Chapter 4418: Are You Worthy?
Chapter 4418: Are You Worthy?
Shan Yue’s gaze turned cold, his voice low. “The ones who drove us out were creatures known as eagle-beasts. They live in groups and are the true native inhabitants of the Thunderous Megaverse. Our origins are the same as the Human Trio, we were cast out as bait.”
"We arrived in that megaverse later on in its development, so when we entered, we showed no hostility to the indigenous creatures. Master even helped the eagle-beasts break through the barrier of the Immortal realm. Before our arrival, the Thunderous Megaverse had no Immortal being at all.
"But after one of them broke through, the eagle-beasts revealed their cruelty. They first ambushed Master and injured him, and then they launched war after war against us, slaughtering us by the droves. What’s most despicable is that they are extremely fast, highly skilled with the power of lightning, and also able to reproduce in great numbers. We humans gradually reached the point where we couldn’t hold on. From initially having a population boom, by the time we fled with the Mountain Sword Sect, our numbers had dropped to just one percent of our peak in the Thunderous Megaverse."
At this point, Shan Yue gritted his teeth. "Master felt that he owed a debt to the Thunderous Megaverse. After all, the growth of our human civilization consumed a vast amount of the megaverse’s resources. That was why he guided an eagle-beast forward, but he never expected that doing so would nurture a disaster, allowing the eagle-beasts to grow into an enemy force.
"Master regretted his decision, but regret is useless. He could only lead the Mountain Sword Sect to flee."
Lu Yin remained calm. The Mountain Sword Sect’s ancestor had been too kind. Honestly, after being abandoned by the Nine Ramparts and thrown out to serve as bait, he had still remained so kind. It could only be said that he had not been suited for the brutality that the Aevum Inch demanded.
He had been defeated by the eagle-beast in the Thunderous Megaverse, been repeatedly used as a tool by Second Furball, and ultimately stayed on the back foot throughout the war against the Mudwater Dominion. The only time the old man had ever managed to seize the initiative was when he had blocked a fatal blow for Lu Yin.
Lu Yin respected the old man, but he could not agree with his methods. If Lu Yin had been in the old man’s position, he would have never helped an eagle-beast break through to the Immortal realm or even considered doing so.
As for the Thunderous Megaverse, the eagle-beasts had merely been born in that megaverse. They had not created the megaverse, so he would owe them anything.
That was the true rule of survival in the Aevum Inch. The Mountain Sword Sect now understood it clearly, but it was already too late. Their ancestor was already dead. He would never see the day of revenge.
Perhaps the Mountain Sword Sect’s ancestor had carried on with the Nine Ramparts’ thinking. The Fifth Rampart had accepted You Wu and You Che, and the other Ramparts might have done similar things. When human civilization had reached a certain level of strength, it seemed to have become careless and developed unnecessary compassion.
"What abilities does that Immortal eagle-beast have?"
Shan Yue thought back. "I was unable to get close to where it fought against Master, but Master did mention it to me. That eagle-beast resonates with a cosmic law that manifests in speed, extreme speed. It can move so fast that Master couldn’t even raise his sword and was forced to merely endure its attacks repeatedly while we humans suffered continuous losses. In the end, Master had no choice but to retreat.
"That eagle-beast also suffered from its karmic chain lengthening, but Master could never be sure if it would choose to endure that burden just to seize control of the Thunderous Megaverse. If it went mad, it might accept the karmic cost of doing so, but then our human civilization would be finished."
Bitterness entered Shan Yue’s voice. "Master always believed that our human civilization was the only one left in the cosmos. He did everything he could to keep us alive, no matter what it took. We simply had to survive.
"But fate always seemed to side with our enemies. We escaped from the eagle-beasts, only to face someone from Obscura. It was truly hateful."
Lu Yin asked, "If that eagle-beast is so fast, why didn’t it chase after you?"
Shan Yue shook his head. "Its goal was only to drive us away. After finally breaking through to the Immortal realm, it didn’t want to increase its karmic chain."
Lu Yin understood. This must have been the gamble that the Mountain Sword Sect’s ancestor had spoken of. He had not dared to gamble because, if he had lost, he would have lost what he believed to be the surviving remains of humanity. At the same time, he envied Lu Yin for being daring enough to gamble with his life because, even if Lu Yin won, the outcome would not have been the same.
There was no right or wrong, only different burdens and risks.
Fast? Interesting. Let’s see how it compares to teleportation.
They soon arrived at their destination. Second Furball had not lied. Ahead of Lu Yin was a megaverse that Shan Yue recognized. It was not the Thunderous Megaverse, but rather a suitable megaverse for settling that the Mountain Sword Sect’s ancestor had found after being chased away. This megaverse also had a civilization, though no Immortals. In fact, there were not even any Ortusers.
Upon arriving at this megaverse, the Mountain Sword Sect’s ancestor had learned his lesson and no longer taught the indigenous creatures. However, humanity ended up being targeted by Second Furball instead.
Seeing the familiar megaverse up ahead, Shan Yue grew excited. They were finally returning.
Lu Yin used Mirrorlight Art to see into the distance. "Which direction did you come from?"
Shan Yue looked around and indicated a direction. Lu Yin looked that way and started teleporting.
After some time, he arrived at another megaverse. Shan Yue’s visible excitement indicated that this was indeed the Thunderous Megaverse.
Still using his Mirrorlight Art, Lu Yin surveyed the entire megaverse. He saw eagle-beasts circling about, soaring through the universe. They were the rulers of this megaverse, and the other creatures were prostrated beneath them, especially the one Immortal creature.
The moment Lu Yin looked at it, the Immortal eagle-beast abruptly rose up and peered out from the megaverse with extreme wariness. It had sensed something.
Lu Yin had no intention of hiding. He took out the Zenith Mountain and allowed everyone from the Mountain Sword Sect to watch as he then teleported to the eagle-beast with Shan Yue.
A human suddenly appeared within the universe, and he appeared to be calm beyond measure. The eagle-beast grew extremely wary, and it stared fixedly at Lu Yin, "Humans, you dare to return?"
Shan Yue stared at the massive eagle-beast before him. From all around, more eagle-beasts appeared, and they let out warning screeches.
The aura of living creatures could be sensed from every planet. The weakest were as strong as Progenitors, but most were sequence powerhouses and quite a few were Ortusers or Dukkhans. All of them joined the Immortal eagle-beast in issuing threats.
But to Lu Yin, these auras might as well have all belonged to ants.
Within the Zenith Mountain, the members of the Mountain Sword Sect watched everything excitedly. Many felt as if they had returned home in a dream, having long awaited this day. Most were seeing this megaverse, as well as the eagle-beasts, which had quite the formidable appearance, for the first time.
In addition to the members of the Mountain Sword Sect, there were also some of Lu Yin’s former enemies who were still his captives, such as Qian Shu and Meng Sang, though most of his captives had already been released.
Everyone watched on as the events unfolded outside. They saw the eagle-beasts circling and could feel the waves of powerful auras. Many people grew rather alarmed.
Even so, there were some who felt that these creatures were not as terrifying as some of the heavily injured creatures that Lu Yin had occasionally thrown into the Zenith Mountain. No one had any idea that those injured creatures had all been Immortals.
Shan Yue glanced at Lu Yin as he calmly told the man, "Say whatever you want to it. Right now, even if you want to eat it, you can."
Shan Yue was stunned. This man’s tone demonstrated utter disregard for the Immortal eagle-beast. But what was this feeling? It was unprecedented relief, and it was truly exhilarating.
The Immortal eagle-beast heard Lu Yin’s comment and stared at him. Instinctively, the beast felt increasingly uneasy.
"Humans, you never belonged to this megaverse. You left, and I did not stop you. There is no irreconcilable hatred between us."
Shan Yue suddenly shouted, "Beast, do you remember me?"
The eagle-beast bristled. Beast? Those words struck at its reverse scale. After falling out with that old human, that was what the eagle-beast had been called. It hated that word. "You are Shan Yue."
Shan Yue sneered. "So you remember me. Good. Didn’t expect us to return, did you?"
The eagle-beast stared at the man. "Where is the old man? Is he too afraid to show himself, so he sent you?"
Shan Yue clenched his fists, "We humans entered this place feeling that we owed you, so we taught you. Master even helped you to break through the barrier of the Immortal realm, and yet you viciously struck him, ambushed him, and slaughtered our people. You truly are a beast!"
The eagle-beast roared, "You consumed the resources of the Thunderous Megaverse! You humans multiplied and took over our living space!"
"Why didn’t you say that before becoming an Immortal? Compared to that breakthrough, what are such resources worth? Beast, you still dare to twist right and wrong?" Shan Yue rebuked.
The eagle-beast’s claws gleamed coldly. "Bring that old man out."
Shan Yue felt a pang of sorrow. His master was gone forever.
Lu Yin glanced at Shan Yue. Too polite. He was supposed to vent, not reason with the beast.
"Beast, there’s no reason for our senior to step out. I’m here. Say whatever you want to me."
The eagle-beast turned to glare at Lu Yin. "And who are you?"
Lu Yin smirked. "Just an ordinary human."
"You are definitely not part of the Mountain Sword Sect." The eagle-beast was on edge. Somehow, it felt a threat of danger from this human that it had never felt even from the Mountain Sword Sect’s ancestor.
"Then where do you think I’m from?"
"No matter where you’re from, this is between us and the Mountain Sword Sect. They consumed our resources and forced us out of our territory. I merely drove them away and never tried to exterminate them. You have no ground to stand on here."
Shan Yue was about to speak, but he was stopped by Lu Yin. Lu Yin smiled at the eagle-beast. "So what?"
The beast’s eyes grew cold, and Shan Yue stared at Lu Yin in astonishment.
Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. "This megaverse is now ours. I’ve said it, and so you will listen. Why would I reason with a beast like you? Are you worthy?"
Shan Yue watched as Lu Yin spoke calmly. The man felt something that he was unaccustomed to feeling. The people of the Mountain Sword Sect had always tried to reason with others, and his own master had always been humble. How could this man be so... domineering? Yes. This is how it should be.
The eagle-beast was furious, and it opened its wings. "Humans, you want to seize our Thunderous Megaverse?"
Lu Yin shook his head. "No. We don’t intend to seize it."
The eagle-beast’s aura eased back slightly.
Lu Yin leisurely stated, "I simply want to kill you."
The eagle-beast shrieked and instantly vanished, leaving behind nothing more than a streak of flickering lightning. Shan Yue was startled, "Be careful!"
Lu Yin looked up and raised his right arm, opening his hand.
Bang!
There was a deafening impact, and Shan Yue slowly turned his head to stare in shock at the eagle-beast right in front of him. It was less than a meter away. So fast!
At this moment, the eagle-beast was equally stunned, and it stared at its claw that had been caught in one hand by Lu Yin. How is this possible? How can this human actually withstand my strike?
Furthermore, the beast had launched a sneak attack at top speed. That old man from the Mountain Sword Sect had not even been able to see the eagle-beast when it moved at this speed, and he had only been able to stand there and be freely attacked by the eagle-beast.
But could this human actually track it?