Chapter 3522: A Small Boat

Lu Yin had fought against someone who had cultivated the Near and Far sequence technique before. He had even incorporated the Rivers and Mountains Painting into his inner universe, which meant that Lu Yin himself had Near and Far sequence particles. However, Emperor Wu Slayer had achieved a Transcended Sequence with his sequence technique, which granted him a unique ability similar to a sequence base.

This power was called Horizon’s Mirror.

Horizon’s Mirror was the result of Emperor Slayer achieving perfection with his sequence technique. This power had allowed the beast to always escape from his pursuers, even when it was the Primal Beastland or the Ascendant Hall.

The beast had first tried to defeat Lu Yin by overpowering him with physical strength, but that had proven ineffective. Such a victory was impossible, so Emperor Slayer needed to be smart about this battle.

Emperor Wu Slayer's right foreleg had already been severed, and he was bleeding profusely. Still, he managed to use Horizon’s Mirror to dodge all of Lu Yin's attacks, and he even opened up some distance between them.

Lu Yin paused for a moment and looked at his opponent with a bit of interest. "Is this what you meant when you said that you were going to beat me?"

Emperor Slayer grinned. "I spoke in haste. As it turns out, I can't actually beat you."

He then glanced at Old Salamander. "Old man, you're evil! Why didn’t you warn me about how much a freak this guy is?"

Old Salamander coughed. "I’ve been gravely injured, and I wasn’t able to warn you."

"Asshole!" Emperor Slayer was furious.

Old Salamander sighed. "It's not actually too late to warn you about him now. Bao Qi and I weren’t the only ones to fight him. There were also others, but all of us were defeated by the Third Boss."

"Who else?" Emperor Slayer asked, his heart dropping.

Old Salamander nodded. "All our old friends: Wu Jin, Nian Xian, Dao Kinshi, You Xia, Wraithmother... Just them. Not too many."

Emperor Slayer gaped in shock, and then he turned to stare at Lu Yin. "You're the High Seraph in disguise, aren't you?"

"Heh. Before this, the Third Boss also defeated Qian, the Worryless Elder, Hu Wu and Tian Ya, and Su Shidao... Actually, now that I think about it, he’s already managed to defeat more than half of the Spirit Nidus’s top experts. It’s rather scary. Emperor Slayer, aren’t you aiming to surpass Emperor Wu? Defeat this man. If you can do that, everyone will admit that you can defeat Emperor Wu."

Emperor Slayer wanted to curse. "Old man, you're as twisted as ever! I came here to watch the fun, and I just happened to get a little too close. I’ll leave now."

As he spoke, he turned to leave.

A spiral of karma shot out from Lu Yin’s fingertip, shooting straight for Emperor Slayer.

The beast could feel something, despite not seeing anything. Even so, he dodged out of instinct.

Horizon’s Mirror was a very convenient ability, as it allowed him to instantly vanish into the distance.

Lu Yin pursued, moving at the speed of time with Inverse Step.

Emperor Slayer swung his enormous tail, tearing the void and disrupting Lu Yin’s power of time. "Come on, stop chasing me! I said that I just came to watch the fun!"

Lightstream shimmered around Lu Yin’s body while he released Near and Far sequence particles from his inner universe.

He rarely used his sequence particles in order to conceal his identity, but that no longer mattered. Everyone important already knew that he was from the Tianyuan Megaverse.

Lightstream’s essence could be summarized as space chasing after time, and Lu Yin used his Near and Far sequence particles to chase after Emperor Slayer as he fled with Horizon’s Mirror. Lu Yin had locked onto the beast, and there was nowhere for him to escape to.

Two figures instantly vanished from the Umbral Deep. No one could find them.

Lu Yin would not allow Emperor Slayer to leave. He needed to use his Karmic Lines to find out who was behind the beast’s attack.

Emperor Slayer really wanted to curse his bad luck. It was impossible to escape, but how was this guy actually catching up to him? Emperor Slayer had even provoked Emperor Wu on several occasions, but after defeating him, Emperor Wu had only been able to only curse and jump about. He was unable to even touch Emperor Slayer when the beast wanted to flee. On the other hand, this Third Boss could actually slowly close the distance.

He kept fleeing, but it was impossible to shake Lu Yin off. No matter what Emperor Slayer tried, Lu Yin always managed to catch up.

"Stop chasing me! We aren’t even enemies!"

"Who paid you?"

"I can’t say. I have standards!"

"If I catch you, dying will be better than surviving."

"You’re the one who’ll wish for death! Brat, do you really think that I, Emperor Wu Slayer, am afraid of you? I just don’t want to fight you any longer. Look at this!" In front of Lu Yin, Emperor Slayer pulled out a snow-white pear blossom with his left paw. It swayed gently in the breeze. It was beautiful, and it even had a faint white glow.

Lu Yin was confused. "Your spirit weapon?"

Emperor Wu Slayer smirked in triumph. "Oh, this is far more than that. This little thing can make you feel so blissful that you’ll wish you were dead! Go ahead, give it a try!"

He then tossed the pear blossom at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. He was immediately reminded of the Nests’ Thousand Shards. Those prickly worms could cause even Semi-Progenitors to suffer unbearable pain. This pear blossom seemed to have the exact same effect.

Emperor Slayer proudly declared, "As soon as the pear blossom touches you, you’ll want to die. This thing is even able to suppress Emperor Wu! I prepared it especially for that idiot, so don’t force me to use it on you first."

Lu Yin’s expression grew cold. "You’re asking to die."

His hand rose up, and a spiral of karma twisted, forming a Wheel of Karma that suddenly shot forward.

The Wheel of Karma was a technique that was particularly effective on Dukkhans. If they were not careful, this karma technique could force them out of Dukkha.

This technique was precisely why Mr. Li was so wary of Lu Yin.

Emperor Slayer also grew extremely cautious at this moment, and thus, he chose to run.

Lu Yin stared at the beast’s back. Lightstream swirled around, and Inverse Step, for a brief moment, caused Emperor Slayer to freeze in place. He quickly vanished, but that slight delay had allowed Lu Yin’s Wheel of Karma to make contact and expose a Karmic Line. With it, Lu Yin was able to see someone: Old Tao.

The fact that Old Tao had appeared from the Karmic Lines could only mean one thing: the Phantom Reach.

Of course, this did not mean that Old Tao had been the one to pay Emperor Slayer, but rather that there was a karmic connection between the old man and the fact that Emperor Slayer had been paid to attack Lu Yin.

Emperor Slayer escaped. While Lu Yin could have continued to chase after him, he had already found the answer that he sought.

Back at the Umbral Deep, everyone awaited the final outcome of the battle.

Old Salamander and Cheng Gong had fled, along with a few other powerhouses from Heavenspire and the other major factions. No one was foolish enough to stay behind and wait for Lu Yin to return.

When he did arrive back at the Umbral Deep, all that remained was the shattered land.

Lu Yin regretted letting Old Salamander and Cheng Gong escape, but he had not expected Emperor Slayer to run away so quickly and decisively. Lu Yin had not had any time to deal with anyone else at the Umbral Deep.

Bao Qi’s corpse had fallen into the Umbral Deep, disappearing without a trace.

Old Yu appeared, and that indicated an end to the battle.

"Congratulations, Third Boss. You are undefeatable in every manner."

Lu Yin looked over. "Are you Old Yu, the ruler of the Wisdom Domain?"

Old Yu smiled. "Indeed I am. Third Boss, might you be interested in visiting my Wisdom Domain?"

"Is this an invitation?"

"Naturally."

"The High Seraph is my enemy, and I’ve already offended the Ascendant Hall on several occasions, violating their various edicts. Do you really have the courage to invite me?" Lu Yin challenged.

He was exhausted from the continuous battles. He had ended up being suppressed or countered several times. Fighting against ancient monsters was not at all easy.

Old Yu just chuckled. "There are more than just you who have antagonized the Ascendant Hall, Third Boss. You, for the sake of your homeland, have traveled all the way here to my Spirit Nidus to fight to the death. I greatly admire such determination.

"However, the relationship between the three megaverses might not be what you believe, Third Boss."

"Oh?" Lu Yin stared intently at Old Yu. The Wisdom Domain enjoyed a unique status within the Spirit Nidus, and to some extent, Old Yu’s words could be considered to represent the attitude of the Spirit Nidus as a whole.

Old Tao and the rest who traveled with Lu Yin dropped to the ground, and Hu Wu and Tian Ya also approached.

"Third Boss, are you alright? My uselessness is entirely to blame! I couldn’t help you at all! I couldn’t even stop Old Salamander from escaping. Please forgive me, Third Boss," Old Tao reported in a voice that was filled with self-blame and regret.

He was also speaking the truth. When Old Salamander and Cheng Gong had escaped, Old Tao had wanted to stop them, but a single glance from Old Salamander had triggered too much fear in Old Tao for him to try anything at all.

Old Salamander might have been severely wounded, but he could restore his body to perfect health, provided that Lu Yin did not attack again. Old Tao and the others could not hope to deal with such an expert.

Cheng Gong was a great mystery. No one understood the methods that the man employed. Not even Lu Yin had been able to make sense of the man’s techniques, which was precisely why Lu Yin remained so wary of Cheng Gong.

Palace Master Yao, Qing Yun, and the others all stepped onto the ground that surrounded the Umbral Deep.

Wind blew through the area, and more of the ground that had been overturned during the battle collapsed.

There were still faint traces of the various battle techniques and energies that had been used during the battle. Any one of those traces could send shivers down people’s spines. Every last participant in the battle at the Umbral Deep had been an Ortuser at the minimum. Such a massive battle was rare even across the entire history of the megaverse, and that included the various competitions for the title of Seraph.

Hu Wu and Tian Ya were subdued. Seeing Lu Yin’s overwhelming strength had caused the couple to lose any hope of being able to kill the High Seraph. This was because Lu Yin himself had no confidence that he could accomplish that feat. The two were starting to understand just how naive they had been, believing their Thunder Tianxi would give them an opening to kill the High Seraph. They had been much too naive.

Hu Wu was almost overcome with fear, and she squeezed Tian Ya’s hand tightly.

The man embraced his wife to comfort her.

Lu Yin and his entourage soon made their way towards the Wisdom Domain, accepting Old Yu’s invitation. The battle’s various spectators were all left behind to reflect on what they had just witnessed.

This battle would be recorded in history, never to be forgotten.

This incident caused Lu Yin’s reputation in the Spirit Nidus to soar to the point where it rivaled the High Seraph’s. The people of the Spirit Nidus recognized that not even the Seven Seraphs could suppress the Third Boss. After all, the first person to die at the Umbral Deep had been Seraph Bao Qi.

The Wisdom Domain lay beyond the Umbral Deep.

In front of Lu Yin stood Young Master Yu and Mr. Li.

Young Master Yu slowly bowed to Lu Yin, but he said nothing.

Mr. Li was extremely nervous, and he merely glanced at Lu Yin before looking away to focus on something else.

Lu Yin smiled broadly. "Where’s the hidden heir? I would like to meet him."

Old Yu gave a small smile. "Since they are the secret heir, you can’t meet them, of course."

"But he has been observing me," Lu Yin retorted.

Old Yu shook his head. "He observes the entire Spirit Nidus. The Grandverse Manor’s appearance, and your demonstration of invincibility means that they will naturally focus on you. If that displeases you, I can ensure that the hidden heir will no longer observe the Grandverse Manor."

Lu Yin glanced over at Young Master Yu. "Throughout the ages, the rulers of the Wisdom Domain have always been secretive. I find this rather unfair."

Young Master Yu said nothing. He stood in place and stared at the ground. He did not react or answer.

Old Yu replied, "Both the public and hidden heirs compete in their own manner. The Wisdom Domain itself will not interfere in that competition, and neither will any of the major powers of the Spirit Nidus."

"What if I want to intervene?" Lu Yin countered.

Old Yu chuckled. "Then that will be a trial for the hidden heir. If you succeed, you’ll prove yourself even greater than the ancients."

The Wisdom Domain was a rather ordinary region of the megaverse. It lacked abundant resources or any particularly beautiful scenery. Everything looked perfectly ordinary and utterly mundane. In fact, it was so ordinary that it was a bit extraordinary.

Lu Yin could easily scan the entire domain. There was nothing special that stood out, aside from a spirit treasure formation. As for what kind of formation it was, Lu Yin could not tell just by looking at it.

He was in the Wisdom Domain, which was said to be an era ahead of the rest of the megaverse. This domain was responsible for the allocation of the Spirit Nidus’s resources. It was one of the seven major powers, and many cultivators, including even the High Seraph, feared the Wisdom Domain.

Was this all that there was to it?

Old Yu had only invited Lu Yin into the domain. His followers were required to wait beyond the domain’s borders.

No matter how ordinary the Wisdom Domain might be, none could enter without an invitation. This was a matter of respect for the Wisdom Domain.

A cold wind blew, causing withered yellow reeds to sway. A small boat slowly drifted through the reeds, moving with the flow of the water.

It was a small boat with just two people sitting in it, along with a jar of fine wine. A sun set on the distant horizon, its location unknown. The star granted a bit of warmth, though not enough to dispel the chilly air.