Tian Ci suddenly looked up, his eyes moving past the long Stairway to Heaven to where Lu Yin stood high above everything.

At that moment, Tian Ci was struck by a dreadful realization, and his face turned ashen. "Lord Lu, I told you everything! Please, Lord Lu, spare me!"

A number of powerful gazes fell from the Stairway to Heaven to stare at Tian Ci. Among them were the Three Realms and Six Daos and the Three Suns and Six Rulers. The pressure from such experts was immense, and it all weighed down on Tian Ci.

Facing death, Tian Ci completely lost his composure and dignity as an Ortuser. His mind was in complete chaos.

"Tian Ci, you once mentioned that the Spirit Nidus could arrive at any time, didn’t you?" Lu Yin's powerful voice echoed in Tian Ci’s ears.

Tian Ci quickly replied, "Yes, that’s right, Lord Lu! That’s why you need my help to deal with them. The Spirit Nidus is powerful, and they won’t give up on this Tianyuan Megaverse. Only I can help you. I can help you!"

Lu Yin’s expression grew colder. "Really? Can they arrive at any time?"

Tian Ci’s pupils contracted as he stared at Lu Yin in a daze.

The Boundary Guardian had claimed that the Spirit Nidus could reach the Tianyuan Megaverse at any time by using the springboard, sending wave after wave of reinforcements to join the round-faced old man, Bao Qi, and the rest of the vanguard as they fought against the Tianyuan Megaverse. However, Yuan Qi had explained that the Spirit Nidus feared using the springboard. The thing was much like a beacon; while it did illuminate one’s path, it also revealed their position.

The springboard could lead them to wherever they wanted to go, but it could also allow others to find the one who had used it. This was why the Spirit Nidus would not recklessly use the springboard.

This also contradicted what Tian Ci had told Lu Yin.

Lu Yin was more inclined to believe Yuan Qi, as this was not the only detail that Tian Ci had kept hidden. In fact, the man had fabricated multiple lies to ensure his own survival, threatening Lu Yin in order to increase his chances of staying alive.

What had truly incited Lu Yin’s killing intent was a specific question that Tian Ci had answered.

Tian Ci had claimed that the blood-red sword belonged to Master Qing Cao, and he had also claimed that it had been used to attack Origin Progenitor. Tian Ci had gone so far as to claim that Master Qing Cao had been the one to take action.

However, Tian En had chosen to die rather than reveal anything at all, and her death had not had anything to do with whether or not Master Qing Cao would be exposed. There was no doubt that Tian Ci carried the same character that Lu Yin had seen before. The Ortuser had spoken of the character, but there had been no reaction. That had caused a dark suspicion to appear in Lu Yin’s mind that caused his heart to drop.

He did not intend to share his thoughts with anyone. As for Tian Ci, Lu Yin knew that it was impossible to extract any more information from the man. The only remaining value the Ortuser could serve was as a sacrifice. He would serve as the symbol of the oncoming war.

Tian Ci was overcome by a cold terror. His face paled. "Lord Lu, don’t underestimate the Spirit Nidus! You can’t! I can help you. I can help you! You can’t kill me. I can’t die!"

Lu Yin’s void was ice. "You can’t die? So, the people of my Tianyuan Megaverse should die instead?"

Tian Ci’s eyes pleaded with Lu Yin as the man begged. "Lord Lu, the war between my Spirit Nidus and your Tianyuan Megaverse is not something that I could decide. I was forced to play a part in it, but the decision has nothing to do with me!"

Lu Yin’s cold voice grew increasingly distant. "In war, everyone is innocent, and yet, no one is. To defeat my Tianyuan Megaverse, you plotted against the Origin Progenitor, Tai Chu, suppressed humanity's universes, and tried to cut off our civilizations. As for the people from your Spirit Nidus, I have killed one expert after another. Where are the innocents in that?" 𝖗𝘢NÖ𝐛Ё𝐬

Lu Yin then turned to stare out at the stars. "This is a war for survival—either you die, or I do. There’s no room for retreat. I, Lu Yin, swear here and now that I will lead the entire Tianyuan Megaverse to face any and all powerful enemies who appear. There will be no retreat, no surrender. As long as I live, you will always see me standing at the front."

As Lu Yin spoke, the entire Tianyuan Megaverse exploded. Countless people let out frenzied roars, and shouts of "Lord Lu" echoed out again and again. Countless more bowed in reverence. At this moment, a fire had been ignited in the Tianyuan Megaverse. It was as if the parallel universes themselves were trembling.

Amid the resounding shouts, Lu Yin’s gaze fell once again, and he met Tian Ci's eyes.

Tian Ci's pupils shrank. "No, no-"

Dark spears shot out, forming black streaks that passed through space to stab into Tian Ci’s body. His blood poured out, staining the floor beneath him red.

Tian Ci clutched at his throat, but it was impossible for him to stop the blood from leaking out of all his other wounds. His body grew numb, and his vision blurred. In an instant, all of his senses started to fade. Only his mind remained clear, and it was overcome with hatred as he glared at Lu Yin. "You… you will not… die well. Your Tianyuan Megaverse… will not… end well."

Those were the man’s final words, as Tian Ci fell backwards, collapsing to the floor.

The once-mighty Boundary Guardian, someone who had once attacked the Origin Progenitor and who had always looked down on the entire Tianyuan Megaverse with unmatched arrogance, had just fallen. A mighty Ortuser had been executed.

Tian Ci's death was far more tragic than the other three Boundary Guardians.

Tian Fa had died in the Mirari Realm, unseen by anyone. Tian Feng had died an honorable death while fighting in the Scourge. Tian En had died at the Tianyuan Megaverse’s boundary, though few had witnessed her passing. Tian Ci alone had been dragged to the Heavens Sect and executed in front of the entire Tianyuan Megaverse.

For a Boundary Guardian, this was the ultimate humiliation.

Lu Yin had wanted a sacrifice to formally announce the start of the war, and Tian Ci’s blood had served that purpose.

Mo Shang had been executed during the Heavens Sect’s martial declaration, and Tian Ci had been executed as a sacrificial symbol for the war between the megaverses. Lu Yin stared out into outer space, uncertain of how many more such moments he would see in the future.

The omniverse was limitless. The Spirit Nidus was confident that they could overpower both the Consciousness Megaverse and the Tianyuan Megaverse, but even then, they did not dare to fully expose themselves. What about the Tianyuan Megaverse?

Historically, humanity’s prosperity had been a fleeting moment. Could a civilization truly endure forever? That would be the pinnacle of greatness.

Humanity remained insignificant, and they were unable to see the omniverse’s full scope.

With Tian Ci dead, the various displays disappeared, and countless eyes throughout the Tianyuan Megaverse looked away. At this moment, they felt greater reverence for Lu Yin than ever before.

In a mere century, Lu Yin had repeatedly reshaped human history. This period of time marked the greatest transformation that humanity had ever experienced.

Far beneath the Heavens Sect, the display that had been in front of Yuan Qi and Palace Master Yao also disappeared.

The two stared at each other in disbelief, each seeing an indescribable expression on the other’s face. There was both fear and disbelief in their eyes.

An Ortuser had fallen so simply.

Of the three captives, Tian Ci had been the one most willing to work with Lu Yin. Despite that, he had still been killed. This not only meant that the secrets that Yuan Qi and Palace Master Yao had shared were worth more than Tian Ci himself, it also proved that Lu Yin was a man of his word. That made him truly terrifying.

During Lu Yin’s game, both Yuan Qi and Palace Master Yao had waited until their stick of incense was nearly gone before they shared any information at all. At the moment, they were both terrified, as they finally understood that, if they had remained silent, they might well have been the one executed today.

Lu Yin did not bluff, and he was utterly ruthless.

Everyone in the Heavens Sect stared at Tian Ci’s corpse with various expressions.

Even an Ortuser could be executed so easily. In that case, what reason were all of them cultivating for? In the current war, how were they any different from ordinary humans?

As long as there were benefits and conflicts, war would endure, and death would remain a possibility. Was even Immortality truly unending?

Sometimes, it was better to enjoy life while it lasted.

“If the day comes when achieving Immortality is no longer what cultivators pursue, then cultivation itself will lose its purpose, and life will lose all meaning. In that case, everyone, the meaning of life does not lie in one’s realm of cultivation or strength, but in your own goals,” Lu Yin’s voice rang out again.

“I hope that, one day, I will be able to lead humanity to be safe in the entire omniverse, so that we won’t have to worry about being revealed or exposed to others. The pursuit of Immortality is nothing more than a means to arm ourselves with purpose.”

After these words, Lu Yin started to descend the Stairway to Heaven. He passed one person after another.

Not one of the Three Suns and Six Rulers, or even the more ancient Three Realms and Six Daos had ever come close to achieving Immortality. In fact, they had not even thought deeply on the matter. This was not because they were incapable of considering such things, but rather because they were so far from that end goal. Lu Yin had pulled the tape taut at the finish line, and that had prompted everyone to contemplate the matter.

Before this, only people like the Origin Progenitor or Mister Mu had genuinely considered such matters.

When Lu Yin arrived at Tian Ci’s corpse, flames erupted. The body was completely consumed, and nothing at all remained.

If anyone had tried to disturb Tian Ci’s body while it was burning, the character "Heaven" would have appeared from his forehead and overpowered them, and the character "Slave" would have also appeared.

Tian Ci had maintained a secret, and it was related to those two characters. Unfortunately, that secret was impossible to pull from him. He would never share any secrets again.

As people dispersed, Lu Yin remained standing at the foot of the Stairway to Heaven, lost in his own thoughts.

A cool touch brushed against him. It was Sapling, who was resting quietly against Lu Yin’s leg. The tree’s tiny branches curled around Lu Yin’s fingers in an adorable manner.

He smiled and patted Sapling. "I’m all right."

Sapling seemed happy. As long as Lu Yin was happy, so was Sapling. It started to bounce around, its leaves radiating a pleasant green glow.

Wang Wen approached and let out a sigh. "An Ortuser… Who would’ve thought that we would one day watch an Ortuser’s execution? Do you remember when we first met? It was in Ironblood Weave, and back then, the strongest enemies that we faced were Enlighters. After that, we went against Envoys, Semi-Progenitors, and finally Progenitors.

"Now, even an Ortuser can be cut down so simply."

Lu Yin looked over at the ashes that had once been Tian Ci’s body. "There might come a day in the future when even an Immortal will be executed here."

Wang Wen was impressed. "I thought that I was already ambitious enough, but Dao Monarch Chesspiece, you still dare to dream even bigger. Still, I like it, haha!"

Lu Yin frowned. "Killing Tian Ci won’t alter anything in the war. The Spirit Nidus won’t stop. Now, we’re just waiting for the next wave to arrive."

He looked over at Wang Wen. "Actually, I’ve been wondering: how does the Spirit Nidus decide if they need to send reinforcements to our Tianyuan Megaverse?"

Wang Wen’s expression grew solemn. "I’ve also been thinking about that."

"As have I," Wei Rong said as he joined them.

Lu Yin sent Sapling back to the cauldron before clasping his hands behind his back. "The three megaverses are separated by an incredible distance. Without the springboard, it would take an astronomical amount of time to travel from the Spirit Nidus to the Tianyuan Megaverse. Since this distance is difficult for even Dukkhans to cross, communication should be out of the question."

"The only way to shorten the journey between the three megaverses is with the springboard," Wang Wen said.

Wei Rong added, "But not even the Spirit Nidus dares to casually use the springboard. We’ve analyzed the battleship that their vanguard arrived in, and it’s constructed from a very unique material—it’s remarkably tough, yet also flexible. These two conflicting properties are both needed for the vessel to be able to withstand the springboard. Trying to use such a thing for communication is simply impossible."

Lu Yin’s eyes sharpened. "Then there is one possibility."

"A resonance!" Wang Wen interjected.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA