Tian Ci hurriedly said, "I can be of value to you! I can help you. The Spirit Nidus will definitely invade this place. I don’t know how you’ve learned about the Spirit Nidus, but that knowledge won’t change the difference in strength. The Seven Seraphs, and especially the High Seraph, are all extremely powerful. I can help you deal with them.

"Also, I am a Realmbreaker, and you need someone who can help you from the shadows. I know too much. Ask me anything, and I’ll share what I know."

Lu Yin calmly observed Tian Ci for a while before the death energy started to dissipate behind Lu Yin, revealing Yuan Qi and Zhan Yan.

Tian Ci was astonished, "Seraph Yuan Qi? Were you also captured?"

Yuan Qi was equally surprised to learn that Tian Ci had been captured.

Zhan Yan glanced at Tian Ci, and then she looked back at Lu Yin. She did not understand what the man intended to do.

Lu Yin glanced at the three of the captives, giving each one a brief moment of attention. "To the Spirit Nidus, resetting my megaverse isn’t considered something difficult, is it?"

Not one of the three contracted his claim. Lu Yin had simply stated a fact, at least from their perspective.

Lu Yin gave a small smile. "This upcoming invasion might be just a game to them, but in that case, I’ll play my own game with you."

A stick of incense appeared in front of both Tian Ci and Zhan Yan.

"You two get to go first. Each of you gets however long it takes one stick of incense to burn. That’s the time you have to fight for your life. Use whatever you know, anything that can prove your worth: people, events, things. You each only get one chance." With that, Lu Yin turned to stare at Zhan Yan. "We’ll start with you."

The other two immediately disappeared into the fog of death energy.

Yuan Qi was not participating in the game. This was more of a show for him to watch.

He would play in the next round of the game.

That second game would be when the contestants wagered their lives.

Lu Yin stood in front of Zhan Yan and lit the incense. A small stream of smoke rose up from it as he closed his eyes.

On the branch of the River of Aeons, Zhan Yan and Lu Yin had only ever fought on the Ossis Ark. At that time, the woman had even tried to recruit Lu Yin. That fight had resulted in her Jintian Painting being damaged, and the two had never crossed paths again after that. Eventually, Zhan Yan had been killed by Forgotten Ruins God.

This time, Lu Yin was facing Zhan Yan. He had no idea what sort of secrets she might possess.

Lu Yin did not even know if there was any connection between Zhan Yan and the fact that Forgotten Ruins God had led Lu Yin to the Rivers and Mountains Painting.

From what had happened in the River of Aeons’ branch stream, this woman seemed to hold no major influence over what would happen in the future.

"Such a childish game isn’t necessary. I won’t tell you anything," Zhan Yan said contemptuously.

Lu Yin found this comment rather familiar. It was similar to what Palace Master Yao had once mentioned.

Lu Yin realized that the current situation closely mirrored events that had occurred in the previous timeline. Except, this time, Zhan Yan had replaced Lady Yao.

With that thought, Lu Yin looked at Zhan Yan again. The two women were quite similar to each other, and both were true powerhouses.

Palace Master Yao regarded herself as the strongest person beneath the Seven Seraphs, and her strength was unquestionable. However, the true reason why she possessed the confidence to make such a claim was her unique relationship with the High Seraph.

As for Zhan Yan, in the previous branch of the River of Aeons, she had abandoned Yuan Qi. It was not because she had been incapable of saving him, but rather because she had never even considered it. She had most likely held the ambition to take the position of a Seraph for herself. She was also confident that she could compete for such a position.

Why? What gave Zhan Yan the confidence to fight for such a title?

She has spent a tremendous amount of time in the Tianyuan Megaverse, even if she had not been here for quite as long as Yuan Qi had. She had stayed here for eons, having been absent from the Spirit Nidus for so long. So, why was she still so confident that she could compete for the position of one of the Seven Seraphs?

Looking back, the woman was clearly not as simple as she had appeared.

In the previous timeline, Zhan Yan had been killed by Forgotten Ruins God, but that was only possible because she had been severely injured by one of Lu Yin’s palm strikes. It had been a miracle that his attack had not simply killed Zhan Yan.

Palace Master Yao was a cold, arrogant woman. She was stunningly beautiful, but her demeanor was similar to the Great Sovereign’s. She appeared lofty and unreachable.

In contrast, Zhan Yan possessed a liveliness to her beauty. She was a spirited woman.

Lu Yin said nothing. He merely continued to wait for the incense to burn out.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The truth was that it did not matter whether Zhan Yan said anything, as she would still live. This was because killing Tian Ci would threaten Yuan Qi more than if he killed Zhan Yan. Regardless of how one looked at things, Tian Ci was both stronger and a more valuable hostage.

There was only a little bit of the incense stick remaining.

Zhan Yan stared at Lu Yin, apparently trying to see through him.

She could gain nothing at all from him. Lu Yin was too calm. He behaved as though he was not deciding whether to take the life of a powerful cultivator like Zhan Yan, but rather the life of an ordinary person.

She could not be sure whether Lu Yin would kill her. Zhan Yan considered everything that she knew about Lu Yin, and she immediately recalled the scene in the last battle at the Immemorial Citadel and the rain-like barrage of dirt spears. It seemed that the young ruler of the megaverse really did not care whether Zhan Yan lived or not.

Her eyes flickered. “Fighting against the Spirit Nidus will inevitably lead to this megaverse’s destruction, but I can ensure that you will live.”

Lu Yin showed no reaction.

“I once told you that, if you show proper sincerity, I can take you to the Spirit Nidus. Even the High Seraph has to give me face.”

Lu Yin was taken aback, and his eyes opened wide. He stared at Zhan Yan with a strange expression.

Even the High Seraph would have to give her face? He had never heard of this.

The High Seraph ruled over the entire Spirit Nidus. Aside from the elusive Fated One, there was no one else who could overrule the High Seraph. On top of that, he controlled the Lesser Spirit Megaverse, and there was a very high possibility that he would achieve Immortality.

When the High Seraph had attacked the Tianyuan Megaverse, the man’s strength had transformed Lu Yin’s understanding of the man. That incident had proven that the Spirit Nidus did not need an Immortal to defeat them; someone who had reached full mastery over the Dukkhan realm was powerful enough to overwhelm the entire megaverse. They had been completely suffocated.

And a person like that had to give Zhan Yan face?

The woman glanced at the stick of incense, which was almost gone. “The High Seraph is still a person. He can’t control the entire Spirit Nidus on his own—he still needs supporters.

“There are many different forces within the Ascendant Hall, and the most powerful of them is the Gate of Laws. I represent the Gate of Laws.”

Lu Yin stared at Zhan Yan, "The Gate of Laws?"

Zhan Yan nodded. She had a youthful and energetic appearance. The moment that Lu Yin spoke up, her eyes flickered. "The Gate of Laws focuses on producing sequence bases. Those treasures are the foundation of our entire Spirit Nidus. Even the High Seraph has to care about such things. Let me put it this way: not even a Seraph might be as important as a sequence base. Creating sequence bases takes a very long time, and they can only be produced in our Spirit Nidus’s unique environment..."

Lu Yin already knew most of what Zhan Yan said. Rather, what was shocking was that the woman was able to represent the Gate of Laws.

"How can you represent the Gate of Laws?" Lu Yin asked, puzzled.

Zhan Yan proudly stated, "Because the Gate of Laws belongs to the Zhan family."

The incense expired as Lu Yin stared at Zhan Yan.

He had never expected that someone who should have died long ago would be hiding such an important identity.

Zhan Yan was actually qualified to represent the Gate of Laws. Why would she have been sent to their megaverse? Lu Yin grew increasingly curious about Zhan Yan, but this was not the time to press the matter.

Death energy enveloped Zhan Yan, causing her expression to change. "Hey! I wasn’t done speaking yet! You won’t really kill me, right? I am part of the Zhan family! Just ask around…"

Next, Lu Yin appeared in front of Tian Ci, where another stick of incense was lit.

The same scene as before repeated. Tian Ci was desperate and voiced his loyalty to Lu Yin. The man was entirely focused on staying alive. The only difference from the previous timeline was his lack of hatred for True God. Even so, Tian Ci’s desire to survive was stronger than anyone else’s.

This time, he was competing with Zhan Yan to survive.

For Lu Yin to understand Zhan Yan’s importance, he just had to listen to what Tian Ci said.

If he was competing with someone unimportant, Tian Ci would keep some secrets hidden, but even the information that the man casually revealed was more important than before.

As more than half of the incense burned away, Tian Ci grew increasingly uneasy. Lu Yin had not betrayed even a hint of emotion yet.

"Lord Lu, have you ever heard of the springboard?"

Lu Yin relaxed. This was it. This would resolve his karma.

After that, Tian Ci shared what he knew about the springboard with Lu Yin.

Just like in the previous timeline, Lu Yin examined Tian Ci’s forehead. The information that the man shared was no different from what Lu Yin had heard in the alternate timeline.

When death energy enveloped the man again, Lu Yin left the prison.

Several days later, displays appeared in parallel universes throughout the entire megaverse. The Heavens Sect’s bell rang, and countless people looked at the displays, waiting to see that man appear.

The Three Realms and Six Daos, the Three Suns and Six Rulers, and the Outer Eight Paths all showed up.

Lu Yin stood at the top of the Stairway to Heaven, looking down. He saw many familiar faces, including people who had died during the previous timeline: Nong Yi, the Abandoned, Xu Wuwei, Shan Zheng, Wang Jian, Leng Qing, Arch-Elder Zen, and Shao Chen.

All of them had already died, but the temporal reversion meant that they were alive once more.

Seeing them, Lu Yin let out a long sigh. It felt good to see them all present. Very good.

The day the High Seraph arrived, Lu Yin could not even begin to guess how many people had died. What he witnessed had been unbearable, and that day would never return.

Lu Yin's gaze swept beyond the Stairway to Heaven, and he stared off into the distance. He was looking at Long Xi.

The moment he laid eyes on her, a tremor ran through his heart. Sharp pain caused his face to grow pale.

The cycle of karma… had it been real or not? Little Xiaoxuan, Lu Yin’s child…

"Dao Monarch," Chu Yi reminded him.

Lu Yin looked away, staring off into outer space as he spoke, "Our megaverse is called the Tianyuan Megaverse. The Origin Progenitor was born here, and he established our cultivation civilization while protecting humanity. He ushered in a time of incredible prosperity. However, due to a cowardly sneak attack, the Origin Progenitor encountered a crisis. This is a debt that we can never forget.

"We humans fought a war with Aeternus from that moment on, all because of hands pushing events from the shadows. Those hands were the beings known as the Boundary Guardians. They supported the Aeternals and suppressed humanity. They incurred a debt that we will never forget.

"While we fought against Aeternus, Tian Ci massacred the innocents of the Lost Clan. This is a debt that we will never forget.

"The Boundary Guardians have been our greatest enemies here in the Tianyuan Megaverse. I, Lu Yin, have already slain three of them. Now, it is time for the fourth." As Lu Yin spoke, Tian Ci appeared at the bottom of the Stairway to Heaven.

He looked up, past the long Stairway to Heaven, to where Lu Yin stood at the top.

At that instant, Tian Ci thought of something, and his face turned ashen. "Lord Lu, I've told you everything! Please spare my life, Lord Lu…"

Although time had rolled back, there were some things that still had to happen.

This scene was so familiar.

In the Voidforce Universe, Xu Wuji crushed a wine gourd in his hand as he stared straight at a display. This was the man, the man who had butchered the Lost Clan and killed Xu Wuji’s beloved.

Lord Lu had once said that he would avenge that loss.

However, this was not avenging a personal grudge, but rather avenging crimes committed against humanity throughout the entire megaverse.

This man should be executed in the Heavens Sect where everyone could bear witness to his death. This was a sacrifice to the souls of the departed.

"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!" Tian Ci screamed.

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

"To defeat my Tianyuan Megaverse, you plotted against the Origin Progenitor, Tai Chu, suppressed humanity's universes, and tried to cut off our civilizations. You’ve incurred a blood debt that has now come due."

Dirt spears appeared, overshadowing Tian Ci from above.

Tian Ci's face turned ashen. "No, no, I can't die! I shouldn't die! I am Tian Ci! I—"

The soil spears howled downwards, piercing through Tian Ci’s body, spilling his blood everywhere and staining the floor red.

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA