Chapter 2946: The Scourge

Lu Tianyi's expression changed drastically. He simply could not believe what Lu Yin was telling him. "What did you just say?"

Lu Yin repeated, "I’ve cultivated with divine energy. I’ve had it for a long time. There is divine energy in my body, and I can use it and absorb it. Ancestor, with this, the Aeternals will never doubt me."

Lu Tianyi was stunned. He had never dreamed that Lu Yin would actually be cultivating divine energy. That was the True God’s power. There were not many even within Aeternus who were capable of cultivating it, let alone humans.

As soon as anyone came into contact with divine energy, they would be regarded as an Aeternal, and that was because divine energy would change whoever absorbed it.

Power was neither good nor bad; rather, it depended solely on the person who used it, but this concept did not apply to divine energy.

Not even a Progenitor could stop the corrupting influence of divine energy.

"A Ye Bo who cultivates divine energy and hates humans is what the Aeternals need most right now. Ancestor, we have always been curious about the Aeternals’ inner workings, and this is an opportunity for me to get in and take a look around," Lu Yin said in a relaxed tone. It sounded like he was talking about a little vacation.

Conflicted emotions could be seen in Lu Tianyi’s eyes, as he was still caught up on the fact that Lu Yin cultivated divine energy. Even if Ye Bo's real identity was exposed, Lu Yin might not face any danger.

As much as humans feared divine energy, the Aeternals trusted it.

This would be Little Seven’s greatest protection when infiltrating Aeternus.

Lu Tianyi fell silent.

Lu Yin knew that revealing that he possessed divine energy had badly shocked Lu Tianyi, and Lu Yin had no idea what his ancestor would think of him after this. Even so, Lu Yin did not regret revealing this information. The day would eventually come when Lu Yin’s divine energy was exposed. He had responsibilities to carry out, and he was the only one who could accomplish this task.

Lu Yin continued to lead Yu Huo to the Lower Realm. All the while, Progenitors pursued the two. Lu Yin deliberately let several of Ye Bo’s clones be destroyed, making it a particularly tragic escape.

Once he infiltrated Aeternus, not only did he need to learn everything he could about the Ossis Ark, but he also needed to learn more about what was happening within his own body.

The bit of divine energy that Lu Yin had absorbed into the universe in his chest had become a thorn that he could not remove.

Why could he absorb divine energy without actively cultivating it, while others could not even touch divine energy?

If divine energy did not affect Lu Yin, then could the energy be used to bring about yet another transformation to his personal universe again?

This was a question Lu Yin needed to answer.

Additionally, the Aeternals were in possession of various things that Lu Yin desired, including resources, parallel universes with different rates of time, information and knowledge, and much more. He needed to enter Aeternus to acquire any of those things.

Humans had been fighting against Aeternus for far too long, but did humans actually understand Aeternus? There was a clear lack of knowledge. It was possible that only the Great Sovereign and a few others at the peak had some level of understanding, but as the ruler of the Origin Universe, Lu Yin knew far too little about the Aeternals. This was a big reason why humanity had always been at a disadvantage in the war.

There were responsibilities that someone needed to bear.

There was no doubt that Lu Yin was the most suitable candidate for this task.

On top of that, Lu Yin had conducted infiltration missions on several occasions in the past. He had created the identities of Long Qi, Yu Hao, Xuan Qi, and next, he would become Ye Bo.

"Little Seven, remember, the laws of the universe impose limits, but there are no absolutes in existence. No matter how desperate a situation may appear, there is always a glimmer of hope. This is the method of using the One Word Manifestation, which I will share with you now. I hope that this will ensure your safe return to us..."

Lu Yin stared off into the distance. His ancestor had ultimately decided to trust him, abandoning his long-held beliefs concerning the dangers of divine energy. The responsibility that Lu Yin needed to bear was not his alone. "Thank you, Ancestor Tianyi."

Ancestor Lu Tianyi was Chu Yi’s disciple, and that man had been the Dao Monarch of the First Mainland during the Heavens Sect era. He was the Origin Progenitor’s oldest disciple, and he had been the senior brother to all of the Three Realms and Six Daos. Chu Yi’s greatest technique was the One Word Manifestation. It was a technique that allowed a person to take advantage of a loophole in the laws of the universe, and with that, it was possible to survive any desperate situation.

Lu Tianyi had never taken the initiative to teach Lu Yin the battle technique, but with Lu Yin leaving to infiltrate Aeternus, the older man decided to share the One Word Manifestation in order to increase Lu Yin’s odds of survival.

Lu Yin had divine energy, and while Lu Tianyi understood that this one fact would change many people's minds, what did it really matter? Between divine energy and Lu Yin, Lu Tianyi trusted Lu Yin far more. The old man placed his trust in the child who had climbed up as an ordinary human to bring the entire Lu family back from exile. Their entire family owed that child too much, and yet that child still wanted to do more for them.

This was a child who was capable of creating miracles and who could change everything.

Lu Tianyi was willing to give this child everything, and he would not hold back at all.

...

After surviving many difficult battles, Lu Yin finally arrived in the Lower Realm with Yu Huo.

The fish was excited. He indicated a direction, and Lu Yin and Yu Huo started searching, hoping to find the fish’s cosmic ring. They absolutely had to find it.

They continued to hide and fight their way out to escape, which resulted in another one of Ye Bo’s clones being destroyed. Yu Huo was moved. Ye Bo had sacrificed five clones to save Yu Huo. Just how many clones could Ye Bo have?

"You still haven't found it yet?" Lu Yin asked in an anxious voice.

Yu Huo was even more desperate. "I will definitely find it! I can already sense it, as it has my own aura on it. We’re almost there."

That night, Yu Huo became ecstatic. "I found it!"

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed.

Lu Tianyi suddenly appeared in the distance. "Do you really think that you can hide from me?"

Yu Huo stared at Lu Tianyi in a daze. How could he have appeared? Yu Huo had just found his cosmic ring, only for Lu Tianyi to show up at the last moment. They were too late. After everything, they were too late. It was impossible to escape when Lu Tianyi was present.

Lu Yin was furious. "Just because of you, I’m going to die now, too! I can't stop that monster at all."

Yu Huo stared at Lu Tianyi. Were they really going to die here?

Lu Qi arrived, and very quickly, Mu Xie, Arch-Elder Zen, and Leng Qing all appeared, and the Progenitors all moved to surround the area.

"Now that I think about it, aren't you the fish that I caught? So it was you? Haha, you're still going to end up being grilled by me!" Lu Qi laughed.

Leng Qing clenched the hilt of his saber, the sharp edge glinting.

Yu Huo gave up all hope under the pressure of so many Progenitors. This was truly the end.

"You are Ye Bo. I have been searching for you for many years. Finally, you reveal yourself." Mu Xie examined Lu Yin.

Lu Yin's blurry figure slowly grew clear. What appeared before everyone was a pale face that seemed completely drained of all blood. The features were average, while the eyes were cold. Lu Yin had taken on the appearance of Ye Bo. "If not for this fish, you would have never caught up to me."

Mu Xie laughed. "You were destined to be caught! The rise of the Heavens Sect would never permit arrogance such as yours."

Lu Yin sneered. "Do you really believe that you can kill me?"

Mu Xie was taken aback. "I already know that Ye Bo is not a group of people, but rather one person’s clones. Apparently, this is not your last clone, but that doesn't matter. The others will be found soon enough."

Lu Yin looked down and quietly addressed Yu Huo, "What was the power that you mentioned that let you block Lu Tianyi's finger?"

Yu Huo had already given up hope. "Divine energy. It’s True God’s power."

"Give it to me."

Yu Huo was startled. "Can you use it?"

"I don't know. This isn’t a clone, but my real body. If I die, Ye Bo will truly disappear, so why don’t we at least give it a try?"

Yu Huo responded in a helpless tone, "You can't use it. Even those of us who can absorb divine energy and hide it within our bodies need to first experience years of cultivating with divine energy. It’s impossible for you to be able to use it."

"My body is quite special, so please give me your divine energy," Lu Yin said through gritted teeth.

Lu Tianyi suddenly attacked, and a finger fell, carrying with it a terrifying pressure.

Divine energy boiled and surged from Yu Huo's body, twining around Lu Yin's body as though it was conscious. Ye Bo was right, and Yu Huo knew they were about to die, so they might as well exhaust every last option.

Lu Yin took a deep breath and instantly devoured the divine energy while Yu Huo watched in amazement.

It was devoured?

Yu Huo was confused. He was unable to process what he had just seen. How was it possible to use divine energy in such a manner? Had Ye Bo just eaten divine energy?

The divine energy entered Lu Yin’s body and shot straight to the universe in his chest, merging with the small red star that hung there.

Lu Yin’s head snapped up. "Open the cosmic door! Let's go!"

With that, his hand rose up, and divine energy shot out. It reinforced Lu Yin’s own strength, and the counterattack tore through the void and slammed into the descending attack.

Lu Tianyi was startled. "Divine energy?"

The expressions of Lu Qi, Mu Xie, and everyone present instantly changed. None of them had even a suspicion that Lu Yin might possess divine energy. As they watched Lu Yin’s actions, the Progenitors assumed that Lu Yin had fallen under the control of Yu Huo's divine energy, and they all acted quickly to rescue him.

Lu Yin briefly gave everyone a deep look. Behind him, Yu Huo opened the cosmic door.

"Done! Let's go!" The fish was incredibly excited. He had never expected Ye Bo to actually be able to use divine energy. It was like a dream, but luck had smiled on Yu Huo, and he was going to be able to return alive.

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

Lu Qi and the others were stunned, and they frantically attacked.

Lu Tianyi closed his eyes. Slowly, he clenched his fists.

Little Seven, you must come back safely!

Yu Huo jumped into the cosmic door and disappeared. Lu Yin slowly retreated until his body moved into the cosmic door. The last thing Lu Yin saw were Lu Qi's eyes. "Son–!"

"Goodbye, Dad. I'll be back."

Lu Qi shot towards the cosmic door, only to be stopped by Lu Tianyi at the last moment. "This is his decision. We will wait for him to return."

...

Red rivers flowed across an endless black landscape. Strangely shaped mountains rose high into the sky. The entire place had a gloomy aura, and a chill swept through it and into the distance.

Far away, a massive tree connected the sky to the ground. It was impossible to see how tall or wide the tree was. It appeared to support the entire universe.

The enormous tree was black, though a red river fell from its canopy. It looked like the largest waterfall in existence.

In the sky above, stars moved by. Beyond them, darker forms could be made out. Those were cosmic doors.

This was the Aeternals’ territory. This was the Scourge.

Yu Huo looked at the black earth and leaped for joy. "I'm back! I'm finally back!"

Lu Yin stared off into the distance, shocked by what he saw there. The tree he was looking at was not any smaller than the Mother Tree, though this one was completely black. Was this another Mother Tree?

That red waterfall falling from the tree can’t possibly be divine energy!

"Ye Bo, thank you! If not for you, I would have never been able to return here." Yu Huo was thrilled to no longer be risking death.

Lu Yin pointed to the distant tree. "Is that a Mother Tree?"

Yu Huo gave a small smile. "Yes, that’s the Aeternals’ Mother Tree."

"What's that red river?"

"You should already have guessed," Yu Huo replied.

Lu Yin was startled. "Divine energy?"

Yu Huo raised a fin to point forward. "There are rivers, lakes, and oceans in this land of Aeternus, but all of them are red, as they are all filled with divine energy. They are oceans and rivers of divine energy. In your universe, star essence is spread throughout the universe, and it cannot be seen or touched, but here, divine energy forms rivers and oceans that everyone can see. Here, everyone is allowed to cultivate divine energy. It just depends on whether or not they can bear it."

Lu Yin tore his eyes away from the black tree and looked at a branch of a river flowing nearby. It was a stream that was only a few meters wide, and yet the divine energy that filled it was beyond anything that a human could withstand.

"Is this where you got your divine energy?" Lu Yin asked.

Yu Huo nodded. "There are many Progenitor-level creatures who are part of Aeternus, but only a few of us are qualified to become True God Guard Captains. This isn’t just because of our strength, but also because we are capable of cultivating with divine energy. We control the True God Guard with our divine energy. That is what makes one a captain. This is also the path that you will want to take.

"Alright, follow me. We’ll go to my territory. Once we get there, I can rest in peace and recover my strength."