Star Odyssey

Chapter 2594: A Familiar Power

It did not take much longer before the gap extended to a full ten meters. Xu Leng was overjoyed. "I won! I won!"

She gave Lu Yin a grateful look.

Lu Yin chuckled. "Seniors, please proceed to the left. This junior will move to the right from here. After a day's time, I can assure you that you'll have a peaceful environment for your conversation and won’t have to deal with any disturbances."

"There’s no need for that, young man," Xu Heng said from behind, "You can listen. It's fine."

Xu Leng cast a cold glance back towards Xu Heng. "I’ve won, so does our first bet still count?"

Lu Yin had been unaware of any bets that had been made regarding the two’s competition before he arrived, but he also did not care. Since Xu Heng had also thanked Lu Yin, it mattered even less.

Xu Heng laughed. "Of course it counts. Leng'er, you’ve won."

Xu Leng's lips twisted into a smirk. "You can start talking now. I can put up with an hour of your nonsense."

Xu Heng gave Lu Yin another look of gratitude before clearing his throat and speaking, "Then I shall begin, Leng'er."

Xu Leng snorted disdainfully, but she did not speak a single word or make any attempt to interrupt.

"First of all, my Void Yang clan does not have the Yin Yang Sword," Xu Heng began. Every time he had tried to explain this in the past, Xu Leng had immediately interrupted. Even at this moment, Xu Leng was tempted to speak up, but she restrained herself and instead listened quietly, despite not believing a word that Xu Heng said.

"I know that you won't believe me, so let me start from the beginning. Initially, there were two direct family lines that descended from Venerable Xuyi: the Void Yang and the Void Yin clans. The founding ancestors of the two clans were brothers, and they both..."

As Xu Heng began his hour-long speech, he failed to notice how Lu Yin's expression shifted the moment the Yin Yang Sword was mentioned.

The Yin Yang Sword? There’s no way that that’s the sword I picked up... right? What are the odds?

Lu Yin had intended to move ahead while the two spoke, as even an hour was enough for him to put some distance between himself and the two. However, the mention of the Yin Yang Sword changed his mind, and Lu Yin stayed close to listen.

As Xu Heng spoke, Xu Leng's expression slowly changed. He carefully went through everything from the appearance to the disappearance of the Yin Yang Sword, and made sure to offer evidence supporting his claim that the sword was absolutely not in the hands of the Void Yang clan. "You assume that we have the sword because of what your mother told you..."

After half an hour went by, Xu Leng's face had grown pale. "Why didn't you say all of this before?"

Xu Heng’s voice grew bitter, "Was there ever a chance for me to do so?"

Xu Leng stared at him, stunned. After a moment, her expression fell.

"I’ve managed to clear up matters regarding the Yin Yang Sword, but there's also another matter to address," Xu Heng continued. He spoke for an hour, but at the end of that time, he did not stop speaking, and Xu Leng still did not interrupt. Instead, she simply listened.

Xu Heng spoke at length, addressing one issue after another, clearing one misunderstanding after another.

After hearing so much, Lu Yin found himself most impressed by Xu Leng's mother, who had managed to create a massive misunderstanding between the two clans, which had also ensured that Xu Leng and Xu Heng could never be together. Xu Leng's mother had been well aware of her daughter’s personality, and after so many misunderstandings were introduced, Xu Leng would never calmly listen to Xu Heng's explanations. If not for Lu Yin, the misunderstandings would have most likely continued on until the two’s deaths.

Throughout human history, many grudges stemmed from simple misunderstandings, which then led to at least as much death and slaughter as actual wars. Even wars had been triggered over such misunderstandings.

Lu Yin started to move on, as he was uninterested in hearing Xu Heng's declarations of love. It had become clear that the sword in Lu Yin’s cosmic ring was indeed the Yin Yang Sword that the two clans were desperately searching for. It had once belonged to an ancestor of both the Void Yang and Void Yin clans, who had been one of Venerable Xuyi’s disciples.

Learning this made Lu Yin feel rather guilty. While he had not stolen the sword from the clans, there was no denying that it was in his possession.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Xu Heng called out, "Young man, please wait."

Lu Yin hesitated briefly before slowly turning around.

Xu Heng had finished speaking, and as he looked at Lu Yin, his expression was full of gratitude. As for Xu Leng, she seemed to have mellowed a fair bit. It seemed as though many of her sharp edges had softened.

Lu Yin had already managed to move a considerable distance from the two, but for people with their level of cultivation, such distance could not be considered far.

The pair had spent several days talking, which had allowed the distance between them and Lu Yin to grow. From a distance, Xu Heng bowed to Lu Yin.

Lu Yin hastily spoke up. "Senior, please, there’s no need for such things!"

Xu Heng solemnly asserted, "It is absolutely necessary. Brother, the kindness that you’ve shown to me cannot be expressed with words. Furthermore, it’s not just about me."

As he spoke, he glanced over at Xu Leng, who also offered a bow to Lu Yin from where she stood. "Myself as well."

"This concerns both of our clans," Xu Heng explained as he stared at Lu Yin, "Your assistance, little brother, has essentially saved both of our clans. We owe you our deepest gratitude, and if you ever need any help in the future, just seek out the Void Yang or the Void Yin clans. We will spare no effort to lend you whatever aid you may need."

Lu Yin chuckled. "Seniors, there’s no need to be so concerned about this."

For the first time since Lu Yin had met with the two, Xu Leng laughed. "Brother Xuan Qi, if you don’t have any objections, then consider yourself my little brother and Xu Heng your older brother. Make sure to call on us if you ever need any help. We are not ones to forget favors."

Lu Yin was touched by the obvious sincerity of the two, though it also left him increasingly uncomfortable. The life of a cultivator was fraught with deception and battles, and Lu Yin had already become experienced with the power struggles of the Fifth Mainland. Such an open, honest display of emotion was beyond rare, and he had only ever witnessed them from people who were exceptionally close to him, such as Ming Yan, Highsage Leon, Big Sis, Wendy Yushan, Brother Hui Kong, his classmates from the Astral Combat Academy, as well as Arch-Senior Zen, Qing Ping, and Senior Brother Mu Xie. Also, Lu Yin had recently experienced something similar from the Sixverse Association’s Xu Xiangyin. At this moment, Xu Leng and Xu Heng had added themselves to that number.

Despite their brief acquaintance, Lu Yin could clearly feel the sincere and heartfelt gratitude from these two people.

He was tempted to hand the Yin Yang Sword over to them immediately, but that was simply not possible. If he revealed that he had the sword, it would only arouse their suspicions about his original intentions in meeting them, which would lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.

"I understand, Brother Xu Heng, Sister Xu Leng. If the opportunity ever arises, I will do my best to find the Yin Yang Sword for you and give it to the two of you. My cultivation may not be very impressive, but I know many people," Lu Yin stated firmly.

Xu Heng burst out laughing. "Then we are much obliged, Brother Xuan Qi. I wish you success in crossing the Void Pass."

Xu Leng glanced sideways. "Stop spouting nonsense! It’s impossible for anyone to cross the Void Pass!"

After scolding the man, she looked back at Lu Yin and chuckled. "Little Brother, don’t be too stubborn. No one has ever managed to cross the Void Pass, even after all this time. I won’t pretend to encourage you to succeed."

Xu Heng just gave Lu Yin a wry smile.

"If circumstances allow it, I invite you to visit my Void Yin clan."

Xu Heng’s eyes lit up. "And I would like to invite you to my Void Yang clan."

"I will definitely visit you both when I have a chance," Lu Yin said with a smile.

"Brother, be careful on your journey. While success may indeed be impossible, I still hope that you can cross this Void Pass, which would be an unprecedented miracle," Xu Heng shouted encouragingly.

After receiving the two’s blessings, Lu Yin continued on his way, his heart warmed by the gratitude that he had been shown.

Meeting those two had not been so bad.

As they watched Xuan Qi move out of sight, Xu Heng sighed. "The younger generation is catching up to us. We need to work hard, Leng’er."

Xu Leng rolled her eyes. "What's the point in working hard? We’ve already studied the Venerable Xuyi’s greatest techniques and even honed them to perfection. If we aren’t able to find the Yin Yang Sword, we'll never break through to the Void Suprema realm."

Xu Heng rubbed his head. "True enough. However, now that the misunderstandings between us have been settled, we should join forces. We can mobilize both of our clans to search for the Yin Yang Sword. After we obtain it, it might be possible for us both to have a breakthrough and become Void Suprema. That would certainly shock the Voidforce Universe."

"What do you mean by ‘both of us?’ Don't be so shameless!" Xu Leng blushed.

Xu Heng laughed heartily. "It's time that the Void Yin and Void Yang clans joined forces. Let's give the Voidforce Universe a shock. They might have forgotten Venerable Xuyi’s power, so why don’t we remind them."

...

Xu Heng and Xu Leng decided not to continue on, which meant that Lu Yin was alone as he pushed towards the center of the Void Pass.

He had already arrived quite close to the center. Not everyone could get this far.

After several days passed, Lu Yin saw a man lounging on the drifting tides of the Void pass, floating about in a lazy manner. The man propped his head up on an arm, and he even had a drink beside him. He was humming an unfamiliar tune and looked quite content and relaxed. The man had dark skin and an ordinary appearance, though he also seemed to be wearing something that looked quite similar to sunglasses.

As Lu Yin passed by, the man offered him a drink. "Want one?"

"There’s no need. Thank you," Lu Yin replied as he moved ahead without another word. His mind was in chaos. A Progenitor! It’s actually a Progenitor!

He could not believe that he had met another Progenitor-level figure, and this was even within the Void Pass. Had the man seen through Lu Yin’s disguise?

The Mask of Death was a truly impressive technique, to the point where even Bai Sheng had failed to see through Lu Yin’s disguise. While Xu Wuwei had seen through the Mask of Death, Lu Yin had no idea what sort of strength or capabilities the man with the sunglasses possessed. Even so, Lu Yin had absolutely no intention of engaging the powerhouse in conversation.

As the man watched Lu Yin continue onwards, he sipped his drink and adjusted his dark glasses.

"Interesting..." he muttered, before lounging back on the pressure of the tides, allowing himself to be effortlessly carried away.

A few more days passed before Lu Yin was finally able to breathe easy again. Progenitors were not frequently encountered, and he could not decide if the meeting had been a stroke of luck or disaster.

He looked up ahead and saw a vortex before him. This was the very core of the Void Pass. Xu Xiangyin had once said that every era had people who managed to venture into this vortex, but they were always swiftly expelled. No one had ever managed to truly enter, as only by doing so and receiving the Light of the Firmament could one successfully cross the Void Pass.

Lu Yin was already aware that he would never see the Light of the Firmament, whatever it was, in his life, if Xu Xiangyin’s words were to be believed.

Lu Yin was the only person even close to the vortex. By observing the various tides of voidforce energy, he continued to relentlessly press forward, eventually reaching the edge of the vortex.

He then squeezed himself forward again.

After struggling against the tides for so long, he had assumed that the vortex would possess an even stronger pressure than what he had encountered in the Void Pass so far. Shockingly, he crashed into the vortex without meeting any resistance at all. Everything went black. Lu Yin instinctively tried to release his domain and get a sense of his surroundings. The next moment, a familiar power filled the area around him; it was stellular energy.

Lu Yin's expression changed dramatically. Stellular energy? Why is there stellular energy here?

A majestic wave of stellular energy suddenly descended. It was filled with an oppressive power, but it vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared. The stellular energy inside Lu Yin swirled and started absorbing the energy that surrounded him.

This was not the stellular energy of the Cyclic Universe, but the energy of the Fifth Mainland, or rather, the Origin Universe.

Two words suddenly appeared in Lu Yin's mind: Wu Tian.

Could this energy belong to Wu Tian?

Suddenly, Lu Yin found himself falling. He was unable to control his own body, as the pressure of the surrounding stellular energy had reached the level of a Progenitor’s power. Without releasing the Investiture of the Gods to counteract the pressure of a Progenitor's power, it was impossible for Lu Yin to withstand the forces acting upon him.