Chapter 2968: Death At Any Moment

The distant, black Mother Tree shook. Inside the lightning, a long sword appeared in Jiang Feng's hand. It rose up as the man stepped onto the lightning and moved forward. The blade fell down, chopping down on the black Mother Tree.

Lu Yin watched. This attack drew many others’ attention as well, as everyone subconsciously stopped fighting in order to watch.

They saw a hand stretch out from the black Mother Tree and flick a finger to counter the sword.

Clang!

There was the ringing of a blade, and no other sound. Everyone was stunned, and they grew dizzy. Countless visions played out before them, as though they were observing their entire lives in a single moment.

The edge of the sword was deflected, and a hand grabbed the hilt. Lightning erupted as a purplish-black substance spread down Jiang Feng's arm and over his hand. There was a bang, and starting at the black Mother Tree, the entire void was instantly replaced by the Hollow, horrifying all who saw it. Even the sequence powerhouses were intimidated by the sight, as it looked as if the Hollow was going to devour the entire Scourge.

From above the black Mother Tree, cracks appeared on Jiang Feng's wrist that was covered by the purplish-black substance. Blood dripped down, and yet the man’s wrist turned again as he slashed out once more. Again, the hand reached out, grabbing the wrist and gently deflecting the blade with a soft sound and devastating results.

A black rain fell upon the Hollow, and every drop was devoured. The Hollow made a good attempt to destroy the universe.

When the sword was deflected again, the hand released Jiang Feng's wrist, which instantly recovered. The man’s hand rose up once more, and his sword flashed again. The hand rose up, and all five fingers bent.

Suddenly, the lightning pulled back. Where it had once been, the void shattered.

Even the Hollow disappeared.

The confrontation had started and stopped all too quickly.

The lightning quietly floated beside the black Mother Tree, the sword hanging down. If one looked carefully, they would be able to see blood staining the hilt of the sword.

"Leave those things behind, and Whitecloud will enjoy peace forever," True God’s voice rang out.

Within the lightning, Jiang Feng’s arm rose up. He pointed his sword straight at the black Mother Tree. "I told you, I came here today to die!"

"Jiang Feng, it would be a pity for you to die. If I wanted you to die, you would have never survived for so long."

"That’s no pity. Haven’t a lot of people died? My death will be nothing more than a drop in the ocean. If I can take you with me, it would be perfect."

"Why bother?"

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. This question reminded him of when he had tried to kill Undying God with the Origin Progenitor’s sword, but been stopped by True God. The man’s voice was soft but irresistible.

"Astral Anura, come out." True God’s voice echoed throughout the entire Scourge.

Lu Yin's expression changed. Astral Anura?

A beam of light fell from the sky above the Scourge. Inside of it, the void tore.

Lu Yin was familiar with this sight. When the crusade had conquered Giants’ Purgatory, Aeternus had used this same method to bring in a Star Devourer who had driven the entire battalion from the parallel universe.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Was Astral Anura going to emerge from this beam of light?

Lu Yin knew of Astral Anura. Mr. Daheng’s copper coin had been given to him by Astral Anura. The toad was a terrifyingly strong outsider powerhouse.

Within the beam, a lotus leaf emerged from the crack in the void. It was quickly followed by a massive toad that was nearly the size of the jiao.

It was a golden toad wearing a straw hat on his head, holding a lotus leaf in one hand, and wearing a chain of copper coins on his neck. The creature held his head up high as he stepped out of the void. He looked quite relaxed.

A tattered straw hat on my head.

A lotus leaf held in my hand at my waist.

What I love most is making money from nothing.

Money is true while love is garbage.

"Yong Heng, did you call for me?" A baby voice thundered across the sky. It was Astral Anura’s voice.

True God answered from the direction of the black Mother Tree, "Help me see my guests out."

"Seeing guests out? Are they old acquaintances? Lord of Lightning, it’s been a long time." Astral Anura stared at Jiang Feng with bronze-colored eyes as he let out a laugh.

Within the lightning, Jiang Feng stared back at Astral Anura. "This has nothing to do with you!"

"You’re not acting like a proper guest. Your host has asked me to help maintain order. Please don’t make things difficult for me and see yourself out," Astral Anura said. Despite the toad’s mouth clearly not moving at all, his voice was quite loud.

"The Aeternals are declining by the day, Astral Anura. Calculate whether his business is worth this."

Astral Anura rolled his eyes as he raised his lotus leaf. "Give me a minute, I’ll run the numbers.

"When we first met, Aeternus was weak, and the most powerful force in the megaverse was the Origin Universe’s Heavens Sect. At that time, I helped the Heavens Sect…

"The Heavens Sect was destroyed, and Aeternus rose to power. Humans conducted various deals with me, as did the Aeternals. However, most of my business was with the Aeternals because they were so powerful, as well as generous…

"More and more parallel universes were gradually discovered, and the Sixverse Association was established, while the Five Spirits Alliance gave rise to Whitecloud. In order to curb their growth, I gave some copper coins to a few people to help the Aeternals instigate some conflicts. I have also been looking for opportunities to settle matters for Whitecloud…

"Another Heavens Sect has appeared in the Origin Universe, and one of Aeternus’s Seven Skygods has died. They do seem to be at the beginning of their end. No matter how bad things become, my business will suffer some losses. The biggest reason for this is that the Heavens Sect in the Origin Universe has been rising too quickly. Really, that little human brat Lu Yin is just so ruthless…

"Not long ago, I helped the Aeternals target the new Heavens Sect. I specifically asked Daheng to find a way to deal with the brat, but it appears that he is incapable of doing so. I’ll need to find another way, or else I won’t be paid in full…

"The Aeternals don't hold any advantage over the Immemorial Citadel, and the humans keep sneaking more of their people in…

…

The expressions of both the humans and the Aeternals in the Scourge turned strange as they listened to Astral Anura verbally run through his calculations. The toad was speaking his thoughts aloud, sharing everything that he had done. How was this reasonable? He had already exposed several conspiracies, including his own plots against the Luna Alliance, Whitecloud, and the Heavens Sect.

Lu Yin stared at Astral Anura. He had heard "Daheng" be mentioned. It turned out that Astral Anura had actually assigned Mr. Daheng the task of dealing with Lu Yin. Having heard some of the details, there was a chance that the toad was going to share everything.

He had been alive during the Heavens Sect era. Could the collapse of the ancient Heavens Sect have had anything to do with Astral Anura?

The thunder crashed, causing everyone’s ears to ring.

"Astral Anura, stop with your calculations. I'll double your payment," a voice spoke from the black Mother Tree.

Astral Anura's voice instantly stopped, and two webbed hands rose up and clasped each other in a very human manner. The toad’s eyes practically turned into copper coins. "Thank you, Boss! You’re my eternal god, the one true god! Thank you, thank you!"

The toad’s expression then changed, and his eyes grew sinister as they turned to stare at the Lord of Lightning. "Jiang Feng, we’re all old friends here. Don't embarrass anyone. Leave now, and don’t disrupt my business."

"Astral Anura, no matter how much the Aeternals have promised you, it’s worthless. Once they’re destroyed, you will receive nothing."

"Human, you think too highly of yourself. Hurry up and leave. Don’t interfere with my business. Hahahaha, Boss True God, are you happy with this?" Astral Anura’s tone transformed once again, and he started fawning as he turned back to the black Mother Tree, waving his lotus leaf like a fan.

True God spoke again from the black Mother Tree. "Jiang Feng, Aeternus is far more than what you have seen. There have been many temporary rises and falls through the history of Aeternus. My promise remains. Give me those three things, and I will ensure that Whitecloud forever sees peace.”

"Yong Heng, humans are a very odd group. We may seem weak, but our spirit is always unflagging. Even if you kill hundreds of millions of us, even if you eliminate 99% of us, the remaining 1% will still be enough to create miracles. Your Aeternus will never win. With how long you have cultivated for and your strength of level, you should understand that while human cultivators may be weak or strong, the laws of the universe themselves are not. Since the megaverse has given birth to humans, there must be a reason for our existence. You can never wipe all of us out.

"As for whether Whitecloud lives or dies, we don’t need the blessing of Aeternus. My Whitecloud is ready to die at any time!"

After that, the lightning flickered and vanished, instantly followed by Kong Tianzhao, Sovereign Dou Sheng, and everyone from the Five Spirit Clan and the Luna Alliance also retreating.

Aeternus did nothing to stop this.

They had only agreed to pay Astral Anura to expel the Lord of Lightning from the Scourge. If they took the initiative to go after the invading forces, they would have to pay a very different price.

In front of Lu Yin, Moon Fairy glared at him with evident fear. This person seemed to possess far more divine energy than the other True God Guard Captains, as he had actually managed to block her, a sequence powerhouse, for so long. The next time they met, she would need to pay attention to him.

As the powerful invaders retreated, peace returned to the Scourge.

Lu Yin dropped to the ground and stared off into the distance.

Astral Anura’s enormous bulk was facing the black Mother Tree. He let out a sound of envy but did not move any closer. No matter how Lu Yin looked at the toad, he was a businessman, though a terrifyingly powerful one.

For Astral Anura to be able to step into the middle of the battle and force the Lord of Lightning to retreat, the toad had to be in the process of overcoming Dukkha.

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed, as this was an unexpected problem.

Astral Anura soon left, clearly satisfied with his business. He waved his lotus leaf about in a very relaxed manner. Right before the toad left, his eyes moved over, and he stared at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin's pupils shrank. Why was the toad staring at him? No, he was staring behind Lu Yin.

He turned to look behind him and saw Progenitor Xi quietly standing in the sky, her face calm.

"Goodbye, old friend." Astral Anura smiled, pressed his straw hat onto his head, and left.

Lu Yin looked at Progenitor Xi. Was she another old friend of Astral Anura’s?

Progenitor Xi looked down and happened to see Ye Bo. Lu Yin looked away.

This invasion had caused the Aeternals considerable losses. From what Lu Yin could see, more than ten Progenitor-level corpse kings had been slain, and of the True God Guard Captains, Yu Huo, Stone Ghost, and Da Hei had all died.

Lu Yin was not surprised to learn that Da Hei and Stone Ghost had died. They had been pushed the hardest by the invaders.

Still, the deaths of three True God Guard Captains was no small matter.

There was also the potential impact of the Lord of Lightning's battle against True God. While no one else had been able to observe their battle, that did not mean that there was no effect on True God. Why else would the Lord of Lightning have attacked?

Lu Yin breathed a sigh of relief, as this brief invasion ensured that True God’s time of seclusion would be extended.

Aeternus had plotted against the Five Spirits Alliance, the Luna Alliance, and Whitecloud. The goal had been to eliminate all three organizations, and Shao Yin had targeted the three groups on multiple occasions to help Aeternus acquire the Lord of Lightning’s three treasures.

The Aeternals had suffered a terrible loss this time because it was impossible for them to account for someone like Lu Yin, an enemy who had infiltrated them. Because of him, the Five Spirits Alliance and the Luna Alliance had been able to launch a counterattack.

Even Whitecloud had joined in, which had led to the invasion of the Scourge.

As Lu Yin considered how things had developed, he realized that it was quite likely that Shao Yin, who had been responsible for the missions carried out against the three organizations, would be in big trouble.

Lu Yin's suspicions were quite accurate.

Just a few days later, many of Aeternus’s powerhouses gathered around a lake of divine energy. Ye Bo, Dual Bladeform, Zhong Pan, and Skydog were the only four True God Guard Captains still alive, and they were all present. They all stared at Shao Yin, who was suspended above the lake.

He looked pathetic. His limbs had been pierced, and he was clearly in agony. He was also about to be dropped into the lake.

This was his punishment as declared by Aeternus.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA