Chapter 3391: Alternate Choice

Wei Nu wanted to use the forbidden region to deal with Lu Yin, while he wanted to understand what the Karma Sanctum was about.

Lu Yin made the same choice that he had originally made.

He did so to see whether choosing the same action would lead to the same effect.

As Yan Feng and Bazeer fell, time accelerated rapidly, and things flowed faster around Lu Yin, following the original order of events.

Lu Yin saw himself become the champion of ZENITH and face off against the four ruling powers. He confronted the Sixverse Association and survived the final battle at the Immemorial Citadel. He fought against the Spirit Nidus and was ultimately lured into the Mirari Realm by Wei Nu, where the Karma Sanctum expanded and pulled him in.

Lu Yin opened his eyes and looked around. The same trees as before surrounded him, still bearing fruits with his faces on them. He quickly examined himself and let out a sigh of relief; he was not a fruit.

However, if he was not a fruit, then could he be the giant Lu Yin?

To the fruits that he saw, would he not be a giant?

Was he the original Lu Yin or the giant Lu Yin?

He felt quite confused.

The way in front of him was not clear. The aeonic mist shrouded everything.

A figure stepped out from the mist, and Lu Yin’s focus sharpened. Was this the Seraph, or Wei Nu?

There was more than one person who could appear, as there were currently four people in the Karma Sanctum: Lu Yin himself, Progenitor Ku, the Seraph, and Wei Nu.

If two people appeared together, they had to be his enemies.

Lu Yin focused on the emerging figures, ready to strike at any moment.

As they stepped out of the mist, Lu Yin’s expression changed.

Why is it them?

Before him stood Jenny Auna and Yan Gang.

Lu Yin stared at the two people blankly.

How could it be them?

Yan Gang was unquestionably dead. As for Jenny Auna, Lu Yin had not paid much attention to the woman. She was either dead or still on Zenyu Star; either way, there was no way for her to be in the Mirari Realm.

Lu Yin approached the two people.

Their eyes were vacant, and they moved like puppets as they walked towards Lu Yin.

Frowning, Lu Yin changed directions, but they still followed him.

Confusion was the only thing that could be seen in their eyes. There was no emotion, and they were focused solely on Lu Yin.

When Lu Yin stopped, they also stopped.

Staring at the two, Lu Yin wondered. Was this also part of his karma?

When it came to Yan Gang, Lu Yin did not care at all; an enemy was an enemy, and Lu Yin felt no regret. However, when it came to Jenny Auna, he had once felt guilt.

Everyone was born free. Jenny Auna had never had any feelings for Lu Yin. She had been forced into an engagement with him because of the Auna family’s needs, which had been unfair to the girl.

She had resisted.

She had loved Yan Feng. She had wanted to marry him not because of any plot or scheme, but simply so that she could be with the man that she loved.

The results of that choice had been tragic. Firesmelt Planet had been destroyed, Yan Feng had died, and Jenny Auna herself had been imprisoned by the Auna family, ostracized by many who had decided to support Lu Yin.

From beginning to end, the woman had only wanted to pursue her own love.

Lu Yin did not regret ruining the wedding. It had been necessary for him to stand up for himself. He had not regretted his actions at the time, nor did he in the present. The only collateral damage he regretted was Jenny Auna.

It was incredibly difficult to live freely. Jenny Auna had been born into the Auna family and had enjoyed the provided resources, while also being protected by them. She had certainly acted willfully at times, but those matters had simply been her own causes, and she needed to bear the resulting effects from the Auna family. No one was exempt from karma.

Lu Yin had discussed things with Jenny Auna, and he had asked the Auna family to not make things difficult for her.

As for how she was doing at the moment, Lu Yin had absolutely no idea.

Jenny Auna and Yan Gang were both aspects of Lu Yin’s own karma. Were their karmic causes and effects linked to him at this precise moment, or had they always been there, with him simply unable to see them?

Lu Yin stared at the two in a daze. Were they only following him at this moment, or had he truly not seen them until this time? It was important to know.

He slowly approached the two.

The two seemed to need to stay within a certain distance from Lu Yin, and as long as he did not move beyond that distance, they would not move either.

Lu Yin stood in front of them, and he reached out to touch Jenny Auna.

The moment he did, the world spun around him again, and Lu Yin found himself back in San Dios, staring straight ahead.

“You- Why are you here?” Jenny Auna stared at Lu Yin in disbelief.

Bazeer stepped forward, glaring at Lu Yin. “Student Lu, you’re not on the guest list for this wedding. Leave now.”

Lu Yin glanced around and smiled. Karma. Those two were indeed his karma. Had his touch triggered the cycle to repeat?

In that case, he would try making a different choice this time.

He obediently left the wedding.

Yan Feng, Bazeer, and Jenny Auna were all stunned.

Had Lu Yin just left?

Countless people who were watching the wedding could not believe what they were seeing. Lu Yin, who had brazenly disrupted the wedding just moments before, simply left?

Lu Yin did indeed leave, and time sped up.

With his departure, the wedding proceeded according to plan. Jenny Auna happily married Yan Feng, and Yan Feng rose to prominence, basking in glory.

However, no matter how brilliant he became, he could never rise above the confines of the Outerverse, and he could not come close to comparing to the Ten Arbiters.

The one who was actually able to replace Lu Yin was Nightking Zhenwu.

Nightking Zhenwu had possessed peerless power and had been terrifyingly cunning. He had almost killed Lu Yin more than once before. Nightking Zhenwu had been heralded as the leader of the Ten Arbiters, and he had been sent to the Neoverse to compete in the Astral Tower. At that time, even Starsibyl had followed his commands.

With Lu Yin’s alternate choice, he was not able to shine as brightly. The future had indeed changed; he lost many allies and did not encounter many opportunities. However, things did not change for others.

Nightking Zhenwu ascended to become the leader of the Ten Arbiters without difficulty, defeating the other Ten Arbiters. Starsibyl served him and followed him as he experienced multiple breakthroughs during the battles at the Astral Tower. He successfully became one of the Cosmic Five. He went to the Perennial World, where he used his cunning mind to free the Daynight clan from the Celestial Frost Sect’s control. Upon returning to the Fifth Mainland, he successfully united it.

Time passed, and Nightking Zhenwu’s extraordinary power and natural talent were matched by his scheming. Although the Daynight clan had once been enslaved by the Celestial Frost Sect, under Nightking Zhenwu’s leadership, the clan eventually rose up to hold a position comparable to the four ruling powers. The Fifth Mainland was led to contend against the Perennial World, and they joined the fighting on the rear battlefield. Eventually, the Fifth Mainland earned the four ruling powers’ acknowledgement, and they became the fifth ruling power. Nightking Zhenwu then focused on joining the Sixverse Association, and he did so by replacing the Three Monarchs Universe.

He opened up access to the Three Monarchs Universe and lured the Aeternals into a trap, forcing the Sixverse Association to fight Aeternus in a decisive battle. Both sides suffered devastating losses, and by taking advantage of this, Nightking Zhenwu rose to power and reestablished the Heavens Sect...

Bit by bit, while a different path was taken, similar events played out.

The Heavens Sect was reestablished. Aeternus’s First Scourge was severely damaged, and the six Scourges were revealed.

Everything that Lu Yin had once achieved, Nightking Zhenwu also managed to accomplish, whether by strength or by strategy.

Nightking Zhenwu stood at the peak, and he was hailed as the master of the Heavens Sect. While he was not worshiped in the Origin Universe due to his lack of principles, he did not care about such things. Only his own strength mattered.

He survived numerous life-and-death crises, and no one knew how just many members of the Fireplume Tribe died so that he could live. Ultimately, he was always able to rise back up.

If he was compared to Lu Yin, then Nightking Zhenwu’s personality and scheming caused him to appear as less of a threat to the Boundary Guardians and Tian Ci. There were times when a lack of morals made a person appear less threatening.

The Boundary Guardians made no moves, and the Spirit Nidus’s invasion did not arrive. Some people lived, while others perished.

The Abandoned, the Scourge Occupation, Ye Wu, and countless others converged upon the Heavens Sect, for various reasons.

This was karma. Even without Lu Yin, the trajectory of the megaverse would have proceeded in a similar manner.

Could a person be good or evil from the perspective of a megaverse? Everything was simply a part of the cycle of karma.

Lu Yin had risen to power with the people who had cared about him and supported him.

Nightking Zhenwu had ascended with people who he had cared for and who stood by him.

Lu Yin again returned to the Karma Sanctum. This time, Nightking Zhenwu stepped out from the time fog. There was no confusion or emptiness in his eyes; they were sharp and focused as he stared at Lu Yin.

“You made the right choice,” Nightking Zhenwu stated.

Lu Yin met the man’s eyes. “By letting you take the lead?”

“At least this way, the Tianyuan Megaverse won’t suffer such terrible crises.” Nightking Zhenwu clasped his hands behind his back. He radiated the same aura of command as he had when he had risen up to lead the Heavens Sect.

Lu Yin calmly replied, "Those crises won't disappear. They were simply delayed."

"The Tianyuan Megaverse has plenty of time to develop under my rule."

"But you have no lines you won’t cross. Are you even trying to protect the Tianyuan Megaverse?"

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"How many people are born each day? How many die? It's all just part of a cycle. Haven't you seen through this? This is the cycle of karma," Nightking Zhenwu stated confidently. "You can alter the history of this megaverse, but the cycle will always persist. Ordinary people have their own karma as well.

"When someone harms another person, that harm will eventually return to them through someone else. No one can escape the cycle of karma."

Lu Yin stared at Nightking Zhenwu. "And what about you? Without morals, how many people have you harmed? What kind of karma will you face?"

"You are no different. Many have died because of you. If not, why would you be speaking with me?" Nightking Zhenwu countered.

Lu Yin chuckled. "I want to see through karma."

"Karma exists for you to clearly see that I am the one who can stand at the top of this megaverse. Don't you take pride in protecting the ordinary people? Because of you, the Tianyuan Megaverse has met countless disasters. How long can those ordinary humans hope to survive for? But I'm different—I can ensure that the Tianyuan Megaverse will last for countless more years.

"Generation after generation, this place will thrive."

"The results will not change," Lu Yin retorted.

"At least those people won't die!" Nightking Zhenwu shouted. "Who was the first Progenitor that you conferred? Nong Yi. He’s dead.

"Who willingly entered the Umbral Universe just to find you? Who fought beside you against Mo Shang? Shan Zheng. He’s dead.

"Who supported you the most? Leng Qing. He’s dead.

"Who gave the most to you? Who even created a Progenitor’s world solely for your sake? Arch-Elder Zen. He’s dead.

"Who taught you? Helped you rise from up from nothing? Shao Chen. He’s dead.

"Lu Yin, all of them died because of you. They died only because you are too great a threat. You don’t know how to bide your time, and you shine too brightly. You clung to your morals, but precisely because of that, they all died. Can you face them with a clear conscience?"

Lu Yin closed his eyes as the familiar faces flashed through his mind. At this moment, he suddenly felt overcome by exhaustion. He was so, so tired, and he just wanted to sleep.

"The Lu family will still return, and I will help resolve the conflict between them and the four ruling powers. At that time, you can still be Lu Xiaoxuan, and can live a happy life. Why cause so many to die for you?" Nightking Zhenwu bellowed.

Lu Yin opened his eyes again and stared at Nightking Zhenwu. "Then go and do it. Show me the karmic effects of your actions."

Nightking Zhenwu disappeared.