Chapter 3051: The Past Era

As Lu Yin stared at Progenitor Smoke, he said, "Senior, I had to come find you because you’ve never returned. After the last time we spoke, you met with your master. How do you feel about that?"

Progenitor Smoke frowned. "I never knew that my master was part of Aeternus."

"Did you know that your master was once known as Qingluo Jiantian, a supreme powerhouse who has lived since the Heavens Sect era?" Lu Yin asked.

Progenitor Smoke shook her head. "I didn't know. When I was young, I met my master by chance. She taught me to cultivate, gave me the name Xi Wei, and raised me. After I became a Progenitor, she disappeared. I never saw her again."

Lu Yin's expression turned solemn. "Qingluo Jiantian was a formidable figure during the Heavens Sect era who once forced the Lu family to alter their entire cultivation path so that we could address our spiritual force weakness. She is also familiar with the Great Sovereign and Astral Anura. If I'm not mistaken, she might be another Dukkhan. Senior, if possible, I would like you to tell me everything you know about your master."

Progenitor Smoke sighed. "If I knew anything, I would tell you, but I truly know nothing about my master. I had never even heard of the name ‘Qingluo Jiantian’ before. You never heard it before, either, did you? Even after the Lu family returned, Senior Tianyi never mentioned her to you, right?"

Lu Yin did not deny it.

"It’s because that name was lost to history long, long ago. If not for the invasion of the Scourge pushing the Aeternals so far, my master might have never revealed her old name of ‘Qingluo Jiantian,’" Progenitor Smoke continued.

It was at that moment that the woman with the heavy makeup arrived with a teapot to serve Progenitor Smoke her tea.

The woman moved slowly. She seemed eager to listen in to the conversation Lu Yin was having with Progenitor Smoke.

Steam rose in the New Inn. Tea was a rarity in this place.

Progenitor Smoke was a well-known figure in the New Inn. Everyone knew that she was a peak powerhouse, and when they saw Lu Yin having a conversation with the woman, many people nearby exchanged glances. It was clear to them that they had underestimated the young man. He was not some young fool, nor was he someone trying to increase his reputation. He was a hidden expert.

It was no wonder why the people of the New Inn treated the young man differently. People had seen the woman with the heavy makeup constantly hanging around him.

This realization caused the people at the nearby tables to bow their heads in unison. None of them dared to speak for the moment.

"What could be your master's reason for hiding in the First Scourge?" Lu Yin asked.

The woman with the heavy makeup trembled. The First Scourge was a term that had only recently started to circulate. Outsider powerhouses had ganged up on Sovereign Dou Sheng, but then Lord Lu had led the Sixverse Association to invade the First Scourge. As time passed, more details about Aeternus had started to surface, and while almost everyone in the Sixverse Association was unaware that Aeternus had six Scourges, they were aware that they were fighting against the First Scourge. The woman with the heavy makeup had heard this much from Chou Bao.

Learning of the First Scourge’s existence had caused many people in the Sixverse Association to despair.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

While most people believed that the Aeternals had been driven out and were joyfully celebrating their victory, in reality, only the First Scourge had been pushed back.

Anyone who knew of the First Scourge was not someone whom average people could antagonize.

As soon as she heard Lu Yin utter the words "First Scourge," the woman in heavy makeup turned around and walked away. Just as she had suspected, the young man was no ordinary person. He might even be someone important enough that not even her boss could afford to offend him.

Suddenly, the woman turned back around to look at Lu Yin. Something about his eyes seemed familiar, and the same was true of the woman he was speaking to.

Could it really be him?

Progenitor Smoke picked up her teacup and watched the steam rise. "Master was always a quiet person who lived in harmony with the world. For as long as I can remember, she never interacted with the outside world. Even when I was in danger, she never intervened. Other members of the Daosource Sect, including my peers like Xia Shang and Ku Jie, didn't even know that she existed. I asked her about her past, but she never answered me. I thought that we had parted ways forever and would never meet again, and yet here we are."

She stared at the ripples in her tea. Progenitor Smoke had truly never imagined that she would encounter her master during the invasion of the First Scourge.

Why was her master with Aeternus? Just who was the woman?

"What did Progenitor Xi tell you during the battle?" Lu Yin asked.

Progenitor Smoke grew solemn. "I repeatedly asked her why she was in the Scourge and why she had joined Aeternus, but she would not give me any real answer. She would only say one thing."

The woman stared at Lu Yin, her expression grave. "It’s out of my control."

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. “It’s out of my control”? That answer weighed heavily on Lu Yin, as it was not good news at all.

Qingluo Jiantian was incredibly powerful. A single swing of her sword had ended the invasion of the First Scourge, and even Astral Anura was polite to the woman. For such a person to say that something was out of her control just demonstrated how terrifying Aeternus’s hidden depths were.

The atmosphere grew heavy.

Time passed, and Lu Yin finally said, "You are Qingluo Jiantian’s disciple. Have you also cultivated spiritual force?"

Progenitor Smoke shook her head. "Master never shared any techniques or guidance related to spiritual force. I even became a Progenitor on my own. She merely offered a bit of guidance at critical moments.

"For example, when I inherited one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas and received the inheritance of thought, I succeeded because of Master’s hints, but she never taught me any battle techniques.

"My decision to give Long Er a bit of guidance was also because of my master. Every action she took, every word she said, it all influenced me. I saw my past self in Long Er, and I couldn’t stop myself from offering him a bit of guidance, which allowed him to break through and become a Progenitor."

Lu Yin felt frustrated. "If you knew about your master’s abilities, we might be able to find a way to deal with her."

Progenitor Smoke’s expression turned grim. The prospect of possibly needing to confront her own master was truly difficult, but her master had joined Aeternus, which automatically made her an enemy. There was no changing that.

Lu Yin said, "Senior, now that everything has settled down, why don't you return to the Origin Universe?"

Progenitor Smoke took a deep breath. "I need to deal with Wang Fan."

Lu Yin’s expression hardened. "Wang Fan is a traitor. That’s not something for just you to deal with, but rather for everyone to handle. That’s not your responsibility alone."

Progenitor Smoke grimaced. "It’s my fault. I had a chance to kill Wang Fan that time, but I didn’t. His betrayal is entirely on me.

"If I had killed Wang Fan back then, many things wouldn’t have happened, and your Lu family wouldn’t have been banished."

Lu Yin grew puzzled, and asked, "What do you mean when you say that you had the chance to kill Wang Fan?"

Progenitor Smoke stood up from the table. "This matter is my fault, so I will handle it myself. Lord Lu, make sure to protect humanity."

With that, she turned to leave.

Lu Yin stood up as well. "Senior, Wang Fan is hiding in the First Scourge. Going there is simply asking to die."

"I won't seek my own death as I'm just waiting for the right opportunity. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything stupid. Don't forget what my battle technique is," Progenitor Smoke replied.

Lu Yin quietly mentioned, "I've met Progenitor Chen."

Progenitor Smoke whirled around, excitement filling her eyes as she looked at Lu Yin. "He's still alive?"

Lu Yin smiled. "I've always refused to believe that Progenitor Chen, who was once regarded as being invincible, could be dead. I also never believed that Progenitor Ku, with his Extremes Must Be Reversed, could die. The Rune Progenitor read extensively and created runes, while Progenitor Hui could predict the future and prepare peerless schemes that played out eons in the future. I refuse to believe that all of them are dead. Senior, be careful. There will be a day when you’ll meet them again."

Tears welled up in Progenitor Smoke’s eyes as she turned back around. She left without saying another word.

She was the only one who could understand her own feelings at that moment.

The Daosource Sect era had been the best era. There had been the invincible Progenitor Chen, the low-key Progenitor Ku, the cunning Wang Fan, the flamboyant Bai Wangyuan, and others like Progenitor Hui, who had occasionally stirred up a bit of trouble. It had been their era: the era of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas. How Xi Wei wished that she could go back to that time, even if just to see it.

She had thought that the glory of that ancient era was gone forever, but had her peers truly died? She needed to finish things with Wang Fan, and she owed Ku Jie an explanation. Did he really harbor secret affections for her?

Countless thoughts ran through Progenitor Smoke's mind. Even for a Progenitor, it was overwhelming.

How she wished to see all of them again.

Lu Yin watched as Progenitor Smoke left the New Inn. With Progenitor Chen confirmed alive and Progenitor Ku having been brought back by the Lu family, the woman would not act rashly.

As for Wang Fan, that was a matter that absolutely needed to be taken care of.

After draining the tea from his own cup, Lu Yin also left.

Not once during his visit to the New Inn did Chou Bao approach Lu Yin.

The woman with the heavy makeup stepped forward, and she stared at the door in a daze.

...

In the massive spacecraft that lay on the other side of the spatial rift in the Astral Beast Domain, Shang Cheng and others were waiting for word from the Infinity Empire.

They had already sent back all of the information that they had gathered about the universe, and more than ten days had passed since. Whether or not the Infinity Empire invaded the Origin Universe was up to Emperor Shang alone to decide.

"That creature that suddenly showed up is a tortoise, right?" Shang Cheng asked as he stared at an image of the Ancestor Tortoise on a display.

Fei Yan was very somber. "It’s another ten-ring creature. No, at least in terms of toughness, that tortoise might be that other beast’s equal. That tortoise has the defenses of an eleven-ring creature. As far as we know, both of them simply belong to the Astral Beast Domain. There’s also the Fifth Mainland’s Human Domain to consider."

"While we have gathered some basic knowledge about the Fifth Mainland, what the people in the Sixth Mainland know is outdated by many decades. None of them have any idea what the Fifth Mainland’s current situation is," Shang An'an said.

Shang Cheng commented, "Things shouldn’t have changed too much. It’s only been a few decades."

Shang An'an glanced over. "The people from the Sixth Mainland told us that Yao Di is the emperor of the Astral Beast Domain, but what about now? Whoever is really in charge of the Astral Beast Domain must be the one ordering the two powerful creatures around. The Celestial Demon is only the emperor in name. There must have been some major changes in the Fifth Mainland, so we should definitely be very careful."

While Shang Cheng had the highest status of anyone present, he could not make such an important decision himself. This universe might elevate the Infinity Empire to unprecedented heights or utterly destroy the empire. No one but Emperor Shang had the authority to decide on this matter.

One day later, Fei Yan grew excited. "The Emperor has sent his orders."

The others grew solemn, and they all stared at Fei Yan.

Fei Yan announced in a grave tone, "The empire has decided to launch a full-scale exploration of the Sixth Mainland. The energy of the Sixth Mainland will serve as the foundation for testing thirteen ring energy. His Majesty has sent us a message."

The general paused briefly. "’Others may use us, but we can also use them. Everyone has their own agendas. As long as we succeed in acquiring thirteen ring energy, no enemy will be able to stand up to our Infinity Empire.’"

Shang Cheng was thrilled. "Excellent! As is fitting of the emperor! Regardless of how the Fifth Mainland might try to use us, the fact that they are attempting this proves that the Sixth Mainland is difficult for them to handle. Our scouts have shown us that there might be some hidden strength in the Sixth Mainland, but with more reinforcements from the empire, we will take them all down. No matter how strong the Fifth Mainland might be, they cannot surpass our Infinity Empire."

Jiang Dongjian affirmed in a stoic and determined voice, "Even if the Fifth Mainland is strong, as long as the thirteen ring energy research succeeds, the power of our empire will soar, and we will be able to suppress any enemy."