Chapter 3024: Invading The Scourge
After the short exchange, no one had any interest in continuing the conversation.
Progenitor Xi glanced around at everyone. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ll see you when we have the opportunity.”
She then promptly turned and walked back towards the Scourge. At the same time, the white mountains and rivers in the sky disappeared, indicating that Whiteless G.o.d had also left.
Shao Yin shot a cold glance at Lu Yin, still furious at being compared to something as revolting as that vile fruit. He swore to make Lu Yin pay.
The forces of the Sixverse a.s.sociation watched as the Aeternals returned to the Scourge. The battlefield regained a measure of peace.
Lord Xu let out a long breath. “Alright, it’s over.”
Sovereign Dou Sheng coughed again.
Lord Xu looked over. “You should return to the Cyclic Universe.”
Sovereign Dou Sheng put his golden cudgel away. “Understood.”
The Sovereign was more than willing to die on the battlefield, but not in his current, horribly injured state. Given his condition, even a True G.o.d Squad Captain would pose a very real threat to Sovereign Dou Sheng. He wanted to at least recover from his injuries before returning to act as the first line of defense against Aeternus.
Sovereign Lotus had also been injured by Shao Yin, and her face was quite pale.
Arch-Elder Zen was suffering from the backlash of summoning Lu Tianyi to attack, so he was also in a rather bad condition.
The battle had reached its end, though Lu Yin did not see it that way.
“Senior Voidlord, are you able to hold back Astral Anura?” Lu Yin suddenly asked.
Lord Xu was about to leave, but he hesitated at Lu Yin’s question. “Why do you ask?”
Lu Yin turned and flashed a smile at the man. “Let’s invade the Scourge.”
Lord Xu was stunned.
Sovereign Dou Sheng’s eyes flared, but after a moment, he smirked.
Further away, Sovereign Lotus overheard Lu Yin’s comment, and it shocked her. “Dao Monarch Lu, do you want to invade the Scourge right now?”
Arrow Sage and Food Sage exchanged glances.
Lu Yin looked towards the entrance to the First Scourge. “Jing Zhe, the Seven-Star Mantis, and the nine-headed bird are all dead. The Purple Emperor was just badly injured, and we’ve figured out how that creature of pure energy functions. How many more outsider powerhouses can the Aeternals call upon? Astral Anura? That Star Devourer? How many outsider powerhouses can our Sixverse a.s.sociation rely on? If we don’t take this opportunity to invade the Scourge, when will we?
“All of you have fought against Aeternus too many times, and the current truce is nothing more than an implicit agreement. You’re all familiar with the status quo, so allow me to change the pattern.”
Sovereign Lotus instantly refused, “No. Both Dou Sheng and I are injured, so how can we invade the Scourge?”
Lord Xu considered Lu Yin’s proposal. “This is certainly an opportunity, but...”
Lu Yin smiled. “It’s different from the normal way of handling things, isn’t it?”
Lord Xu nodded, acknowledging that there was a certain rhythm to the war.
“I’m not used to stopping just because it’s suggested. I tend to take the more surprising action. Right now, three of the Aeternals’ outsider powerhouses are dead, and another one is seriously injured. The Seven SkyG.o.ds are all hiding in seclusion, while on our side, Sovereign Dou Sheng and Sovereign Lotus have been gravely injured. Aeternus is treating things as though the current battle is over, so if we don’t act now, how long will we wait?” Lu Yin lifted his head, determination steeling his gaze. “These are my orders, as the ruler of the Origin Universe: I call for an invasion of the Scourge. All who refuse to answer to this conscription will be treated as traitors to humanity and will be summarily executed by the Heavens Sect without mercy.”
“Lord Lu!” Sovereign Lotus wanted to say something.
Sovereign Dou Sheng laughed. “Good! Lord Lu, I, Dou Sheng, will serve under your command.”
Lu Yin smiled. “Senior, rest for now. You won’t be able to join this battle.”
Sovereign Dou Sheng shrugged, as it was true that his current injuries would only make him a liability during the invasion.
“I call out Lu Tianyi, Progenitor Yōu Ming, Cloudflow, Leng Qing, Chen Le, and Qing Ping.
“I call out Arrow Sage, Food Sage, Chu Jian, Bai w.a.n.gyuan, and w.a.n.g Fan.
“I call out Mu Ke, Mu Tao, and Director Gan.
“I call out Xu Wuwei, Xu Heng, and Xu Leng.
“I call out Shan Zheng, Shan Yan, and Shan Pu.
“Lord Xu and I will carry out a simultaneous attack on the Scourge, leading a great number of peak powerhouses to overwhelm the Scourge. This will be a crusade for the sake of humanity, and we will also request the a.s.sistance of the Five Spirits Alliance. Everyone, I hope to completely destroy the Scourge with this invasion.”
Aeternus controlled six Scourges that surrounded the black Mother Tree. If the First Scourge could not be destroyed, then how could Lu Yin possibly force the powerhouses from the other Scourges to show themselves? The Three Pillars and Six Skies and the top elites who would soon partic.i.p.ate in the Divine Selection were all still unknown to the Sixverse a.s.sociation, and most people had no idea of the full extent of Aeternus’s hidden strength.
No matter how many peak powerhouses Aeternus might boast, the fact that they had never sent their full power against the Sixverse a.s.sociation indicated that there was a reason behind their reservations.
During Lu Yin’s journey exploring unknown parallel universes, he had encountered G.o.d’s Domain, which fought against Di Qiong and the Fourth Scourge. Even if victory or defeat were ignored, the fact that there were powerful opponents protecting each of the Aeternus’s other Scourges still remained.
There was a balance between the Aeternals and humanity, and each of Aeternus’s six Scourges had developed an independent balance with the human forces they fought against.
It was time to overturn that balance.
Only by disrupting the balance could certain truths be revealed. Lu Yin might fear facing the full might of Aeternus, but one day, humanity would inevitably be forced to face the full might of Aeternus. If that was the case, Lu Yin wanted to seize the initiative.
The Lord of Lightning had invaded a Scourge, and so had the Great Sovereign. It was now Lu Yin’s turn.
...
Progenitor Xi and the others returned to the First Scourge, where they separated.
Shao Yin stood beside Progenitor Xi, near a lake of divine energy.
Progenitor Xi stared at the lake, lost in thought.
“Thank you for saving me, Progenitor Xi.” Shao Yin formally thanked the woman.
However, Progenitor Xi ignored his thanks. “What are your thoughts about Lu Yin?”
Shao Yin’s eyes turned cold. “The man is despicable and shameless. He’s cunning and ruthlessly efficient in how he handles things, and that perfectly complements his extraordinary talent. If he is not eliminated now, he will soon become a terrible threat to us.”
Progenitor Xi continued to stare off into the distance. “Yet, he has already left a mark on the current state of affairs.”
Shao Yin promised, “I will find an opportunity and eliminate him. There are too many people he cares for, and that makes the Origin Universe both his strength and his weakness.”
Progenitor Xi considered the suggestion. “If you were given the chance to face him on your own, are you confident in winning?”
Shao Yin smirked. “Absolutely.”
Progenitor Xi turned to stare at Shao Yin. “Then do it.”
Shao Yin wanted to say more, but Progenitor Xi was clearly done with the conversation, and Shao Yin knew that he needed to leave.
Once Shao Yin was gone, someone else spoke up. “He’s too arrogant. Lu Yin might not be his equal in pure power, but that man will still die.”
Progenitor Xi nodded. “I know. Lu Yin has the Lord of Lightning’s overbearing sense of dominance, the Great Sovereign’s pride, the Origin Progenitor’s perspective, as well as truly unmatched talent. He’s the most promising and challenging individual I’ve ever encountered.
“What a waste that he wasn’t eliminated when he was weaker.”
“Regardless of how formidable he may become, he’ll never be anything more than a p.a.w.n for True G.o.d. Humanity will never be able to break free from their cage,” the voice replied.
Progenitor Xi frowned. “That’s not a cage. Your view is too limited.”
“Perhaps,” the voice responded as it faded away.
Progenitor Xi thoughtfully remarked, “We must be careful and keep an eye on Lu Yin. I have a feeling that he won’t leave things as they are.”
...
Three days later, the once dim Scourge was enveloped by a golden light that swept over it in an arc that spread into the depths of the continent.
Progenitor Xi spun around, her expression changing drastically. Was that Sovereign Dou Sheng’s power?
“Aeternus! Our battle is not over yet!” Sovereign Dou Sheng’s hearty laugh echoed from beyond the Scourge. He entered, wielding his golden cudgel and accompanied by other figures that charged towards the Scourge. It was clear that this was an invasion.
Lu Yin stepped forward, “Are you satisfied, Senior?”
Sovereign Dou Sheng coughed. “Quite. Thank you.”
The Sovereign was the trigger behind this invasion, and this battle would mark the day that heralded the future. Sovereign Dou Sheng’s injuries precluded him from partic.i.p.ating any further, but he had already done enough.
Lu Yin gave the man a small smile as he stepped into the Scourge.
Shao Yin emerged from a tower. From its height and position, it could be seen that he had been recognized as a new member of the Seven SkyG.o.ds.
Sovereign Dou Sheng’s power swept across the Scourge, startling Shao Yin. What was happening?
Marquis Wu, Marquis w.a.n.g, and Zhong Pan all stepped out as well.
In one tower, Mu Ji’s eyes opened. Was another terrifying powerhouse invading the Scourge? Such incidents had been rare throughout history, as few had had the courage to enter the Scourge. But in recent years, they had become rather frequent occurrences. Who was it this time?
More than twenty peak powerhouses entered the Scourge at the same time, and their arrival shattered the earth.
Progenitor Xi brought out her sword, releasing a slash that targeted everyone who had just invaded the Scourge.
The first person to step forward was Lu Tianyi, and he pointed a finger at the approaching slash. The impact shattered the attack with a loud clang.
Progenitor Xi studied the crowd of invaders before her gaze settled onto Lu Yin. “Dao Monarch Lu, I underestimated you.”
Lu Yin stared straight back at the woman. “Then take another look.”
Divine energy boiled and surged up from the lake behind Progenitor Xi, and it swept through the sky towards Lu Yin and the rest. Lord Xu raised a hand, lashing out at the divine force. At the same time, everyone else released their own attacks.
All of them had been shunned in the First Scourge, which greatly weakened their strength. But despite that, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.
At the moment, how many truly strong peak powerhouses remained in the First Scourge?
Far away, the Purple Emperor moved to leave, but he was stopped by Shao Yin. “You’re the one who instigated this battle. Leaving now doesn’t seem appropriate, does it?”
The Purple Emperor’s solitary white eye looked over at Shao Yin. “The humans have too many powerhouses.”
“My Aeternus does not lack for experts.” Shao Yin firmly blocked the Purple Emperor.
s.p.a.ce twisted and warped all across the First Scourge as a ma.s.sive protective sourcebox array was activated.
As the Purple Emperor watched, he found that he was no longer capable of leaving, even if he wanted to.
Over the years, Aeternus had welcomed human traitors. With the Aeternals suddenly falling to what appeared to be a disadvantageous position, those traitors’ first instinct was to escape. This ma.s.sive sourcebox array had actually been erected across the Scourge for them.
Five frenzied corpses were dredged up from beneath the lake of divine energy. There were only five more still beneath the surface.
Beams of light shot upwards, connecting the sky to the ground. Aeternus was summoning the a.s.sistance of their allies.
Lu Tianyi went after Progenitor Xi, while Mu Ke focused on Shao Yin. As for Lu Yin, he contended with the frenzied corpses. An unprecedented battle erupted in the Scourge, the fighting surpa.s.sing even the intensity of Whitecloud City’s invasion.
The leaders of the Five Spirits Alliance also arrived, which added five more sequence powerhouses to the invasion’s forces.
Not even the divine energy from the lakes across the Scourge could overpower the invaders.
The Purple Emperor was capable of folding time, and he became Big Sis’ target. She had once lost her strength to the river of time, which made her very sensitive to the power of time.
Food Sage went after the being of pure energy. While the Taotie’s strength could not compare to that of the pure energy ent.i.ty, the Sage was its natural nemesis. Food Sage possessed extremely formidable physical strength, and with Arrow Sage’s a.s.sistance, the two had the ability to deal with the outsider powerhouse.
The Star Devourer appeared within one of the beams of light that rose high into the sky, and the astral beast immediately opened four of his eyes. His terrifying strength twisted the void around him, and the Five Spirits Alliance’s Fire Lord and Wood Lord joined together to block the Star Devourer.
Never before had Lu Yin felt that it was so easy to overpower the forces of Aeternus, especially since they were invading the Scourge.
Towers crumbled, and three peak powerhouses who had betrayed humanity to join Aeternus felt as though the sky was falling and the earth was shattering.
They had thought that the Scourge was safe, but they found themselves facing a truly desperate situation.
Thunder echoed as the Lightning Lord struck down one of the peak powerhouses, causing the other two to flee in despair.