Arch-Elder Zen admitted with a shrug.

Lu Yin finally looked up at the old man. "Doesn't the Sixth Mainland have three Progenitors?"

Arch-Elder Zen's hand froze as he was about to place a stone, and he glanced up at Lu Yin in shock. "You would try to use even them?"

Lu Yin gave a small smile. "Success is determined by those who can keep calm and those who are more confident."

"That's a risk that we could not afford to take," the old man retorted.

Lu Yin nodded. "Why ask this question to me, Senior?"

Arch-Elder Zen sighed. "It's better to leave the risk-taking to young people after you get old."

Lu Yin grew serious. "It's important to act cautiously when trying to protect humanity. Senior made the best decision."

Arch-Elder Zen stared at the board. It was already covered with pieces, though a winner had not been decided yet. "Right now, the Fifth Mainland is in a similar state as our game here. Things look stable, but in reality, there are too many hidden dangers. The more stable things seem, the more important it is to keep such dangers hidden."

Lu Yin still could not understand Arch-Elder Zen's motivation for this particular conversation. "Senior, do you want this junior to uncover these dangers?"

Arch-Elder Zen shook his head. "We can only patiently wait. Of the Seven Skygods, Whiteless God is still out there, hidden in the Human Domain with the strength of a Semi-Progenitor. We have no idea who or where she might be. All we know is that she has strange abilities and that she can attack us from unpredictable directions, such as the Astral Beast Domain's invasion of the Outerverse."

Lu Yin's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Does that mean that Qiu Xu from the Sixth Mainland is a traitor to humanity?"

Arch-Elder Zen replied, "That is how Whiteless God works, though she has more than just one method. Lu Yin, as you are now, you qualify to be let in on most of my Human Domain's secrets. Thus, I can tell you that there is a certain danger facing us right now. You just went to visit the Lockbreakers World. Xiu Ming and the other Advanced Lockbreakers all went to the same place. That place was supposed to be secure, but Whiteless God targeted that place as well. If that place is destroyed, the consequences will be catastrophic."

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"Xiu Ming's presence there can keep things stable for the time being, but it might be necessary for you to contribute your strength to the cause as well. After all, you are also a Lockbreaker."

"Where is this place?" Lu Yin asked.

Arch-Elder Zen fell into silent contemplation for a moment. "That's not something that I can explain to you clearly. You will only understand after you see it for yourself."

"And it's probably too late for this junior to see it," Lu Yin guessed.

Arch-Elder Zen shrugged. "I am a guardian, but that does not make me humanity's guiding light. Continue to work hard. The Perennial World is also a part of my Fifth Mainland, and you may be the one to show humanity the path forward in the future."

Lu Yin could hear the bitterness and helplessness in the old man's voice. Although Arch-Elder Zen had protected the Human Domain for countless years, he had become more and more lost as time passed. The old man no longer knew whether or not he was making the proper decisions. Lu Yin had not seen an opportunity or even thought about making a different decision when he had taken over the defense of the Outerverse against the astral beasts by waging what was seen as an impossible war. However, in the end, not only had he protected the humans living in the Outerverse, but he had also regained control of the Outerverse's eastern weaves by wresting them away from the Sixth Mainland.

This was something that Arch-Elder Zen had considered impossible before Lu Yin accomplished it.

Lu Yin had established the Great Eastern Alliance, taken complete control of the overseers' council, defeated the Astral Beast Domain, and even forced the Sixth Mainland to take a step back. All of these accomplishments had left Arch-Elder Zen doubting his own decisions.

There was no denying the fact that the old man was qualified to be humanity's guardian and protector, but that did not equate to him being able to lead humanity forward into the future.

This was the old man's real motivation for speaking to Lu Yin; he wanted to understand the difference between the two of them.

He had since learned that there was a big difference.

It was impossible to know who was right and who was wrong, as only time would reveal the truth.

Lu Yin had voluntarily stepped out to take over the defense against the astral beasts' invasion in order to protect the ordinary residents of the Outerverse. This decision had led Arch-Elder Zen to completely change his understanding of the youth, and the old man was no longer fixated on the matter of Lu Yin's identity as Lu Xiaoxuan. While Lu Yin's victory in the war would never be enough for Arch-Elder Zne to fully support Lu Yin, the Semi-Progenitor was willing to wait and watch Lu Yin for a time.

But what Lu Yin lacked the most was time. As long as the youth was given enough time, he would be able to pull the entire Human Domain under his Lu surname.

"Aside from wanting to chat with you for a bit, there's another matter that I wanted to address with you: Aeternus Nation. I've found it," Arch-Elder Zen declared as he placed his stone down with a loud click.

Lu Yin was taken aback. "Aeternus Nation? The one hidden here in the Neoverse?"

Arch-Elder Zen nodded with a small smile. "Interested?"

Lu Yin became very excited. "Where is it?"

"Go see Qing Ping. He'll lead you to the place so that it can be destroyed. There's death energy in Aeternus Nation, so it makes sense for you to go there," Arch-Elder Zen replied.

Lu Yin nodded. "This junior will take his leave."

After watching Lu Yin leave, Arch-Elder Zen looked back at the board. It was covered with stones, but what would the child have done with his next move?

…

Lu Yin soon arrived at the entrance to the Arbitration World, where he ran into Da Qiu.

"Alliance Leader Lu? Why are you here?" Da Qiu asked.

"Where is the Chief Justice?" Lu Yin asked.

Da Qiu pointed into the hidden world. Lu Yin thanked the man and then entered the Arbitration World.

The Chief Justice always seemed to be shrouded within an impenetrable darkness. When Lu Yin arrived, he found not only the Chief Justice, but also Judicial Commissioner Shadow of Death as well as five Envoys.

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Lu Yin had no idea how many Envoys belonged to the Hall of Honor, but he was certain that there were more than ten, especially if he included the Envoy-strength androids.

The Hall of Honor had also sent some of those powerful androids to support the Great Eastern Alliance during their war against the Astral Beast Domain in the Outerverse.

Given the Hall of Honor's unfathomable background and power, Lu Yin fully believed that they were capable of churning out numerous androids at the Envoy level as long as they were provided with sufficient raw materials.

"Everyone, let's go," the Chief Justice said softly, but Lu Yin was given no opportunity to speak to the man alone before they were all led out of the hidden world and away from Mt. Microcosms. In the blink of an eye, the entire group was gone and headed towards the southern region of the Neoverse.

Lu Yin was not the only one who had been taken along, as the Chief Justice had even dragged the Second Nightking with them.

Fear overcame the Second Nightking when he looked at the Chief Justice. He would never be able to forget being judged. Even though the Chief Justice was not a Semi-Progenitor, he was strong enough to fight against such powerhouses. The Second Nightking had witnessed that for himself in Venom Flowzone.

"You are coming with us." The Chief Justice's statement left no opening for a refusal.

The Second Nightking was confused as to what was happening, so Lu Yin quickly filled the man in on some things. The old man was genuinely surprised. "Aeternus Nation actually exists?"

Lu Yin nodded. "You're not familiar with it?"

The Second Nightking shook his head. "The Neohuman Alliance only popped up after the Daosource Sect's era. By that time, the Celestial Frost Sect had already left the Fifth Mainland, and the Mother Tree had also been taken away. That was also when I started staying in that pocket dimension to cultivate.

"However, I previously heard that the Aeternals wished to establish a kingdom where they can coexist with humans, and the place was referred to as Aeternus Kingdom. I never thought that they would have already succeeded with that project."

Lu Yin's eyes grew incredibly cold. "That evil place needs to be destroyed!"

The Neoverse's southern region was where the Seven Courts were located, and it was also considered the most chaotic region in the entire Neoverse. This was also where Aeternus Nation had been found.

The Neohuman Alliance's Aeternus Nation was the filthiest, cruelest, and darkest place that Lu Yin could ever imagine. The entire place had a facade of happiness and sunshine, but it was all a ploy to hide inhumane atrocities. The humans living in that place had long since given in to despair. Lu Yin still struggled to believe that such a place actually existed.

The most terrible fate was not death itself, but rather to long for death without being able to touch it.

There were many humans who had been captured and sent to Aeternus Nation. However, they were not transformed, but rather forced to live alongside corpse kings. There, they would be eaten alive by the corpse kings and forced to linger on as creatures much like ghosts.

The southern region of the Neoverse was massive, and the Seven Courts merely occupied the northernmost portion of the region. The Chief Justice led everyone to the eastern reaches of the region, almost to the border with the Neoverse's eastern region.

In this area, there only seemed to be a perfectly average-looking planet in front of the group. This planet was known as Peacewater Planet. There were spacecraft taking off and landing, as well as cultivators occasionally appearing in outer space above the planet. No matter how one looked at it, there was nothing special about this planet.

"Let's go," softly said Judicial Commissioner Shadow of Death as he then led the five Envoys down onto the planet. After landing, they all scattered and went in various directions.

"Senior Brother, Aeternus Nation is in a parallel universe that's focused on this planet, right?" Lu Yin asked.

Behind him, the Second Nightking was left in a daze. Senior Brother?

"Pretty much," the Chief Justice casually replied.

The Second Nightking remained stunned. Senior Brother?

He stared at Lu Yin in astonishment. Was the Chief Justice of the Hall of Honor's Interstellar Supreme Court actually Lu Yin's senior brother? Hell, it's no wonder why he kicked my ass so badly back then, and it's also no surprise why he didn't even react when I was exposed. He's actually his senior brother! This kid's background is too freakish.

Lu Yin paid no attention to the Second Nightking's reaction to this new revelation. Regardless of Lu Yin's relationship with the Chief Justice, there was nothing that the Second Nightking could do to Lu Yin.

"Are we not going in yet?" Lu Yin was surprised.

"Just wait."

"What are we waiting for?" Lu Yin was puzzled.

"We can't get in on our own. Aeternus Nation is in a parallel universe, and we haven't been able to determine the exact coordinate. Without that information, it's difficult to pinpoint Aeternus Nation."