Chapter 2789: Coercion And The Power Of Confinement

After Sage Stone died, the Cyclic Universe had started searching for a qualified replacement, but the Great Sovereign had suddenly selected someone. Very few were aware of who the Great Sovereign had chosen, and not even Lord Xu was among them.

However, while nothing was publicly known about the new Sage Stone, the Voidlord had heard that the newest Sage was a violent madman.

Now that I see him, I see that it’s true.

Food Sage and Arrow Sage also turned to look at the distant location, and a flicker of fear flashed across their eyes. This person was not an easy opponent.

Lu Yin slowly turned around to look as well, and he met a familiar pair of eyes: Nutjob Lu.

Sure enough, the new Sage Stone was none other than Nutjob Lu.

Lu Yin was not surprised by the sight, as Nutjob Lu had fled to the Cyclic Universe, and it would be stranger if he did not return at some point in time. The only thing that had caught Lu Yin off guard was the sight of Nutjob Lu showing up at this particular moment.

Nutjob Lu’s violent aura left countless people unable to even breathe.

The man looked at Lu Yin, and an insane grin stretched across his face as he slowly and deliberately walked forward. "Get out of here! I’m going to pass through the Heavenly Gate."

Lu Yin's expression grew cold, as the man was purposely trying to back Lu Yin into a corner.

Since Lu Yin had failed to push Evergreen Sage aside, it was expected for him to step back. At worst, he would be unable to meet the Great Sovereign and would lose the opportunity to be acknowledged as the ruler of the Origin Universe. However, with Nutjob Lu’s appearance at the moment of Lu Yin’s failure, rumors would spread and change the reason why Lu Yin stepped away from the Heavenly Gate.

Stepping back and being forced away by Nutjob Lu were two completely different concepts.

"How cruel. There must be some sort of grudge between them." Food Sage was surprised to see Nutjob Lu slowly approach Lu Yin. If Lu Yin did not retreat, the madman would walk through him, but if Lu Yin stepped back, it would look like he was afraid of Nutjob Lu. The timing was perfect.

Unfortunately, Lu Yin was unable to push Evergreen Sage aside.

Arrow Sage frowned. "That's rather low."

Lord Xu stared at Nutjob Lu. While this man was one of the Nine Sages, Lord Xu actually felt a bit of fear when he looked at this new Sage Stone, which did not match the others of the Nine Sages. "Sovereign Lotus, do you know where this Sage Stone is from? Is he possibly from the Origin Universe?"

From the way that Nutjob Lu was trying to corner Lu Yin, as well as the hatred in his eyes when he looked at the youth, everything seemed to indicate that the man was from the Origin Universe.

Sovereign Lotus slowly answered, "His surname is Lu."

Everyone was shocked, and found this answer hard to believe. Another person from the Lu family?

Lord Xu suddenly thought of something. "I remember hearing that there was a traitor in the Lu family. Is that him?"

Sovereign Ninth Lotus said nothing, which was enough of an answer.

Everyone's expressions changed upon learning that this man was another member of the Lu family. No one from the Lu family was simple, and at this moment, the family’s heir was facing a traitor.

Nutjob Lu continued to walk towards Lu Yin. "Either go in or get out of the way. Don't block the path."

Lu Yin watched as Nutjob Lu drew closer. "It looks like you’ve done well for yourself here in the Cyclic Universe."

Nutjob Lu gave a fierce smile. "If you betray the Origin Universe, you can make out just as well as me."

Lu Yin's expression remained cold. "Was it the four ruling powers that approached you to betray the Lu family, or was it Sovereign Shao Yin?"

"What difference does it make? Couldn’t it have been Sage Yuan?"

"He isn’t qualified."

Inside the Heavenly Gate, Yuan Qiunan's expression grew ugly when he heard his master being openly insulted.

As for Nutjob Lu, he cackled. "He really isn’t, is he? After leaving the Lu family and being prompted by the Great Sovereign, I was able to take a step forward. Brat, do you want to work with your senior brother to attack me again? Try it, and this time, I’ll be able to kill you."

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. Had Nutjob Lu improved again? The madman was another person who had lived since the Heavens Sect era, and he was also a member of the Lu family. Logically speaking, he should at least be comparable to Old Mo, but Nutjob Lu had been incarcerated by the Lu family for many years, which had resulted in his strength stagnating. Had he really been able to take another step of progress after being promoted to a Sage by the Great Sovereign?

If that was true, then things had just become even more difficult.

Lu Yin understood just how incredibly powerful Old Mo was. If Nutjob Lu had also managed to touch upon the power of sequence particles, he could only be stronger than Old Mo. There was no way that the madman would be weaker.

Lu Yin could not even imagine how freakishly strong a Progenitor from the Lu family who had touched upon the laws of a universe would be.

However, it was incredibly difficult to master sequence particles. Leng Qing had also been one of the ancient Heavens Sect’s Twelve Heavenly Gatemasters, all of whom had been among the most powerful Semi-Progenitors. The man had broken through and become a Progenitor, but he was still nowhere close to comprehending sequence particles. As for Nutjob Lu, it was hard for Lu Yin to know if the man had done so or not, given how long he had lived for.

Nutjob Lu drew closer and closer. It was possible for him to cover the entire distance with only a single step, so why was he moving so slowly when approaching Lu Yin?

The only answer was that the man wanted to slowly torture Lu Yin. The madman was determined to force everyone from the Lu family to pay the debt that they owed him.

"The Sixverse Association exiled the Lu family so that they could atone for the Heavens Sect's arrogance. Do you agree with that?”

"Hmph! The Lu family should be destroyed! They got off cheap by being exiled."

Lu Yin stared at Nutjob Lu. "What is your status here?"

"Sage Stone," Nutjob Lu replied.

"And what’s your status within Aeternus?" Lu Yin challenged.

Nutjob Lu laughed. "Little brat, are you trying to create a rift between me and the Cyclic Universe? How childish."

Lu Yin looked away. Nutjob Lu was already only a few meters away, and he only needed to take a few steps more.

If the madman wanted to pass through the Heavenly Gate, Evergreen Sage would get out of his way, but Lu Yin also needed to get out of the man’s path. Nutjob Lu was moving straight at Lu Yin, and he had no intention of letting the brat off easy.

Lord Xu wanted to go to the Heavenly Gate to stop Nutjob Lu, but Sovereign Lotus said, "Lord Xu, allow our Cyclic Universe to deal with this ourselves."

The Voidlord frowned.

"Hey, what is Lu Yin doing?" Snack Sage shouted.

Everyone looked to see Lu Yin raise his hand up to Evergreen Sage’s shoulder once again.

Nutjob Lu looked up as well.

Evergreen Sage was similarly surprised, and he looked at Lu Yin. Did the youth intend to try again?

Lu Yin looked at Evergreen Sage. "Senior, forgive my rudeness."

As he spoke, the gray color of the Withered Bark from his heart flowed out from Lu Yin’s chest, shrouding him and confining his power for a brief moment.

The Immovable Heavenly King Elephant roared, and the purplish-black substance spread across his body as Lu Yin stared at the Sage before him. In a single instance, all of the power that had been trapped by time was released, erupting with dozens of times more force than what Lu Yin had used before. All of his combined strength had been trapped and layered together before being released as a single attack.

There was a bang, and the ground trembled. Countless roots snapped, startling Evergreen Sage. Lu Yin pushed the Sage aside.

Everyone was stupefied, unable to believe their eyes.

Sovereign Lotus's expression changed drastically, as she had just witnessed the impossible.

Lord Xu was similarly shocked. How had the kid done it? He should not possess the strength to force Evergreen Sage to move.

Nutjob Lu’s expression fell, but he was not overly surprised. The members of the Lu family were known for doing the impossible.

As countless people watched in disbelief, Lu Yin stepped forward and passed through the Heavenly Gate.

At this moment, the sight of the young man shattered many people’s perspective of reality.

Evergreen Sage, one of the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sage, the guardian of the Heavenly Gate, had just been pushed aside by Lu Yin. The meaning of this incident was difficult for people to fully grasp, as it meant that Evergreen Sage’s strongest aspect had been overpowered by Lu Yin. Lu Yin, a young man whose cultivation was still only equal to a Demi-Immortal, had been able to overpower and defeat Evergreen Sage.

It was this power that had caused even Sovereign Lotus’s expression to change drastically.

This did not mean by any stretch that Lu Yin was a threat to Sovereign Ninth Lotus, but given his freakish level of power as a mere Demi-Immortal, how much more powerful would Lu Yin become when he broke through and became an Ascendant, let alone a peak powerhouse?

Snack Sage, Gong Yu, Jiang Xiaodao, and the other juniors were all completely stunned, and they stared at Lu Yin as though they were looking at a god.

Food Sage’s eyes were glowing with a brilliant light. Just how strong did someone need to be to accomplish what Lu Yin had just pulled off? They needed to compete!

"Dad, I suddenly want to find a master to follow," Snack Sage murmured.

Jiang Xiaodao licked his lips as he stared at Lu Yin with blatant admiration. This was a truly incredible person.

Little Lian cheered.

Gong Yu went bug eyed, and his gaze was filled with respect.

Even Junior Sister Rou, who hated Lu Yin, was blushing at this moment. This person had actually surpassed her brother Chu Jian. There was no denying that Chu Jian was completely incapable of pushing Evergreen Sage aside. This Lu Yin was powerful, so, so powerful.

Jiang Qingyue just smiled as Dragonturtle praised, "He truly is worthy of you, young mistress."

Bai Xian'er was lost in her own thoughts.

How did you do that just now?

No one could comprehend the power that Lu Yin had just demonstrated. How could anyone comprehend the method of trapping one’s own attacks by freezing time, and then releasing all of the power as a single, unified attack? Only if they had seen Chu Yuan’s Realm of Time might they understand what Lu Yin had just done.

Nutjob Lu stopped walking, his fists clenched tight. When Lu Yin had taken action, even Nutjob Lu had felt uneasy for a moment. The brat seemed to have mastered some incredible power.

This kid is even more terrifying than Lu Tianyi.

Lu Yin passed through the Heavenly Gate to face Sovereign Lotus and others who had gathered inside.

At this moment, a staircase appeared in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, rising high into the sky.

It looked almost identical to the staircase in the Heavens Sect.

Lu Yin wondered what the difference between the two staircases was.

Sovereign Lotus spoke up, "If you wish to see the Great Sovereign, then climb the Stairway to Heaven."

Lu Yin laughed.

Is there ever an end to all this?

He took a step forward and started to climb the stairs. Shockingly, he encountered no resistance whatsoever.

Lu Yin was already at the Great Sovereign’s doorstep, and no one dared to waste any more time. They all grew solemn as they waited for the Great Sovereign to appear.

Even Nutjob Lu suppressed his violent aura and passed through the Heavenly Gate. He looked up at where Lu Yin was ascending the stairs.

This staircase connected the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. At no point in climbing the stairs did Lu Yin encounter any obstacles, and he rose up smoothly. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, he found a platform that was surrounded by clouds and mist. There were birds and animals roaming about, and the place seemed like a sacred ground.

Lord Xu took a step forward and arrived close to Lu Yin.

Sovereign Lotus, Food Sage, Arrow Sage, and Nutjob Lu all soon appeared as well.

However, Snack Sage and his peers did not appear, as none of them were qualified to ascend to this place.

Bai Xian'er arrived, as did Jiang Qingyue.

This revealed a difference in status, as some people were qualified to climb the stairs, while others were not.

Only by standing at the top of the Stairway to Heaven could one be qualified to meet with the Great Sovereign.

"You climbed the stairs very quickly. Have you practiced?" Food Sage gave Lu Yin a look of surprise.

Lu Yin felt confused. "Is it supposed to be difficult?"

Food Sage replied, "Of course. I struggled a great deal to climb that staircase."

Arrow Sage chimed in, "Me as well."

"You didn't face any resistance?" Food Sage was once again surprised.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Lu Yin smiled. "My Heavens Sect has a similar staircase, so maybe I'm simply accustomed to it."

What a simple answer! Lu Yin left everyone speechless.

Even so, he had apparently not encountered any resistance while climbing the stairs, so what was the Great Sovereign’s intention?

Lu Yin noticed Bai Xian'er, but he simply ignored her. He instead looked at Jiang Qingyue and smiled at her to say hello.

Jiang Qingyue nodded in response and offered a small smile.

Dragonturtle wagged his tail. "This is the second time that we've met. My old master appreciates you a great deal."

The Lord of Lightning? Lu Yin nodded. "Thank you."

He understood that Dragonturtle and Jiang Qingyue must have said good things about him to the Lord of Lightning.

Lord Xu also looked over at Jiang Qingyue. "How is the Lord of Lightning doing?"

Jiang Qingyue bowed to the old man. "Thank you for your concern, Senior. My father is doing well, and he asked me to say hello to Senior on his behalf."

Lord Xu laughed. "I will go see him when I have a chance.

"By the way, do you know Lu Yin?"

Everyone had grown curious upon hearing that the Lord of Lightning knew of Lu Yin. The man was a powerful expert who was not a part of the Sixverse Association and was regarded as an equal to Lord Xu and the other rulers of the various universes. He was even able to speak to the Great Sovereign. Not even the Sixverse Association would willingly offend such a person.

Jiang Qingyue was the Lord of Lightning’s daughter, so everyone who knew her treated her politely.

"We met by coincidence," Jiang Qingyue replied.

Dragonturtle spoke up, "Master greatly admires this boy, and he intends to betroth him to my young mistress, so please take good care of him."