Star Odyssey

Chapter 3415: The Aevum Inch

Once all of the books were sorted, Tuo Lin dragged a statue out from the house, hoisted it onto his back, and then smiled at Hui Can. "Let's go."

Hui Can was stupefied, "Senior Brother, is that... a statue of Master? Where did you steal it from?"

Tuo Lin’s expression instantly grew serious. "Watch your words! I carved this statue of Master myself. I’ll carry it during my travels as the ultimate act of devotion and respect."

Hui Can was even more stunned. He felt that Tuo Lin must have lost his mind.

Hui Can started imagining traveling with someone who constantly carried a statue on his back, and he instantly cringed. That would attract attention everywhere. While their Master was greatly revered and admired by countless people, this was still too much.

Awkwardly, he said, "Um, Senior Brother, I thought about it, and... Why don’t we travel separately?"

Tuo Lin appeared puzzled. "Are you worried about something, Junior Brother?"

"It’s not that," Hui Can protested. "It’s just that I focus on combat, while you’re more skilled in academics. We have different goals, so it only makes sense for our journeys to diverge."

Tuo Lin gave the explanation some serious thought and then nodded. "You’re right. Alright, Junior Brother, take care of yourself."

"You too, Senior Brother. Take care," Hui Can replied, suddenly feeling immense relief. He quickly ran off.

As Hui Can disappeared into the distance, Tuo Lin muttered, "Junior Brother must have his own merits, but only Master is able to see them.

"Little Ruyu, let’s go. Where do you think we should go? The Endless Frontier? Are you familiar with that place? Alright then, the Endless Frontier it is. But why did you say ‘again?’"

...

After Lord Wei’s death, the Transcendent Universe had become nothing more than a vassal of the Heavens Sect. However, it did not take long after that for Lu Yin's Heavens Sect to dominate the entire Tianyuan Megaverse. It was not just the Transcendent Universe, as the entire Sixverse Association had become the sect’s vassals.

He Ran sat above a staircase in a familiar location, stars filling the sky above her as she stared off into the distance. Only a few short decades had passed, yet so much had changed. The once-familiar Transcendent Universe had become an alien place.

In the past, when Lord Wei had been in power, He Ran had competed with Bai Qian within a tangled web of various competing factions. All of that had been completely overturned by Lu Yin.

The Transcendent Universe was far stronger than in the past. Even without Lord Wei, their connection to the Origin Universe meant that the Transcendent Universe was protected by the Heavens Sect. They had also lost none of their black energy converter users, as Lu Yin had left behind the original devices and instead only taken the ones that had been manufactured in the Mirari Realm.

Boundless’s departure marked the start of a war on an unprecedented scale. No one knew how long the war between the megaverses would last, or where things might lead in the future.

Across the vastness of the omniverse, just how many enemies would humanity face?

"Congratulations on once again gaining command of the Transcendent Universe," a cold voice rang out.

He Ran turned to look, surprised by the voice. "Bai Qian?"

Boundless's departure had also taken the thoughts and focus of countless individuals with it.

Long Xi held a gleaming spear that she pointed at Garan Zhiluo. The older woman frowned. "Your emotional state leaves you unable to even hold your spear properly."

"I'm sorry, Master."

"Boundless's departure might not mark the end of a war, but perhaps the beginning of one. Keep a grip on your spear. In the future, you will also need to step onto the battlefield. Even if Lu Yin dies and you follow his path, you must act with dignity."

"I understand, Master."

In the Cyclic Universe, Wendy Yushan blankly stared at the stars.

How much time had passed since she had last seen Lu Yin? This was not because she had been prevented from seeing him, but rather because there had been no need.

He stood too high above her and had moved too far away, progressing too quickly. She was unable to keep up, and she did not want to be a burden.

While Wendy also had a Progenitor as her master, if she was compared to Lu Yin, Wendy was only average. Her progress was far too slow.

However, she would one day reach that same height.

She did not doubt that there would be a place for her on the Stairway to Heaven.

Liquor Hero raised her bottle. "Farewell, Boundless."

Mira, Zhuo Daynight, Madam Nalan, Zhou Shan, Ku Wei, and many others whose paths had crossed with Lu Yin’s gradually learned of the news, and they all bade their farewells from across the vast distance.

On Nightking Star, a solitary figure slowly walked across the land.

Ever since the Daynight clan had been defeated by Lu Yin, the Nightkings had become slaves under the Sealed Cage Technique. They would never be able to rise again. Nightking Star had once been a place where many had witnessed Lu Yin's rise, and it had attracted countless visitors who marveled at every inch of the battlefield. But over the years, it had gradually fallen into obscurity.

After all, it was nothing more than the location of some of Lu Yin's earliest battles from when he had still been weak. Instead, people had started seeking out places like the Immemorial Citadel or the Scourges. Those places were where Lu Yin had fought after reaching the peak of his power.

The figure slowly continued forward, their shadow stretching long across the cold and desolate place.

Nightking Star had always been the same, unchanging. Lu Yin’s victory over the Daynight clan had altered nothing. The planet was still a planet drifting through the vastness of space.

The person did not keep track of how long they spent walking before they finally stopped. They crouched down and touched a crater in the ground that vaguely had the outline of a human figure. "Brother."

The woman was Nightqueen Yanqing. She had once been regarded as a princess of the Nightking clan. She was the original cause of the enmity that had developed between the Daynight clan and Lu Yin. She had instigated a series of battles of wits and courage. She had watched as her Nightking clan had declined, watched as Nightking Zhenwu had been crushed to death by Lu Yin's foot on Nightking Star. That was the moment when her pride and dignity had also perished.

Nightqueen Yanqing had once been a dazzlingly beautiful woman: proud, vivacious, and arrogant. She looked to have aged decades, despite the fact that her cultivation was high enough for her appearance to have stayed the same. She looked like a middle-aged woman now. Her hair had started to lose its color, and it no longer carried the distinctive the black-and-white of the Daynight clan. She wore plain clothes that were unbefitting of a cultivator.

"Brother, I’m here to see you again. I visit you every year at this time.

"Lu Yin, you’re probably no longer in this megaverse, are you? I heard something about that. Brother, you died too early, far too early. This megaverse is so vast! The Perennial World, the Sixverse Association, other parallel universes, and even other megaverses beyond our own. If you were still alive, you’d probably be very happy..."

Nightqueen Yanqing continued to mutter to herself. She had once greatly admired Nightking Zhenwu, though she had also resented him and been afraid of him. After so many years, all of those feelings had transformed into pure longing for her family.

"Nightking Zhenwu was lucky to have a sister like you," someone said.

Nightqueen Yanqing spun around to stare at the speaker. "You- Liu Shaoge?"

Liu Shaoge lifted his head, revealing eyes that had been hidden beneath a hat. There was a smile on his lips. "It’s been a long time, Nightqueen Yanqing."

...

It had been nearly a year since Boundless had left the Tianyuan Megaverse. Lu Yin and the others were all quiet aboard the battleship, staring out at the all-encompassing darkness.

There were no stars to be seen. No astral phenomena. It was as if, in leaving the Tianyuan Megaverse, they had entered an endless darkness.

Were there no stars between the Tianyuan Megaverse and the Spirit Nidus? Where did the absolute darkness lead to? It was a question that Lu Yin had considered more than once before.

Boundless was gradually slowing down. It was a process that had been months in the process. The springboard had launched the battleship forward, but that force was slowly dissipating. It would eventually run out entirely, at which point it would be time for them to build another springboard.

"Why are there no stars around here?" Lu Yin muttered to himself.

The Origin Progenitor appeared beside him. "Pillar, what are you thinking about?"

Lu Yin had grown numb to being addressed as Pillar. "Senior, do you think that we’re really in outer space?"

"Of course we are."

"Then why are there no stars?"

"Good question. I've been pondering this too, but I can't find an answer."

"In our megaverse, whenever we are in outer space, there are always stars. Without stars, it’s not outer space. No matter how vast a universe may be, or how inhospitable it is, there should always be at least matter. But here, there’s nothing. It’s nothing but darkness."

The Origin Progenitor stared ahead. "That’s right, nothing but darkness. What’s going on?

"I’ve come up with quite a few theories over the last year."

"Such as?"

"It’s better to not listen to them. Some of them might scare you."

"I’ve been scared many times before."

"Are you sure that you won’t be afraid?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Once you leave your own megaverse, when you return, you can sense any creature that’s not from that megaverse. You know that, right?"

"I do."

"Have you ever wondered why?"

"I’ve thought about it, but I’ve never found an answer. I even asked Tian Ci and Yuan Qi about it, but neither of them knew why either. They simply confirmed that doing so allows someone to perceive the different auras. For example, take the people from the Lesser Spirit Megaverse that the High Seraph controls. For someone who’s never left the Spirit Nidus, then even without the Spirit Transformation Art, they would not be able to sense the presence of the outsiders. The war between the Spirit Nidus and the Consciousness Megaverse is why their cultivators have spent many years outside of the Spirit Nidus, which is also how they are able to sense outsiders who enter the Spirit Nidus. That’s why the High Seraph has people from the Lesser Spirit Megaverse cultivate his Spirit Transformation Art."

"Have you ever considered that the change might not be related to the megaverses, but rather to this space instead?"

Lu Yin looked over at the Origin Progenitor. "This place?"

The Origin Progenitor’s expression grew serious. "Just because it seems like there’s nothing here doesn’t mean that there’s truly nothing. How could someone’s aura change so drastically just from leaving a megaverse, and yet the person themselves is unable to sense it? It’s possible that it’s not the individual’s aura that changes, but rather that those who have entered this space are able to sense each other’s presence."

Lu Yin squinted. "Such as something that we come into contact with?"

The Origin Progenitor nodded. "Exactly. In this Aevum Inch, we come into contact with something. That includes you, me, and everyone who has ever left their own megaverse. This place may have affected us, which enables us to sense one another."

"The High Seraph has people from the Lesser Spirit Megaverse practice his Spirit Transformation Art. That means that he isn’t able to eliminate this contamination," Lu Yin commented.

The Origin Progenitor looked at Lu Yin. "We can’t sense anything, but we’ve been affected by it. It’s possible that not even Immortals are able to deal with this issue. Do you think that Master Qing Cao is ignorant of the Lesser Spirit Megaverse’s existence? If he knows about it, then why doesn’t he help the High Seraph deal with such an issue? After all, as soon as someone grows suspicious, they can easily confirm the existence of the Lesser Spirit Megaverse, just as you mentioned how Meng Sang did on the branch of the River of Aeons. This matter poses a significant risk to the High Seraph."

Lu Yin nodded. "If this issue can’t be resolved, then the Spirit Transformation Art is the only way to conceal that aura. If not even an Immortal can fix this, then maybe it’s best not to mess with it. After all, creatures can never surpass reality itself."

"Haha, Pillar, I’m glad that you can see things that way! I thought that you might cling onto some notion of humans conquering the heavens or defying fate. All of that’s just nonsense. What is the heavens? It’s the omniverse, all of reality. Everything that you do is already within that framework. Even if you think that you’re defying the heavens, that’s nothing more than the heavens causing you to feel that way. Everything follows those rules," the Origin Progenitor said with a laugh.

Lu Yin had never considered defying the heavens. There was no need for something like that. Whether he was going against fate or with it, all that mattered was obtaining what he desired. The struggles and pain that people experienced throughout their lives all carried their own karmic cause and effect.

As Lu Yin stared up at the darkness, he realized that his thoughts were not like those of a young man. However, for cultivators, he was still very, very young.