Star Odyssey-Chapter 3532: Unable To Win

Yi Nan had relied on Old Yu, while the hidden heir of the Wisdom Domain had promised Qianmen Feidu that he would become the next master of the Phantom Reach.

For Qianmen Feidu, this was seen as cooperation, but from Lu Yin's perspective, the man was a loyal worker of the hidden heir.

The hidden heir was a truly impressive person.

Lu Yin looked out at the stars and saw Old Yu.

The old man had done nothing while many members of the Phantom Reach had died. Some had committed suicide, while others had been killed by the old man. And yet, he had left Qianmen Feidu alive. Whether this was even partially for the sake of the hidden heir, Lu Yin could not say, but he would never believe that Old Yu did not know about Qianmen Feidu's allegiance to the Wisdom Domain’s hidden heir.

It would also be quite a pity to have a powerful Ortuser die.

Even if Qianmen Feidu was weaker than Mr. Li's, he was invaluable.

The two most pitiable individuals in the matter were Young Master Yu and Mr. Li; one was unable to even see what the Wisdom Domain’s hidden heir was doing, while the other had been abandoned. Both were quite pitiful.

Lu Yin slowly raised a hand and set it down on Qianmen Feidu's shoulder.

The man instinctively wanted to escape, but he forcibly restrained himself. He knew that escape was impossible.

"Go find Meng Sang’s location and then report back to me."

Qianmen Feidu pleaded, "Third Boss, I—"

Lu Yin’s lips started to curl upwards, but then a heavy glint appeared in his eyes. "You can leave now."

Qianmen Feidu was stunned. "I can... leave?"

Lu Yin removed his hand and casually ordered, "Go find him. Let me know as soon as you have done so."

Qianmen Feidu could not understand what Lu Yin was doing. He was free to go? If Qianmen Feidu left, why would he ever return to Lu Yin? To do so would be asking to die. Despite that, was Lu Yin really just letting the man go? As simple as that?

"Then, I’ll take my leave...?"

Seeing no reaction from Lu Yin, Qianmen Feidu continued moving and slowly entered outer space.

He was soon in outer space, far away from the Roaming South Realm. Qianmen Feidu’s heart felt heavy. There were times when people did not fear death, but rather the unknown that surrounded death. That was exactly what the Ortuser was feeling. Could he escape? Why had the Third Boss let him go? The man had no answers.

Compared to the members of the Phantom Reach who had committed suicide, Qianmen Feidu was a leader who not had broken free from certain mental constraints. In some ways, he was no different from an ordinary human—he did not want to die.

He turned back for one last glance as he mulled over everything that had just happened. Nothing had happened, so why had he been let go? It was illogical. No, the Third Boss had patted Qianmen Feidu on the shoulder.

His heart dropped as he stared behind him. The Roaming South Realm was already nothing more than a speck in his vision, but across that vast distance, Old Yu’s eyes fell upon the Ortuser. Qianmen Feidu slowly bowed and then nervously continued moving away.

Old Yu did not stop the man. Instead, he looked at the ground of the Roaming South Realm. The old man’s eyes flickered, and he suddenly vanished.

Down on the ground, Lu Yin was staring up at the starry sky. Killing Qianmen Feidu would have accomplished nothing while suppressing him would only give Lu Yin another Ortuser, which would not be particularly significant. On the other hand, releasing the man meant letting one of the Wisdom Domain’s hidden heir’s pawns go, which would put greater pressure on the public heir. This would keep things interesting for the Wisdom Domain.

Young Master Yu would eventually learn of the matter, and how would he feel about it?

If Qianmen Feidu died, the hidden heir would simply acquire another pawn, but Lu Yin would not know who, which would put him at a disadvantage.

On top of that, since Old Yu also wanted Qianmen Feidu to live, Lu Yin would release the man.

The Wisdom Domain had plotted against Lu Yin. There was no way that he would make things easy for them.

Had one of the Wisdom Domain’s public heirs ever managed to become the ruler of the domain? Not once in history.

Old Yu descended to the ground a short ways away from Lu Yin.

He glanced around at the shattered landscape and sighed. “The Phantom Reach was once one of the most powerful organizations in the entire megaverse. They were responsible for controlling vast amounts of data in the Spirit Nidus, and they were also responsible for the creation of the White Spirit List and Black Spirit List, as well as countless assassinations. Despite all of that, they disappeared today.”

Lu Yin looked over at Old Yu. “Next is the Wisdom Domain. Do you prefer to fight here or back in your Wisdom Domain?”

Old Yu sighed with a shrug. “Lord Lu, are you still not satisfied? We have already given you Mr. Li.”

Lu Yin stared deeply at Old Yu. “Really? Did you give him to me?”

Old Yu replied, “Lord Lu, you still haven’t been pushed to your limit. I can clearly see at least that much. I never believed that Mr. Li was capable of defeating you. If I had seen otherwise, I would have intervened.”

“Old man, many have believed that they understood me, only to meet a tragic end. There have been far too many such examples in my megaverse. You might just end up as the first example here in the Spirit Nidus,” Lu Yin retorted contemptuously.

Old Yu laughed. "Has your anger been quenched, Lord Lu?"

Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. "In order to give Yi Nan a chance to become a Seraph, you’ve done a great deal. You made sure that many potential competitors were eliminated, especially during that battle at the Umbral Deep. You essentially used me to help Yi Nan by having me deal with those mad dogs. Now that all of your efforts have failed, I would like to hear your thoughts."

Old Yu let out a long sigh as he shook his head. "There is nothing to be done in the face of someone as domineering as you. Honestly, what we are offering you in compensation far exceeds Yi Nan’s value.

"All of the Phantom Reach's intelligence network is now at your disposal, and Yi Nan will support you after he officially becomes a Seraph. Do you not care about these matters, Lord Lu?"

Lu Yin started walking back towards Jiu Xian's valley. "None of that matters. I'll take what I want myself. If someone tries to force something onto me that I don’t want, it will not happen."

Old Yu followed behind, and the two walked slowly. "I believe that I understand your personality better now, Lord Lu. From now on, anything that I intend to do will first be discussed with you."

Lu Yin said nothing and continued to walk in silence.

What existed beneath what he saw in this place?

During the Nine Horizons, he had seen seven lands made from karma, and one of them should have been around this region. From what Lu Yin had seen, the Spirit Nidus’s seven major forces occupied those seven lands of karma. Was it a coincidence, or had it been deliberately arranged?

He had seen a miraculous scenery while in the Consciousness Domain. Most recently, Lu Yin had sent spirals of karma into the ground of the Roaming South Realm, but he had not been able to replicate that previous vision.

Could he need Wu Wei’s Heaven's Blade?

"Why did Phantom Reach decide to use the Roaming South Realm as their headquarters?" Lu Yin suddenly asked.

Old Yu grew puzzled. "Why do you ask about that, Lord Lu?"

"Just curious. Do I need a reason?"

Old Yu was briefly taken aback, but he was not bothered by the question. "Yi Nan might be the only one who knows the true reason. This old man never even considered it."

Lu Yin calmly stated, "The seven major powers are located in precise locations across the Spirit Nidus. Their locations are not a coincidence."

Old Yu replied, "Then it might have something to do with the High Seraph. That man has always been trying to take complete control of the Spirit Nidus. While it might initially seem as if he’s succeeded and that no one dares to defy his orders, the truth is that the seven major powers and the Seven Seraphs are not fully obedient towards him. There are times when not even the High Seraph can act as he wishes.

"With what you are telling me, it seems that the locations of the seven major powers need to be looked into.

"At times, matters can be so subtle that only outsiders can see the details clearly," Old Yu mused, his eyes showing that he had gotten lost in his own thoughts.

However, the old man’s train of thought was completely divergent from what Lu Yin was thinking.

Except for the High Seraph and Master Qing Cao, no one could even guess at what Lu Yin had seen. He had peeked into another layer of reality.

Slowly, Lu Yin entered Jiu Xian's valley.

Old Yu did not know why Lu Yin was interested in this place.

The ground was shattered, but some of the stone rubble was still pinning multiple portraits down.

Lu Yin sat on a stone, pulled out a couple of bottles of wine out from his cosmic ring, and handed one to Old Yu.

"Old man, you were willing to send a Dukkhan to me to calm my anger. That’s quite the gesture. Was it worth it?" Lu Yin asked as he took a sip of wine.

Old Yu examined the bottle before opening it and smelling its contents. He laughed. "Is this wine from your Tianyuan Megaverse? What a wonderful fragrance. "

He then took a sip of the wine and sat on a stone across from Lu Yin.

If one did not recognize the two men, they would have never guessed that one was the ruler of the Tianyuan Megaverse and that the other was the ruler of the Spirit Nidus’s Wisdom Domain.

"Good wine." Old Yu lowered his bottle to look at Lu Yin. "To be honest, I find it a great pity, but completely worthwhile.

"The High Seraph's strength makes him invincible, and there is a need for someone to restrain him. It’s difficult to find anyone in the Spirit Nidus with that potential, but this old man sees hope in you."

Lu Yin sneered. "Using others or being used—you treat others as your pawns, but ultimately, you yourself are just a pawn. Old man, if you compare yourself to the High Seraph, do you see yourself as the pawn, or him?"

Old Yu chuckled softly. "We're all just pieces on the board. The ones truly playing the game are this universe itself... and the will of its people."

Lu Yin arched a brow. "Don't try to sound profound. All I want to know is whether the High Seraph knows that you’re trying to plot against him."

"Of course he’s aware."

“So are you only cooperating with me on the surface?”

“Saying it like that is not very accurate. While my Wisdom Domain enjoys a unique status in the megaverse, that does not mean that we can openly flout the rules.” Old Yu paused for a moment. “Right now, there are certain paths that you should not pursue, Lord Lu. Adaptability is king.”

Lu Yin took a sip of wine. “That depends on whether you are able to make me adapt.”

Old Yu grew solemn. “If not, why else would you have come to the Spirit Nidus at all? Why break so many rules and antagonize the High Seraph? Why maintain your leverage over him?”

Lu Yin nodded. “I will admit that I am not yet a match for the High Seraph, but would cooperating with you give me the ability to face him?

“You were not initially this determined to target the High Seraph, but you are so impatient now. What’s caused this sudden change?”

Old Yu showed a bitter smile. “There was never any change. That’s a fact.

“At first, I believed that you and those with you merely wanted to protect yourselves, having abandoned the Tianyuan Megaverse. That was why I advised you to simultaneously cut your losses, look for the greatest mutual benefit, and work to restrain the High Seraph.

“However, you didn’t hesitate at all to go after the Phantom Reach when Yi Nan went after the title of Seraph. You were willing and unafraid to be targeted by the entire Spirit Nidus. I have observed your determination, as well as that of the others in the Grandverse Manor.

“I have seen the determination of your Tianyuan Megaverse.

“I realize that the chances of convincing you to submit to the High Seraph are too slim, which leaves me with no choice but to alter our approach and go after the High Seraph directly.”

Lu Yin stared at Old Yu. “If we manage to defeat the High Seraph, the Tianyuan Megaverse will eclipse your Spirit Nidus. Are you willing to see that happen?”

Old Yu locked eyes with Lu Yin. “You won’t be able to win.”

Lu Yin frowned.

Old Yu said, “When I spoke to you about altering the way in which we deal with the High Seraph, that is to help you, not us.

“You won’t be able to defeat the High Seraph, but in going against him, you can work with us. Ultimately, the final outcome will align with my previous prediction: the number of Immortals in our two megaverses will be fixed, and the Spirit Nidus will eternally surpass your Tianyuan Megaverse because of that. However, the Tianyuan Megaverse will still be able to sustain itself. There is no way to alter the final situation of the three megaverses.”

“Which means you’re just toying with me now.” Lu Yin's face grew colder.

Helplessness filled the old man’s voice, “If I don't express myself in this manner, would you even be willing to listen to me any further, Lord Lu?

“Your heart is too big, to the point where, even without seeing a path to your own survival, you still want to overturn the current balance. This is the ambition of youth. I am old, as are many of the people in the Grandverse Manor. Your ambition doesn’t resonate with them, but they trust you and will follow you all the way, even to death.

“Their affection and trust—can you betray that, Lord Lu? Do you really intend to lead them to certain death?”