Star Odyssey-Chapter 3566: The Third Battle

Lu Yin's hand slowly moved down until it settled onto Meng Sang’s shoulder. "The Eightfold Nexus."

The Seraph shook his head. "You're too late. The High Seraph has already collected it."

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed, but he was not surprised. "What is Yong Heng’s reason for having you serve as his mouthpiece here in the Spirit Nidus?"

Meng Sang stared into Lu Yin’s eyes. "If I told you, would you believe me?"

"Yes," Lu Yin affirmed.

The Seraph’s gaze grew more intense. "Just like he said, you really do believe me.

"I know that I am no match for you. You have already killed Bao Qi, and you have defeated one expert after another here in the Spirit Nidus. I cannot match your accomplishments, which proves that his words are true.

"He also said that you would believe what I tell you.

"It’s just like he said: the one who understands him best is you, and the one who understands you best is him."

Lu Yin removed his hand from Meng Sang’s shoulder and silently listened.

Meng Sang continued, "‘The moment I appeared, the battlefield officially moved from the Tianyuan Megaverse to the Spirit Nidus. This is our third battlefield, as well as our final one.’"

Lu Yin's eyes flickered. The third battlefield, huh?

The ancient Heavens Sect had fought against Aeternus and lost. That had been the first battlefield. More recently, Aeternus had lost to the reestablished Heavens Sect and Lu Yin. That had been the second battlefield. At present, they would face off in the Spirit Nidus, and that was the third battlefield.

"We are in the Spirit Nidus, with both the High Seraph and the invincible being. Is Yong Heng really confident that this place will become a battlefield for the two of us?" Lu Yin countered.

Meng Sang frowned. "I had the same doubts, but he said that, so long as you are given enough time, there is nothing that you cannot do. The fact that neither the invincible being nor the High Seraph immediately killed you means that they need something from you. Since they need something, they'll give you time. And once that time passes, it will already be too late for them.

"Those were his exact words."

"What about him? Why does he think that he can challenge me?" Lu Yin's eyes grew sharply and intensely focused.

"Simply because his name is Yong Heng."

Lu Yin stared at Meng Sang for a long time, making no effort to hide his killing intent. He was debating whether or not to kill the Seraph.

Meng Sang just stood there, never moving.

After a long while, Lu Yin finally turned around and simply left. Once he was gone, Meng Sang also vanished.

The Ghostfire Domain was not his home.

...

The battle in the Consciousness Domain continued. As for the Heavencraft Domain, the intimidating Emperor Slayer had arrived.

The Heavencraft Domain had stayed on high alert, ready for Ce Wangtian and Astral Anura to attempt something. The fact that battles were still raging in the Consciousness and Cloudcrane Domains made the people of the Heavencraft Domain certain that the Grandverse Manor would not give up easily.

However, instead of the two that they were expecting, Emperor Slayer arrived instead.

Staring at the massive beast who was hovering just beyond the spirit threads, the dazed old man who led the Heavencraft Domain stared on in wide-eyed shock.

Emperor Slayer snarled viciously as he raised a clawed paw up and slammed it back down. "It’s time to settle our score, you immoral bastards!"

Boom!

The entire Heavencraft Domain trembled violently.

The spirit threads that filled the universe were twisted before they snapped one by one. Each time one broke, waves of black energy smashed through the void. The people of the domain watched as the energy ripped through space like a crashing tsunami.

The old man shouted, "Emperor Slayer, what are you doing?"

The beast’s eyes blazed with fury. "When that fool Emperor Wu fought me, where did he get the spirit threads that he used to bind me? Explain yourselves!"

The old man was completely stunned. The event that Emperor Slayer was bringing up had occurred a long, long time ago. If the old man’s memory served correctly, it had happened when his grandfather had been in power. Since then, not only had his grandfather passed away, but his father was also now gone. How could Emperor Slayer demand an explanation for something from that long ago?

On top of that, it had not been some duel, but rather the megaverse as a whole working together to eliminate Emperor Slayer.

The Ascendant Hall had ordered the hunt, and the Primal Beastland had joined in, with the rest of the thirty-six domains offering assistance. Despite all of those efforts, Emperor Slayer had not been captured. That incident had cemented the beast’s notoriety, as well as eight spirits on the Black Spirit Ranking.

The Heavencraft Domain had played a very minor role in the battle, only succeeding in binding Emperor Slayer with spirit threads for a brief moment. They had almost instantly been torn apart, and their efforts had done nothing at all to Emperor Slayer. The fact that the beast still held a grudge over such a small minor detail in that ancient conflict was a clear sign of his deep hatred.

"That happened long ago and is in the distant past," the old man said, "In the years since then, my Heavencraft Domain has had no dealings with you. If you attack us now, the Ascendant Hall will not stand idly by."

Emperor Slayer sneered at the threat. He then opened his mouth, revealing a twisting black light within.

The old man was horrified by the sight. "Emperor Slayer, stop!"

A beam of black light shot out, striking the spirit threads that filled the universe and blasting a hole through them. The beam struck the ground of the Heavencraft Domain, piercing through the earth.

A chubby young man in the Heavencraft Domain barely managed to dodge. He had almost been completely obliterated by the devastating force of the terrifying attack.

Far away, Ce Wangtian gasped in awe. This level of power defied belief.

From his perspective, it was as though the entire Heavencraft Domain had been pierced by the black beam that contained unimaginable destructive power.

Astral Anura gaped. Only by seeing such power in person was it possible to appreciate just how impressive Emperor Slayer was.

Lu Yin had defeated Emperor Slayer in a direct fight, and he had even traumatized the beast. That brat was the real monster.

A massive hole was ripped open in the Heavencraft Domain.

The old man blankly stared on. He had never imagined that such a thing would happen to his domain.

Tian Ya and Hu Wu grew serious after seeing the destruction. This was the true power of an eight-spirit criminal. If they had received the attack themselves, they would not have fared much better than the domain. However, it was not easy to land such a powerful attack strike on an opponent in battle. Still, there were a few people in the entire Spirit Nidus who were capable of enduring such an attack.

During the battle at the Umbral Deep, the Third Boss had avoided Emperor Slayer’s black beam attack, but there was no doubt that he would have survived even if he had not dodged.

Ripples passed through the universe as Emperor Slayer released a contented burp. “That felt good.”

He had released his pent-up frustration from being found by Astral Anura.

“All you people in the Heavencraft Domain, listen up! If you dare try to mess with me again, next time, I’ll turn all of you into dust!” he warned. With that, the massive beast broke through the void and left, his massive form vanishing from sight.

Before he left, he made it a point to flash a big grin at Astral Anura.

Ce Wangtian let out a heavy breath. "Now, it's our turn."

Astral Anura tightly grasped his steel fork before moving toward the Heavencraft Domain.

The domain was still reeling and shocked. Emperor Slayer’s devastating attack had left many people utterly speechless. Few people ever had the opportunity to witness such raw power, and the attack forced the entire domain to confront a new reality.

Some would lose all motivation, believing such power to be forever beyond their reach, while others would grow more motivated than ever, becoming determined to reach that level of power themselves. It all depended on each person’s mental fortitude.

What troubled the old man the most at this moment was seeing Ce Wangtian and Astral Anura suddenly arrive.

The Progenitor let out an evil laugh. “That’s rough. Was that Emperor Slayer? He really has no manners at all! He didn’t even bother to say hello before he attacked you.”

The old man kept a wary eye on the two new arrivals. “Did you two bring Emperor Slayer here?”

Astral Anura pointed his fork at the old man and screamed, “Old man, don’t make baseless accusations! We have nothing to do with him!”

The man’s eyes flickered. “Nothing to do with him? You expect me to believe such a miraculous coincidence? Of course you're connected with him, but I have no proof. Besides, Emperor Slayer already fought your Grandverse Manor’s Third Boss, who’s since become Seraph Lu. If that beast hadn’t escaped quickly enough, he might have been captured.”

The chances of Emperor Slayer cooperating with the Grandverse Manor seemed rather remote.

Still, it did not matter if there was a connection or not, as the old man had no way to look into the matter. It exceeded his abilities by far.

“Old man, Seraph Lu has ordered us to collect resources, so we need 100 trillion spirit seeds. If you refuse, we’ll tear another hole in your Heavencraft Domain,” Ce Wangtian threatened while picking his nose.

The old man ground his teeth, glaring at the two thugs with intense hatred. Unfortunately, he was helpless.

The spirit threads that had once covered the Heavencraft Domain were now shredded, and the domain no longer had the ability to stop the two, especially since one of them was a Dukkhan.

Emperor Slayer’s attack had missed a specific location that needed to be protected, but if he returned, there was no guarantee that that place would remain safe. If that place was destroyed, it would be devastating.

“We don’t have that many spirit seeds in the Heavencraft Domain,” the old man protested in a strained voice.

“Stop pretending. Either hand them over or let us search,” Astral Anura smugly demanded as his skin took on a golden color. His mood had greatly improved.

***

Old Yu and Chu Yi spent several days chatting in the Wisdom Domain. Finally, Old Yu could not suppress a heavy sigh. “Whether it’s our Spirit Nidus or your Tianyuan Megaverse, both have only managed to develop halfway.”

Chu Yi agreed. “Your Spirit Nidus’s unified cultivation system allows for rapid improvement throughout the megaverse without wasting any time. As for our Tianyuan Megaverse, our method of doing things better suits exploration and developing stronger paths of cultivation.”

Old Yu continued, “Neither is right or wrong. Ideally, the two systems would be merged, improving things for everyone.”

“That’s simply unrealistic. Your unified system has also created a cultivation culture that’s resistant to change,” Chu Yi replied.

“However, chaos can lead to an easier unification,” Old Yu remarked.

The two exchanged glances, and then Old Yu smiled. “This is why I hope to see Lord Lu join forces with us to reset the Consciousness Megaverse, which would preserve both the Spirit Nidus and your Tianyuan Megaverse. After all, both megaverses belong to humanity.”

Chu Yi stood up. “We’ve chatted for several days, which is enough. How does your Wisdom Domain intend to respond to Lord Lu’s request for resources?”

Old Yu took out a spirit cloudstone. “I’ll speak with him myself.”

Lu Yin had already returned and was back on Boundless. He had received news that the Heavencraft Domain had been dealt with.

Emperor Slayer had inexplicably attacked the domain, tearing the spirit threads apart, which had then allowed Ce Wangtian and the others to accomplish their task.

The attack seemed too coincidental, but Lu Yin could not believe that Ce Wangtian and the others had managed to contact Emperor Slayer and get him to cooperate. Lu Yin would need to wait for them to return and hear an explanation of the events.

The Heavencraft Domain had suffered a heavy blow, which left only the Cloudcrane, Augury, Consciousness, and Wisdom Domains still resisting.

The Grandverse Manor had created a massive disruption, but even then, the Ascendant Hall had not reacted. Next time, things would escalate even further.

There were less than ten years remaining until the Day of Offering. It was unlikely that any further surprises would occur during that time. The Ascendant Hall was doing its best to maintain the stability of the megaverse, which gave the Grandverse Manor the perfect opportunity to act up.

At this moment, Lu Yin’s spirit cloudstone trembled, and he accepted the call.

“Lord Lu, you are gathering spirit seeds to limit the number of future cultivators in the Spirit Nidus in the future,” Old Yu’s voice came through.

Lu Yin denied nothing. “You could say it like that.”

“That’s childish.”

“It doesn’t matter. What else can I do? You will already have the greatest number of Immortals, and there’s nothing I can do about that,” Lu Yin retorted.

Old Yu’s voice grew serious. “Are you trying to force the High Seraph’s hand?”

Lu Yin shrugged. “I’m not trying to push him, but if things come to a head and he takes action, then I might not be able to survive.”

“If you know that, then you should back off now,” Old Yu warned.

“I’m talking about pushing him to his limit. Unfortunately... I doubt that the High Seraph will ever reach that limit.”

Old Yu’s eyes flickered. “What does that mean?”

Lu Yin slowly smiled. “How much do you know about the invincible being?”

Old Yu’s expression stiffened. He had never discussed the invincible being with Lu Yin.

The Wisdom Domain was older than even the High Seraph, so they naturally knew about the invincible being. However, it was nearly impossible for them to have any real understanding of that individual.

While the Wisdom Domain had originally received the responsibility of distributing resources across the Spirit Nidus from that invincible being, after so many years, their information about that individual had faded.

The only thing they knew for sure was that the invincible being was no myth.