Chapter 3558: Inside And Outside Of The Cage

The Apex Palace was not as magnificent as Lu Yin had imagined, and it did not even match the height of the spirit tree. Even so, it was where the High Seraph ruled the entire Spirit Nidus.

This was the location that was closest to the High Seraph.

In Lu Yin’s mind, he reviewed the thirty-seven years of the River of Aeons’ branch stream that had been rolled back. He remembered the invincible expert who had single-handedly slaughtered the Heavens Sect, silenced the Tianyuan Megaverse, and forced Lu Yin to revert time, using the restart that he had been given by Destiny.

Lu Yin had simulated countless battles against the High Seraph. Despite that, he had to admit that, even at the present moment, he was still no match for the High Seraph. However, it would not be as easy for the High Seraph to defeat Lu Yin as before.

The moment had finally arrived. This would be their first official meeting after the battle that had ended with time rolling back by thirty-seven years. Despite that, they had already clashed with each other multiple times.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Lu Yin had thrown the Spirit Nidus into chaos. This was the moment that he had been waiting for.

Lan stopped walking and turned back to look at Su Shidao. "Brother Su, Lord High Seraph wishes to see the Third Boss alone."

Su Shidao frowned. "Alone?"

Lu Yin stared off into the distance, his gaze piercing the mist to see a pair of familiar eyes. "Alright."

Su Shidao cautioned him, "Be careful."

Lu Yin shrugged. "I’m here to become a Seraph. The High Seraph won’t kill me right now, will he? Lead the way."

Lan smiled and then led Lu Yin towards the Apex Palace.

They soon arrived at a place that was entirely built in the Spirit Nidus’s classic architectural style. There, Lu Yin saw the High Seraph.

That face, those eyes, that aura, Lu Yin would never forget any of them for the rest of his life.

Lu Yin had led the Heavens Sect to its peak, surpassing even the ancient era. He had defeated Aeternus and united the Tianyuan Megaverse.

At the peak of the Heavens Sect’s glory, the High Seraph had arrived. The Immemorial Citadel had been stained with blood, and the Heavens Sect had been slaughtered. No matter what move the High Seraph made, he had been utterly unstoppable. His power had been supreme and invincible, the Everstone sequence base making his will unshakable and his sequence particles impossible to disperse. He had been the representation of ultimate strength as he had singlehandedly wiped out the Heavens Sect.

Had Lu Yin not been pushed to despair, he might not have chosen to revert time.

When

Boundless

had first set off for the Spirit Nidus, Lu Yin had already prepared himself to fight the High Seraph to the death.

The man was strong, to the point of being considered invincible.

Dong.

Dong.

Dong.

Each footstep closed the distance as the High Seraph slowly walked towards Lu Yin. Every step caused the universe to grow quieter.

Clouds descended upon the Ascendant Hall, and the spirit tree stopped swaying. The beautiful maids stood to the side, and an imperceptible tremor ran through the Morrow Behemoth. Far away, halfway across the Spirit Nidus, above

Boundless

, in the Hundred Grasses Domain, the Origin Progenitor stepped out. His eyes were open, and he looked over in the direction of the Ascendant Hall. His vast, endless aura touched the Ascendant Hall, as a warning to the High Seraph.

The High Seraph stopped when he was a hundred meters away from Lu Yin. A smile appeared on the man’s lips as he looked in the direction of the Hundred Grasses Domain. "That’s a familiar energy... He’s the one I suppressed in the Tianyuan Megaverse."

After a moment, the man’s attention returned to Lu Yin. "Do you know that, when I fought in the Tianyuan Megaverse, I killed everyone else but spared him? I did so because he bore witness to my invincibility as I suppressed your megaverse. Leaving him alive was a demonstration of the ultimate limit that your megaverse can reach.

"As long as he lives, no one can surpass me.

"He is your Tianyuan’s Origin Progenitor, yet he is also the cage that confines your megaverse."

Lu Yin stared into the High Seraph's eyes. "If the megaverse’s limit is considered a cage, then what lies inside and what lies outside of those bars?"

The High Seraph laughed heartily. "As expected, you understand karma in a way that others cannot. Do you believe that he can expand the cage to imprison me instead?"

Lu Yin smiled. "It’s not a matter of understanding, but a simple fact. If not for that, why would you have been so concerned about my Tianyuan Megaverse? Why would you have sent Yuan Qi to act against the Origin Progenitor and ally with traitors to the Tianyuan Megaverse to fight the Heavens Sect?

"Even then, you still failed to suppress the Tianyuan Megaverse."

The High Seraph clasped his hands behind his back. "You’re quite confident. Is that what gave you the courage to come here?"

"You are the one who gives me the confidence to come here, High Seraph."

"Me?"

"Have you really not acted against me just because of the Lesser Spirit Megaverse?" Lu Yin asked bluntly. There was no need to be coy or to keep secrets. Lu Yin’s opponent in the game between megaverses was the High Seraph.

The man smiled at Lu Yin. "What do you think?"

"Clearly not."

"Master Qing Cao," the High Seraph suddenly stated.

Lu Yin’s focus sharpened as he continued to stare at the High Seraph as the man let slip a sigh. "I’m willing to tell you that I haven’t dealt with you because of Master Qing Cao. If it were up to me, I would do my best to eliminate someone like you, someone who has comprehended karma. Not even the threat of the Lesser Spirit Megaverse is enough to stop me."

As the man continued, his eyes grew cold. "Especially since your comprehension of karma has progressed too far. The fight at the Bifrost Palace... even then, your mastery of karma had progressed too far and become dangerous.

"Unfortunately, Master Qing Cao needs your comprehension of karma to break his own limitations. If not for that,

Boundless

would not exist."

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered as he stared at the High Seraph. "Master Qing Cao... is he the invincible being?"

The High Seraph turned around and walked over to the edge of the Apex Palace to stare off into the distance. "There are people in the Spirit Nidus who claim that I fabricated the existence of the invincible being. Do you really need an explanation? No one else has ever been qualified to demand an explanation from me. You are the first, Lord Lu.

"As the ruler of the Tianyuan Megaverse, given enough time, I’m certain that you can reach the Immortal realm. However, your fate has already been determined. Even if I let you go, you could never escape from Master Qing Cao."

He smiled and said, "Comprehending karma protects you, but it will eventually destroy you."

Lu Yin studied the other man, unable to tell if he was spouting lies or not.

It certainly sounded true.

Master Qing Cao had a chain of karma. At least, that was the conclusion that the Tianyuan Megaverse’s powerhouses had reached. Such a thing also fit with the explanation that the Immortal needed Lu Yin’s comprehension of karma to remove the limits imposed upon him by the chain of karma.

Master Qing Cao was far stronger than the High Seraph. There was no contradiction in the High Seraph obeying Master Qing Cao’s orders.

Was this the answer?

"What if I surpass you and kill you before Master Qing Cao removes his karmic limitations? Will you still remain so calm?" Lu Yin asked slowly.

The High Seraph turned to look at Lu Yin. "You are incapable of that."

"You deliberately shared this information with me to prevent me from further cultivating karma. That way, I won’t be able to help Master Qing Cao remove his restrictions and give myself a way out. At the same time, if I don’t cultivate karma, you believe that I won’t be able to surpass you," Lu Yin said.

The High Seraph nodded. "Clever."

The man had originally attacked the Tianyuan Megaverse because Lu Yin had comprehended karma. Without that incident, the High Seraph would have had no intention of resetting the Tianyuan Megaverse anytime soon.

So long as the goal was eventually achieved, the means were irrelevant.

Fear of Master Qing Cao removing his restriction gave Lu Yin no choice but to stop cultivating karma. If he continued and Master Qing Cao succeeded, Lu Yin would die without question. This was an open strategy; the High Seraph had not disobeyed Master Qing Cao’s orders, yet he was still acting against Lu Yin, which accomplished the High Seraph’s personal goal.

"Aren’t you afraid that Master Qing Cao will deal with you? You’re obstructing him," Lu Yin challenged.

The High Seraph calmly replied, "The mentality of Immortals is different from others. They believe in destiny. Regardless of the process, they believe that they can always achieve their goal. You and I are both nothing more than pieces of the journey leading to the goal. We can’t change the result."

"‘They?’" Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed.

The High Seraph smiled at Lu Yin. "I honestly admire you. When your strength fully manifests, it will certainly be a pleasure to fight with you. Unfortunately, that is not a fight that I want to participate in."

Lu Yin silently stared at the High Seraph for a long time before finally turning and walking out of the Apex Palace. Looking up, he said, "While it’s not that big, whatever message I carve here can still spread, right?"

As he spoke, Lu Yin raised a hand to point at the walls of the Apex Palace.

The High Seraph's expression remained calm, but Lan caught sight of Lu Yin’s motions from a distance, and her expression changed drastically. She loudly shouted, "Stop!"

Instantly, the woman appeared in front of Lu Yin, her eyes blazing with bloodlust. "Third Boss, what do you think you're doing?"

"Carving," Lu Yin replied as though it was the most natural answer in the world.

"You dare!?" Lan seethed with fury. She gave off a completely different impression from the tranquil woman who had greeted Lu Yin when he had arrived at the Ascendant Hall.

Lu Yin pointed over at the High Seraph. "He doesn’t care, so who do you think you are?"

The High Seraph smiled and clasped his hands behind his back. "The Apex Palace is the Apex Palace, while the High Seraph is the High Seraph. A High Seraph can be replaced, but the Apex Palace is forever unchanging. She belongs to the Apex Palace."

Lan's eyes flickered with killing intent. "Thirty-six Ascensii!"

Figures began to appear around the three people. Eventually, thirty-six Ortusers appeared, all of whom had cultivated Treasureform sequence particles. They positioned themselves to arrange a spirit treasure formation that instantly surrounded and protected the entire Apex Palace.

Lan stood within the formation, still glaring at Lu Yin. "Third Boss, you are not welcome at the Apex Palace! Leave!"

Lu Yin raised a hand and placed it against the formation. It felt almost exactly like a sourcebox array.

Golden Roc had also cultivated the Treasureform Sequence Technique, and Lu Yin had struggled to break through the bird’s defenses. The formation protecting the Apex Palace far surpassed Golden Roc’s defenses, and it was more than sufficient to withstand a Seraph’s attacks. On top of that, Lan had pulled out the sixth-ranked sequence base, Untamed.

"Woman, it looks like you’re ready to die. Is this really worth getting so worked up for?" Lu Yin teased.

Lan’s eyes remained frigid. "Please leave the Apex Palace."

"Have him drive me away! He invited me here. I haven’t even burned the Seraph knot yet," Lu Yin said as he pointed over at the High Seraph. While Lu Yin was not sure whether the High Seraph had been honest or not, Lu Yin’s instincts told him that something was wrong, though he could not pinpoint exactly what. For that reason, he had decided to test how far he could push the High Seraph.

The water was too muddy, and without disturbing it, it would be impossible to know what was hidden beneath the surface.

The High Seraph could be considered the most powerful cultivator beneath the Immortal realm. He was capable of resetting the Lesser Spirit Megaverse at any moment, and yet he chose not to. The man also spoke of Master Qing Cao without any hint of special respect. Just what was the man really thinking? Lu Yin needed to push the High Seraph into revealing the truth.

All who moved to stand in his way of that goal would die.

Lu Yin felt that his earlier efforts had not been enough.

A loud bang rang out, shaking the Ascendant Hall.

When the dust cleared and the Apex Palace could be seen again, many attendants were already staring in shock.

Far away, Su Shidao’s expression changed.

Are they fighting?

He immediately hurried over.

Lan’s eyes flickered as she stared at the spirit treasure formation in front of her. There were cracks all across it, and the thirty-six Ascensii had all spat out blood.

Lu Yin’s hand had become as black as ink, and he lashed out again. "Out of the way!"

Boom!

The spirit treasure formation shattered entirely this time. Lu Yin had held nothing back in this strike. It was more powerful than anything he had revealed even at the Umbral Deep fight. Instantly, all thirty-six Ascensii were knocked unconscious.

Lan shoved Untamed at Lu Yin, who blocked it with a single palm. The sequence base then expanded, enveloping and protecting the Apex Palace. Sequence particles surged forth, shrouding the sky and blocking the sun.

"Get up!" Lan shouted fiercely.

The thirty-six Ascensii roused themselves and struggled back to their feet. Blood stained their clothes, yet they once again activated their sequence technique, using it in combination with Untamed to hold Lu Yin back.

The High Seraph watched on in silence.

Untamed tried to push Lu Yin away, but he stood his ground, still using just one hand to prevent the sequence base from expanding any further. He released his inner universe, and Infinity swirled around him, boosting his strength as he fought back against Untamed.

The Ascendant Hall trembled.

The Morrow Behemoth’s eye twitched.