Star Odyssey

Tu Qiming's face twitched, and he started instinctively retreating. "What are you doing?"

Lu Yin did not answer. He simply continued slowly walking forward. Tu Qiming gulped nervously, and his smile grew ugly. "Boss, it was just a joke! A joke. There’s no need to be so serious."

Lu Yin raised his hand and then suddenly it dropped down, startling Tu Qiming. "Eldest Sister, save me!"

Lu Yin’s hand dropped onto Tu Qiming's shoulder. "Eldest sister? Are you referring to my?eldest sister?"

Tu Qiming went pale. Staring at the approaching Lu Yin, Tu Qiming felt a sense of familiarity strike him; this scene overlapped with another from the past. It was an event that had played out too many times before, and it had even appeared in his dreams on countless occasions. This scene was why he had asked Lu Yin to beat him on the Stacking Mountain Range. Seeing Lu Yin had allowed Tu Qiming to escape from his mental torture by escaping from reality for a moment. However, at this moment, upon seeing such a familiar scene, Tu Qiming had lost himself and had subconsciously called out for Big Sister.

Upon seeing Tu Qiming’s pale and haggard face, Lu Yin withdrew his hand. "Tell me about what happened back then."

Tu Qiming rubbed his eyes as he stared at Lu Yin. "Lu bastard, if not for you, things would have never turned out as they did!"

Lu Yin stared at Tu Qiming. This person actually knew what had happened. "Explain things to me clearly."

"It’s all because you fell in love with that bitch, Bai Xian'er! All of us were tricked, and it’s all because of you!" Tu Qiming shouted as he furiously glared at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin frowned. "Tell me exactly what happened on the wedding day."

Tu Qiming roared, "How should I know? You got me drunk! I was only a child back then, a kid, and yet you actually got me drunk, Lu bastard! You’re such a bastard! Everyone always talked about how cheerful and friendly you were, but in truth, you were a despicable bastard! You were always afraid that I would eventually surpass you, so you tried to stall my progress by getting me drunk."

A slap was heard as Lu Yin smacked the side of Tu Qiming’s head, this time for real. "You don't remember anything from that day?"

Tu Qiming cradled his head. "No! You got me drunk!"

"Trash!" Lu Yin was quite upset.

Tu Qiming bared his teeth. "Who are you calling trash? If my innate gift had been crippled, I’d be able to defeat a hundred of you!"

"What is your innate gift?" Lu Yin was curious about this.

Tu Qiming’s head snapped up. "Figure it out for yourself!"

Lu Yin snapped back, "It looks like your innate gift was for getting beat up!"

"Lu bastard, I’ll fight you when I recover!" Tu Qiming shouted, frustrated by his situation.

Lu Yin ignored him. Instead, he looked out at the active battlefield of the fourth array base. He had noticed a Triple Gates and a Palm of Thousand Skies being used.

Tu Qiming followed Lu Yin's gaze and murmured, "Grandpa Zhiyi is still so impressive. He slaughters them like cutting grass."

At that same moment, Wan Zhiyi looked across the battlefield, and Tu Qiming pulled his neck back in fright before quickly slipping away.

Lu Yin stepped forward and entered the battlefield.

"Don't attack. If you take action, you will easily draw out the Seven Skygods," Wan Zhiyi said, and while his voice was a bit hoarse, he sounded much, much better than when Lu Yin had found the man beneath the Stacking Mountain Range.

Lu Yin looked at the man. "You’ve recovered a great deal."

The old man’s face was not nearly as pale as before, and his aura had grown much stronger as well. Whenever he released an attack, even Arch-Elder Zen and Hen Xin would take notice.

However, Wan Zhiyi just shook his head and let out a sigh. "It’s not enough. I’ll never be able to reach the Progenitor realm in my life."

"That’s not guaranteed. As long as you’re alive, there is always hope," Lu Yin replied.

Wan Zhiyi gave a wry smile. He was well aware of his condition, but hearing Lu Yin offer comfort still cheered the old man up.

Wan Zhiyi took a deep breath and offered Lu Yin a slow, formal bow. "Wan Zhiyi, grand elder of the Wan family, greets the young master."

Lu Yin quickly raised a hand to stop the old man. "Grandpa Zhiyi, there’s no need for that."

Wan Zhiyi somberly replied, "There are ceremonies that cannot be ignored. No matter what happens, my Wan family will remain a vassal family of the Lu family. You will always be our young master."

Lu Yin stared at Wan Zhiyi. The old man’s stubbornness was on full display right now. There was both stubbornness and a tremendous respect for the Lu family. After considering the old man’s feelings, Lu Yin dropped his hand and allowed Wan Zhiyi to finish his ceremony.

Just beyond the active battlefield, Yao Di noticed what was happening, and his eye started twitching. Yet another Semi-Progenitor was declaring their loyalty to Lu Yin, and this old man was far from an average Semi-Progenitor. Why were there so many Semi-Progenitors around Lu Yin? Yao Di could see no hope for the Astral Beast Domain to break free from the humans in the future. 𝚋𝚎𝚍ｎ𝚘ｖ𝚎𝚕.𝚗𝚎𝚝

"Grandpa Zhiyi, can you tell me what happened back then?" Lu Yin asked.

Wan Zhiyi shook his head. "All of us have had our memories erased."

Lu Yin felt quite disappointed, as well as incredibly surprised. Why had the four ruling powers erased everyone’s memories of that day? Was it really necessary? Both the people driven insane and locked up in Crimson Garden and the Lu family’s vassals who had been banished to the Stacking Mountain Range had been placed in locations where they would never be able to see the Perennial World again in their lives. So why had their memories still been erased?

The entire Perennial World knew that the Lu family had been exiled, so why had everything about the events surrounding their exile been erased? There had to be something that was being covered up.

"The last memory that any of us have of that day is of the wedding ceremony. All of us were only thinking of offering you our blessings, Young Master. There’s nothing else from that day," Wan Zhiyi explained.

Lu Yin frowned. "I’m going to mention a few things, and maybe they’ll mean something to you."

Even Prof. Wei had been able to determine that the Yellow Springs referred to the Wang family from her research into ancient records. Wan Zhiyi was the leader of the Wan family, which had been one of the vassal clans beneath the Lu family, and the old man had enjoyed a status comparable to that of a Progenitor. So, it was likely that he would know more.

"Young Master, please tell me," Wan Zhiyi said.

Lu Yin's eyes grew cold. "White Dragon Rolls Over."

Wan Zhiyi’s eyes narrowed. "That refers to when the Ancestor Python turns over. The White Dragon Clan alone can get close to the Ancestor Python, while even members of the Lu family might be attacked if they try to get close to the Ancestor Python. When I say close, I mean touching or communicating with the snake.

"When the Ancestor Python turns over, he will shake the sky. Apparently, when the Lu Sanctum was cast out, it was because the Ancestor Python rolled over."

"It wasn’t the Lu Sanctum. It was the entire Higher Realm," Lu Yin corrected.

While Wan Zhiyi was clearly shocked by this information, he still continued talking. "That is likely possible for the Ancestor Python, though I don’t know how the White Dragon Clan caused it to happen. It’s possible that the master knows, but I do not."

"Yellow Springs," Lu Yin said next.

Wan Zhiyi was caught off guard. "Are you referring to the Wang family’s Yellow Springs? They’ve kept that matter hidden for a very long time, but I once heard Patriarch Tianyi mention that the liquid referred to as the Yellow Springs is actually blood."

"Blood?" Lu Yin was stunned. It was yellow, so could it be actual, biological blood?

"Blood. Progenitor Tianyi believed that it belonged to one of the ancient Three Realms Six Dao of the Heavens Sect era, or even-” The old man paused as he grew incredibly solemn. “The blood of the Origin Progenitor himself."

Lu Yin's eyes widened. "The Wang family’s homeland is shaped like a hand. That can’t actually be?a hand, can it? If it is, why don’t people notice it?"

Wan Zhiyi and Lu Yin stared at each other. "So what if they do?"

Lu Yin was stunned, but after considering the matter for a moment, he realized that it was quite accurate. So what if people realized that the floating mainland was an actual hand? Could anyone steal it? In the entire Fifth Mainland, aside from the Lu family, who else could rob the Wang family? And even then, it was impossible for the Lu family to rob a lesser family, as how would all the other families and sects react?

"The Lu family controlled the entire Fifth Mainland. It is true that your family could be rather overbearing and arrogant at times, but they never robbed others. The talent of the family’s members were typically superior, and as for resources, the Lu family ruled the entire Fifth Mainland. Why would they care about a single hand, even if it is a real hand and not a landmass that looks like one? So what if it belongs to the Origin Progenitor himself?" Lu Yin could hear Wan Zhiyi's pride. It was the pride of being a vassal of the Lu family. It was Lu Yin’s first time encountering such pride.

This was his first time seeing the pride of the vassals of the Lu family, and it came from someone who had served under the Lu family at their peak. For the first time, Lu Yin was able to see evidence of his Lu family’s charisma.

"What use does the Yellow Springs have?" Lu Yin asked.

Wan Zhiyi replied, "I remember hearing from someone who came in contact with some that the waters possess a terrifying restraining property and that it could even incapacitate a Progenitor. However, the Wang family has never released any information about it."

Lu Yin nodded. While Wan Zhiyi had once enjoyed a status comparable to a Progenitor, even if the man had actually reached the Progenitor level, there were certain things that he likely would not know about.

Since the Lu family’s exile had something to do with the Yellow Springs, it suggested that the Wang family had kept the Yellow Springs a closely guarded secret before that, as the Lu family would have certainly taken corresponding precautions otherwise. Lu Yin felt that not even Patriarch Tianyi might have been fully aware of what the Yellow Springs were capable of.

"Prison Lock." Lu Yin spoke two words next.

Wan Zhiyi asked, "Are you referring to Shenwu's Sky's technique? That’s the Origin Progenitor’s secret technique."

Lu Yin was truly shocked this time. "The Origin Progenitor’s secret technique?"

Wan Zhiyi nodded, and then proceeded to solemnly explain, "Since Young Master’s family was exiled, and the Xia family is one of the four ruling powers, I assumed that this must have played a part. Prison Lock is a secret technique that comes from the Origin Progenitor himself. The legends claim that the Xia family provided some great service during the Heavens Sect era, and the Origin Progenitor himself provided them with the secret technique as a reward. Even the Lu family was envious of such a gift, as in the entire Fifth Mainland, only the Xia family possesses a secret technique from the Origin Progenitor."

"Are the members of the Xia family able to learn the secret technique? If so, then why didn’t Xia Shenji use it?" Lu Yin was puzzled.

Wan Zhiyi was startled by the question. "It would seem that Young Master has fought against Xia Shenji. It is not that he did not need to use the secret technique, but rather that he no longer can. When it was used, the clone that used it must have been exiled with the rest of your family. Prison Lock is a secret technique that can only be used once."

Lu Yin heaved a sigh of relief. If that was how things were, then it made sense.

For a bit of time, Lu Yin became lost in his thoughts as he considered what he had just learned.

Origin Progenitor. The name was simply too intimidating. Lust hearing that the Xia family possessed a secret technique from the Origin Progenitor left Lu Yin’s scalp numb. He could only think about how, if the Xia family had managed to keep such an option hidden, they could have instantly ended Lu Yin.

This new information made it apparent that the Xia family had paid the highest price to banish the Lu family, as they had lost the Origin Progenitor’s secret technique. They had sacrificed it just to exile the Lu family. What had they gained in return?

.

This question made Lu Yin incredibly wary. For the Xia family to willingly pay such a price, they must have received something in return to justify their sacrifice. Lu Yin had not yet seen or heard of anything that the Xia family had gained, which meant that they had kept this matter well hidden.

"Celestial Frost Fruit," Lu Yin said.

Wan Zhiyi was surprised yet again. "It's just a fruit. The members of the Celestial Frost Sect use the fruit to help them cultivate their Celestial Frost Finger, and the fruit grows in their Celestial Frost Pond. It’s a delicious fruit, and you used to frequently steal some when you were a child. I remember that one time, you were caught and picked on by some older children from the Celestial Frost Sect. That incident led to you seven becoming sworn siblings, and then the seven of you beat up the thirteen other children.

“Such a fruit could not have had anything to do with when your family was exiled."

Lu Yin rubbed his cosmic ring, as Wan Zhiyi’s comment had reminded Lu Yin of the piece of paper that he had, as well as the fragmented memories. Seven against thirteen? Yes, it was the same incident.

So Lu Yin had been bullied because he had tried to steal some of the Celestial Frost Fruits, and he had been caught by children from the Celestial Frost Sect. No wonder he had a memory of being beaten up, despite being a descendant of the main branch of the Lu family. He had been stealing fruit from inside the Celestial Frost Sect.

Lu Yin's expression grew soft as he looked down at his cosmic ring, and his emotions started to churn. Where were his brothers and sisters?

"Are these things related to the Lu family’s exile?" Wan Zhiyi asked.

Lu Yin shook away his thoughts. "Nutjob Lu."

Wan Zhiyi's expression changed drastically. "Nutjob Lu?"

Lu Yin nodded as he stared at the old man. "How much do you know about that man?"

Wan Zhiyi grew somber, and even seemed a bit fearful. "As his name indicates, he’s a madman, a lunatic feared even by Patriarch Tianyi."

Lu Yin asked, "He’s strong enough to deserve Patriarch Tianyi’s fear?"

Wan Zhiyi shook his head. "I cannot tell you how strong the man is, but Patriarch Tianyi once said that the madman could never be released. He went so far as to say that if he ever dies, he would take the madman down with him."