Chapter 3157: Power Returned
Ji Luo continued to attack Hongyan Mavis, but she seemed to have vanished. There was absolutely no trace of her, which left Ji Luo perplexed and disoriented.
E" Ji and Supreme kept attacking Corpse G.o.d, who grew frustrated. He begged Ji Luo, "Work with me to help me escape first."
Ji Luo immediately turned around and attacked E" Ji with his sword, but Supreme blocked the slash. The attack landed on the mecha’s energy barrier but failed to break through. Ji Luo continued to attack, each slash stronger than the last. Finally, he broke through the barrier, but he was still unable to harm Supreme"s hull.
The battle with Kong Tianzhao had caused Ji Luo"s strength to fall. While he had survived two attacks that had struck his heart, doing so had forced him to pay a steep price.
Inside Evernight’s pocket dimension, divine energy was continuously drawn out from the giant and absorbed by Lu Yin. Even without divine energy, the giant was still greatly strengthened by the Specter Eye Transformation and its natural strength. It was still a formidable opponent.
However, for the moment, Corpse G.o.d was their greatest concern.
Lu Yin allowed the Evernight card to drift into the void while he reappeared in the Sixth Scourge. He quickly noticed Ji Luo and Corpse G.o.d’s severely weakened state.
Corpse G.o.d also noticed that Lu Yin had returned to the battle, and the SkyG.o.d’s expression changed drastically.
Lu Yin released his inner universe while also visualizing the landma.s.s. The continent of fatesand merged with the visualization technique, which caused the Sixth Scourge to tremble and be overshadowed.
Everyone saw another landma.s.s appear in the sky overhead. It looked ready to fall and crush them all.
At the top of the black Mother Tree, True G.o.d’s eyes narrowed at the sight. This was Tai Chu’s technique. Not only had Lu Yin survived True G.o.d’s attack, but had he also mastered Tai Chu"s technique?
The landma.s.s fell as the Wordless Heavenly Book was brought out. The desires of all living creatures of the Fifth Mainland granted the landma.s.s vitality, transforming it and strengthening it until it became remarkably clear.
Supreme quickly dropped down and lay on the ground. The emperor instantly recognized the technique that had defeated his Infinity Empire.
Hongyan Mavis looked up. This was the attack that had allowed Lu Yin to truly step onto the same level as her and the others.
Ji Luo’s sword slashed at the landma.s.s, but it only made a small crack. Despite his relentless attacks, the landma.s.s continued to press down, causing Ji Luo to cough up blood.
Corpse G.o.d had been significantly weakened even before this battle, and he shrank his body down. He was unable to endure the falling landma.s.s.
E" Ji dropped to the ground and looked up to watch the landma.s.s descend. This was no ordinary continent; it contained a mysterious power.
The landma.s.s continued to fall, bringing with it an indescribable pressure.
Ji Luo did not give up and continued to attack the landma.s.s with his sword, despite coughing up more blood with each attack.
The pattern of the Mavis family’s Divine Tree appeared on Corpse G.o.d"s body. He punched upwards, but he failed to penetrate the falling landma.s.s.
Finally, the land touched down on the heads of both Corpse G.o.d and Ji Luo.
Ji Luo used his sword to support himself, while Corpse G.o.d lifted both of his arms in a desperate attempt to hold the landma.s.s at bay.
Lu Yin was standing atop the landma.s.s. During their last battle, Corpse G.o.d had escaped. This time, Lu Yin would not let the SkyG.o.d get away.
"Lu Yin," True G.o.d called out.
In the First Scourge, both the Aeternals and the human forces were startled by the voice, and they turned to look at True G.o.d. What had just happened? Was Lu Yin also fighting?
No one knew for sure, not even Lu Tianyi. All the man knew was that Lu Yin"s true target was the Sixth Scourge.
This was not because Lu Yin was trying to keep secrets from Lu Tianyi and the others, but rather as a safeguard against unknown possibilities, such as observers using the River of Time.
Lu Tianyi and the others had only been informed that Lu Yin"s target was True G.o.d. They believed that trapping True G.o.d meant that they had accomplished the goal of the invasion and that their current task was to try to eliminate other experts of Aeternus.
However, True G.o.d had just called out to Lu Yin. Where was Lu Yin fighting?
Lu Yin stood atop his landma.s.s, his feet above Corpse G.o.d and Ji Luo. The young man turned to look at the black Mother Tree. "Yong Heng."
This was the first time that Lu Yin had used True G.o.d"s name.
"Do you remember what I told you?" True G.o.d asked, his voice sounded unusually gentle, to the point where it sounded completely out of character for the man.
Lu Yin stared at True G.o.d from a distance. "Of course I remember. Unfortunately, you didn"t let me speak back then."
"There was no need for you to say a word. I spoke, and you listened. Whether or not you understand, you will eventually walk the path," True G.o.d stated.
Lu Yin smiled. "You mean that I"ll abandon everything to become a new species and that I will stop being concerned with the term "human?""
"The further you progress as a cultivator, the less you"ll be constrained by your species. Gu Yizhi understood this, and so will you."
Lu Yin looked up. "Yong Heng, how many people have you deceived with that twisted logic of yours?"
True G.o.d seemed unfazed by Lu Yin"s att.i.tude. "Not everyone qualifies to be persuaded by me. I"m telling you the truth. I speak, and you listen. If you follow me, you can live without aging, witnessing the birth and creation of countless new species. Why not embrace it? Why choose death?
"Back in the Perennial World, you qualified to be recruited by me. During the Cyclic Universe’s Tea Ceremony, I could see your ambition and knew that you would be hard to control, so I wanted to kill you."
"What about now? You can"t kill me, so you"re trying to persuade me again?" Lu Yin mocked.
True G.o.d remained calm. "My perspective has changed. Before, I wanted to recruit you. Now, I want to cooperate with you. You possess a mirebound artifact, which qualifies you to cooperate with me."
Lu Yin frowned. "What do you mean by a mirebound artifact?"
"When the megaverse first formed, all things were pure, and then the River of Time came into being. The purer something is, the easier it is to become tainted. Beneath the River of Time, there are things that swim against the current, and they carry objects from the future that can corrupt what is pure. These items are called mirebound artifacts."
"What does that even mean?" Lu Yin was confused.
True G.o.d continued his explanation. "The fact that you possess a mirebound artifact qualifies you to speak with me. Jiang Feng holds the same qualifications, but he is too stubborn. You qualify, but I hope that you won"t be as obstinate."
Lu Yin shrugged. "Well, you"re going to end up disappointed."
With that, the landma.s.s slammed down.
Corpse G.o.d roared in defiance, even as his body started to shatter. Ji Luo did not even have a chance to scream before he was crushed completely. While Ji Luo had achieved a level of strength comparable to the Seven SkyG.o.ds, he was still a bit short. Pressed down by Lu Yin"s landma.s.s, which had been nearly enough to crush Feng Bo, Ji Luo could only be obliterated.
Beneath the landma.s.s, speed was meaningless.
True G.o.d’s expression grew cold. "It looks like you still need to understand reality. Some things are irreversible, and defying them means defying the natural order of things."
Lu Yin stared at True G.o.d. "Then show me what ‘defying the natural order of things’ can lead to."
Despite being separated by a vast distance, as well as the barrier of the Six Paths of Reincarnation Realm, True G.o.d and Lu Yin locked eyes. Each could see the coldness in the other"s gaze.
Beneath the landma.s.s, Hongyan Mavis appeared next to Corpse G.o.d’s shattered remains. The imprint of the Mavis family’s Divine Tree radiated vitality. As long as the imprint remained, Corpse G.o.d would not die, not even if he was broken into pieces.
He had already survived self-destruction once before.
However, Hongyan Mavis’s sudden appearance cut off Corpse G.o.d’s one chance of survival. This was why he had tried to escape as soon as he saw her. He had known from the beginning that, if he was defeated in this battle, he would not survive.
Hongyan Mavis raised a hand, and the imprint of the Divine Tree floated up from Corpse G.o.d’s body as though it were being summoned. It drifted toward the woman and then merged with her body.
Trees sprouted and grew rapidly. The landma.s.s beneath Lu Yin’s feet disappeared and was replaced by countless towering trees. Hongyan Mavis’s eyes were closed, and waves of powerful energy radiated from her, sweeping across the Sixth Scourge. Feeling them, even Lu Yin grew wary.
Hongyan Mavis’s strength had finally returned to her.
At this moment, the Sixth Scourge was completely transformed. The previous aura of decay and desolation was gone, replaced by a surge of life. This energy clashed with the lakes and rivers of divine energy, forcing the dark-red energy back towards the black Mother Tree.
Hongyan Mavis’s eyes suddenly snapped open, and she took a step forward. The ground trembled beneath her feet, and an incredibly powerful aura shot into the sky.
Far away, in the First Scourge, Lu Yuan"s expression changed, and he looked towards the Sixth Scourge. "What is that?"
In the Third Scourge, atop the Wu Tian Observatory, Wu Tian also turned to look towards the Sixth Scourge. "Is that First Blood’s aura?"
Progenitor Xi, Ancient G.o.d, and others, all looked toward the Sixth Scourge. They had not been able to feel anything from the other Scourge even when Lu Yin had completely suppressed Corpse G.o.d.
Lu Yin could not spread his aura to the other Scourges, but Hongyan Mavis could. This was the power of one of the Six Daos. This was the strength of Mavis family’s ancestor.
"Little Seven, let that giant out," Hongyan Mavis commanded. Her aura had completely transformed. Her previously gentle demeanor had vanished, replaced by a power that seemed capable of shattering the sky. The transformation made her almost feel like a stranger to Lu Yin.
However, this was the woman’s true self.
Of the Three Realms and Six Daos, the person who had truly embodied physical strength had not been Ancient G.o.d or Lu Yuan, but rather Hongyan Mavis. The members of the Mavis family had always possessed unparalleled strength, and Hongyan Mavis had once single-handedly overpowered the Ancestor Python.
She had once mentioned to Lu Yin that Lu Yuan had once stuffed a dirty sock in the Ancestor Python"s mouth, but she had failed to mention that she had played a crucial role in that matter as well; she had been the one to pin the Ancestor Python down.
During the war of the Second Mainland, if not for the fact that Feng Bo had felled the Mavis family’s Divine Tree and crippled Hongyan Mavis’s strength, the battle would have been drastically different.
Aeternus feared the woman’s strength, which was why they had planted Feng Bo in the Second Mainland.
With her strength returned to her, Hongyan Mavis’s power was something that even True G.o.d had to be wary of.
Lu Yin wanted to see just how powerful the woman was. He summoned Evernight over and released the giant trapped within the card.
The giant had been completely drained of divine energy, but it had not undone the Specter Eye Transformation. It immediately roared and charged at Lu Yin.
Hongyan Mavis stepped forward. She walked through the sky, stepping on the air as she raised a hand and threw a punch.
There were no impressive visual signs like when Lu Yin used Infinity, or when Ancient G.o.d used his Wielder-realm battle force. This attack was nothing more than a simple punch, thrown with a small fist. It looked as insignificant as an ant compared to the giant.
However, the punch shattered half of the giant’s body, fragmenting the creature without it being able to put up any resistance. It was as though the giant was not a formidable creature, but rather a block of tofu.
Yes, tofu. To Lu Yin, it looked like Hongyan Mavis had just punched through tofu.
The giant lost its balance and fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Hongyan Mavis still stood in the sky, and she turned to face True G.o.d. "Yong Heng, I lost my strength at the very beginning of the battle for my Second Mainland. You destroyed my Second Mainland and did whatever you wanted. If not for the Lu family, my Mavis family would have been exterminated. You must repay your debt."
True G.o.d remained calm. "It"s been a long time, Hongyan, and yet you’re still so impetuous."
Hongyan Mavis clenched her fists. "I will crush your skull with my fists!"
Lu Yin stared at Hongyan Mavis in disbelief. Was this really the same gentle, flower-planting Hongyan Mavis that he had met in the Mirari Realm? She seemed like a completely different person.
"Musclehead, why did you betray us?" Hongyan Mavis suddenly shouted. Her voice sliced through the void and rang across the First Scourge like a sharp blade.