Chapter 3484: Combined Strike

Red rain fell, and a black tornado swept towards Lu Yin from the front, moving like a living creature.

Lu Yin looked at Hu Wu and Tian Ya, who were still locked in combat and slowly said, "I'll give you some time to rest."

The black tornado suddenly dissipated.

Far away, Hu Wu and Tian Ya stopped fighting. They said nothing as they returned to their hidden paradise, each entering their own house to recover.

There were serious expressions on their faces. This new arrival was very strong.

The instance this stranger entered within range of their battle, both people had felt a chill. That sensation told them clearly that, on their own, neither of them was the man’s equal.

After many years, for the first time since their fight with Bao Qi, were they finally going to have to join forces again?

Lu Yin stood on the ground and stretched out a hand, allowing the red rain to fall into his palm. There was a metallic taste to the rain, though it was also mixed with an earthy scent. This rain was a strange substance that quickly repaired the shattered ground, and the rate at which the land was repaired was astonishing.

It was no wonder why Hu Wu and Tian Ya had chosen this place as the site of their never-ending battle.

In any other place, given the frequency at which they fought, not even the thirty-six domains would be able to bear the force of their battles.

It would be normal for the couple to destroy an entire domain with each round of battle.

Beyond the landmass, many eyes had gathered, all of which were staring at Lu Yin.

Was a battle really about to break out?

It was clear that the Third Boss genuinely intended to challenge the megaverse’s greatest experts. That had not been mere boasting.

How many battles had the Third Boss fought since leaving the Grandverse Manor? Each of his opponents had been stronger than the last. Of particular note was the battle in the Consciousness Domain, which had shaken the entire Spirit Nidus.

At the moment, everyone was curious to see how the battle against Hu Wu and Tian Ya would unfold.

After several days, Hu Wu and Tian Ya emerged from their hidden paradise and returned to the center of the landmass, where they stood across from Lu Yin.

Hu Wu had a beautiful face, even if her features were not as stunning as Palace Master Yao or Cai Keqing’s. Still, the woman’s eyes contained a stubborn, unyielding strength, as well as the sharpness of a blade.

Tian Ya was an elegant, handsome man with gentle eyes. Hidden beneath that softness was an eagerness to fight.

The two were quite the pair. The longer one looked at them, the more fitting they would seem for each other.

When they stood together, they almost seemed like one person, perfectly integrated.

"Who are you?" Tian Ya asked.

Hu Wu frowned. "Why the nonsense? We just need to deal with anyone who brings us trouble."

Tian Ya replied, "We should at least learn the name of our opponent. Such strength deserves respect."

"What? Does the High Seraph also deserve your respect?"

"Little Wu, that's different."

"Lose that disgusting attitude! An enemy is an enemy. Regardless of their background or their strength, if we can handle them, we deal with them. If we can't, we run."

Tian Ya shrugged. "Being impulsive won't get anything done."

Hu Wu sneered. "Being a coward won’t get anything done either."

Lu Yin listened to the two speak before interjecting, "It appears that you two want to argue, so I’ll just wait."

Tian Ya looked back at Lu Yin. "I apologize for this disturbance."

Hu Wu suddenly charged forward, lashing out with a powerful kick aimed at Lu Yin. Her movements were sharp and decisive, and the void constantly shattered around her. Her foot contained an incredible power, and it was even infused with her sequence technique, which caused sequence particles to spread out.

Lu Yin met her foot with a kick of his own, which caused Tian Ya’s expression to change. "Be careful."

Hu Wu instantly retracted her leg, dodging Lu Yin’s kick. She flipped through the air, and more sequence particles gathered to form what appeared to be a second Hu Wu that fell down.

At the same time, Tian Ya attacked from another angle. He held a wooden flute that spun around, and a flickering cyan image appeared as sequence particles gathered around the man.

The sequence particles merged in the air as they clashed from two different directions. The resulting power was so intense that even Lu Yin felt threatened by it. That power instantly crashed downwards.

Lu Yin released his inner universe in an attempt to repel the sequence particle attack.

Unfortunately, reality was not quite that easy. While this attack was slightly easier to disperse than a sequence base’s, it was only by a little.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The couple had fused their sequence techniques.

Above the landmass, Old Tao remarked, "The thirty-eighth ranked sequence technique, Annihilation. The name sounds impressive, but the sequence technique is nothing crazy. Sequence powerhouses who’ve mastered this law may gain a bit of an advantage, but the biggest drawback of this sequence technique is that there are limits to its power. It’s purely destructive power, nothing more. The more experienced a sequence powerhouse is, the quicker and more thoroughly they will be able to see through this sequence technique while confronting it.

"However, Hu Wu and Tian Ya have cultivated the Annihilation Sequence Technique together, and through their years of mutual understanding, they have become able to fuse their sequence particles to produce something that is reminiscent of a sequence base. That makes all the difference."

Palace Master Yao turned to look at Old Tao. "I’ve noticed that you seem to know about everything."

Cai Keqing had noticed the same, and even Astral Anura had picked up on the fact that the old man’s knowledge was unusual, and he also gave Old Tao a strange look. The old man’s strength was nothing exceptional, and yet he seemed to know about everything.

Old Tao coughed. "Well, I have made many acquaintances. Very, very many."

On the landmass down below, Lu Yin evaded the merged sequence particles. Around him, the void shattered, though the sequence particles continued to spread out in all directions in an attempt to surround him.

He immediately understood that he was facing a technique that was very similar to a sequence base. When Hu Wu and Tian Ya worked together, they were effectively manipulating a sequence base. It was no wonder why the couple was so powerful.

However, just this would not be enough to cause Lu Yin any real trouble.

The two had trained together for many years. Their combined sequence particles surged, and they continued to gather, forming a monstrous presence that shot towards Lu Yin.

Lu Yin raised a hand and retaliated.

Hu Wu and Tian Ya attacked in unison. Their sequence particles had fused, and they pressed down upon Lu Yin with incredible power; the power of their Annihilation sequence technique had doubled.

Suddenly, the sequence particles grew unstable. Lu Yin, with a single palm strike, pulled on the sequence particles and then sent them crashing back.

"Impossible!" Hu Wu was completely shocked. Their opponent had actually used their own sequence particles against them.

Tian Ya pulled her back. "He’s not an easy opponent. We need to be careful."

Lu Yin had used Linked Palm. His first attack had not harmed Hu Wu or Tian Ya, instead shattering their merged Annihilation sequence technique.

Above the landmass, many people were astonished. While Lu Yin’s palm strike had looked ordinary, it had stunned everyone.

No one had ever seen such an attack before. Had the Third Boss really used his opponents’ strength against them? Was he able to seize control of his opponent’s sequence particles? Where had he learned such an amazing palm technique? Could he have created it himself?

"Your palm strike is astonishing. I’m impressed," Tian Ya complimented.

Lu Yin lowered his hand as he looked at the couple. "Your cooperation is no different from controlling a sequence base. I’m also impressed."

Progenitor Chen's Linked Palm, much like Progenitor Ku’s Extremes Must Be Reversed, could bring about miracles from tragedy.

Extremes Must Be Reversed had allowed Lu Yin to survive countless desperate situations.

As for Linked Palm, there was no limit to its potential. Currently, Lu Yin could use the battle technique to borrow his opponents’ sequence particles, but in the future, he might be able to borrow others’ comprehension techniques, or maybe even stronger abilities.

Progenitor Ku and Progenitor Chen could be said to represent the greatest heights of their own era. The two had created two new paths, rather than mere battle techniques.

"Who exactly are you, and why are you causing trouble for us?" Tian Ya asked.

This time, Hu Wu did not stop the man from speaking. The strength that Lu Yin had revealed made her wary. She knew that caution was required when facing such an opponent.

While her actions were frequently dictated by her personality, she also did many things because she suppressed her natural impulses.

Lu Yin smiled gently. "I am the Grandverse Manor’s Third Boss. You can call me Seventh Bro."

Tian Ya and Hu Wu were both left quite confused.

The Grandverse Manor? Never heard of it.

They had been fighting in the same place for years, and they knew nothing of recent developments in the outside world.

Lu Yin said, "I wish to challenge the strongest in the megaverse, which includes you two. There’s no personal grudge. There’s nothing more to this."

"I see. You wish to challenge the strongest in the megaverse? I admire your courage. However, even if we can win while joining forces, that would not be a fair victory. Alone, we are no match for you," Tian Ya said.

Hu Wu became upset. "Who says that we’re not his match on our own? You’re giving up before even trying to fight. How useless."

Tian Ya sighed. "We can only defeat him by working together. On our own, you know that we are not close to being the strongest Ortusers."

Hu Wu mocked. "Is this why you have no ambition?"

Tian Ya sighed and shrugged.

Lu Yin said, "Hu Wu and Tian Ya, you are one opponent, and I will treat you as a single entity. Let’s continue."

"He’s provoked you again and again, and you still won’t fight? What a pathetic man."

"Fine, since you’ve put it that way, then we won't hold back. Butterfly Dances on the Horizon!"[1]

As soon as they finished speaking, the red rain stopped. It was replaced by a burst of pink peach blossoms, which made the region a picturesque paradise. Even the tornado raging in the distance gained a layer of light.

Beneath the couple’s feet, emerald water surged out in titanic waves that rose up from the ground up.

The pink peach blossoms and the emerald waves respectively covered the sky above and the ground below, pincering Lu Yin from two directions.

Above the landmass, Palace Master Yao's expression grew serious. Butterfly Dances on the Horizon. This was the couple’s combined battle technique and their signature technique.

Lu Yin could not feel much, but he could tell that the two were using spiritual force.

It turned out that Hu Wu and Tian Ya’s forte was actually spiritual force.

In front of Lu Yin, the couple appeared solemn. They were using spiritual force, and the moment the peach blossoms and emerald waves appeared, their spiritual force attack had already struck, but their opponent had not even moved.

This was not entirely unexpected. After all, they knew that their opponent was exceptionally powerful. While he appeared to be a mere Spirit Ancestor, there was no doubt that he was a powerful Ortuser. On top of that, he had not demonstrated any sort of sequence technique, so it was not surprising for him to withstand this level of spiritual force.

In that case, what about what was next?

Hu Wu took out a guqin.[2]

Tian Ya turned his wooden flute sideways. "Third Boss, you should be careful. If you can’t handle this, just admit defeat."

Then, the flute and the guqin harmonized with each other. Butterfly-shaped flowers danced through the sky as waves surged over the ground. Everything warped and twisted as the music echoed out from the landmass and into outer space above.

Old Tao heard it, and a quiver ran through his body. "Retreat!"

Palace Master Yao’s expression grew solemn. This was an incredibly potent spiritual force. When the two joined forces, not even she could withstand their spiritual force. Her only option against the couple would be to achieve victory before they were given a chance to fully combine their power.

Spiritual force and consciousness were distinctly different energies; one affected the body, while the other attacked the mind.

However, the result of enduring either type of energy was quite similar.

Everyone nearby who had been watching the battle retreated.

They felt as though they were witnessing the battle in the Consciousness Domain all over again.

Qi Zun and Wu Wei had wielded the power of consciousness, while the combined spiritual force of Hu Wu and Tian Ya also made all observers too frightened to approach.

The Third Boss’s consciousness power was too terrifying, so his spiritual force had to be weak. No one could achieve great strength in both consciousness and spiritual force.

However, consciousness was also able to completely counter spiritual force. Hu Wu and Tian Ya had no idea just how strong the Third Boss's consciousness was.

A voice entered Hu Wu’s ear. "This Third Boss possesses Dukkhan-level consciousness."

Hu Wu’s head snapped back, and she glared at the sky while shouting. "Who was that? Who is so despicable and shameless?"

Tian Ya frowned and looked at Lu Yin. "I apologize, but someone just warned us that you possess Dukkhan-level consciousness and that we must be cautious of it."

Lu Yin chuckled. "It doesn’t matter."

"Whether or not you care that we were warned is irrelevant. We won’t accept something so underhanded." Tian Ya’s expression grew serious as he stared at Lu Yin. "We will accept one consciousness attack from you."

Hu Wu snorted contemptuously, but she did not disagree. Instead, she urged Lu Yin, "Hurry up."

1. Hu Wu = Butterfly Dances. Tian Ya = Horizon. This is also why Lu Yin reacted so oddly to hearing their names. ☜

2. If you're not familiar with it,

THIS is the instrument. ☜