Chapter 3374: The Signal
Chapter 3374: The Signal
Beyond the stone gate, Meng Sang looked back at the Tianyuan Megaverse, meeting Lu Yin’s eyes.
“I have news for you. Palace Master Yao said that, before you left, the High Seraph was preparing to go into seclusion. You should know what that means,” Lu Yin called out.
Meng Sang sneered. “The High Seraph is in the Consciousness Megaverse.”
“Believe what you want, but you are aware of the relationship between Palace Master Yao and the High Seraph. What’s more, you know what I’m capable of,” Lu Yin replied.
Meng Sang’s expression changed. Many people were aware that there was a close relationship between Palace Master Yao and the High Seraph. Some claimed that she was his disciple, while others said she was his lover or even his daughter. There were always various rumors circulating, but in the Spirit Nidus, no one knew the High Seraph better than Palace Master Yao, aside from the mysterious Fated One.
As for what Lu Yin was capable of, Meng Sang was well aware. Yuan Qi had already been forced to betray the Spirit Nidus, so it was possible that not even Palace Master Yao would be able to continue resisting Lu Yin.
Could it... be true?
The timing was too much of a coincidence. The High Seraph had gone into seclusion at almost the exact same time that the vanguard had been sent to the Tianyuan Megaverse. Could it have something to do with the Small Spirit Megaverse?
Meng Sang looked back at Lu Yin again. Regardless of whether Lu Yin was telling the truth, the Seraph needed to return to the Spirit Nidus. He could not afford to delay any longer. There would only be one chance to reset a megaverse.
The Tianyuan Megaverse was quite powerful. If the High Seraph reset the Small Spirit Megaverse and achieved Immortality, he might decide to not reset the Tianyuan Megaverse for the rest of them. Even if he did, he would surely find some way to retain control over everyone else.
Far away, a faint smile appeared on Lu Yin’s face. “It’s almost done.”
Mister Mu nodded. “Yes, almost.”
Time passed, and after another half-year, Mister Mu stepped forward while staring out from the stone gate. “It’s done.”
Lu Yin’s eyes opened, and he disappeared.
At the same time, far away from the stone gate, there was now a massive springboard. This one was a hundred times larger than the one that Meng Sang had built. This springboard was a colossal structure that looked like a monstrous being huddled down in outer space, using the stars themselves for support.
If one follows the path that starts at the center of the springboard and extend it across an unfathomable distance, it would lead them to the Spirit Nidus.
Outside of the Spirit Nidus was another springboard. This one was about as large as the one that Meng Sang had constructed.
The moment Meng Sang’s platform was completed, the largest of the three springboards that lay between the three megaverses trembled slightly. Then, the vibration was transmitted to the springboard that sat outside of the Spirit Nidus.
As that platform trembled, countless eyes turned to look at it.
“It’s vibrating. That’s the signal! A springboard has been completed on the Tianyuan Megaverse’s side!”
"Why did they take so long? If they took any longer, we would have sent reinforcements over."
"Well, it is an entire megaverse, which is a lot to deal with. Luckily, we played things safe and sent three Seraphs, as well as four sequence bases."
"Not only that, but Seraph Yuan Qi is already there, and he also has a sequence base."
"I said from the start that we shouldn’t underestimate the Tianyuan Megaverse. If not for the High Seraph's wisdom, we would have spent a great deal more time on this invasion, as we wouldn’t have sent three Seraphs."
"With the springboard there finished, we can finally relax a bit regarding the Tianyuan Megaverse. Let's report this to the High Seraph."
...
"With the Tianyuan Megaverse now under our control, the High Seraph will go into seclusion."
"What? Seclusion? But what about the Consciousness Megaverse and the Tianyuan Megaverse? What if the Seraphs there decide to reset the Tianyuan Megaverse after a sudden attack?"
"That won't happen. The High Seraph has everything planned out, and even if they want to reset the Tianyuan Megaverse, it won't happen instantly."
"By the way, I heard that this sudden decision to attack the Tianyuan Megaverse is related to the Fated One. Is that true?"
"Hush! The Fated One is not someone you can speak about so casually! Are you asking to die?"
"Sigh, with the High Seraph suddenly going into seclusion, who knows what will happen with the Consciousness Megaverse and the Tianyuan Megaverse?"
...
In the Tianyuan Megaverse, Lu Yin was clueless of the fact that his bluff to Meng Sang had become true: the High Seraph had gone into seclusion, ignoring both the Consciousness and Tianyuan Megaverses.
The moment that Meng Sang finished constructing the springboard, he immediately readied himself to use it and escape from the Tianyuan Megaverse.
He suddenly looked to his side in shock. Lu Yin was right beside him, having arrived without the Seraph’s notice.
The frozen moment passed, and both Meng Sang and Lu Yin were launched away from the springboard. As that happened, Lightstream appeared around Lu Yin, and he used it to drag both himself and Meng Sang off of the springboard. Where they had just been standing, the platform shot forward, parting reality like a drawn curtain, though without sending anyone out.
Lu Yin placed a hand on Meng Sang’s shoulder and stood unmoving in outer space.
Meng Sang stared at Lu Yin, feeling utterly powerless.
Lu Yin’s hand felt like the pressure of a mountain. The Seraph was completely suppressed, and it was utterly impossible for him to move.
"My Tianyuan Megaverse is not a place that just anyone can visit and leave however they please."
Meng Sang closed his eyes. “The power of time.”
The moment the springboard had been completed, Lu Yin had sailed across the River of Aeons and repositioned himself on top of the springboard. When time resumed, he and Meng Sang had been launched off together, but in that instance, he had used Lightstream to drag Meng Sang away. With this, Lu Yin had captured Meng Sang.
If not for the ability to sail across the River of Aeons, Lu Yin would not have been able to stop Meng Sang from leaving.
Naturally, this was precisely the reason why Lu Yin had allowed Meng Sang to construct the springboard in the first place.
From the very beginning, it had all been a matter of who was better prepared.
The Tianyuan Megaverse’s greatest advantage over the Spirit Nidus was their mastery of the power of time. This was something that both Bao Qi and the round-faced old man had personally experienced. This time, Meng Sang was feeling the disadvantage more intensely than anyone else ever had.
A Dukkhan was powerless to do anything against Lu Yin’s ability to move across the River of Aeons.
“Lord Lu, do you not intend to let me return?” Meng Sang asked, his tone heavy.
A dangerous glint flashed across Lu Yin’s eyes. “I never agreed to let you return. I told you that whether or not you could safely return to the Spirit Nidus was up to you.”
“Is it even true that the High Seraph is in seclusion?”
“It’s possible.”
Meng Sang took a deep breath. “If I return, I might be able to stop the High Seraph from resetting the Small Spirit Megaverse.”
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. “It’s also possible that you will join him when he resets the Small Spirit Megaverse.”
Meng Sang shook his head. “That’s impossible. If the High Seraph was willing to allow that, he would have taken us Seven Seraphs with him and reset the Small Spirit Megaverse long ago. With eight experts, even if only half of us succeeded in achieving Immortality, we would have more than enough power to far surpass your Tianyuan Megaverse. Instead, he has kept this matter hidden. If I return, he will most likely simply eliminate me.”
“Since you’re most likely going to be taken out, then why bother returning at all? You seem confident that you can join him when he resets the Small Spirit Megaverse.” Lu Yin would not be swayed by Meng Sang’s protests. He had told the Seraph from the start that he was being used, both to build the springboard and to delay the Spirit Nidus from sending reinforcements.
The springboard was complete, but Lu Yin was not certain whether the Spirit Nidus would send any reinforcements.
It was possible that reinforcements had been sent even before the springboard was finished. If that were the case, then Lu Yin had simply been unlucky.
Still, that did not matter. Both Meng Sang and Bao Qi had already been dealt with, which meant that the only real expert remaining from the Spirit Nidus’s vanguard was the president of their Chamber of Commerce. Even if that Seraph joined forces with fresh reinforcements from the Spirit Nidus, there was no guarantee that they would have the strength to overpower the Tianyuan Megaverse.
While Lu Yin was uncertain of Wei Nu’s goals, there was no denying that the opportunity to kill Bao Qi in the Mirari Realm had provided them with a substantial advantage for the future battles.
Meng Sang did not panic even after sensing Lu Yin’s bloodlust. “Lord Lu, you have your methods, but I also have my own. I would have never succeeded in becoming a Seraph otherwise.
“The springboard is finished, which will either delay the Spirit Nidus from sending reinforcements, or they are already en route. I’m sure that you’re hoping for the first.
“However, what if, right at this moment, the springboard were destroyed?”
As the man spoke, the distant springboard started twisting. The astral phenomenon was destabilizing.
Lu Yin looked over, his expression tightening. This was a problem. Building the springboard might have stopped the Spirit Nidus from sending reinforcements, but if it was destroyed almost as soon as it was completed, the Spirit Nidus would grow far more wary of the Tianyuan Megaverse.
The fact that a springboard was not protected could only be an indication of an intense battle. Such a sudden destruction would imply that the Spirit Nidus was losing, because such a crucial asset should be heavily guarded by their side. If it was still destroyed despite those protections, it meant that the situation was turning south for the invaders.
This would certainly serve as a signal, but it would not at all be to the Tianyuan Megaverse’s benefit.
This was precisely what Meng Sang had prepared.
“If that springboard is destroyed, the Spirit Nidus will know about it. What do you think they’ll do then? If they haven’t already sent reinforcements, then the construction of this springboard might have convinced them not to send any. However, if this springboard is suddenly destroyed, then they’ll suspect that something has happened here, and the reinforcements they send will be far, far more powerful than what was initially planned.
“If they have already sent reinforcements from the Spirit Nidus, then things will be even worse for you. To ensure that they completely crush your Tianyuan Megaverse, my Spirit Nidus will undoubtedly immediately send a third wave.
“It doesn’t matter which scenario is true, as you’ll be doomed either way. It’s even possible that the High Seraph himself might get involved. You suspect that he’s distracting us and sending us away, but I believe that he’s already sensed the threat of your Tianyuan Megaverse.
“If the High Seraph arrives, how will you withstand him?”
Meng Sang’s description of the situation was quite accurate. At this moment, all that Lu Yin could think about was Master Qing Cao. Between having the Immortal in the Spirit Nidus or in the Tianyuan Megaverse, Lu Yin would prefer the man to stay in the Tianyuan Megaverse. There, his years of silence suggested that he was hesitant to take action. However, he was currently in the Spirit Nidus, but the fact that the springboard was completed, only to immediately be destroyed, might lure him back to the Tianyuan Megaverse.
If an Immortal joined the invasion, then regardless of whatever restrictions limited them, both Lu Yin and the Origin Progenitor would suffer disastrously.
Lu Yin was impressed. “It’s no wonder why you were able to become a Seraph.”
He had never underestimated Meng Sang, but Lu Yin lacked sufficient knowledge of both the springboards and the Spirit Nidus. Even if he had known more, there had been nothing he could have done to protect himself from Meng Sang’s threat of mutual destruction.
Mister Mu arrived at that moment. “If I had more time, I could prevent the springboard from collapsing, but I don’t have enough time.”
Meng Sang stated, “Sixty breaths, Lord Lu. Either I die, or you bet that I’m lying to you and that the Spirit Nidus won’t be able to detect the springboard’s destruction.”
Lu Yin immediately released the man. “You’re free to go.”
Meng Sang was caught off guard, and he stared at Lu Yin.
“But first, you need to give me the method for constructing a springboard. Then, I’ll let you return,” Lu Yin finished. Word of the vanguard’s defeat had not yet reached the Spirit Nidus, which meant the megaverse was still in the dark. Lu Yin could not take the risk that the Spirit Nidus would detect the destruction of the springboard; losing that bet would spell an unprecedented disaster for the Tianyuan Megaverse.
True God was still an unresolved issue, and the Nests were also a threat. Pulling more forces from the Spirit Nidus, especially their High Seraph or Master Qing Cao, would be too much for the Tianyuan Megaverse to handle.
Lu Yin was the final decision-maker for his megaverse, but he was all too accustomed to being unable to act freely. He wanted nothing more than to kill Meng Sang and avenge the people of Astral-10, but it was necessary to suppress that hatred. Revenge would eventually come.