Chapter 2466 – A Madman"s Stellular Tribulation
Restoring the true universe was something that simply had to be done, but if Lu Yin could somehow use it to his advantage, then that would be even better.
He remembered hearing Hen Xin and the others previously mention that the Dao Monarchs had each been a figure of special significance.
"The significance of a Dao Monarch?" Destina asked with some surprise. "Why do you ask?"
Lu Yin replied, "As a Dao Chosen, once I eventually become a Progenitor, I’ll also become a Dao Monarch, so shouldn"t I know?"
"True." Destina nodded. "But unfortunately, even we don"t know. Remember, we are only Semi-Progenitors."
"Third Uncle doesn"t know, Hen Xin doesn"t know, and even you don"t know?" Lu Yin pressed.
"I might be Destiny’s disciple and heir, but before personally becoming a Progenitor, there are some things that I will never be told. There is one thing that all of us do know, though: the Dao Monarch holds exceptional significance to their Mainland. There are some things that only the Dao Monarch knows. As for precisely what those things are, no one has ever told us. On top of that, in this current era, even if you do become a Dao Monarch, there is no one to tell you those things either. The t.i.tle of Dao Monarch no longer holds any special significance," explained Destina.
Lu Yin looked at Destina. There was sincerity in her voice, as well as logic. Even if there were things that a Dao Monarch should know, how was he supposed to learn about them if there was no one to tell him?
However, if he did not even possess the right to learn that information, then it would be impossible for him to ever find out.
"Do you want to become the Dao Monarch?" asked Destina.
"What do you think?"
Destina stared at him. "I don"t know."
"You don"t know?" This strange reaction of Destina left Lu Yin puzzled. Also, what was he seeing in her eyes? Mockery? Disdain? Ignorance?
"What do you know?" he asked.
Destina replied, "Master once told me a few things. I can tell you, but…"
She drifted off without saying anything more, but Lu Yin understood what the woman was thinking and said, "I can"t give you the Book of Destiny that I have, but I can tell you where another one is."
Destina’s eyebrows climbed her forehead as she asked, "Another Book of Destiny?"
Lu Yin nodded. "That’s right, another Book of Destiny. The person who holds it isn"t even a Semi-Progenitor. I"ll tell you where it is, but you’ll have to get it yourself."
Destina’s gaze grew sharp as she looked at Lu Yin. "Many things have happened since we arrived in this era, and I’ve learned a great deal about you, Dao Chosen. If this book could be taken away, you would have done so long ago. Since even you can"t take it, then it must be in the hands of one of the four ruling powers."
"That’s true. I can’t go after the book because of my status, but you are different. As Destiny’s heir and disciple, it"s perfectly reasonable for you to go after Destiny"s treasures. Even if Bai w.a.n.gyuan and the others learn of what you’re doing, I can still protect you," Lu Yin explained.
Destina considered the matter for a moment before saying, "If I do manage to get the book, then it will be mine."
Lu Yin readily agreed. He much preferred the Book of Destiny to be in Destina’s hands rather than Bai Xian"er’s. He hoped that Destina would be able to put up a good fight against Bai Xian"er, as neither woman could be underestimated.
Destina was no fool, and she had instantly made the connection to the four ruling powers. She might even be able to guess precisely who had the Book of Destiny. Still, she needed confirmation from Lu Yin. "You"ve heard of the Origin Progenitor, the Three Realms Six Dao, and the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas. All of these t.i.tles have been mentioned repeatedly since we emerged, but do you know what the difference between Three Realms and the Six Dao is?"
"The Three Realms and the Six Daos?" Lu Yin felt a bit puzzled.
Destina continued, "The Three Realms and the Six Dao are separate ent.i.ties. Regardless of which might have been individually stronger, there"s one thing about them that only a few know. This is something that not even Lu Buzheng, Leng Qing, or Cai Er are aware of. That is…" The woman grew increasingly solemn. "The Three Realms can never replace the Six Dao."
"What does that mean?" Lu Yin asked.
"What are the Six Dao? The dao is a guide, the path that one follows. Someone who is ordained by Dao is one who can become a Dao Monarch. My master never mentioned what Dao Ordainment is, but I’m guessing that it’s the Origin Progenitor"s sword.
"The Six Dao governed the six Mainlands. I don"t know what secrets one might learn after becoming a Dao Monarch, as my master never shared that with me. But based on what she did say, there are a few things that I’ve been able to deduce. One is that becoming a Dao Monarch should have something to do with the Origin Progenitor"s swords. Each Mainland held a branch of the Daosource Sect, and each of the Origin Progenitor"s statues in those branches held one of the Origin Progenitor"s swords. Why did only the Six Dao have these swords, while the Three Realms did not? Why did only the Six Dao become rulers of their Mainlands? Why did the Origin Progenitor personally become the Dao Monarch of the First Mainland? All of that must somehow be connected to the Origin Progenitor"s swords.”
"The six Dao Monarchs were each able to wield one of the Origin Progenitor"s swords, while the Origin Progenitor himself could control all six."
"So what you"re saying is that whoever can control one of the Origin Progenitor"s swords can become a Dao Monarch?" Lu Yin asked.
Destina looked at Lu Yin. "I know that you can touch an Origin Progenitor"s sword, Dao Chosen, but touching it is not the same as controlling it. My teacher is also able to touch the swords, but she will never become a Dao Monarch. We acknowledged you as the Dao Chosen not only because you wield Progenitor Chen"s power and are able to rule the Fifth Mainland, but also because one of the Origin Progenitor"s swords has acknowledged you. However, you have merely been acknowledged. Are you able to use the sword to travel through s.p.a.ce and time? Can you sense the whereabouts of the other five Origin Progenitor"s swords? You cannot."
Lu Yin looked down at his cosmic ring. She was not wrong; he could not truly control the Origin Progenitor"s sword. The sword was capable of taking people through time and s.p.a.ce to see the past, but while he had made several attempts to use the sword again, he had never succeeded.
"How do you know that a Dao Monarch can control one of the Origin Progenitor"s swords?" Lu Yin asked.
"I"m not certain. The Origin Progenitor and the Three Realms Six Daos are all gone now, so everything that I’ve told you is based on my own inferences."
"If no one can control the Origin Progenitor"s sword, then will the Fifth Mainland never have another Dao Monarch?" Lu Yin retorted.
Destina grew curious, "Is the t.i.tle of Dao Monarch that important to you?"
Lu Yin was not sure, but if he could not become a Dao Monarch, then it would feel inappropriate for him to rule over the Fifth Mainland. Furthermore, Uncle Lu Buzheng had also said that the t.i.tle of Dao Monarch was important. Lu Yin wanted to see what would happen after everyone recognized him as a Dao Monarch.
Destina left with the information that she wanted: Bai Xian"er had a Book of Destiny.
Lu Yin not only gave her the information, but even allowed her to ask Skymender for help for her confrontation with Bai Xian"er.
He then sought out the Second Nightking.
"Dao Chosen." The Second Nightking had become far more respectful towards Lu Yin, and reverence could be seen in the old man’s eyes when he looked at Lu Yin.
Even without any external power, Lu Yin was now able to easily crush the old man.
"Spread word for me. The more people that know, the better," Lu Yin said as he stared towards the Technocracy.
The Second Nightking soon left the main hall of the Heavens Sect.
Mere moments after he left, the Second Nightking returned with an unpleasant expression. "Dao Chosen, apart from Astral-10, all of the Stargazing Decks that the Astral Combat Academy possesses have been destroyed."
Lu Yin"s eyes flickered, and he took a step, instantly vanishing from the Heavens Sect.
At the same time, in the Innerverse, a section of the Astral River that glowed blue suddenly warped. A large halo appeared, large enough to encompa.s.s stars. More and more appeared, one after another, and they formed what looked to be a corridor that aimed at a huge warship. The warship was none other than Astral-10.
Outside the halo stood an old woman with a pale face. "A mere Envoy from the Forsaken Land dares to block my inner world?"
Inside Astral-10, the Rainmaster, Sandmaster, and the other mentors all rushed forward, their hands raised as they tried to force the halo away. Behind everyone else, the Trialmaster raised his hand to form a Channeling Diagram with stellular energy, only to spit out blood and collapse. The Rainmaster and others quickly fell as well. None of them were able to even touch the halo.
All of them had been injured by their internal stellular energy flowing in reverse.
The old woman sneered and shifted her focus to a dispirited figure who stood atop a ma.s.sive tree near the Rain Observatory. The woman had just been about to destroy Astral-10’s Stargazing Deck when this madman had appeared, and he had pushed her away with a hand.
She had been warned before being sent on this mission that she would only have a single opportunity to act. Even a small delay would greatly increase the chance of her being killed by Lu Xiaoxuan. This was why the old woman had immediately used her inner world, as she had hoped to instantly annihilate Astral-10.
When the halo that was her inner world fell, it would be more than enough to shatter the entire warship.
The crazed headmaster stood atop an enormous tree in Astral-10. He showed no indication of trying to stop the halo from falling.
The Starmaster"s eyes went wide in horror, and he rushed over to shove the headmaster aside. Many of Astral-10’s students watched on in despair as the halo fell towards them. All of them were completely powerless to resist.
Suddenly, the crazy headmaster’s head slowly rose to look upwards, his gaze still hazy. A black hole appeared above him, and a vortex quickly expanded.
The old woman"s pupils shrank, and her inner world simply disappeared. "A stellular tribulation?"
The Trialmaster, the Rainmaster, Old Cai, and all of the rest of the academy’s faculty grew puzzled. Had the headmaster triggered his stellular tribulation? What was going on? Was he not insane? From the moment he had gone mad, he had never faced a single stellular tribulation.
Could a madman even pa.s.s a stellular tribulation?
The crazy headmaster looked up and started to laugh as the stellular tribulation manifested. Then, he charged straight into the vortex’s black hole, completely stunning everyone watching.
The old woman"s mouth hung open in shock.
As a Semi-Progenitor, she was someone who had pa.s.sed multiple stellular tribulations of her own. She had witnessed numerous tribulations as well. Even so, she had never seen anyone charge into the black hole at the center of a tribulation’s vortex before. No one knew what lay in those depths, and only a madman would enter it.
Old Cai, the Rainmaster, and others shouted frantically as they tried to stop the crazy headmaster.
The madman just laughed maniacally. "You were the ones who started the war! It was you! Hahaha!"
It looked as though he was mocking the stellular tribulation.
The Starmaster was shocked. "This is his eighth stellular tribulation. He"s finally going to break through, but…"
The eighth stellular tribulation represented the pinnacle of the Envoy realm.
No one had expected the headmaster to trigger his tribulation while the true universe was in such a state. How could he hope to succeed? No one had any idea.
The old woman turned to look at the Stargazing Deck. There was no need to even think about that madman. He was doomed. What she needed to worry about was how to destroy the Stargazing Deck.
The crazy headmaster seemed drawn to the depths of his stellular tribulation like a moth to flame. Everyone anxiously watched the man. Entering a stellular tribulation’s vortex was something completely unheard of. Even if someone did attempt it, no one had ever lived to tell the tale.
Suddenly, the black hole at the center of the stellular tribulation’s vortex started to expand and contract unpredictably. It had originally been rotating clockwise, but it suddenly started rotating counterclockwise. The stellular tribulation that should have fully manifested, inexplicably disappeared. Everyone was stunned.
The old woman stared in a daze. What the h.e.l.l?
The abnormality of the stellular tribulation resulted in the surrounding s.p.a.ce to become unstable. While the crazy headmaster had been flying upwards, he suddenly started falling back down, only to fly upwards once again. He was completely unable to control his own movements.
The Trialmaster was shocked. "The problem with the true universe is affecting the stellular tribulation!"
Old Cai was stunned. "What the h.e.l.l is going on?"
Who would have thought that there the true universe would eventually suffer a problem? If that had been unforeseen, then naturally, no one could have predicted that the vortex of a stellular tribulation would end up behaving so abnormally either. Stellular tribulations were from the true universe, so if the true universe was altered, then stellular tribulations would naturally be affected as well.