Star Odyssey

“You shouldn’t look down on Earth. This planet has managed to draw in a fair number of weirdos and strange phenomena. I’ve actually been hesitating over whether or not I should ask you to deal with these things. I don’t have any confidence in my ability to deal with that one man, and I also don’t want to try to talk to this Hidden Earth Society or those people from unknown places either.” Zhou Shan massaged his temples. These were all matters that had been giving him headaches for quite a while.

Lu Yin asked, “Where is that man?”

“He’s called Yu Xiaohai. I haven’t been actively keeping track of his location, as I just receive passive updates from the surveillance system,” Zhou Shan replied as he handed Lu Yin a map. “This is everywhere he’s been. He’s visited almost every corner of Earth, including seabeds and subterranean areas.”

Lu Yin studied the map. Earth was quite small to cultivators, who could easily circle it. Regardless of whether this person was Undying Yushan himself or just a puppet, this trail showed that he had gone around Earth several times. He was clearly looking for something.

What could Earth possibly hold that was worthy of such a thorough search?

With the recent crisis of Aeternus’ invasion, Lu Yin had long since dismissed any thoughts regarding Undying Yushan to the back of his mind. He had never expected to see him on Earth.

“What’s the plan?” Zhou Shan asked.

Lu Yin rubbed his head. Even if this person was Undying Yushan himself, Lu Yin was pretty confident that he could handle the man, especially since there were two Semi-Progenitors accompanying Lu Yin. However, if this person was nothing more than a puppet, there was not much point in spending such effort.

Regardless, Lu Yin was quite curious about just what Undying Yushan was so committed to finding on Earth.

“You don’t need to worry about him. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing,” Lu Yin replied.

Zhou Shan felt conflicted. “I’ve actually lost count of the number of people he’s taken control of with that orb of light that he has. I’ve sent some specialists to check the places he’s visited, and the reports say that the people living in those areas have started to exhibit abnormal behavior. After night falls, they seem to lose control of themselves, and they walk out of their homes. If this continues…”

Lu Yin interrupted the man with a raised hand. “Relax. I know what he’s using to control those people. This isn’t a problem. Everything will be fine after I settle things with him in person.”

After hearing Lu Yin’s reassurance, Zhou Shan no longer pushed the matter.

“You mentioned that there might be some people from the Neohuman Alliance on Earth. Are there any particular suspects?” Lu Yin asked.

Zhou Shan replied, “It’s just a guess. Even if it’s true, they aren’t corpse kings, as those are too easy to spot.”

Lu Yin felt a dull ache in his chest. No matter if it was the Fifth Mainland or the Perennial World, there would always be people who chose to turn to Aeternus. As long as one was human, they would have desires. Humans were smart, but the more intelligent the person was, the greater their desires. It was simply the law of nature.

Lu Yin actually had no idea if any of the people he had brought with him were spies for Aeternus. In order to prevent his plans from leaking, Lu Yin had not told a single soul that he had been the one carrying the Sky Pillar. However, because of that, he also had not been able to uncover any traitors, though it was also possible that any such traitors were simply too well hidden.

Only by completely eradicating Aeternus from the universe could humanity be saved. If that day eventually came, the humans who had secretly defected to Aeternus would lose their reason to betray humanity, and they would then live out the rest of their lives as their public identity.

Lu Yin stopped his thoughts from continuing to wander, and he chuckled bitterly to himself. Completely eradicating Aeternus was nothing more than a fantasy right now. At this moment, even survival could not be guaranteed.

After that, Lu Yin remained on Earth for a bit while preparing to escape through Jupiter once Aeternus forced him into a corner.

The Great Eastern Alliance began constructing defenses in the solar system.

Half a month later, Lu Yin stood in outer space, staring straight ahead. Ni Huang and the rest of the Perennial World’s army had arrived and were just outside the solar system.

At this moment, the Perennial World’s forces had been reduced to about half of what they had sent to the Forsaken Land. They had lost more than half of their Envoys, and they looked rather miserable. Also within their numbers could be seen the Second Nightking, standing behind Bai Laogui.

“Why are you all here?” Lu Yin asked as he stared at the Second Nightking.

Wang Si sneered. “We’re following you, of course. We just found out that you entered the Perennial World in a different way than any of the other trespassers.”

Lu Yin frowned deeply, and his eyes grew cold as he continued to stare at the Second Nightking. “Did they find out about this from you?”

Bai Laogui glared at Lu Yin. “Everyone will do whatever it takes to survive a crisis. Tell us how to get there, Lu bastard. This Forsaken Land is already lost, and it will soon be added to Aeternus’s territory. I’m sure that you have no intention of becoming a corpse king.”

Lu Yin nodded. “Fine, I’ll tell you.”

He pointed at Jupiter. “Go straight into that planet, and you’ll get to the Perennial World.”

Ni Huang and the others looked at Jupiter with a good bit of skepticism. The fact that Lu Yin had answered so readily made them question his explanation.

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“You little bastard, are you trying to pull a fast one on us?” Wang Si had a dark expression.

Lu Yin shrugged. “I can’t do anything about it if you don’t believe me. Regardless, I’ve answered you.”

Bai Laogui picked up a random cultivator and threw the man towards Jupiter to scout a path for them.

After reaching a certain distance from Jupiter, the cultivator, who was a Cruiser, found himself unable to move any further forward. He could not enter the planet.

Lu Yin had initially run into a similar problem, as he had also been unable to enter Jupiter. There was a defensive barrier surrounding the planet, and it could even prevent Enlighters from entering.

The man tried to move forward several times, but he failed. He eventually returned in defeat.

Ni Huang turned back to look at Lu Yin. “Are you unwilling to let us go?”

Lu Yin pursed his lips. “Whether or not you believe me, that’s how I got to the Perennial World. However, most people aren’t able to get in. Oh, right. I should remind you that you shouldn’t try forcing your way through, as you’ll never be able to get back if you destroy that planet.”

“You little bastard, you can’t bluff us this time! Do you want to stay here?” Wang Si coldly snorted.

Lu Yin shot Wang Si an annoyed glance. “You old bitch, one day I’ll break every last tooth in your mouth.”

Wang Si immediately moved to attack. In response, Kui Luo moved to protect Lu Yin from the front, and Highsage Grandmaster also emerged from the void. In the distance, Ancestor Tortoise raised its head.

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Ni Huang grabbed Wang Si’s arm. “Stop now. This isn’t the time for infighting.”

Wang Si’s rage had already reached the peak, and she glared daggers at Lu Yin. “I’ll break every bone in your body and grind your body to ash! After that, I’ll throw you into the Crimson Garden where you’ll learn what it means to be tortured in an infinite cycle of death!”

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. Crimson Garden was a place of unspeakable horrors. Those who were imprisoned in that place were definitely from the Lu family. “Hag, I’ll let you feel what it’s like to be cut into ten thousand pieces…”

“That’s enough! There’s no need for this argument,” Ni Huang interrupted Lu Yin, “I won’t deny that hatred runs deep between us. We will definitely eliminate you, should the chance arise, and you probably already have plans in place to undermine us. It’s impossible for us to coexist in harmony. Since that’s the case, then why not just tell us how to leave this Forsaken Land? Or, you can leave first. This is the best course of action for both of us.”

Lu Yin replied, “As I’ve just said, it’s that planet right there. It’s not my fault that you don’t trust me.”

Ni Huang struggled to reign in his anger. Given his temper, he would have slapped this brat dead long ago if not for the Master Brain’s mental network or Aeternus’s threat. Even during the glory days of the Lu family, Ni Huang had possessed enough status and authority to discipline the family’s direct descendants.

“Is that planet truly the path that you took?” Xia De had no choice but to try to smooth things over. Of the four Semi-Progenitors, he was the only one who was able to hold a civil conversation with Lu Yin. While the Xia Family was also one of the four ruling powers, Lu Yin's relationship with Xia Taili was not that bad, and Xia De himself did not hold much animosity towards Lu Yin, which was completely different from Wang Si and Bai Laogui.

Lu Yin cleared his throat. “I’ll say this one last time: yes, that’s the path. If you want to use it, then keep yourselves in check. We’ll all be stranded here waiting for our death if that planet is destroyed.”

They would eventually discover Jupiter’s abnormalities, so he had decided to just tell them right away. It would also be best if he could prevent them from using excessive force.

“So are you not leaving?” Wang Si asked sarcastically.

Lu Yin’s mouth curled into a smile. “Since when has the Lu family feared death?”

For a moment, Wang Si and the others did not know how to respond. It was true that the members of the Lu Family were fearless, but something sounded off about Lu Yin’s words.

Kui Luo rolled his eyes. Being unafraid of death had nothing to do with their current situation. The kid was getting better and better at spouting bullshit.

Ni Huang shook his head. “If you truly didn’t fear death, then why did you escape from Dragon Mountain back then?”

Lu Yin looked over at Ni Huang. “You’re all braindead.”

Ni Huang’s expression tightened. “Child, the only reason why we’re holding ourselves back from using force right now is Aeternus, but that doesn’t mean that we’ll take such provocations lying down!”

Lu Yin sneered. “Am I wrong? I wasn’t talking about everyone here—I was just referring to your White Dragon Clan.”

Ni Huang became confused. “Are you saying that our White Dragon Clan is brainless?”

Lu Yin mocked the old man, “If you hadn’t agreed to force me to reveal myself as Lu Xiaoxuan with the other powers, I would still be seen as Long Qi, and I’d have Progenitor Mu Xie as my master. I’d be an apprentice to a Realm Array Master, and you’d even be supported by Humility’s Gate. If you had just used me, your White Dragon Clan would have been able to surpass the other three ruling powers. As for getting revenge on me, you could have kept that as an internal matter. I would have been under your control anyways, so you could have dealt with me however you wished.

“But instead, you guys just had to foolishly expose me on Dragon Mountain. Not only did that make you a laughingstock, you also threw away all of the benefits that you could have gotten from simply using me. If I were you, I’d rather kill myself than live after making such a stupid mistake.”

Ni Huang was furious, but deep down, he had to admit that Lu Yin had just verbalized the thoughts that occasionally plagued the old man.

After Lu Yin had escaped from the Perennial World, Ni Huang had often wondered about what would have happened if Lu Yin’s identity had never been exposed. The old man had known that Long Qi had been a fake identity and that the person had been a trespasser, but given how skilled Long Qi had been at gaining supporters, he would have been able to help the White Dragon Clan rise above the other three ruling powers. Dealing with the youth would have also been a rather simple matter, as he had only been a mere Enlighter.

It was truly unfortunate that Ni Huang had not considered other options back then. Looking back, he still carried some regrets. Out of everything, the old man’s greatest regret was Long Quan’s last words. They had indeed made a mistake that had cost them the opportunity of a lifetime.

Wang Si snorted coldly. “Little bastard, it’s too late to try to sow discord among us. I’ll settle the debt that you owe us after we get to Perennial World. Now, release Wang Su and the others.”

Lu Yin still had not released everyone from the Perennial World that he had captured. Wang Su, Wang Yi, and Liu Shaoge were still imprisoned.

Lu Yin laughed. “And why should I listen to you?”

Xie De spoke up. “Lu boy, I’m guessing that you’re keeping them as hostages to ensure your safety when you get to the Perennial World. How about this—my Xia family will promise not to take any hostile actions against you for a hundred years after you arrive in the Perennial World in exchange for Taili’s release. What do you say?”

“Xia De, are you seriously considering letting the last remnant of the Lu family grow further? Don’t forget the Champions’ Stage!” Bai Laogui immediately protested.

Wang Si also directed a cold glare at Xia De.

Xia De ignored both of the Semi-Progenitors and simply stared straight at Lu Yin while waiting for an answer.

Lu Yin nodded. “That’s a very tempting offer. I’ll consider it.”

Ni Huang knitted his brow. “Our White Dragon Clan can also promise you a hundred years of peace between us in exchange for releasing Long Xi.”

“I’ll think about it,” Lu Yin answered casually, stretching Ni Huang’s patience to the limit.

Xie De gave Lu Yin a long look before turning to Ni Huang. “Senior, let’s make arrangements to settle in for the time being. Lu Xiaoxuan will definitely leave, so we just need to keep an eye on him.”

Ni Huang nodded. “Let’s go.”

The Perennial World’s army thus decided to stay where they were for the time being while also keeping a careful eye on Lu Yin. As for Jupiter, they had no interest in examining the planet.