Star Odyssey

Chapter 2054: Chu Yuan And Heluo Mavis

Lu Yin had spent less than a month in the Daosource Sect ruins absorbing cauldron energy in the Nine Cauldrons space when the fifth cauldron grew close to shattering.

No one else had entered the space during this half month.

This surprised Lu Yin, as he expected more people to enter the ruins from the Sixth Mainland. As word spread that there was still stellular energy in the ruins, more people should visit the place. Why was this not the case?

The only possibility was that someone was controlling the people with futons and preventing them from entering the ruins.

Lu Yin's eyes flickered. If he were Semi-Progenitor Jiu Yao, he would immediately seize control of the futons and lock down the information regarding the Daosource Sect ruins. Everyone would be forbidden from entering the place, and it would be reserved for the Semi-Progenitors to recover.

Lu Yin’s face turned cold at this thought. If this was how the Sixth Mainland was going to do things, then he absolutely had to lend his futon to Kui Luo and the other Semi-Progenitors as soon as he left the ruins. That way, they would be able to enter and restore their stellular energy reserves first.

At this moment, it had become a race, and Lu Yin had to make sure that Kui Luo and the other Semi-Progenitors from the Fifth Mainland entered the ruins before Jiu Yao and the others from the Sixth Mainland.

After checking the time, Lu Yin realized that he still had half a month’s time left in the ruins.

It was at this moment that someone else entered the Nine Cauldrons Region. Lu Yin started to get excited, as someone had finally appeared.

There was a person standing at the entrance, a man.

The moment the man entered the region, he looked straight at the cauldron where Lu Yin was absorbing cauldron energy.

Lu Yin's eyes instantly went wide, and alarms sounded within his mind. This person was a true expert, there was no denying it.

The man stood in the air and stared at the cauldron with both surprise and curiosity. He then took a step forward. He next appeared right on top of the cauldron, and he looked down to see Lu Yin.

Lu Yin did not move, and he kept his head lowered, focusing on absorbing the cauldron energy. Still, he had already prepared himself and was able to fight at any moment.

The newcomer had instantly sensed Lu Yin’s location, which meant that his strength was extraordinary.

Could this person be some five-tribulation expert from the Sixth Mainland? Maybe even a six or seven-tribulation Envoy? The man did not possess that sort of aura, as even though he gave off a sense of danger, the strange man seemed closer to Lu Yin’s level of cultivation. He was most likely only a one or two-tribulation Envoy.

Was there any person from the Sixth Mainland who was able to make Lu Yin feel danger with that low a cultivation level?

"Is someone actually training in the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation?" The man spoke, and his voice was as gentle as jade. His tone revealed his evident curiosity and surprise, but it was impossible to hide his arrogance. Even though the man was surprised to see that someone was training in the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation, he did not actually seem to care.

Lu Yin was instantly put even more on edge after he heard the man’s words. This person knew of the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation? Just who was he?

Everyone who entered the Daosource Sect ruins knew that the nine cauldrons held the secrets of an invincible battle technique, but no one knew that the name of the technique was the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation. This man knew it, and hearing this caused Lu Yin to instantly consider another possibility: could this man be someone else from the Heavens Sect era?

"In our era, no one practiced the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation. It wasn’t because they didn't want to, but rather because they could not comprehend it. These nine cauldrons have existed for a very long time. I never thought that, in this age when humanity fell to their weakest, someone would manage to practice this technique. If he masters this, it should be quite a relief." The man seemed to be talking to himself, but he also seemed to be speaking to Lu Yin.

"I know that you can hear me. I look forward to witnessing the power of your Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation for myself. Know this: my name is Chu Yuan." The man left after he finished speaking.

Lu Yin finally looked up at the place the man had been standing. Chu Yuan?1 Was this man really someone from the Heavens Sect era? He had known of the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation, which meant that he had to have held a high status during the Heavens Sect era, and yet, he was not a Semi-Progenitor. Could he be another of the Dao Chosen like Sky Garan?

Shortly after Chu Yuan left, another person appeared. This time, it was a woman. Even though she was not beautiful, she appeared both elegant and refined, and there was an indescribable spirituality to her. She gave off the same feeling as Yuhua Mavis.

After she entered the Nine Cauldrons Region, she also instantly looked straight at Lu Yin. She let out a cry of surprise, stepped forward, and appeared right where Chu Yuan had been standing. “Is that really the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation? Has someone from this era managed to comprehend it? So strange…"

Lu Yin was speechless. Was everyone able to recognize this technique?

He still said nothing, as he wanted to hear what the woman would say.

"He stood here a bit ago before leaving. He can forget about escaping!" As soon as she finished speaking, the woman also left the Nine Cauldrons Region.

Just a few breaths after the woman had left, the fifth cauldron cracked. It quickly shattered and collapsed.

Lu Yin landed on the ground, but he did not move on to the next cauldron to continue absorbing more energy. Instead, he followed the trail of energy that the woman had left behind, as he was very curious about the two people who had seen him.

The woman was pursuing Chu Yuan, while Lu Yin was chasing after the woman. Even though the Daosource Sect ruins were riddled with spatial tears and there were places that could only be traversed by teleporting, Lu Yin chased after the woman even as she pursued Chu Yuan.

They soon arrived in the depths of the ruins, where the Daosource Sect’s main hall still stood tall. It was an absolutely massive structure that seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

Lu Yin had never visited this location before. As he stared at the ruins of the impressive building, it was clear to Lu Yin that almost no one ever visited this place as it held no inheritances. Judging by the location, this was nothing more than the place where the Daosource Sect had once used to entertain guests, much like how various powerful families and sects did in the current era. Nobody would care about such a structure.

Lu Yin kept his distance from the building, and he simply watched as the woman he had chased after approached Chu Yuan.

Chu Yuan stood with his back to Lu Yin and the woman. He stared at the structure, sadness filling his eyes. It was as though he was peering through time to see the glory of this place from ages past.

"You've been here before. What do you think?" Chu Yuan asked. His back continued to face Lu Yin and the woman.

The woman stepped forward and continued to approach step by step. She wore green clothes and had the appearance of a member of the Mavis family. "What do I think? I just want to know what you’re doing here."

Chu Yuan turned around and stared at the woman. "Why are you following me, Heluo Mavis?"

Lu Yin stared at Chu Yuan from the distance. Lu Yin had to admit that the man’s appearance matched his voice: as gentle as jade. The man possessed a certain elegance, but due to his sword-like eyebrows, he also possessed a majestic demeanor. His eyes held a depth to them that gave the impression that he was able to see through all things.

The man’s clothes were completely tattered, and they looked like they had decayed due to the passage of countless years. Still, even these rags could not lessen the man’s impressive aura in the slightest. In fact, the dilapidated clothing gave him a measure of casualness and a certain sense of style.

Lu Yin has encountered countless people, but very few had ever managed to leave a lasting impression from the first glance. Chu Yuan had absolutely accomplished this. The most important thing was that Lu Yin sensed danger from this man.

From the time he had first started cultivating, Lu Yin had surpassed one person after another. Starting with the Astral Combat Academy’s student leaders, Lu Yin had surpassed the Realmlings, the Ten Arbiters, and eventually even the four Junior Progenitors. However, Chu Yuan appeared to be just as old as Lu Yin, which meant if his time being frozen in the sourcebox was ignored, Chu Yuan was likely Lu Yin’s peer.

This young man was the first of Lu Yin’s peers to give him such a powerful sense of danger.

Even though the woman also gave Lu Yin a sense of danger, it was not enough to provoke any fear. She felt like she was at around the same level as Sky Garan to Lu Yin’s senses.

The woman who was apparently named Heluo Mavis stared at Chu Yuan. "From our generation’s Dao Chosen, only you have been acknowledged by the Origin Progenitor and given the surname Chu. But when you entered these ruins of the Heavens Sect, you didn’t go to see the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas, but instead came straight for the main hall. I’m curious what it is about it that you want to do and what you might know."

Chu Yuan found this quite funny. "I have no need to report my whereabouts to you."

Heluo Mavis lifted her head. "And I don't need your permission to follow anyone."

Chu Yuan clasped his hands behind his back. "Following me is very dangerous."

Heluo Mavis answered with a sneer, "As a fellow Dao Chosen, I’m very curious to find out why you were acknowledged by the Origin Progenitor."

Several people from the Sixth Mainland appeared at this time, but they were stopped by an invisible barrier that surrounded the main hall.

The people were taken aback by the existence of the barrier, and a few of them stretched out a hand to touch it. "There’s nothing there."

They then tried to step forward and continue further, only to be pushed back by an invisible power. Several people tried again, but they were unable to approach any closer to the main hall. One person looked at the collapsing structure and then shouted back. "Elder, we can’t move any further forward."

A middle-aged man approached from a short ways back. "You can’t move forward?"

He glanced ahead at Chu Yuan and Heluo Mavis who were standing past the barrier and just outside the crumbling main hall. "Is there someone inside?"

The man lifted a hand to touch the air before him as he spoke. "There’s nothing."

He then stepped forward, only to also be pushed back by the invisible power.

The middle-aged man was an Enlighter whose power level had already surpassed 400,000. He had visited the Daosource Sect ruins several times before, and he had visited the main hall. However, he had never encountered such a thing in the past. The surrounding area warped from a surge of star energy, and he struck forward with an attack. Suddenly, his body tumbled backwards through the air, and he crashed into the ground while spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Several people in the small group hurried over to help the man back up. "Elder, are you alright?"

"Elder, hurry and take this medicine!"

The middle-aged man looked forward in shock. "Is there something there?"

"Elder, what's going on?" The other people were all confused.

The middle-aged man was still bleeding from the corner of his mouth, but he muttered in amazement, "There’s a force field present. I've only heard of them before, and I never expected to run into one here."

"What’s a force field?" Several people were puzzled.

The middle-aged man struggled to his feet, and he held his chest as he gasped for air. "Do you see those two people facing each other up ahead? The invisible power they’re giving off has frozen space around them. Their star energy control has created an invisible force field that we can’t touch or observe, but anyone who tries to enter that region will need to endure the suppression of both of those force fields at once.

"Rumors claim that such an effect can only be achieved by mastering a certain power to the highest level. That area is sealed to most, and one would have to be a peak Enlighter at the very least, or possibly even an Imprinter to be able to force their way in."

"Are those two both Imprinters? They look so young," someone exclaimed.

The middle-aged man felt bitter. This was the difference that talent created. Those two people were indeed very young, but they had already achieved a terrifying level of power. "We’ll pull back. We can’t get any closer. They haven’t even done anything yet, but the moment they do, we’ll instantly be destroyed."

As for Chu Yuan and Heluo Mavis, they completely ignored the small group of cultivators.

The middle-aged man was very accurate in his assessment. Chu Yuan and Heluo Mavis were indeed trying to control the other's space and testing each other out. To the two people, they were just greeting each other. This could not even be considered a warm-up.

Chu Yuan smiled and looked past Heluo Mavis towards Lu Yin, who had followed Heluo Mavis. "Someone from this era with a bit of pride. Show yourself."

Heluo Mavis was not at all surprised. She had already known that Lu Yin was following her, but she had simply not cared.

As far as both of the young people were concerned, regardless of whether it was the current era or the Heavens Sect era, only other Dao Chosen deserved their attention. While Lu Yin was an Envoy and had managed to comprehend the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation, they would not take him seriously until he proved himself to them.

Every Dao Chosen had an arrogance worthy of the title. This was not only an arrogance that they had earned on their own, but was also something granted to them by their own time. Each cultivation realm had those that stood at the top. For Progenitors, there were the Three Realms Six Dao, and the Semi-Progenitors had the masters of the Twelve Heavenly Gates. For the younger generation, the Dao Chosen stood at the peak.

Anyone who stood beneath the Dao Chosen could be regarded as ants.

[1] Here, "Chu" means first or beginning, while "Yuan" means beginning or origin. ☜