Star Odyssey

Chapter 2492: Visitor

Lu Yin's expression grew solemn. "How big is the Transcendent Universe?"

Zi Jing took a deep breath. "Very. It's not much smaller than the combined size of the Fifth Mainland and the Perennial World."

Lu Yin was taken aback. "Despite their size, they were still able to analyze all matter and energy in their universe?"

"That's precisely why the Transcendent Universe is so remarkable. Despite being a cultivation wasteland, it still managed to become one of the six members of the Sixverse Association," Zi Jing explained.

"I fled from the Transcendent Universe and stumbled into the Fifth Mainland by chance. I thought that the Transcendent Universe would never find me here, but after coming here and learning about the Fifth Mainland, I realized that it was only a matter of time…" Zi Jing sighed. "This universe has a profound history that exceeds anything that I could have imagined. As you grow stronger, Dao Monarch, you will inevitably interact with the Transcendent Universe. That's why I provided you with the battlefield navigation system in exchange for your promise."

Lu Yin silently listened.

"Despite knowing that this universe will one day make contact with the Transcendent Universe, I still didn't expect it to happen so soon. I don't understand why I was located a few days ago, but now that the Transcendent Universe has found me, they will undoubtedly try to capture me and take me back."

Zi Jing rose to her feet to bow deeply to Lu Yin. "Let me formally introduce myself. I am Zi Jing, the deputy leader of the Transcendent Universe’s Energy Research Group. I greet the Dao Monarch."

Lu Yin stared as Zi Jing maintained her bow.

Are you important to them?" He asked.

"Extremely. While my skills are not the best, they are absolutely essential. Without me, they will have to spend a much longer time developing their technology, and there is also no guarantee that they will ever make a breakthrough. The fact that I was able to do so was due to sheer luck," Zi Jing explained.

Lu Yin understood. "Is the battlefield navigation system their technology?"

"It's a technology that we accidentally developed and simulated in the Energy Research Group, which was later applied in the Transcendent Universe. I was one of the developers," Zi Jing said.

"No wonder you created the network to connect the entire Fifth Mainland after arriving here. For someone like you, not having access to a unified network must have been like living in a remote mountain village."

Zi Jing maintained her deep bow without saying a word.

Lu Yin suddenly raised his hand and drew an image in the air. It was of the two young men who had accompanied Sage Yuan. "Look at this. Do you recognize them?"

Zi Jing looked up, and the moment she saw the man who had worn the blue and white metal outfit, she exclaimed, "He Shu?"

Lu Yin let out a breath. Her recognition of the man had solved the mystery of how she had been found.

It should have been impossible for Zi Jing to be located from among the countless parallel universes, not unless her pursuers had been unbelievably lucky. Since they had managed to suddenly locate Zi Jing, the only possibility that Lu Yin could come up with was Sage Yuan's group, especially the young man who had worn a lens over his eye. His style of dress and the tool over his right eye had made him stand out, and the lens had looked quite similar to the battlefield navigation system and power-level testing devices that Lu Yin was familiar with, which was why it had caught his attention.

"No wonder I was found. He Shu must have detected that the Fifth Mainland has a battlefield navigation system, which would have confirmed my presence here. That was how I was located." Zi Jing came to the same conclusion.

Lu Yin was taken aback. "Can the Transcendent Universe locate our universe?"

Zi Jing replied, "The Transcendent Universe has developed cultivation technologies that reach beyond their universe. No other universe possesses a comparable technology. However, that particular technology can only locate someone. To actually travel over, the spatial coordinates are still required, but that is not a difficult task for the Transcendent Universe. The members of the Sixverse Association have each others' spatial coordinates, so it is also possible for them to come to our universe."

Over the next few hours, Lu Yin asked many more questions about the Transcendent Universe. The more he heard, the more interested he became in the universe. If Zi Jing was not exaggerating, then the cultivation technologies that the universe possessed could allow humans to undergo a complete transformation, just like what microarray technology had done.

After a while, Lu Yin reached for his teacup again. "Since I promised to protect you, I won’t break that promise. But-" He paused as he stared at Zi Jing while thinking for a moment. "What sort of punishment will you face if you return to the Transcendent Universe? Why did you flee from them in the first place?"

Zi Jing understood Lu Yin’s line of thought. "Do you want to visit the Transcendent Universe, Dao Monarch?"

Lu Yin's eyes lit up. "We know nothing about the Sixverse Association, while they are able to watch our every move. We are in too passive a position."

Zi Jing pondered, "If the Dao Monarch really wants to visit the Transcendent Universe, then you will need to be prepared, or at least ensure a way to return."

Lu Yin replied, "You don't need to worry about that. I already have a plan."

The coordinate seal to the parallel universe with Aeternus Nation was able to hold more than just a single person’s trace as a locator. He could easily get someone who had been born in the Fifth Mainland to leave a trace on the coordinate seal, and with that, he would be able to use the seal himself to locate Aeternus Nation, and then the other person’s ability to return to the Fifth Mainland.

"What about you? What sort of punishment will you face if you return to the Transcendent Universe?" Lu Yin asked. He did not want Zi Jing to die.

Zi Jing replied, "Imprisonment, coercion, and intimidation."𝒇𝒓𝙚𝙚𝒘𝙚𝙗𝙣𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝙘𝒐𝓶

"But you won't die, right?"

"No, they need me. They will do everything in their power to take me back to that universe."

Lu Yin nodded. "Can you find the Transcendent Universe from among the numerous parallel universes?"

"Yes, I can find it."

"How quickly will people from the Transcendent Universe arrive here?"

"Very soon."

Lu Yin told Zi Jing to return to her own home, as he believed that it would be safer for her to remain in the Heavens Sect. People from the Transcendent Universe might not dare to look for her there.

After making arrangements for Zi Jing, Lu Yin went to visit Arch-Elder Zen and then led the man to Aeternus Nation so that he could leave his own mark on the coordinate seal. Qing Ping was also taken there to do the same thing. He also asked the two men to regularly visit Aeternus Nation to see if he had returned.

Two people were more reliable than one.

After that, Lu Yin started to organize various arrangements in the Fifth Mainland. There was no need to publicly announce that he was going into seclusion. After all, if he was too transparent about his actions, it might actually look more suspicious.

Before leaving, Lu Yin also visited Sapling. Sapling was delighted to see Lu Yin, and he happily played with the tree for a bit.

The Perennial World was quiet for the moment. The four ruling powers had to be discussing how they would handle reinitiating the war against Aeternus. The Sixverse Association would surely pressure them into doing something, but that did not bother Lu Yin. Sage Yuan’s attitude also was not enough to affect him.

The only thing that he was worried about was Shenwu Continent’s situation. Lu Yin was afraid that the Three Monarchs Universe might be able to force the passage open, which would result in the three Monarchs and Xia Shenji entering the Fifth Mainland.

Fortunately, with Arch-Elder Zen taking charge there and Lu Yin’s Senior Brother Mu Xie offering his support, Lu Yin felt much more at ease.

With all of his preparations made, Lu Yin went to Zi Jing's home in CyNet World in the Neoverse to quietly await the arrival of someone from the Transcendent Universe.

Nothing had changed within CyNet World, and business continued as usual.

However, after arriving, Lu Yin was reminded of someone: Bai Qian.

"Where is Bai Qian?" Lu Yin asked.

"She first went to the Perennial World, but then she went to the Transcendent Universe."

This took Lu Yin aback. "Why did she go there?"

"It was her choice, though it is related to you, Dao Monarch," Zi Jing replied. Her voice was filled with respect and nostalgia. "We met thanks to fate, and we are as close as sisters. She came from the tiny planet called Earth, and while she isn’t particularly impressive, she remains the most grounded person I know. However, she was completely overshadowed by your radiance, Dao Monarch. While on the surface, she appeared calm, I know that she is not the kind of person to accept defeat.”

"She said that the cultivation arts in this universe are not suitable for her and that the same is true of the Perennial World. She wanted to find a path of cultivation that better suited her, and the Transcendent Universe turned out to be perfect for her."

Lu Yin sighed. Although he had not met Bai Qian very many times, the people of Earth continued to speak of her as a legend. She had brought Nightking Qingyu from Neptune to Earth, which had brought about Earth’s apocalypse and subsequent transformation. After receiving a letter of invitation from Starsibyl, Bai Qian had become the first person to leave Earth and embark on the path of cultivation in the greater universe.

They had both studied in the Astral Combat Academy for a time, and at that time, Lu Yin had not surpassed Bai Qian by much. The primary reason why he had outshone her had been because of his near-death experience on Driftcharge Planet, which had led to him learning Arcane Art - Fatal Revival. If not for that, it was possible that Bai Qian might have even been able to surpass Lu Yin.

She was a true Earthling who had successfully left her mark in the greater universe.

"How is she doing in the Transcendent Universe?" Lu Yin inquired.

Zi Jing shook her head. "I don't know. We are currently in different universes, so I am unable to obtain any news of her."

"Perhaps I’ll meet her again in the Transcendent Universe," Lu Yin remarked.

In a blink of an eye, ten days passed.

Lu Yin continued to wait patiently.

Finally, twelve days after his arrival at CyNet World, he opened his eyes. They had arrived.

CyNet World was covered in dense forests, filled with animals that roamed about freely. For them, the hidden world was the entire universe.

The sound of metal breaking a branch echoed through the forest, startling a rabbit.

The sunlight filtered through the branches, shining down upon a middle-aged man.

He lifted his head and looked at a distant tower, a red dot flickering within the green lens that covered his right eye. "There? I've finally found it."

After speaking, the man disappeared with a blur. While he did not tear through the void, his pure speed left ripples in space.

The man instantly arrived at the bottom of the tower, and with another step forward, he appeared behind Zi Jing, who had been watering plants at the very top of the tower.

Zi Jing watched as the stream from her watering can slowly reduced to a mere trickle that eventually stopped entirely.

"It’s been a long time, Zi Jing," the man said.

Zi Jing did not turn around and instead simply set the watering can down while letting out a sigh. "You've found me."

"If not for Lord He's help, we would have never found you. Your escape created a great deal of trouble for us, and we’ve suffered severe losses." The man continued to speak slowly.

Zi Jing finally turned around to face the man. "I didn't want to, but once that technology is developed, it will bring an unimaginable catastrophe down upon us."

The middle-aged man's expression immediately turned cold. "I don't care about your technology. All that I know is that your departure caused the entire Energy Research Group to fall apart, which led to the deaths of at least a thousand people, either directly or indirectly. Now, come with me."

As soon as the man finished speaking, he turned his head towards the door. Lu Yin stepped through it and fiercely shouted, "Who are you?"

The middle-aged man’s brow furrowed, and the numbers on the lens over his right eye flickered rapidly. "270,000. What is known as an Enlighter-realm cultivator in this universe."

As the man spoke, he raised his hand and aimed it at Lu Yin.

Zi Jing's expression instantly changed drastically. "Stop! If you kill him, I'll kill myself right now!"

The man frowned.

Lu Yin rushed forward while pulling a blade from his cosmic ring. As he attacked, he shouted, "Get out of the way!"

The middle-aged man did not move even the slightest bit, allowing Lu Yin's attack to land on his face. As the blade struck, a thin layer of metal instantly covered the man’s face. Despite Lu Yin's ability to warp the void with the strength of an Enlighter, it was impossible for him to deal the slightest bit of harm to the man.

The man then grabbed the blade with a hand and shattered it with a loud noise. He calmly pointed a finger at Lu Yin's forehead and held it there.

Lu Yin was stunned and did not dare to move a muscle. Beads of sweat streamed from his forehead.