There was no need to continue fighting. Lu Yin had been holding back, and Wilderness God was able to see that.

At this moment, the astral beast wanted to know just who this human was and what had happened in the current era.

The man was clearly very young, yet he had suppressed Wilderness God at every turn. It was enough to make him cough up blood. This human had not tried to stop Wilderness God’s resurrection, as he simply did not care.

The astral beasts who had been released with the Stone Reversal Formation were all dumbfounded. How could things have ended up like this?

Skymender sighed. As expected, in the current era, not even the Three Realms and Six Daos were able to control everything. Wilderness God’s resurrection might prove to be a blessing, or a curse.

Yao Di felt bitter. In the end, the astral beasts would not be able to escape their fate of being suppressed by humanity. Not even Wilderness God was an exception to this.

“Have you had enough, Senior?” Lu Yin asked as he casually tossed the Boundless Halberd back to Wilderness God.

The astral beast caught the weapon and clenched the shaft tightly. “Come out.”

Wu Tian, Lu Yuan, Hongyan Mavis, and Garan Zhiluo all stepped out from the shadows in unison.

“Yellowy, it’s been a long time,” Lu Yuan said.

Wilderness God’s eyes swept over his fellow disciples. His eyes betrayed complex emotions: hatred, nostalgia, and something that could not be determined. “Were you behind my resurrection?”

Lu Yuan grinned proudly. “Allow me to formally introduce this man! This is Lu Yin, a descendant of my Lu family, and the current Dao Monarch of the Heavens Sect. He is the ruler of the Tianyuan Megaverse!”

…

Nothing could have shocked Wilderness God more than what he was hearing.

The Heavens Sect had been destroyed. The Origin Progenitor had gone to suppress the sequence string at the Immemorial Citadel. The Daosource Sect had given rise to the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas. The Fifth Mainland had been split. The Heavens Sect had been reestablished. The Sixverse Association, the Spirit Nidus… Wilderness God needed a long time to make sense of everything that he was hearing.

He had been gone for far too long, and multiple eras had passed. As soon as he was revived, he had immediately been overpowered by Lu Yin. The astral beast had not had a chance to fully recover from all the shocks that he had suffered.

He was able to understand why Yao Di had been kneeling before Lu Yin, as well as why Skymender had seemed so hesitant to speak.

Wilderness God really should not have been resurrected.

“Yellowy, you couldn’t have been revived at a better time,” Lu Yuan said. “Our Tianyuan Megaverse is in an intense war with the Spirit Nidus. People are constantly dying, and we lack enough true powerhouses.”

Wilderness God sneered. “What does that have to do with me?”

“Just listen to him. His hatred of humanity runs deep,” Lu Yuan said while rolling his eyes.

Wilderness God gritted his teeth. “If not for you all allowing it, my astral beasts would have never been enslaved to such an extent!“

“Every era carries its own mark. Such things were bound to happen back then. Before the Origin Progenitor established the Heavens Sect, weren’t the astral beasts slaughtering humans left and right?” 𝘙ＡΝỘʙÈ𝐒

“It was the Origin Progenitor who promised coexistence, and yet things still ended up like that! If not for his promise, the Heavens Sect would have never been established so easily.”

"Do you also resent Master?"

"I hate all of you!"

"Is that why you let the Fourth Mainland be destroyed?"

Wilderness God looked up, glaring at everyone. "Yes, the Fourth Mainland was destroyed, and I did nothing to stop it."

People had guessed this, but Wilderness God openly admitting the truth still left everyone uneasy.

Hongyan Mavis stared at Wilderness God. "Between humanity and Aeternus, you chose Aeternus?"

Wilderness God met her eyes. "Why shouldn’t I? Humanity only thinks of slaughtering or enslaving astral beasts, but the Aeternals don’t. Originally, all of them were human."

"Yong Heng’s true goal is to reset the Tianyuan Megaverse and break through to the Immortal realm," Garan Zhiluo stated.

Wilderness God’s sternness was shaken, and he fell silent.

He had been unaware of this matter. In fact, no one had known the truth during the Heavens Sect era, and that was because the Tianyuan Megaverse had been nowhere near the point of being able to be reset at that time.

During that era, even the Heavens Sect had been unaware that Aeternus would attack humanity, nor had anyone expected the Origin Progenitor to be ambushed or for a hidden power like the Boundary Guardians to exist.

The Heavens Sect had fallen due to being caught off guard.

Aeternus had made plans stretching far into the future, whereas humanity had indulged in the excitement of their incredible prosperity, enjoying the subservience of all of the other races.

It had really been nothing less than prosperity leading to decline.

"Yellowy, if you had known that Yong Heng wanted to reset the Tianyuan Megaverse, would you have still allowed the Fourth Mainland to be destroyed?" Wu Tian asked.

Everyone stared at Wilderness God.

Wilderness God looked over, his expression solemn as he glanced at everyone. Then, he gave a sneer. "Of course not! If the megaverse is reset, we all die. Why would I agree to that?"

"At least you have some conscience," Hongyan Mavis muttered.

Wilderness God snorted. "I want humanity to go extinct, not for all of us to die together."

"Part of your hatred for humanity is because Blackie slaughtered so many astral beasts, isn’t it?" Wu Tian suddenly asked.

Wilderness God’s eyes flared, blazing with a cold hatred. "Where is Blackie?"

"Dead." Lu Yuan sighed.

Wilderness God was startled. "All of you are still alive, but Blackie’s dead?"

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying that we shouldn’t be alive?" Garan Zhiluo asked in annoyance.

Wilderness God retorted, "Blackie was stronger than anyone, and he was even on the verge of breaking into the Origin realm. If he did, I doubt that even Master could have handled him. How did he die?"

Lu Yin interjected, "He died saving me."

Only then did Wilderness God take notice of Lu Yin. "He died saving you? Were you around back then?"

Lu Yin did not know how to explain the matter.

"Let's not talk about the past for now. We’ve explained the current situation to you, and no matter your stance or whether you represent astral beasts or humanity, you have to join this war between megaverses," Lu Yuan said.

Wilderness God sneered. "Not necessarily. I could always join the Spirit Nidus."

Garan Zhiluo raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

Wilderness God glanced around again. "Was I not clear enough?"

"You intend to betray the Tianyuan Megaverse?"

"This Tianyuan Megaverse already belongs to humanity. Even if you defeat the Spirit Nidus, what difference will it make? Astral beasts will still end up as humanity’s slaves."

"The times have changed. The current Heavens Sect will not enslave astral beasts."

Lu Yin spoke up again, "I promise to not allow anyone to enslave astral beasts."

Wilderness God grew furious again, and his eyes flushed red as he turned to glare at Lu Yin. "

You

promise? What makes you think that your promise means anything! Didn’t Master make the same promise once?

"No matter how times may have changed, human greed will never disappear. If Master couldn't stop things from happening, what makes you think that you can?"

Lu Yin had no response, and neither did Wu Tian or Lu Yuan.

In the past, when the Heavens Sect had been at its peak, the Origin Progenitor’s prestige had also been unmatched. Even so, he had not been able to prevent humans from enslaving astral beasts. The stronger the Origin Progenitor grew, the more powerful humanity had grown as well, which had only increased the likelihood of astral beasts being enslaved.

In the current era, humanity has surpassed even the ancient Heavens Sect. Not only were there the Three Realms and Six Daos, but there were also the Three Suns and Six Rulers, the Outer and Inner Eight Paths, and many other peak powerhouses. If the Tianyuan Megaverse was to defeat the Spirit Nidus, then given their immense power, would they really refrain from enslaving astral beasts?

If Lu Yin eventually surpassed all others in strength, including even the Origin Progenitor, and humanity revered him, how would they perceive life that was not human?

The most readily available evidence of this was the fact that none of the Three Suns and Six Rulers were astral beasts, which was even more exclusionary than the Three Realms and Six Daos.

Lu Yin had not lied to Wilderness God, but there were some things that he simply could not change.

Wilderness God was one of the Three Realms and Six Daos and had been charged with protecting the Fourth Mainland during the ancient era, and he had somewhat restrained humanity. Who could do that in the current era? Yao Di? The Pridebeast? The Megalith? The jiao? Or perhaps the Python Ancestor or the Divine Eagle?

None could do it, as none were Wilderness God.

Lu Yin genuinely wished to eradicate the concept of slavery, but no matter how powerful he became, it was impossible to do such a thing.

In dark corners, hidden away from Lu Yin’s sight as he stood at the peak, forbidden things would still grow in the shadows. This was very similar to what had happened with the ancient Heavens Sect.

The Origin Progenitor had failed to see such things, and Lu Yin might not fare any better.

The Tianyuan Megaverse had currently united to fight against the Spirit Nidus, and all internal conflicts were being ignored as the megaverse turned outwards. This did not mean that the darkness had been eradicated, but rather that everyone’s attention had refocused towards resisting the Spirit Nidus.

Wilderness God had just been revived, and he had yet to experience the war with the Spirit Nidus. His thoughts were still focused on internal matters.

He remembered the promise that not even the Origin Progenitor had fulfilled.

"Yellowy, I’m sorry." A sigh and an apology were heard, as the Origin Progenitor’s voice rang out.

A tremor ran through Wilderness God’s body, and he slowly turned to look in another direction.

There, the Origin Progenitor was approaching. He stared at Wilderness God with a complex and apologetic expression.

Wilderness God stared at the Origin Progenitor in a daze. His voice sounded dry. "Master."

The Origin Progenitor sighed. "I’m sorry, Yellowy."

Lu Yin and the others remained silent. The Origin Progenitor, the one who had blazed the path of cultivation, the greatest being in the history of the Tianyuan Megaverse, was apologizing to Wilderness God and, by extension, to all astral beasts.

In the past, astral beasts had also slaughtered humans, as doing so was simply in their nature. When the Origin Progenitor had risen to power, he had accepted Wilderness God as a disciple as a means of restraining the astral beasts and establishing some level of balance. That had led to humanity’s rise.

Although the astral beast was called a disciple, the relationship had essentially been a transaction. Even so, the bond that had formed between the Origin Progenitor and Wilderness God was genuine.

Wilderness God respected the Origin Progenitor and cared for his fellow disciples, the Three Realms and Six Daos. These feelings were genuine.

However, as the Heavens Sect flourished, humanity’s attitude toward astral beasts had changed, whether due to revenge for past bloodshed or simple greed. Who could refuse a powerful mount?

In particular, the image of the Origin Progenitor with the Python Ancestor around his waist and the Divine Eagle perched on his shoulder had become deeply ingrained in the minds of people, and it had inspired countless imitations. It was even possible that this was a reason for the Origin Progenitor’s apology.

Regardless of the reason, many astral beasts had been enslaved.

Those who had not lived through that ancient era could never understand the suffering that the astral beasts had endured.

Even if Wilderness God had allowed the Fourth Mainland to be destroyed, he had not seen his actions as wrong. He was not human, and he had his own goals and motivations.

Wilderness God had merely allowed a place that had enslaved astral beasts to be destroyed. Nothing more.

"Master, do you know how many astral beasts were enslaved back then?" Wilderness God asked in a low, hoarse voice.

He pointed back at the astral beasts who had taken on the forms of humans. "All of them.

"During that era, at least a third of the astral beasts who refused to be enslaved by humans died, no matter if they were in the Origin Universe or some parallel universe. There was enough blood to stain the stars red.

"How many astral beasts were enslaved? Master, do you know?!

"When you took me as your disciple, you promised me! You said that you hoped that humanity and astral beasts would coexist in peace and that the astral beasts would stop slaughtering humans everywhere. We accomplished our part—what about you?

"You stood at the peak and were unable to see humanity’s greed, and we suffered for it!"

The Origin Progenitor closed his eyes.

Wilderness God sneered. "You stood guard beneath the Immemorial Citadel, suppressing all of the sequence strings, but how much of what you did was for the sake of us astral beasts?

"All along, you only cared about humanity, right?

"We have different positions. You are human, and thus you look at humanity’s survival. I’m an astral beast, so I only need to consider the survival of astral beasts."

The Origin Progenitor opened his eyes again and stared at Wilderness God. "I may have stood at the peak and failed to see humanity’s greed, but what about the astral beasts? Did you not also stand at the peak? Did you really see everything?"

Wilderness God’s gaze trembled.

"Have you ever witnessed the true nature of certain astral beasts?" the Origin Progenitor challenged.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA