Star Odyssey - Chapter 3643: River Domain

Chapter 3643: River Domain

Lu Yin replied, “Three sequence bases.”

Zhan Ming was not surprised. How could Lu Yin demand anything less than these harsh conditions?

“Seraph Lu, my Gate of Laws does not have three sequence bases, but one might be possible.”

“Then forget it. Come back when you’ve made up your mind. Oh, and you’ll need to pay a deposit first.”

…

After the battle at the source of the Fu River, nothing particularly shocking occurred in the Spirit Nidus.

Lu Yin had created his Linked Spirit battle technique. He claimed to have betrayed the Consciousness Megaverse and was releasing his technique as a show of his change of heart by helping the Spirit Nidus capture more conscients. To the people of the Spirit Nidus, this was a good thing, as it served as proof that Boundless had surrendered.

The people on the battleship honestly hoped to be accepted by the Spirit Nidus, and it was a relief to many people that someone as strong as Lu Yin was no longer their enemy.

That was precisely why the news from the Gate of Laws caused so many people to tense up.

“Is it true? Is Seraph Lu refusing to show any sort of respect to the Gate of Laws?”

“Of course, it’s true! He created a huge scene in the Garden of Passing right in front of Seraph Zhan Ming. He killed several old powerhouses, and he even captured Seraph Yi Sha—no, he’s no longer a Seraph.”

“I heard about that, too! Supposedly, when Boundless first arrived in our Spirit Nidus, Yi Shang led experts from the Daquan Domain to attack them. Even though they lost, the Daquan Domain managed to inflict significant damage to Boundless. Seraph Lu has been looking for some way to get back at Yi Shang, which forced him to hide in the Garden of Passing. Even so, Seraph Lu still managed to find him in the end.”

“I heard that even Seraph Zhan Ming was injured.”

“The Gate of Laws has been completely humiliated, just like the Primal Beastland. Will Seraph Zhan Ming challenge Seraph Lu to a duel like Emperor Wu did?”

“Probably not…”

The Spirit Nidus was abuzz with rumors of what had happened, though the truth was that Zhan Ming had deliberately leaked the information. This was the “deposit” that Lu Yin had demanded—he wanted everyone to believe that he had openly turned against the Gate of Laws. That way, if anyone was secretly plotting against Boundless, they would approach the Gate of Laws first.

This was also something Yong Heng wanted to see.

What Yong Heng did not know, however, was that Zhan Ming and Yi Shang had once jointly held the third key to the Gate of Laws. By capturing Yi Shang, Lu Yin had gained leverage through that knowledge, and continued using it to manipulate Zhan Ming.

Lu Yin dared to act this brazenly because he was certain that Yong Heng would never expose the fact that he possessed two keys. If that news broke, the entire Spirit Nidus would be focused on True God, and the High Seraph would definitely raise his guard. After all, there were only three keys, and since Yong Heng already held two of them, there was no question that he would pursue the last one.

If it was exposed that Yong Heng had two keys, then it would become nearly impossible for him to obtain the third key. Yong Heng was not so foolish.

The asymmetric knowledge between Yong Heng and Zhan Ming was an opportunity that Lu Yin could exploit. If Zhan Ming knew that Yong Heng already had two keys, he would immediately realize that Yi Shang’s secondary key was utterly worthless. If the box no longer held the key, or if it had been shattered, then the keys to the box meant nothing.

Zhan Ming arrived at the Ascendant Hall and requested an audience with the High Seraph.

“Seraph Lu is completely lawless! Do you know what the Garden of Passing is? It’s a sacred ground where generations of our Spirit Nidus’s powerhouses have sacrificed themselves to contribute to building sequence bases! It is the place that represents our eternal glory! Despite that, he brazenly invaded the Garden of Passing, captured people, and even attacked dying powerhouses! If he is bold enough to lay his hands on the Garden of Passing today, then tomorrow he will steal the sequence bases! High Seraph, please do something! Suppress Lu Yin and crush Boundless!” Zhan Ming shouted. He made sure that his voice echoed throughout Ascendant Hall and was heard by countless people.

The High Seraph stared at Zhan Ming from within the Apex Palace. “Your Gate of Laws has never bothered itself with Boundless before. Why has your position suddenly changed?”

Zhan Ming solemnly replied, “Because the Garden of Passing is too important! We cannot allow Seraph Lu to destroy it.”

The High Seraph stared at Zhan Ming. “Where is Zhan Yan?”

Zhan Ming looked up. “She is still on Boundless.”

“And the key?”

Zhan Ming said nothing, but the High Seraph understood. Previously, the Gate of Laws had been secretly aiding Boundless because of Zhan Yan and the key in her possession. Now that Boundless no longer had the key, Zhan Ming was turning against them.

“Where is the key?” The High Seraph was puzzled by this. Given Lu Yin’s personality, if he had the key, then there was no chance of him ever giving it to anyone else. Even if that happened, how would Zhan Ming have learned of it? Why was he so confident? There was something very strange about the situation.

Zhan Ming remained silent for a moment before slowly responding, “The key is with Meng Sang.”

The High Seraph’s expression changed. “Why is that?”

“I don’t know. Meng Sang told me himself, and Seraph Lu did not deny it.”

The High Seraph stared off into space. “Meng Sang? No, it should be with Yong Heng.”

Has the key actually ended up in Yong Heng’s hands? How did he accomplish that? Considering Yong Heng and Lu Yin’s relationship in the Tianyuan Megaverse, they were clearly enemies, not allies. While Yong Heng had aided Lu Yin against the High Seraph once during the Everstone Discourse, that was only to ensure a certain level of balance—that had not been a true alliance.

However, the key was different.

Lu Yin was only willing to give the key to Yong Heng because Yong Heng has leverage over him, and that leverage forced Lu Yin to make a compromise.

The High Seraph frowned. Yong Heng truly is someone who cannot be ignored.

Yong Heng has obtained one key. I have one, and the other… The High Seraph looked back at Zhan Ming.

“The war against the Consciousness Megaverse is inevitable. There is no need for us to fall out with Boundless now. They must also go to the Consciousness Megaverse. Whether or not they are able to return alive will be up to them,” the High Seraph declared.

Before Zhan Ming could say anything further, the High Seraph vanished.

Zhan Ming could only depart.

He had already achieved his objective: as Lu Yin had demanded, the High Seraph had been informed that Yong Heng held a key, and at the same time, the Gate of Laws was seen as being irreconcilable enemies with Boundless.

Next was the Primal Beastland.

No one knew what had become of Emperor Wu after the battle at the source of the Fu River, other than the fact that he had been taken back to the Primal Beastland.

Countless people had been inquiring into Emperor Wu’s condition.

It was true that Emperor Wu had been defeated, but no one dared to claim that he had lost his title of Seraph.

There was no doubt that Emperor Wu was one of the strongest cultivators in the entire Spirit Nidus, inferior only to the High Seraph and Lu Yin. If a single defeat was enough to warrant him losing his title as Seraph, then the other Seraphs did not deserve to keep their titles either.

However, whether or not Emperor Wu retained his position as one of the Seven Seraphs depended solely on the High Seraph.

Many people saw Zhan Ming go to the Primal Beastland. His visit led to speculation that he was hoping to cooperate with the Primal Beastland to go against Boundless. It looked like the leader of the Gate of Laws was completely infuriated by Boundless’s actions, yet was unable to handle them on his own.

Zhan Ming soon left the Primal Beastland again. Whenever he was asked about his visit or about Emperor Wu’s condition, Zhan Ming refused to speak a single word.

In the Hundred Grasses Domain, Lu Yin was up above Boundless, and he lowered his spirit cloudstone.

Zhan Ming had not seen Emperor Wu. While Lu Yin knew for certain that Emperor Wu was not dead, Lu Yin did not know what sort of condition the Seraph was in.

After all, Emperor Wu had used the sequence base Heaven’s Seal and even revealed his Nine Heavens Transformation during his fight with Lu Yin. It was not easy to see through the Dukkhan.

Had Old Yu and the others not visited the Primal Beastland to speak with Emperor Wu and ask about the Nine Heavens Transformation as well?

The High Seraph too. It seemed that everyone at the peak was capable of maintaining their composure.

The outside world had learned that the Gate of Laws was hostile towards Boundless, and the High Seraph had also been informed that Yong Heng held a key. Exciting events would soon unfold.

The River Domain was at the very edge of the thirty-six domains that formed the Spirit Nidus, and it was one of the two domains at the bottom of the “灵” character. While the thirty-six domains had never been ranked by strength, the upper portion of the Spirit Nidus was clearly much stronger than the lower domains. Even within the lower domains, the River Domain was considered one of the weakest.

The ruler of the River Domain was technically a sequence powerhouse, but only just. Anyone who could defeat him would be acknowledged as having reached the strength of a sequence powerhouse, even if they were only a Spirit Ancestor. Conversely, failing to defeat him meant that even someone at the sequence level would not be regarded as truly belonging to that realm.

Being seen as a benchmark was normally insulting, but the ruler of River Domain was quite pleased with the title. At the very least, it had put his River Domain on the map. The constant stream of challengers it attracted brought change and growth, gradually raising the domain’s overall strength. There was even a chance they might one day surpass some of the others.

“There are eighty-eight different sequence techniques, but the one you pursue should not be chosen based on your personal preference, but rather by following your heart…” Atop a high platform, an old man started to slowly speak, sharing his insights regarding cultivation.

Down below, there were thousands of disciples listening intently, their eyes showing nothing but admiration as they looked at the old man.

While the outside world looked down on the River Domain, they did not care. What other domain was ruled by a sequence powerhouse who would regularly give lectures? None. What expert at the sequence particle level or above never went into seclusion, but instead stayed in one place, waiting for disciples to inquire about matters of their cultivation? None.

Even the man known as a half-master to many, the renowned Pavilion Master Xuan Shan, only taught those who were fated to learn from him.

The people of the River Domain did not need a powerful ruler, but rather a benevolent one who was willing to teach and guide them upwards, step by step.

In the distance, a middle-aged man leaned against a mountainside while holding a blade. He was watching with great impatience.

He was waiting to challenge the ruler of the River Domain. While the man with the blade was only a Spirit Ancestor, he was confident of winning. After succeeding, he would be regarded as an exceptionally powerful Spirit Ancestor. That would be enough for him to attract attention from some of the major powers and gain entry into the most coveted circles.

For many, the ruler of the River Domain was similar to the Nine Horizons: a shortcut to gaining prestige and stepping into a higher level.

Soon after, the two men stood facing each other.

“I admire your willingness to teach these kids,” the middle-aged man said as he lowered his heavy blade, its edge cutting a deep gash into the ground. “But unfortunately, everything you’ve taught them is wrong.”

The old man offered a faint smile. “Oh? And why is that?”

The middle-aged man replied coldly, “Here in the River Domain, they’ve never experienced the brutal realities of the cultivation world. They’re free to choose whatever path they like. But once they step out into the greater universe, they’ll learn what they’re really up against. Sequence techniques that don’t improve raw power are completely worthless—they won’t help anyone survive. In the end, they’re just waiting to die, destined to be sacrificed by the Gate of Laws to complete sequence bases.”

The old man shook his head. “Cultivation should follow the heart—not just preference. If I’m not mistaken, you should have broken through to the sequence level long ago, given how long you’ve lived. And yet, you’re still stuck. That bottleneck isn’t something you can just brute-force your way through.

“Have you ever felt strongly drawn to a particular sequence technique, but refused to cultivate it?”

The younger man’s eyes flickered. The old man continued:

“The sequence technique you’re chasing doesn’t suit you. That mismatch has caused a conflict between your cultivation path and your nature. It’s been holding you back for years. If you continue down this path, you’ll never reach the sequence level.

“Even if you beat me and gain the opportunity you want, it still won’t be enough to get you past that threshold. And even if it does, you’ll just end up like me—a benchmark, nothing more.”

“Ridiculous!” The middle-aged man drew his blade, its edge reflecting a sharp glint.

When the old man took action, he displayed a certain amount of grace. Unfortunately, he was not skilled at powerful attacks. While the older man was able to deflect the middle-aged man’s relentless attacks, the old man was destined to eventually be defeated.