Star Odyssey

Chapter 2490: A Game

Such a simple reason had shattered the Heavens Sect and reduced the Progenitor of Bloodlines to an ordinary human, while also causing many fatalities.

Even so, Sage Yuan's expression remained calm and lofty, and the two young men standing behind him mimicked his arrogant indifference. In fact, they even looked at Lu Yin with mocking expressions.

While the two of them were not Progenitors, they were not intimidated by facing one.

They believed themselves to be superior to Lu Yin’s entire universe.

Suddenly, Lu Yin felt calm. This was actually the best explanation. There was no need for a complicated explanation or anything formal.

"Senior, are you here to discuss the war strategy against Aeternus? Please come to my Celestial Frost Sect. We will gather everyone there for the discussion," Bai Xian'er said while moving to block Lu Yin's line of sight.

Sage Yuan looked at Bai Xian'er and replied, "There's no need. Those who are qualified to participate in that discussion are already here. Only Progenitors are allowed to join the discussion."

He looked at Bai Wangyuan and Wang Fan. "Where is Xia Shenji?"

Xia Qin replied, "He's missing."

Sage Yuan turned to face the woman. "Why is he missing?"

Xia Qin looked at Lu Yin.

Sage Yuan followed her gaze and found himself once again looking at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin indifferently answered, "I banished him to a parallel universe."

Sage Yuan stared at the young man for a moment before stating, "Then it's up to you to bring him back."

Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. "Who do you think you are? If not for those dogs by your side, you wouldn't leave here today."

"Lu Xiaoxuan, how dare you!" Bai Wangyuan shouted angrily. This was the first time that Sage Yuan had ever been disrespected like this.

Bai Xian'er's face darkened, "Brother Lu, saying such things serves no purpose."

Lu Yin retorted, "Then move aside and let me prove that I’m not all talk."

Sage Yuan shook his head as he smiled. "You can try to kill me, but not here. Descendant of the Lu family, if you’re not mere talk, then come with me to the Main Universe. In that place, I will give you a chance at a fair fight."

"Senior, let me fight him. There is no need for you to dirty your hands." For the first time, the young man in the golden robe who stood behind Sage Yuan spoke up. He was clearly looking down on Lu Yin.

Lu Yin raised a hand to point a finger that he crooked at the young man in the golden robe. "One move will finish you."

The young man's eyes grew cold, and he answered with a frigid smile, "It's been a long time since anyone was so arrogant before me. Members of the Lu family are indeed audacious. Fine, today-"

Sage Yuan lifted his hand and motioned for the young man to retreat. The youth was reluctant to back down. "Senior, let me go. I'll teach this child from the Lu family a lesson on your behalf."

Sage Yuan stared at Lu Yin as he replied, "This universe is not a suitable place for us to act. Descendant of the Lu family, you must bring back Xia Shenji. Otherwise, a fate more tragic than the Lu family’s banishment awaits you. Exiling the Lu family was already a sign of the Great Sovereign’s mercy. You have been repeatedly impudent with your words, and thus your fate will be even worse than that of the Lu family."

"Is this Great Sovereign the ruler of your universe?" Arch-Elder Zen asked.

Sage Yuan replied, "He is everyone's mentor. If you are fortunate enough to ever meet the Great Sovereign, remember to kneel and pay your respects. Otherwise, if the Great Sovereign is angered, you will not be able to bear the consequences."

Sage Yuan was not merely speaking to Arch-Elder Zen, but to everyone present.

Bai Wangyuan and Wang Fan calmly looked at each other. It was clear that they had heard these words before.

Xia Qin arched a brow. "Kneel and pay respects?"

Sage Yuan glanced over. "As a Progenitor, you may feel that it is beneath you to kneel and pay your respects to another, but after you see the Great Sovereign, you will understand. The Great Sovereign is the ruler to whom all living beings in the world must kneel and pay their respects. Regardless of one’s realm or merit, the Great Sovereign deserves to be respected by all. If not for the Great Sovereign, all of humanity would have already been transformed into monsters by Aeternus long ago. Your Origin Progenitor failed and died at the hands of Aeternus, leaving the Great Sovereign to bear everything alone. Is the Great Sovereign not worthy of your respect?"

Xia Qin was about to argue, but Bai Xian'er interrupted. "Senior, did you come here on the Great Sovereign's orders?"

Sage Yuan nodded. "When you and the others trapped Undying God, the rest of the Seven Skygods fought to rescue him, and even True God took action. That's a power that you cannot hope to resist. The Great Sovereign held True God back, and the Sixverse Association forced the Seven Skygods away from your universe, which is why your universe successfully expelled the forces of Aeternus. Now, pressure has increased on the Sixverse Association, as Aeternus has shifted the forces that were focused on your universe to other battlefields. You need to take action…"

Lu Yin listened calmly. Speaking at this point would be completely pointless. He simply wanted to understand this Sixverse Association, Main Universe, and the Great Sovereign.

Although Sage Yuan spoke for a long time, everything boiled down to the fact that he intended to open a rift between the Origin Universe and Aeternus, forcing the burden that the Sixverse Association carried onto the Origin Universe.

Naturally, Bai Wangyuan and the others disagreed with this. They had only just driven Aeternus out from their universe, so why should they take the initiative to restart the war?

However, Sage Yuan's words were the will of the Great Sovereign, which meant that they were in no position to refuse.

"You won't refuse, will you?" Sage Yuan stared at Bai Wangyuan and the others.

Bai Wangyuan hesitated. "Nutjob Lu has gone to the Main Universe, Liu Yue was killed for colluding with Aeternus, and Xia Shenji has been banished. The power that our universe can field has greatly decreased, and True God cracked the Mother Tree, which means that our Ceaseless Impetus is likely on the brink of collapse. If we try to face Aeternus now, we might not be able to endure."

Sage Yuan was openly unhappy with this response. "Your universe may have been weakened, but you still have quite a few Progenitors. If not for this, the Great Sovereign would have never considered you. We won’t give you a hopeless task.”

"The Sixverse Association holds back most of Aeternus's power, which means that you only need to deal with a portion of it."

Lu Yin and Arch-Elder Zen exchanged glances. This situation reminded the two of them of when Undying God had been trapped. At that time, Lu Yin had taken the initiative to open up the passage to the Starfall Sea in order to share the Perennial World’s burden. If the current situation was similar, then it would not be wrong to consider the overall situation of humanity.

Was that really what the Sixverse Association was considering?

Lu Yin carefully observed Sage Yuan, studying the man’s tone of voice and expressions. There was pure arrogance in his eyes, and the two young men who stood behind him showed a hint of hostility in their eyes. Things were not as simple as they were being presented as.

With the power of the Origin Universe, how could they not be qualified to be a member of the Sixverse Association? Even the Three Monarchs Universe, which was significantly weaker than the Origin Universe, was a member of the Sixverse Association. In that case, why had the Origin Universe been excluded? This indicated that the Sixverse Association, which was led by the Main Universe, had other intentions for the Origin Universe.

If they agreed to follow the will of the Main Universe, the Origin Universe would be forced into a passive stance, and they would also have no means of seeking any assistance if the Sixverse Association redirected the majority of Aeternus’s forces towards the Fifth Mainland and the Perennial World.

Lu Yin knew that Bai Wangyuan and the others would also follow this train of thought. None of them wanted to die.

"Senior Sage Yuan, there are many ways for the Sixverse Association to split the pressure that they are facing. Could you permit us to consider this ? Don't worry, we will definitely help. No one can remain neutral when it comes to Aeternus, humanity’s mortal enemy," Bai Xian'er said respectfully.

Sage Yuan's expression improved after he heard Bai Xian’er’s response. "It's good that you understand. No one can afford to try to remain apart from this conflict. We helped you bear the pressure of Aeternus in the past and have never asked for any resources in return. You should be grateful," he said.

The man then looked at Lu Yin and continued speaking. "Descendant of the Lu family, find Xia Shenji. He has met the Great Sovereign in the past, and the Great Sovereign thinks well of him. If it is learned that you have banished Xia Shenji, the Great Sovereign can easily eliminate you. Don't provoke the Great Sovereign."

The man then tore a rift in the void and glanced back before leaving. "The Great Sovereign's tea ceremony is fast approaching. If you offer him that mount, it is possible that it can compensate for the Lu family's sins."

Lu Yin remained calm throughout the entire monologue. He looked as though he had not heard a word that Sage Yuan had said.

In fact, Lu Yin had remained perfectly calm even after hearing Sage Yuan’s last words, and that was frightening.

Only people who knew Lu Yin well understood that the calmer he was, the more terrifying things would soon be.

Just as Sage Yuan was about to leave, Lu Yin finally spoke up. "Let's play a game."

Everyone felt confused. A game?

Sage Yuan chuckled. "What game?"

Lu Yin replied, "The game is called 'Cat and Mouse.' You don't have the courage to have a death match here, and these people will also protect you, which means that you can hide. However, no matter where you hide, I will find you and then-" He pointed at the Heavens Sect and the Progenitor of Bloodlines. "I will make you kneel before them."

Sage Yuan stared at Lu Yin and burst into hysterical laughter. He reacted as though he had just heard the funniest joke. The two young men behind him also laughed at Lu Yin in a mocking manner.

"Very well, I'll play this game with you. We'll soon find out who is the cat and who is the mouse," Sage Yuan replied before turning and leaving.

No one spoke until Sage Yuan was gone. The situation in the Heavens Sect and the purpose of Sage Yuan’s visit left everyone feeling rather uneasy.

As for the game that Lu Yin had mentioned, no one believed that he had been joking. Sage Yuan simply did not understand Lu Yin, but the various Progenitors had no obligation to warn him. That was entirely Sage Yuan’s own business.

Bai Wangyuan finally looked away from Lu Yin. "The Sixverse Association wants us to reinitiate the war with Aeternus. If they are scheming against us, they will force the majority of Aeternus's forces into our universe, which will make things even worse than before."

Xia Qin asked, "Why should we listen to them?"

Bai Wangyuan frowned. Few people, even among Progenitors, truly understood the Main Universe. Only people who understood the Main Universe knew just how terrifying it was. Even the combined might of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas was not enough to compare to the strength of the Main Universe. The Great Sovereign was a being who stood at the same level as the Origin Progenitor. Such a being needed nothing more than a single finger to destroy all of them.

Things would have been fine if they had not had been in contact with the Main Universe, but since there was contact between their universes, they were no longer free to make their own decisions. At the moment, not only had the Origin Universe made contact with the Main Universe, but they had also asked for the Main Universe’s assistance in dealing with the Lu family. There was no way to detach themselves from the Main Universe anymore.

"This matter may not be the Great Sovereign's idea," Wang Fan suddenly said.

Bai Wangyuan's eyes flickered. "Are you suggesting that this is all Sage Yuan's idea?"

Wang Fan replied, "The Great Sovereign is a transcendent being. Aside from fighting against True God, the Great Sovereign enjoys drinking tea. The Great Sovereign rarely interferes in the overall strategy of the war against Aeternus. Moreover, if all of this was the Great Sovereign's idea, then why would Sage Yuan need to test the Heavens Sect?"

Wang Fan then looked over Lu Yin before continuing. "You don't truly believe Sage Yuan’s answer that he tested the Heavens Sect because he can’t stand the sight of it, do you?"

Lu Yin looked over at the man and asked, "Then what would be his reason?"

Wang Fan shook his head. "I don't know that, but my guess is that they tested the power of our universe in order to come up with a plan."

Arch-Elder Zen spoke up. "There is one detail that I find odd. Since Sage Yuan was able to open a rift to Aeternus’s territory right next to the Heavens Sect, why does Aeternus need to attack the rear battlefield? Why not just open a spatial rift?"

Bai Wangyuan was the one to reply, "Can Lu Xiaoxuan maintain the connection to Aeternus Nation for a long time?"

With this, Lu Yin understood. It was not possible to maintain a rift connecting two parallel universes for very long, and that meant that Aeternus's forces would not have unlimited access to a given universe if they employed such means.

"Aeternus has their own way of ensuring that their corpse kings can continuously enter a universe, but those means are very fragile and can be destroyed by Progenitors if the opportunity arises. Furthermore, those devices should have a limit to their usage. If not, Corpse God would have never left the battlefield in the Dominion Realm to protect one of them. Also, it is not easy to determine the spatial coordinates for a parallel universe, especially ours," Bai Wangyuan interjected.

Wang Fan continued, "While it hasn't been confirmed, we have hypothesized that the larger a universe is, the more difficult it is to determine its coordinates. The coordinates of a small place like Aeternus Nation are relatively easy to determine, but it's not nearly that easy to locate our universe, not even for Aeternus. If that were not the case, our universe would have been torn apart long ago.

"The Sixverse Association cannot continue to remain a secret, but it’s possible that not all of its members have access to the spatial coordinates of our universe."