Chapter 1814: Returning To Find Things Unfamiliar
"How long do we need to wait for the ship to arrive?" Si Xiao"er asked.
The old woman was the one to reply, "At least another day. We’ve been waiting for half a month so far."
"Then we got here just in time."
The old woman suddenly pretended to be angry. "It’s just like you to be perfectly fine when we were all terrified that you were dead! We didn’t even dare to say anything to the dojo master!"
Si Xiao"er could only shrug. "I"m really sorry for having such an accident."
More and more people continued to gather. There were at least several thousand.
Were all of these people really from the Starfall Sea? Could any of them have also come out of one of Burial Garden’s gates? Lu Yin’s eyes swept over everyone gathered, but he was not able to see anything unusual at all.
However, searching for someone was pointless. Only an idiot would stay here after learning that they had appeared in the Starfall Sea. The only thing that might have been left behind was the Burial Garden that Lu Yin had found that had already been destroyed.
Lu Yin believed that more than just a few people had arrived in the Starfall Sea through the same gate that he had exited from, but the gate had already been destroyed, so no one else would pa.s.s through it. The only gate that Lu Yin knew of that still stood in the Starfall Sea was the one guarded by the Aeternals.
Lu Yin was very happy that he had been lucky enough not to exit through the gate that was in the West City.
A corpse king flew through the sky, and it was the same one that Lu Yin had fought against.
Lu Yin felt a chill every time he saw the creature, as he was scared that he would be discovered.
Fortunately, just one day later, the super-sized ship arrived, and everyone boarded it one after another. The ship took off again as soon as everyone was aboard, and it set course for the Sea King’s Dome, or rather, the new Aeternal Kingdom.
Lu Yin stared out at the indistinct image of Grayweed Continent. He had no idea when he would return to this place. Mt. Stacks Dojo still had the 1,000 Stacks palm print that he needed to check, but at this moment, he was not even capable of using 400 Stacks. He guessed that he needed to become an Envoy at the least before he would be able to use a full 1,000 Stacks.
As for the battle technique that was concealed within the 1,000 Stacks palm print, Lu Yin could not even imagine what it might be.
…
Lu Yin did not reveal himself during the trip from Grayweed Continent to the Aeternal Kingdom even once, not even to Si Xiao"er.
The old woman asked Si Xiao"er about Lu Yin several times, but the young woman would not reveal anything about Lu Yin at all, and in fact, Si Xiao"er herself did not know even Lu Yin’s name. The only thing that he had told her was that he was a senior from Skyblaze Dojo.
A tremor pa.s.sed through the ma.s.sive ship. They had arrived at the Aeternal Kingdom.
Lu Yin opened his eyes and emerged from his quarters. Shock filled his eyes when he looked out from the ship.
Was this really the same place that he had visited before? Was this really once the Sea King’s Dome?
Lu Yin still remembered the shock that had filled his heart when he first saw the Sea King’s Dome. Back then, the sky overhead had not been dark, but rather a bright blue that was full of light. There had been a ma.s.sive mountain surrounded by white clouds and rainbows that appeared from the various waterfalls cascading down the mountain while kicking up mist. It had looked like a fairyland. However, the mountain had been turned into a mine when the Sixth Mainland had invaded the Starfall Sea, and at the moment, even a mountain was not left standing. The place that had once been the Sea King’s Dome had apparently been erased from the map.
All that Lu Yin could see was an expansive city. Even though it appeared to be quite prosperous, he felt an odd silence from the place. There were smiles on many people’s faces, but he was also able to see helplessness, bitterness, and even despair hidden beneath those smiles.
He even saw the same look on Si Xiao’er’s face. She had worn normal expressions while on Grayweed Continent, but returning to the Aeternal Kingdom was like returning to her cage. The feeling of being trapped and suppressed only made the sky overhead even darker and more oppressive.
The sky above the Aeternal Kingdom was very bright, but it was not a light that illuminated the city, but rather one that strengthened the shadows.
"Xiao’er, let"s go. Yang Kong and your master are about to have their battle, and it’s going to take place right in the East City’s main square." The old woman"s expression changed drastically as she suddenly shouted at Si Xiao’er.
The young woman’s face grew pale, and she quickly left the ship and headed into the city along with all the other Water G.o.d Dojo’s disciples.
Lu Yin glanced around and saw that the group was not alone. Many people from the city were headed in the same direction.
An Enlighter had challenged an Envoy. This was something that was completely unprecedented, at least in the Starfall Sea, and so it had attracted a tremendous amount of attention. Lu Yin looked up. It was possible that even the one controlling the Starfall Sea, Blackless G.o.d, was paying attention to this match.
Lu Yin stepped out to make his way to the East City’s main square, but he was not familiar with the place.
The East City’s main square was in the northern section of the city. Given the power that an Envoy could unleash, let alone a mere city square, even the entire Aeternal Kingdom could be easily destroyed. Fortunately, the square was not in the city itself, but rather to the north and on the Starfall Sea’s coast. This location was why the square had been chosen for this battle. In fact, although the city square was reportedly the site of the battle, the fight would actually take place over the Starfall Sea.
The square was already completely crowded when Lu Yin arrived, and two people were standing across from each other at the center of the square. Both were calmly staring at each other.
One of the two was the master of Water G.o.d Dojo, a middle-aged woman known as Dojo Master Si. She was quite average to look at, but there was something alluring about her.
Across from Dojo Master Si was her challenger: Yang Kong.
Lu Yin’s eyes focused when he saw Yang Kong in person for the first time. This person was absolutely Bu Kong. Even though his appearance had changed a bit, his aura was the same as ever, especially his forcefield. This made Lu Yin absolutely confident in his original guess.
"Dojo Master Si, I"ve been waiting a very long time for this match." Yang Kong arrogantly lifted his head and revealed a proud expression on his face.
Dojo Master Si"s voice remained calm. "There’s a qualitative leap in power when breaking through from an Enlighter to an Envoy. Are you really so confident that you can defeat me?"
Yang Kong remained c.o.c.ky. "Cut the chit-chat! While it might be something that’s never been done before in history, there are already people who can pull it off. If he can do it, then so can I! I refuse to be any worse than him!"
Dojo Master Si frowned. "Then let"s do this. I’m looking forward to seeing why you believe that you can defeat me."
Just outside the square, Si Xiao"er and the other Water G.o.d Dojo’s disciples were gnashing their teeth as they glared at Yang Kong. This b.a.s.t.a.r.d was using their Dojo Master Si as a stepping stone to elevate himself. If he lost the match, it would only be expected, as he was an Enlighter challenging an Envoy. However, if Yang Kong won, Dojo Master Si would lose all respect. Yang Kong was truly hateful, but he was also invincible, so they could do nothing.
There was a bang, and Yang Kong shot through the void to instantly appear right in front of Dojo Master Si, and he threw out a palm as his opening attack.
Lu Yin watched from outside the square, and he was surprised by this move. Bu Kong’s style of fighting had changed. In the past, Bu Kong’s primary means of attack had been his innate gift of Decomposition, but at this moment, he was attacking with a palm. Was he using physical strength against this Envoy?
Dojo Master Si looked unimpressed by Yang Kong’s attack, and she simply moved and disappeared by entering the true universe.
This was the largest hurdle to overcome when an Enlighter faced an Envoy. Within the true universe, Dojo Master Si was able to see and freely attack Yang Kong, but he could not touch her.
Yang Kong had already expected this, and he waved a hand and quickly arranged a sourcebox array in the air.
Dojo Master Si attacked, and a stream of water wrapped around the area and suppressed all of the star energy in the area. The sourcebox array was truly powerful, but the stream of water had appeared instantly in response.
This was the same sourcebox array that Bu Kong had once used atop the Champions’ Stage to knock everyone else off.
However, at the moment, Bu Kong was not facing Enlighters, but rather an Envoy. Envoys used stellular energy that was able to completely suppress star energy.
This was the second greatest hurdle that Enlighters faced when up against Envoys. How could one fight without even using star energy?
Even if Lu Yin had reached the Creation realm of star energy control and was able to absorb all attacks with his star energy, he could not stabilize his star energy against an Envoy, as Envoys were able to innately suppress and disrupt star energy. It was completely impossible for Bu Kong to be able to overcome this hurdle.
His sourcebox array was broken by the stream of water, and the water moved around to fill the sky with numerous teardrops.
Someone watching from outside the square suddenly shouted, "That’s Water G.o.d’s Tears! This match is already over. There’s no way Yang Kong can win after being trapped within the Water G.o.d’s Tears. Even survival is questionable after being trapped by that technique."
Si Xiao"er became excited. Water G.o.d’s Tears was Water G.o.d Dojo’s pinnacle battle technique. It was not merely an attack made up of multiple water droplets, as each droplet actually possessed a raging current within it, and the force within each teardrop only rose as time pa.s.sed until the force exceeded the user’s control.
Cultivators from Grayweed Continent all knew to avoid getting trapped by Water G.o.d Dojo’s Water G.o.d’s Tears, as once one was trapped, not even disciples from Water G.o.d Dojo were guaranteed to be able to rescue the person.
All of Water G.o.d Dojo’s disciples started breathing quickly. This battle was already over.
Lu Yin was also amazed, as this Water G.o.d’s Tears was quite an impressive technique. The inside of each water droplet contained complex changes, and each one constantly strengthened itself. Much like a sourcebox, if a person wanted to overcome this technique or admit defeat, both would have to take place before the internal forces of each droplet exceeded the user’s control. Once that happened, their only option was to forcibly overpower the technique.
However, even overpowering the technique from outside would harm whoever was trapped within.
Overpowering the technique typically required the use of a technique that surpa.s.sed the upper limit of what the Water G.o.d’s Tears could withstand, which would also surpa.s.s what anyone trapped by the technique could endure.
This was a battle technique that constantly changed.
Dojo Master Si emerged from the true universe. "Admit defeat. I can still dispel the Water G.o.d’s Tears now, but if you delay, it will be too late."
Yang Kong clenched his fists tighter than ever as his clothes were shredded one layer at a time.
Dojo Master Si frowned. "Do you wish to die? If you wait too long, not even the city master himself will be able to save you."
Yang Kong sneered, though his skin started to be torn and shredded by the Water G.o.d’s Tears, and blood started to appear in the sky. The Water G.o.d’s Tears slowly changed from colorless to scarlet.
Dojo Master Si"s eyes flickered. She did not want to kill this youth, as doing so would offend the city master. Even if Dojo Master Si was also an Envoy, she was still intimidated by the city master, as she was not his equal.
Just when Dojo Master Si reached the point where she was almost unable to resist canceling her attack, a hand pierced through the Water G.o.d’s Tears and forcibly tore the technique apart, startling everyone.
Yang Kong stepped out, his face grim. Blood stained his entire body, and his eyes were gray.
Lu Yin was startled. A Gray Eyes Transformation?
Dojo Master Si exclaimed, "You’ve used the Corpse King Transformation?"
Yang Kong sneered. "You’re mistaken!"
He then leaped forward and charged at Dojo Master Si. The woman simply turned and entered the true universe, disappearing from sight. Yang Kong instantly froze in place.
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. The true universe was a hurdle that only the Perennial World’s four Junior Progenitors had managed to overcome. Before Lu Yin, there had been no Enlighter in the Fifth or Sixth Mainlands who were able to overcome this hurdle, except for older powerhouses that Lu Yin did not know much about. He seldom ever encountered seniors who were extremely powerful at their Enlighter level.
Whether or not Yang Kong could defeat Dojo Master Si all depended on whether or not he could surpa.s.s this obstacle and enter the true universe. Just by itself, the Gray Eye Transformation had given Bu Kong enough physical strength to compensate for the fact that he could no longer use star energy.
Dojo Master Si attacked again from within the true universe. A stream of water appeared, and the Water G.o.d’s Tears reappeared. This time, the teardrops easily filled the sky, and the technique was completed in half the time that had been used before.
Yang Kong"s eyes changed color once again and became green. It was as though his entire being had been improved by a level, and he instantly tore right through the Water G.o.d’s Tears. He stared in one particular direction, stepped forward, and then disappeared.
Lu Yin"s eyes grew sharp. Bu Kong had broken past the barrier. He had entered the true universe. This made Bu Kong the second Enlighter to be able to challenge Envoys after Lu Yin’s appearance.
This was something that was beyond even Shang Qing, and yet Bu Kong had accomplished it. Still, he had done so by utilizing the Aeternals’ Corpse King Transformation.