Chapter 3081: It’s Too Early
The Ossis Ark hurtled through outer s.p.a.ce before it vanished back into the Hollow. However, this time, Chu Yi and the others did not simply let the ship go, and they charged into the Hollow after it.
For most cultivators, the Hollow was a place to be avoided at all costs. Luo Shan had managed to become the ruler of one of the Sixverse a.s.sociation’s member universes because of some rumors that he was able to survive in the Hollow.
Even in the fiercest battles throughout all the various parallel universes, it was rare for anyone to survive after entering the Hollow. It seemed to be an indication of a certain level of strength.
However, it seemed that many people in the Immemorial Citadel had reached that level.
Chu Yi, Ce w.a.n.gtian, Bai Mu, the ma.s.sive giant, and many other powerhouses rushed into the Hollow to attack the Ossis Ark.
Ce w.a.n.gtian was particularly noticeable with his checkered clothes and solitary slipper. He had a roguish look about him, but at this moment, he shone with a unique brilliance.
"The Immemorial Citadel cannot be disgraced! The Aeternals must pay the price, even if it costs us our lives!"
"Hahaha, old fart Xiang, do you remember our bet? I told you that I"ll die to a sword. This time, I’m going to find that guy with seven swords, and he’ll cut me to ribbons."
"Rubbish! I"ll die first, and it will be by a saber."
"In your dreams! I"ll kill whoever uses a saber."
"Ce w.a.n.gtian, you"re down to just one slipper, and you still have the courage to charge in?" a woman teased.
Ce w.a.n.gtian picked his nose and then flicked the finger at the woman. "For you."
"Disgusting! Get out of my sight!"
"Haha."
"It"s been years since the last time the Immemorial Citadel was breached, but we have to avenge each and every such transgression. It’s been my honor to live with you all, and it’s my honor to die with you all. I"ll go first."
"Brother Hua, that"s the most words I"ve heard you say in years. I"ll join you," Old Gu said.
"Most of us are from different civilizations, and yet we’ve all gathered here at the Immemorial Citadel. It"s quite exhilarating!"
"We don"t judge heroes by their cultivation. We fight to the death at the Immemorial Citadel..."
"We don"t judge heroes by their cultivation. We fight to the death at the Immemorial Citadel..."
"We don"t judge heroes by their cultivation. We fight to the death at the Immemorial Citadel..."
...
One after another, various powerhouses raced straight into the Hollow. Their words echoed in Lu Yin"s ears: "We don"t judge heroes by their cultivation. We fight to the death at the Immemorial Citadel..."
He had seen many people who were afraid of death, but for the people in the Immemorial Citadel, death was neither a release nor something to fear. What mattered most to them was the Immemorial Citadel.
How many universes did these sequence strings connect to?
Very few people in the Immemorial Citadel were from the same parallel universes, regardless of whether they were human or some other type of creature. As long as a creature had emotions, they would have something that was worth protecting.
Lu Yin looked up at the Hollow. He also wanted to charge forward, to live or die with these people while destroying the Ossis Ark.
Atop the city wall, Old Zhong Tou sighed. "Not all of us can leave. Some of us need to stay behind to continue guarding the Immemorial Citadel. Listen to me, do your best to come back alive. Otherwise, where will we find replacements for all of you? Ah... they’re still young and too impulsive."
There was a rare moment of relative peace around the Immemorial Citadel, as the fighting had subsided quite significantly.
The fierce battle at the southeast corner and the brutal fighting in the northwest corner both continued, but where at Lu Yin’s location, there was very little fighting.
Before long, the Hollow reopened, and people returned to the Immemorial Citadel.
Lu Yin clenched his fists when he saw bodies being thrown out from the city. No one spoke as the bodies fell from the walls. Old Zhong Tou sighed as he pushed them all into the lotus’s flames.
Each person at the Immemorial Citadel was their own civilization’s most powerful cultivator, and yet so many of them ended up as nothing more than a wisp of smoke in the end.
Chu Yi returned. He was covered with blood, and his typical scholarly demeanor had been replaced by a bloodthirsty aura.
Ce w.a.n.gtian returned. His slipper was half-broken, yet it still clung to his foot. There was no doubt that the man’s slippers somehow resonated with some aspect of his power. He was carrying a woman in his arms. She was the one who had teased him when they had charged into the Hollow.
The man was silent as he pushed her into the lotus’s flames.
Bai Mu returned, but only as a frigid corpse with half of his face missing. He also fell into the flames.
Lu Yin suddenly felt suffocated. He had no idea how to describe his current feelings.
Bai Mu, the ancient founder of the Celestial Frost Sect, had looked relaxed and carefree with his gourd of wine. He had lived in the Immemorial Citadel for countless years, only to die in front of Lu Yin. In moments, there was no trace of the man.
Lu Yin had never spoken to the Progenitor, nor told him that w.a.n.g Fan, the traitor, was dead.
Lu Yin had wanted to speak to Bai Mu and tell the man what the Celestial Frost Sect had done before taking Bai Mu to the Sixverse a.s.sociation to frighten Bai w.a.n.gyuan.
There would never be an opportunity for that.
Lu Yin had only witnessed a single battle. How many people had died at the Immemorial Citadel? How many ancient powerhouses and legends from the Origin Universe had perished in this place?
Lu Yin watched on in silence.
Would similar scenes repeat in the future? Would he, Big Sis, Arch-Elder Zen, Ancestor Tianyi, and Ancestor Lu Yuan also make their way to the Immemorial Citadel? Would their bodies find their place in those flames as well?
"You saw things too soon," a voice said with a sigh.
Lu Yin froze, and then he excitedly exclaimed, "Master?"
He could still hear the flute playing in the northwest corner, which indicated that Mister Mu was still fighting against Yuan Qi.
"I knew you were causing trouble. That thing on your face can"t deceive anyone in the Origin realm, and Aeternus has more than one Dukkhan," Mister Mu continued.
Lu Yin answered with a bitter voice, "Master, I didn’t have a choice. Aeternus plans to take the Ossis Ark to the Sixverse a.s.sociation and completely destroy all traces of human civilization in those universes. As soon as I learned of the Ossis Ark"s existence, I worked to infiltrate Aeternus. However, this time, I didn’t go to the Scourge by choice, but was rather captured by Di Qiong."
"There’s no time for any explanation. You are not yet ready for this place. Go back, and don"t cause more trouble. When you become a Progenitor, you’ll understand everything. The burden of humanity will eventually fall upon your shoulders."
Lu Yin quickly spoke up, "Master, I have questions! What is your relationship with the Origin Progenitor? Is the Origin Progenitor still alive? Do universes breathe? What does it mean to overcome Dukkha? What about Wei Nu?"
"When you become a Progenitor, all will be revealed."
Lu Yin signed and took out the slipper. "In that case, please give this to Ce w.a.n.gtian. He-"
Before he could even finish, Lu Yin"s body dropped. His surroundings blurred, and then the Immemorial Citadel vanished. No, Lu Yin had left the Immemorial Citadel. He was suddenly surrounded by sequence strings, and then those disappeared as well. He fell into a parallel universe, where he eventually crashed onto a planet.
He remained lying where he had landed, deep in the ground. He blankly stared up at the sky. He had not learned anything at all. Did Mister Mu not want to answer Lu Yin’s questions? That was possible, but it was also possible that there simply had not been enough time.
The sky above Lu Yin was blue, and the clouds were white. The planet was rife with life and color.
The war at the Immemorial Citadel seemed to be a distant memory, even if Lu Yin had only left it moments ago.
A shadow loomed overhead as a giant eagle dived down, its talons open to grab Lu Yin.
He rose to his feet and frightened the bird away.
The eagle circled overhead, unwilling to abandon its prey.
Lu Yin took a deep breath.
Suddenly, he felt something in his hand. He looked down and saw that the slipper was gone. Mister Mu must have taken it. Instead, there was a cosmic ring in his hand, as well as a drop of blood.
Where had it come from?
Lu Yin had intended to take w.a.n.g Fan"s cosmic ring when the man was dead, but given the dangerous circ.u.mstances, Lu Yin had not had time, and he had missed his chance.
Since the ring did not belong to w.a.n.g Fan"s, then it must be a gift from Mister Mu. Given the man’s battle with Yuan Qi, he would not have bothered with w.a.n.g Fan"s cosmic ring.
Was it a gift from Mister Mu?
Lu Yin used the blood to open the ring, and in it, he found eight cosmic doors.
There was no denying that Aeternus was humanity"s greatest enemy, but there was also no denying that Aeternus"s coordinate seals and cosmic doors were incredibly useful. Without such tools, humanity would struggle to travel between parallel universes.
Could the eight cosmic doors lead to universes where Mister Mu could meet with Lu Yin?
The thought excited Lu Yin, but he decided against visiting any of the universes right now. The battle in the Immemorial Citadel was still too intense for Mister Mu to leave, so Lu Yin felt like he should wait for a while.
He tore through the void to return to Aeternus Nation. From there, he made his way back to the Heavens Sect.
Upon returning, he immediately continued on to the Perennial World to speak with Ancestor Lu Yuan.
Lu Yin needed answers concerning why Wu Tian had refused to be rescued, despite being given the opportunity.
When Lu Yin arrived at the Lu Sanctum, he met Ancestor Tianyi.
"Ancestor Tianyi, I wish to see Ancestor Lu Yuan," Lu Yin announced.
Ancestor Tianyi was incredibly relieved to see Lu Yin return safely, and he said, "It"s good that you"ve made it back. While we know that you are quite capable, it was still an incredible risk to send Ancestor Yuan to the Third Scourge to rescue Wu Tian. If you had been caught, there would have been no way for you to escape."
Lu Yin sighed. "I wouldn"t have taken that risk without it being necessary. But don"t worry, I won"t be using Ye Bo’s ident.i.ty any longer."
Framing Mu Ji would only be a temporary measure. There was no telling if or when Mu Ji might return to the First Scourge, or if he would find a way to explain himself. Besides, Lu Yin had already learned enough from his time in Aeternus.
If Mu Ji ever managed to contact one of Aeternus’s top powerhouses, it was certain that Ye Bo would be exposed as Lu Yin.
On top of that, there was also Hui Wu and w.a.n.g Xiaoyu. While Lu Yin did not know w.a.n.g Xiaoyu’s full story, Hui Wu was absolutely in danger.
Lu Yin shared his concerns with Ancestor Tianyi, and the Progenitor’s expression turned grim. "I don’t have any way to contact Hui Wu. Any such attempt might be picked up by Aeternus, which is why Hui Wu never contacted us before our meeting, despite how many years have went by."
Lu Yin frowned. "If Mu Ji returns to Aeternus and manages to regain their trust, my ident.i.ty as Ye Bo won"t matter, as I can simply not use it. But Hui Wu will be in trouble."
Mu Ji had confronted and threatened Ye Bo, acting as though he was certain that Ye Bo was actually someone else. However, when Lu Yin had Possessed Mu Ji, he had learned that Mu Ji had been bluffing, but he had also learned that Mu Ji was similarly suspicious of w.a.n.g Xiaoyu. On top of that, Mu Ji had noticed when Hui Wu had left the Scourge, and he had noted how the man’s return had taken place shortly before Corpse G.o.d was ambushed and nearly killed. While there was no conclusive link between the two incidents, Mu Ji could still report his suspicions to Progenitor Xi.
If Mu Ji regained Aeternus’s trust, both Hui Wu and w.a.n.g Xiaoyu would be placed in grave danger.
Unfortunately, it had been impossible for Lu Yin to make Mu Ji commit suicide during the brief Possession.
Actually, Lu Yin should cultivate more of the Arboreal Realm’s power.
Mu Ji was an Arborean, and he was not an easy opponent.
Ancestor Tianyi remained silent for a time. "Hui Wu is truly pitiful. Hui Wen is clever and always scheming, even willing to plot against Aeternus. Hui Wu was Hui Wen’s sacrifice. From the moment Hui Wu joined Aeternus, Hui Wen never expected his son to return alive.
"Hui Wen can give up on his son, and Hui Wu can give up on himself, but we cannot give up on him. Little Seven, there are some people we simply can"t abandon."