Star Odyssey

Chapter 2595: Bone Pike

Lu Yin suddenly found himself standing in an open area. A setting sun caused a stretch of colors to spread across the horizon in a breathtaking display. Where was this?

A beam of light flashed from the setting sun, shooting straight at Lu Yin. His pupils constricted, and he quickly sidestepped to avoid the beam.

It turned out to be a white bone pike that had come from some unknown creature. It floated in the air above the grass, stopping about a hundred meters away from Lu Yin.

Lu Yin studied the bone pike. Why had it appeared? He used Inverse Step to arrive next to the spur and then reached out to touch it. It was cold to the touch, and despite using his full strength, he was unable to crush the bone. It was clearly a material at the Progenitor level.

As soon as Lu Yin made contact with the bone, a mental surge flowed into him, giving him the method to wield the pike. The piece of bone was actually a power vessel that was capable of bypassing all defenses.

The ability to bypass all defenses? Lu Yin was stunned. He stared at the bone in his hand. Could this power vessel really be that powerful?

"It was left here by Wu Tian," a voice spoke from behind.

Lu Yin felt a chill run down his spine. Someone was with him?

Upon turning around, Lu Yin saw an average looking middle-aged man standing there. Lu Yin was instantly on edge, yet felt no threat from the man. Either the man was no danger, or he was extraordinarily powerful, to the point of being beyond Lu Yin’s understanding.

How could anyone who was not a threat get so close to Lu Yin without him sensing anything at all? The only explanation was that the man was incredibly powerful, and he even far surpassed Xu Wuwei.

Was there anyone in the Voidforce Universe who surpassed Xu Wuwei? There was only one: Lord Xu.

Was Lu Yin really standing before Lord Xu?

"You're from the Origin Universe. Since Wu Tian has acknowledged you, you deserve to have this," the man said casually as he looked at the bone pike in a nostalgic manner.

Reflexively clutching the pike, Lu Yin bowed. "Junior Xuan Qi pays his respects to Senior."

"Do you know why no one has managed to cross the Void Pass after so many years?" the man asked.

Lu Yin replied, "Because it is necessary to be acknowledged by Wu Tian in order to cross the Void Pass."

The man nodded. "Wu Tian would only acknowledge someone from the Origin Universe, and even then, he has standards. When the Origin Universe fell, I brought a group of its geniuses here to challenge the Void Pass, but they all failed. Even I started to question whether or not it was possible for anyone to succeed."

He gave Lu Yin a strange look. "The fact that you have been acknowledged by Wu Tian fulfills one of my long-held wishes."

Lu Yin remained silent, terrified that the man would force him to give his true name. Lu Yin was very nervous about this particular man’s feelings towards the Lu family.

The Origin Universe and the Lu family were not one and the same, and Lu Yin was already a potential enemy of the Sixverse Association.

If the man before him was truly Lord Xu, then how would he feel about Lu Yin? Lu Yin did not dare to imagine anything, and he also knew it was impossible for him to ever escape from Lord Xu.

At that moment, the only person that Lu Yin could think of was Mister Mu. Lu Yin’s master had promised him that the Great Sovereign would not harm him, but Lord Xu was another powerhouse who was far beyond Lu Yin’s capabilities.

The man raised a hand, and the bone pike moved away from Lu Yin and floated into the man's outstretched hand.

Lu Yin had absolutely no thoughts of resistance, and he simply stood there quietly.

The next thing he knew, the world around him transformed. The tranquil light of the setting sun trembled beneath a surge of voidforce energy. Stunned, Lu Yin watched as a massive, endless amount of voidforce energy rushed out from the man in front of him and flooded into the bone pike. The terrifying amounts of voidforce energy made the omnipresent voidforce energy throughout the Voidforce Universe seem weak. This was something that Lu Yin had never experienced before.

Beneath the oppression of the surge of voidforce energy, Lu Yin felt an uncontrollable urge to drop to his knees in worship. It was a reflexive reaction when faced with such immense power.

Kneel in worship? While his body was trying to force such a reaction, Lu Yin’s mind rejected it.

Determination filled his eyes. Apart from his acknowledged seniors, family members, and mentors, he would never bow in worship of anyone in his life, not even Lord Xu, the Great Sovereign, or even the Origin Progenitor himself!

For Lu Yin, it felt like it took an eternity for the voidforce energy to merge with the bone pike, but in reality, only a few seconds had passed.

The man released the weapon and allowed it to return to Lu Yin's hand. "This bone pike is a power vessel that Wu Tian held in high regard. It's never been used, and it was left here as a reward for crossing the Void Pass. I've now infused it with voidforce energy. What it holds should be enough to allow you to cultivate to the Void Suprema realm. If possible, you might even be able to borrow my power from that weapon."

Lu Yin bowed low to show his gratitude. "Thank you, Senior."

The man smiled as he stared at Lu Yin. "I admire you—you have a strong backbone."

Lu Yin's cheek twitched. While it sounded like a compliment, what he was hearing was not necessarily a good thing. Being admired meant that a true powerhouse was paying attention to Lu Yin.

"I have a bit of time. Is there anything you wish to ask?" the man inquired, clearly interested in Lu Yin.

Lu Yin wanted nothing more than for the man to leave immediately, but that was not something that he could say out loud. Instead, he said, "I haven't thought of anything yet."

"Even if you do manage to think of something, you might not be able to find me again," the man replied.

Lu Yin offered another respectful bow, but he could not come up with an adequate response. His mind was still spinning, and he only wanted this man to leave as soon as possible.

"Have you ever had any contact with Wu Tian?" the man asked.

Lu Yin immediately thought of the Liu family's Sword Monument, which was actually Wu Tian's Stone Monument, and it was currently in the Heavens Sect. Only people who had contributed greatly to the Heavens Sect were allowed to visit the Sword Monument.

While considering any possible interactions with Wu Tian, Lu Yin could only think of the Sword Monument. "I have encountered Wu Tian's Stone Monument," he stated.

The man nodded. "I see, that monument. Indeed, even with exceptional talent, without having any exposure to one of Wu Tian's relics, it would be impossible to be acknowledged by him."

The man paused for a moment, clearing considering something. "Return to the Voidforce Universe. This bone pike might help you find Wu Tian's legacy. No one in history has ever managed to best Wu Tian when it comes to weapon mastery, but if you can inherit Wu Tian's legacy, then it might be possible for you to do so. I look forward to seeing the appearance of a second Wu Tian among humanity."

Lu Yin was puzzled. "No one has ever bested Wu Tian in weapon mastery?"

The man’s eyes locked onto Lu Yin. "Wu Tian pioneered the usage of weaponry, and created the techniques to use weapons. Are you unaware of this?"

Lu Yin responded, "This junior knows that much, but what you mentioned earlier was something that this junior never heard of before."

The man stood with his hands clasped behind his back as he stared at the sunset. "Every person must tread their own path upon reaching the peak of cultivation. Wu Tian was one of the Three Realms Six Daos, and he was no different. The God of Death created death energy, which reaps life. Destiny peered through time in a mysterious manner. Wu Tian had a unique fondness for weapons, and he pioneered battle techniques for weapons, as well as his Heaven's Sight. His eyes could see through any and all weapon technique, and no one could hide anything from his sight. He could peer through countless parallel universes. If you can obtain his techniques and Heaven's Sight, it is possible that you might be the next Wu Tian."

"Weapon techniques? Heaven's Sight?" Lu Yin muttered to himself. This was his first time that he had heard of any of the powers or abilities that Wu Tian had wielded.

The God of Death and Destiny were both famous throughout the Fifth Mainland and the Perennial World. On the other hand, Wu Tian had remained rather unknown. Despite that, no one who knew of him would ever underestimate him. He had been one of the Three Daos, though the full extent of his strength had always been a mystery. Even Lu Yin was hearing about two of the ancient powerhouse’s abilities for the very first time.

Was it true that no one had ever managed to surpass Wu Tian in terms of weapon mastery? Was it really impossible to hide from his sight? Had Wu Tian been able to peer through parallel universes?

Lu Yin's eyes sparkled as he held the bone pike. Could this weapon really guide him to Wu Tian's legacy? If that was true, then he had just acquired something incredible.

The man left without ever disclosing his identity. Lu Yin knew that the man was Lord Xu, but he also never mentioned it. For Lu Yin, it had been a matter of tacit understanding, though it was possible that Lord Xu had simply not been concerned about it.

Lu Yin looked back at the bone pike before putting it away. He bowed towards the setting sun. "I, Lu Yin, am grateful for this gift from Senior Wu Tian."

As he finished speaking, the glow of the sunset blossomed into a beam of light that connected heaven and earth.

At this same time, outside the Void Pass, Xu Xiangyin and Mu Sanye had been chatting with each other. When the beam of light shot upwards, they both turned to look, their faces covered with astonishment and disbelief.

"Wha- wha- what?" stuttered Xu Xiangyin.

Mu Sanye's pupils shrank sharply. "Someone... has actually crossed the Void Pass."

People within and all around the Void Pass stared blankly at the beam of light that shot upwards. All of them were completely dumbfounded. All of them knew that this ray of light would only appear after someone successfully crossed the Void Pass. However, it had never appeared, despite so many years passing. On this day, the beam had finally appeared. Who? Who could have crossed the Void Pass?

Xu Heng and Xu Leng glanced at each other in disbelief. "No way."

"Could it be Brother Xuan Qi?"

Further ahead of them, the man who had been relaxing on the drifting tides of the Void Pass suddenly rose to his feet. His sunglasses fell from his face as he gaped. "Someone crossed the Void Pass? Was it that kid?"

He was the only person that knew that only one other person had recently entered the vortex at the center of the Void Pass: Lu Yin.

Countless people had challenged the Void Pass over the years, and the man had thought that he would never see someone succeed. How had that boy done it?

At the center of the Void Pass, the beam of light shot high into the sky. Not only did the sight shock the people in and around the Void Pass, but ripples also spread out until they reached every corner of the Voidforce Universe.

This beam of light triggered the calm voidforce energy that once permeated the entire Voidforce Universe, causing the energy to roil in an agitated manner. One pair of eyes after another turned to stare at the beam of light, each one filled with shock and confusion, as well as endless envy.

Whoever successfully crossed the Void Pass was allowed to become Lord Xu's disciple, which would instantly elevate them to a position where they would stand second to only one, and above countless others. The level of that person’s cultivation would be irrelevant. Even a normal human who was given that status would be qualified to stand next to peak powerhouses. Lord Xu’s disciple would be a high-ranking figure throughout the entire Sixverse Association, as no one would be able to belittle them.

It would be a status equal to that of He Ran or Bai Qian in the Transcendent Universe. It would be no different from the Cyclic Universe’s perfect Junior Sovereign.

A hushed silence enveloped the area surrounding the Void Pass. Everyone was staring at the beam of light, curious to discover who had completed the challenge.

Suddenly, the entire Void Pass trembled. The repelling pressure instantly vanished. The fact that someone had completed the challenge had caused the pressure to cease to exist. Also, the Void Pass itself would soon disappear.

The moment the pressure vanished, all of the voidforce energy that had been contained by the tidal forces started to seep out. At that moment, the former Void Pass had become the best location in the entire Voidforce Universe for people to cultivate.

Some people immediately started absorbing the voidforce energy. Despite their curiosity regarding who had completed the challenge, that curiosity was undoubtedly weaker than their desire to improve their own strength. Whoever had succeeded would eventually be revealed, while the collapse of the Void Pass was a limited opportunity.

Regardless of who they were, everyone quickly began absorbing the ambient voidforce energy.

The disappearance of the Void Pass meant that Xu Xiangyin and Mu Sanye were finally able to move closer to the beam of light. The man wearing sunglasses had already arrived at the edge of the beam, and Xu Heng and Xu Leng arrived soon after him.

When Xu Xiangyin and Mu Sanye arrived, they found that there were only three people present.

"Junior Xu Xiangyin greets Senior Wuji," Xu Xiangyin greeted the man with a respectful bow.

"Junior Mu San greets Senior Wuji." Mu Sanye did the same.

The man in sunglasses simply grunted his acknowledgment, his eyes never leaving the beam of light.