Star Odyssey

Chapter 2580: Trading Partner

Lu Yin's gaze flickered. You Teng’s attitude towards the Fifth Mainland was quite balanced, as the man bore a mix of distaste due to past grudges, while also the hope that the Origin Universe would be able to help stop Aeternus. This was a sharp contrast to the people who were single-mindedly bent on destroying the Fifth Mainland. "Are you telling me all this because of the materials that you need from there?"

Something complicated and conflicted flickered through You Teng's eyes. "If it was just about those resources, that would be one thing..." He paused a moment before finishing. "I am aware of your grudge with Lu Yin."

Subconsciously, Xuan Qi’s hands clenched into fists.

You Teng’s voice grew stern. "It’s possible that you have secretly started to hope to wield Madam He Ran's power to deal with Lu Yin."

"This junior has absolutely no such thoughts!" Lu Yin immediately denied.

Raising a hand to stop the young man from continuing, You Teng said, "You don’t need to justify yourself. Revenge is something that should be sought and taken. If there is power available to be borrowed, then why not use it? There's no need to hesitate over such a thing."

Lu Yin remained silent.

"I am sharing all this with you just to inform you, or rather, to provide you with a choice. Given your relationship with Zi Jing, it is indeed possible for you to borrow Madam He Ran's power against the Origin Universe. On top of that, Lu Yin already has plenty of enemies in the Origin Universe. All of that, combined with He Shu's attitude, means that it's not impossible to dismantle the current Heavens Sect. However, you always need to consider Aeternus in any plan.”

"Aeternus is a sword that hovers above humanity's throat. My hope is that, even if you find yourself able to exact revenge, you won’t drag the entire Origin Universe down as well," You Teng finished.

Lu Yin was stunned. "Do you believe that this junior has the ability to influence the entire Origin Universe?"

An intense light blossomed in You Teng's eyes. "Zi Jing's influence in the Transcendent Universe is only growing. Madam He Ran and He Shu both harbor contempt for the Origin Universe. Xu Xiangyin favors you greatly, and the Stone Gate has also recently started to fight to win you over. Yes, you should be able to influence the attitude of an entire universe. With so many details added together, you already wield a terrifying level of influence.

"Xuan Qi, you are already able to threaten Lu Yin."

You Teng said nothing more and instead tore through the void and led Lu Yin to meet with He Ran.

"Madam, has Zi Jing ever mentioned Gods' Origin to you?" Lu Yin asked He Ran.

Zi Jing, who was standing to the side, quickly spoke up. "I've already organized all the information regarding the Origin Universe and delivered it to you, Madam."

Up on the staircase, He Ran shifted slightly. "Gods' Origin? Isn’t it an organization in the Neoverse?"

"Yes," Lu Yin confirmed.

He Ran asked, "Do they have the resources?"

Appearing serious, Lu Yin proceeded to elaborate, "Gods' Origin controls vast regions of the Neoverse, but more than that, they have an extensive network that spans the entire Fifth Mainland. They use this to find and collect relics from the Rune Civilization. They also engage in commerce, build sects, and have even established empires. It's safe to say that they wield incredible influence from the shadows of the Fifth Mainland. In the past, I managed to establish a good relationship with Gods' Origin’s God Taiyi, so I can ask him to use Gods' Origin's influence to gather the resources that you’ve requested."

Zi Jing quickly countered Xuan Qi’s claim. "Lu Yin seems to have a pretty good relationship with God Taiyi. It would be best if you don’t approach him."

Lu Yin replied, "You're mistaken, God Taiyi despises Lu Yin."

Zi Jing’s brow furrowed. "How is that possible? Everyone in the Fifth Mainland knows that he and God Taiyi have a good relationship. Even I've heard of it."

Lu Yin confidently stated, "That was only at the beginning. The truth is that Gods' Origin looks down on everyone. They see themselves as the Rune Progenitor’s heirs, and their ability to create something out of nothing causes them to regard themselves as gods. As far as they’re concerned, Lu Yin was a prodigy of their methods, and as he advanced further, Gods' Origin certainly did want to curry his favor. However, everything changed after the incident with God of Magenta."

God of Magenta had been one of Xia Ji’s clones, and Xia Ji had hidden the clone in Gods' Origin as a part of his schemes against the other forces of the Neoverse. However, those plans had been exposed by Lu Yin. In the end, only a few people knew the truth about God of Magenta, as Gods' Origin had sealed all information. This made it impossible for the Transcendent Universe to uncover anything, even if they sent people to the Neoverse.

They would only be able to find what Lu Yin allowed them to see.

Lu Yin narrated what had happened with God of Magenta, though he was following a prepared script, and Zi Jing was stunned by the story. She had been completely unaware of the events that Lu Yin was sharing.

He Ran interjected, "I have no interest in the Origin Universe’s internal disputes. All that matters is if this Gods' Origin can truly help me gather those materials."

"Absolutely," Lu Yin reassured the woman, "They have extremely extensive influence throughout the Fifth Mainland, and publicly, they have a good relationship with Heavens Sect, which will make gathering resources a breeze."

He Ran's eyes lit up. "Ke Jian."

Ke Jian emerged from the void and offered a respectful bow. "Madam."

"Accompany Xuan Qi to that universe. Verify that it's possible to gather the necessary resources," He Ran instructed.

Ke Jian acknowledged his orders and glanced over at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin courteously addressed the man, "Thank you for your assistance, Senior."

Ke Jian nodded. He had been the one to take Lu Yin and Zi Jing to the Transcendent Universe from the Origin Universe. Despite only a brief amount of time passing, the man’s previous superior attitude had disappeared. When facing Xuan Qi, Ke Jian was obligated to show some measure of courtesy.

The man soon led Lu Yin through a spatial tear and back to the Origin Universe.

Zi Jing anxiously asked, "Madam, if Gods' Origin is unable to gather the resources, what will happen to Xuan Qi?"

"Don't worry," He Ran replied. "He has already gained the Voidforce Universe’s attention, and he is also your man. Even if Xuan Qi is discovered by Lu Yin, he will be fine."

Zi Jing answered respectfully, "My only fear is that your plans will be delayed, Madam."

He Ran laughed. "That doesn’t matter. If a deal with Gods' Origin doesn't work out, we can always find others to work with. I absolutely expect the Origin Universe to have plenty of resources that we can use, and Xuan Qi has already accomplished something of note by making this journey to assist me. I will not treat him poorly. Even if he becomes a part of the Voidforce Universe, I can still assist him."

The undertone of He Ran’s words were perfectly clear; even if Xuan Qi was accepted by the Voidforce Universe, she could still deal with him.

He Ran was very confident, but she was also unable to see Zi Jing's mocking expression hidden beneath her bowed head. Deal with Lu Yin? Please. If not for his larger plans, you would have been captured long ago.

As the two women spoke, Ke Jian and Lu Yin arrived in the Neoverse.

While the Transcendent Universe was able to locate the Origin Universe in the endless ocean of parallel universes, it was impossible to arrive at an exact location in the Fifth Mainland. Even so, one would never arrive too far away from the coordinate seal that was used. The fact that Lu Yin and Ke Jian had arrived in the Neoverse strongly suggested that the coordinate seal used by the Transcendent Universe was also in the Neoverse.

"Where is Gods' Origin?" Ke Jian asked.

After a few moments of careful deliberation, Lu Yin pointed in a specific direction. "That way."

A glow of white light appeared around Ke Jian, and then he carried Lu Yin through outer space and towards Gods' Origin.

Gods' Origin appeared the same as ever before, majestically standing on the backs of enormous statues of different people. It was truly a sight to behold. There were rainbows in the skies, ethereal fog, the resonating sound of bells, sacred creatures frolicking about, and the scent of incense drifting all the way into outer space.

The statues were each of specific enemies of Gods' Origin. The statues were erected after Gods’ Origin had defeated their enemies, as they were forced to symbolically support Gods' Origin on their backs as penance for their crimes. Among the statues, Lu Yin could see the faces of Jin Mie and God of Magenta. Their enlarged faces were clear to everyone as the statues knelt in perpetual servitude to Gods' Origin.

There were countless people who were also kneeling in worship throughout Gods’ Origin with adoration on their faces as they gazed upwards. It looked as though they were gazing upon deities.

Lu Yin had been struck speechless the first time he saw Gods’ Origin for himself, and at this moment, Ke Jian found himself in the same shocked state.

The Transcendent Universe was not home to a cultivation civilization, and instead, they advanced with the use and development of cultivation technologies. For this reason, they had no concept of religious devotion in their universe.

As he saw the fanaticism in the eyes of the worshippers, Ke Jian understood that these people would happily sacrifice their lives for a mere word. This was something that he had never before witnessed or experienced.

"What is this place?" Ke Jian asked, visibly shaken. He might possess the strength equal to a Semi-Progenitor, but that was because of his energy converter rather than any personal strength. The man lacked the mindset that others at his level of strength typically possessed. Without that mental fortitude, Ke Jian suffered a far greater shock from his first glimpse of Gods’ Origin than Lu Yin had felt during his first visit to the place.

"This is Gods' Origin," Lu Yin replied, "They consider themselves to be gods, seeing as how they are able to create and destroy at will. They claim that such things can only be done by gods."

Ke Jian forcibly suppressed his shock to ask, "Create something from nothing?"

Lu Yin replied, "It’s a truly wondrous power. If you wish to see it, I can arrange a demonstration for you, Senior."

As the two men spoke, God Taiyi moved out from Gods' Origin, greeting “Xuan Qi” with a hearty laugh. "Seventh Bro, where have you been all this time?"

Lu Yin stepped forward with a smile. "I've been to a truly mystical place, but we’ll need to leave that aside for now. Brother Taiyi, allow me to introduce Ke Jian."

As Lu Yin spoke, his expression grew solemn. "He is a Semi-Progenitor."

God Taiyi was taken aback. "A Semi-Progenitor?"

Ke Jian calmly stared at God Taiyi.

God Taiyi looked over at Ke Jian, and he also grew significantly more solemn as he stepped forward to greet the older man, “Junior God Taiyi pays respects to Senior Semi-Progenitor.”

Ke Jian responded with a slight nod, “Apologies for the disturbance.”

God Taiyi replied, “We are quite lucky to have someone like you gracing Gods’ Origin with a visit, Senior. Please, come inside.”

Ke Jian glanced at Lu Yin before accepting the invitation into Gods' Origin.

Having a Semi-Progenitor visit Gods’ Origin was enough to draw out all the most important people. Naturally, they were led by God of Mirrors.

After the formal introductions and greetings, Lu Yin stated the purpose of his visit.

God of Mirrors dismissed everyone other than God Taiyi. "These materials are no simple matter, as they are quite difficult to acquire."

Lu Yin said, “Senior God of Mirrors, are you saying that it will be difficult for even your Gods' Origin?”

God of Mirrors and God Taiyi glanced at each other before turning to Ke Jian. “If possible, we would naturally be happy to help Senior Ke Jian, but many of these materials are controlled by the Heavens Sect, which makes it extremely difficult to obtain them.”

"Difficult, but not impossible?" Ke Jian pressed.

God of Mirrors sighed. “In the past, before the Heavens Sect was established, my Gods' Origin was a powerful force in the Neoverse, and gathering such resources would have been a simple matter. Unfortunately, since the establishment of the Heavens Sect, and with Dao Monarch Lu in control of the entire Fifth Mainland, these materials have become heavily regulated.”

“Also, it’s not even just that...”

“Even the statues here in the Gods' Origin are being dismantled,” God Taiyi finished in a bitter tone.

Ke Jian was taken aback. "Lu Yin is taking control of even that?"

God of Mirrors’ only response was a bitter smile.

In a rather anxious tone, Lu Yin asked, "Senior God of Mirrors, is there any way for you to acquire these materials?”

God of Mirrors considered the question. "Every system has inherent flaws. Given my Gods’ Origin’s network and connections, it isn’t completely impossible to gather all of these materials, but the cost would be prohibitive. Furthermore-"

Before the man could finish speaking, Ke Jian cut him off with a laugh. "If that’s the case, it’s no obstacle at all. Regardless of the cost, we will pay it, provided that you can gather the materials that we need."

God of Mirrors looked at the man in surprise before looking over at Lu Yin with confusion. The man silently mulled the matter over.

God Taiyi mirrored the reaction.

Lu Yin turned to Ke Jian. "Senior, the cost is certainly one concern, but also, if they are caught gathering these supplies, it’s possible that Gods' Origin will be completely destroyed. Lu Yin is infamous for his brutality."

God of Mirrors somberly agreed, "That's precisely how God of Magenta met his end."

God Taiyi growled through gritted teeth, "God of Magenta met his doom solely because he opposed Lu Yin visiting our ruins from the Rune Civilization. Lu Yin is-"

"Taiyi!" God of Mirrors silenced God Taiyi with a harsh warning.