Star Odyssey

Chapter 2603: The Name "Spiral Domain"

The amount of one’s voidforce energy available for battle was not just a person’s own reserves that grew with their cultivation realm; there was also the power of their voidforce puppet.

The white tiger that was Xu Lie’s voidforce puppet had nearly ten times more voidforce energy than the woman herself. While she was only a Void Brillium, she was able to control and manipulate enough voidforce energy to contend with a Void Morphora.

Xu Leng's expression grew dark. Her clan members were clearly trying to threaten her with this display of strength.

Xu Heng frowned. The situation within the Void Yin clan was even worse than what he had imagined. Xu Leng would soon be helpless to stop her clan.

Lu Yin was unconcerned. His opponent might control an absurd amount of voidforce energy, but even if she was a Void Morphora, what would it matter? The bone pike floated in front of him, and he asked, "Are you really going to let me have the first move?"

Xu Lie's eyes hardened. She had not been able to get a clear look at how the bone pike had moved during Xuan Qi’s earlier spar, but as long as there was voidforce energy to block the attack, the pike would not be able to get close to her, even if it was a power vessel. "You will only have one chance."

Lu Yin laughed. "With your voidforce energy, my pike can't get close to you. It certainly isn't wrong to say that I only get one chance."

The old woman and the other Void Yin clan members all felt quite satisfied. This young man understood his place.

"However," Lu Yin continued to stare at Xu Lie as he spoke, "Since you know that Xu Wuwei acted as my cultivation guide, where is your confidence coming from? Do you think that voidforce energy is enough to stop me?"

He raised a hand. "Spiral Domain."

Xu Lie's pupils shrank. Spiral Domain?

Xu Heng, Xu Leng, the old woman, and everyone else were all stunned. Spiral Domain? Every single person in the Voidforce Universe knew those two words. They represented Xu Wuwei’s power, the ability that allowed him to traverse the universes. It was practically an invincible battle technique. Was this child really able to use Spiral Domain?

Voidforce energy gathered over Lu Yin's palm. Once it formed, one line after another started to spread out, unhindered by Xu Lie’s voidforce energy. The lines enveloped the Void Yin clan’s entire territory in a grid-like pattern.

Xu Leng's scalp went numb. It really was Spiral Domain. She had seen the technique be used once before. However, this should be impossible. Xuan Qi had only been taught for a short half year.

The bone pike vanished from where it floated. In exactly the same manner as before, it reappeared directly in front of Xu Leng's forehead. Nothing was able to slow or stop the weapon, and Xu Leng did not even have time to react. She was completely unable to keep up.

Xu Lie stared blankly at the tip of the bone pike floating in front of her eyes. With it so close, she was finally able to sense a horrifying amount of voidforce energy. This energy was not from Xuan Qi, but rather the bone pike itself. This voidforce puppet possessed a truly terrifying amount of energy.

She looked over at Lu Yin and swallowed hard. Even life or death fights on the battlefield had never been able to make her lose her composure, but at this moment, her face had gone pale. "You- you've won."

Lu Yin lowered his hand and the grid lines disappeared. He put the bone pike back away. "Thank you."

The crowd was all bug-eyed and staring at Lu Yin. Spiral Domain was a truly amazing battle technique. It had allowed Xuan Qi to completely ignore Xu Lie's voidforce energy, which had then decided the match in a single move from the young man’s bone pike. At this moment, everyone present found themselves completely speechless, as they were suffering the greatest shock of their lives.

"Junior Brother, you've learned Spiral Domain?" Xu Heng was astounded.

Lu Yin replied, "Just a little bit of it. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. I was lucky this time."

Xu Heng felt confused; was that really the problem?

In the Voidforce Universe, Xu Wuwei's Spiral Domain was essentially a symbol. The moment the grid appeared, it was a sign that Xu Wuwei had arrived. At this moment, there was one more person associated with that previously unique battle technique.

Xu Lie stared at Lu Yin. "I accept my loss."

She then turned to face Xu Leng. "Matriarch, I support uniting the two clans."

Xu Lie then turned around and walked away.

The old woman and the others with her just watched on, their expressions revealing their conflicted feelings. They had thought that letting Xu Lie demonstrate her power would be their first step in forcing Xu Leng to step down from her position as matriarch, but it had instead become the first step towards their own defeat. They stared at Xu Leng. How had this woman managed to find such a prodigy?

Xu Lie's declaration meant that the Void Yin clan would start fully supporting Xu Leng. The previous grievances were gone, and it was only because of Lu Yin, and because he had just revealed that he could use Spiral Domain.

For other people, Xuan Qi did not merely represent himself, but also Xu Wuwei.

No wonder the young man had managed to cross the Void Pass.

"Congratulations, Brother Xuan Qi, on mastering Spiral Domain. I am Yun Yun. It's an honor to meet you." A large crowd had started to gather where Lu Yin and the others were standing, and a beautiful woman who had just arrived was the one to speak to Lu Yin. Her movements were graceful, and there was an air of nobility about her. Clearly, she was someone from a great family.

Lu Yin looked at the woman, but he had no idea who she was.

Someone approached and offered a report. "Matriarch, the young mistress of the Cloudview clan, Yun Yun, has come to request an audience. The elder told me to show her to you."

Xu Leng ordered, "Everyone, leave."

She then turned to Yun Yun. "You're the young mistress of the Cloudview clan?"

Yun Yun smiled. "Senior Xu Leng is too formal. I am the Cloudview clan’s Yun Yun. Greetings, Senior."

Xu Leng nodded. "Please, follow me."

Lu Yin watched Yun Yun. Was this the young mistress of the Cloudview clan? He had not even needed to seek them out, as they had approached him first instead.

Soon, Xu Leng made an inviting gesture, and Xu Heng, Lu Yin, and Yun Yun all took their seats.

"What brings the Cloudview clan’s young mistress to visit my Void Yin clan?" Xu Leng asked.

Yun Yun replied, "I'm not here today for your Void Yin clan, but rather to speak to Brother Xuan Qi."

"For me?" Lu Yin was puzzled.

Yun Yun looked over at Lu Yin, her eyes glowing with admiration and respect. "Our Grand Elder has specifically instructed our Cloudview clan to assist Brother Xuan Qi with any and all matters that you may need while here in the Voidforce Universe."

"Senior Xu Xiangyin?" Lu Yin asked.

Yun Yun nodded. "That’s right."

"How did you know that I was visiting the Void Yin clan?"

"Our Grand Elder explained Brother Xuan Qi's relationship with Patriarch Xu Heng and Matriarch Xu Leng to us. Knowing that, it was only expected that I come here to look for you. Furthermore," Yun Yun glanced over at Xu Leng, "I've long admired the two clans, though I never had an opportunity to visit. This gave me the perfect opportunity to pay my respects."

Yun Yun’s manner of speech was both modest and respectful, which created a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. As the Cloudview clan’s young mistress, her clan’s connection to Xuan Qi meant that she was practically related to the two clans.

The timing of Yun Yun’s arriving was quite fortuitous, as it saved Lu Yin a trip. He gave the young woman a list of materials that he had received from Ke Jian, hoping that the Cloudview clan would be able to make the purchases on his behalf.

It was a rather minor task, so Yun Yun readily agreed.

She then invited Xuan Qi to visit the Cloudview clan, but Lu Yin declined. He intended to wait at the Void Yang and Void Yin clans until the dual-colored soil that he needed had been excavated so that he could complete that transaction for the Transcendent Universe.

As time passed, the situation within the two clans continued to stabilize. What Xuan Qi had done in his spars with the two members of the Void Yin clan quickly reached the Void Yang clan. The mere sight of the stunning grid was enough to make anyone surrender. From this moment on, Spiral Domain would no longer represent just Xu Wuwei, but also Xuan Qi.

Gathering the dual-colored soil was not as easy as expected, and Lu Yin was forced to wait for more than a month before enough soil had been excavated to meet the Transcendent Universe's requirements.

...

Instead of a representative from the Transcendent Universe, the next person to visit the two clans was a man named Wu Man, who delivered a letter of challenge.

Lu Yin was caught off guard, "A challenge letter?"

Xu Heng grimaced. "I thought that this matter was already over."

Lu Yin took the letter from the older man and read it. It was signed by Xiu Ci.

He recognized the name. "Xiu Ci? The peak powerhouse?"

"You've heard of him?" Xu Leng asked.

Lu Yin nodded. "He’s a peak powerhouse from the Voidforce Universe who doesn't fight with any voidforce puppets. For many people, he’s considered a trailblazer, as he’s someone who forged his own unique path."

Xu Heng sighed. "Xiu Ci is indeed a legendary figure, but his legend is tied to Venerable Xuyi."

As Xu Heng shared the story, Lu Yin learned of an old grudge in the Voidforce Universe. It was not even really a grudge, but rather a duel, and a clash of beliefs.

Venerable Xuyi had been an orthodox cultivator of the Voidforce Universe’s methods. He had cultivated with voidforce puppets and had relied on their power. On the other hand, Xiu Ci had always been a maverick. He had never owned or used any voidforce puppets, and he had instead used battle techniques with his voidforce energy, similar to other cultivation civilizations.

The two men’s opposing beliefs had sparked a collision during their era.

They had fiercely and repeatedly fought each other, which had led to a series of continuous victories for Venerable Xuyi. He had used the power of the Yin Yang Sword to beat Xiu Ci time and time again. Their competition had only ended with the death of Venerable Xuyi.

"The Yin Yang Sword possessed nearly twenty times Venerable Xuyi's voidforce energy reserves, so how could Xiu Ci fight against that? His many losses were exactly what everyone expected. Even so, Xiu Ci never gave up, though he also stopped insisting that he never use a voidforce puppet. He instead decided to cultivate his beard, and since his beard is a part of his own body, it does not violate his determination to not use a voidforce puppet.

"To give Xiu Ci time to nurture his beard, the two agreed to hold their next duel a thousand years later, but alas," Xu Heng's expression changed as he lamented, "Venerable Xuyi died on the battlefield, which means that, unfortunately, Senior Xiu Ci never had the opportunity to face his rival once again and erase the stain of his defeats.”

Xu Leng spoke up, "The two didn't hate or resent each other—they merely had different beliefs. If anything, they were friends. After Venerable Xuyi died, Xiu Ci personally went to the battlefield and retrieved his body, though he was unable to find the Yin Yang Sword.”

Lu Yin felt that this was quite strange. Since Venerable Xuyi had died on the battlefield, the Yin Yang Sword should have been with him. Why had it appeared in the Voidchaos Territory? Could Xiu Ci have put it there? No, that man had had no reason to do such a thing.

The Void Yang clan and the Void Yin clan had only been officially united for half a year, but Xiu Ci had already sent his letter of challenge, stating his wish to compete against the Void Morphoras Xu Heng and Xu Leng. The man was eager to face Venerable Xuyi's power once again, which made it highly unlikely that he had hidden the Yin Yang Sword. If Lu Yin were in that man’s shoes, he would have searched far and wide for the Yin Yang Sword, just to give the two clans the ability to display their true power.

"Are you confident about facing Senior Xiu Ci?” Lu Yin asked.

Xu Heng and Xu Leng exchanged glances, their expressions bitter. "How can we be confident? Even if Senior Xiu Ci suppresses his voidforce energy to the Void Morphora level, he's still someone who pioneered the use of battle techniques in the Voidforce Universe. He has guided countless people on their path of cultivating voidforce energy. If it’s said that Lord Xu created the Voidforce Universe, then Senior Xiu Ci blazed a new path for our civilization, even if not everyone is willing to walk it.”

“Before Xiu Ci, did people of the Voidforce Universe not use battle techniques?” Lu Yin was surprised.

Xu Leng said, "That’s not quite true. Xu Wuwei's Spiral Domain first appeared long before Senior Xiu Ci’ era, but at that time, everyone was focused on using voidforce puppets. The overall focus was on finding any and all means to enhance one’s ability to control more voidforce energy and a stronger puppet. Very few people devoted any time to learning battle techniques. Xiu Ci destroyed this pattern by showing everyone that it was possible to use voidforce energy itself as a foundation to wield great strength, just like the other cultivation civilizations. This allowed certain people with below average talent to find a path that better suited them.

"The person who delivered this letter, Wu Man, is a perfect example of this. Wu Man is only able to attract or control a puppet with as much voidforce energy as himself. With such terrible talent, many people regarded him a cripple. However, after following Xiu Ci, Wu Man’s strength has continued to rise, and it’s even possible that he will one day become a Void Morphora. It can be said that Xiu Ci has directed many people with lesser levels of talent to paths that are more suitable for them. He is highly respected throughout the Voidforce Universe."

Lu Yin nodded. Every parallel universe had people who were worthy of respect: for example, the Fifth Mainland's Arch-Elder Zen, Progenitor Smoke, Progenitor Chen, and more. And now, there were the Voidforce Universe's Xiu Ci and Xu Wuwei. Even in the Cloudflow Universe, which had been conquered by the Transcendent Universe, there were similar individuals. According to Zi Jing, that universe’s Progenitor-level powerhouse, Cloudflow, had nearly gone insane when he witnessed his Cloudflow Universe’s people being massacred. It was clear that Cloudflow also cared deeply for his own people. All such people deserved respect.

This was how humans were. Some would live in obscurity, others would pursue fame and fortune, and still others would choose to pursue revenge or even become a spy for Aeternus. At the same time, there were also always people who were willing to dedicate themselves to the good of humanity as a whole, regardless of their personal strength or status. Humanity was always full of contradictions.