Chapter 3598: A Strange Scene

It was at this moment that Jiu Xian arrived, still in a seemingly drunken haze. Lan frowned at the woman, but she still stepped forward and offered a respectful bow. "Lan greets Jiu Xian."

Jiu Xian burped as she turned to smile at Lan. "Sorry, I’m late."

She then looked around and saw Lu Yin and the others, whom she greeted. "Old Zhan Ming, you're still alive? I remember that, when I was in the Consciousness Megaverse, I heard that you were dead. What a pity."

She then looked at Meng Sang. "Meng Sang? They said that you went missing, but you’re also not dead. That’s even more of a pity."

Finally, she turned to Lu Yin. "And you’re the biggest pity of all. Why didn’t you die with Lí?"

Lu Yin met the woman’s gaze. "We’ll talk after the Day of Offering."

Zhan Ming, Lan, and even Su Shidao were all puzzled by that comment. What could Lu Yin want to talk about with Jiu Xian? She was practically the definition of someone who did not care about worldly affairs. All that was off about her was her rather dark sense of humor.

Jiu Xian burped again as she repeatedly waved a hand. "Don’t bother me. I really don’t know you."

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Emperor Wu arrived, and he towered over everyone, his very presence oppressive. His arrival meant that all Seven Seraphs had gathered. Lan led them away, but they did not move towards the Apex Palace. Instead, they approached the edge of the Ascendant Hall.

They reached a location that offered an open view of the starry sky. If they took just one more step forward, they would leave the Ascendant Hall.

The High Seraph was already there, waiting. He stood with his back to everyone.

The Seven Seraphs had arrived.

The High Seraph spoke. "The Day of Offering marks the end of a cycle for the Spirit Nidus. On this day, attitude is far more important than propriety. Last time, the ceremony was conducted in the Lushan Domain, but with all Seven Seraphs present, we have moved it here, to the Ascendant Hall."

He looked up, staring into the depths of outer space. "The ceremony will commence in half an hour."

Half an hour was a very short amount of time.

Very rarely throughout the history of the Spirit Nidus had the High Seraph and the Seven Seraphs all gathered together. In fact, almost every time they had, it had been for the Day of Offering.

At this moment, the entire Spirit Nidus fell silent. Countless cultivators were facing the Ascendant Hall’s direction. Some muttered to themselves, while others bowed reverently. Each person had their own way of expressing their devotion.

At this moment, aboard

Boundless

, Jiang Qi was wrapped in his blanket, and his trembling grew worse and worse until he was shivering violently.

The Day of Offering was extremely important to the Spirit Nidus, and yet only eight people participated in the ceremony. Those eight people represented the entire Spirit Nidus.

Soon, half an hour passed. The High Seraph raised a hand, and his index finger lightly pressed against the void.

Spaced acted like a smooth glass mirror. At this moment, both time and space froze entirely, and the only sign of movement was the High Seraph’s voice, which rang out, "Tie the Seraph knot!"

Simultaneously, the High Seraph and the Seven Seraphs all started to move, and each person used their own powers to tie a Seraph knot over their heads. While only one knot was tied, it gathered the power of eight of the most powerful cultivators in the entire megaverse.

"The Seraph knot is complete! The offering—"

The Seraph knot flew out into space, where it slowly ignited. Its flames illuminated the entire Spirit Nidus, the light reaching every corner.

All cultivators in the Spirit Nidus saw the burst of flame and dropped to their knees as one, chanting, "The offering."

"The offering."

"The offering..."

"Heart aligned with the circle, the spirit character spanning the heavens, an offering to the great Dao..." The High Seraph's voice spread across the entire Spirit Nidus.

Lu Yin stared at the man’s back. If Hu Wu and Tian Ya were present, would they attack the High Seraph at this moment? The truth was that Lu Yin also felt an urge to attack the man, but the more he understood the High Seraph's strength, the more that Lu Yin understood the gap between them. A sneak attack would be meaningless. If a sneak attack could severely injure the High Seraph, it meant that the attacker was strong enough to directly fight the High Seraph.

Clearly, Lu Yin was still a little short of that.

However, if the Seven Seraphs worked together, they might have a chance.

Emperor Wu, Jiu Xian, and all of the others stared at the High Seraph's back. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking.

Most of the Seraphs had participated in the Day of Offering more than once.

Yuan Qi was the one experiencing the strongest emotions at this moment. His last time participating in this ceremony had been a long, long time ago. He had once thought that he would never participate in it again.

The last Day of Offering had been held in the Lushan Domain, and that reminded Yuan Qi of his home, though he felt no nostalgia. Enough time could wash away everything.

When the Seraph knot was completely incinerated, the thirty-six domains trembled.

Emperor Wu and the others' expressions froze. It was finally time.

For the Seven Seraphs, the part of the Day of Offering that they were most eager to see was when the strange scene occurred. Whether or not they could witness that sight depended on the burning of the Seraph knot.

Most of the Seraphs had participated in the Day of Offering many times before, only to be disappointed each time. Would they succeed this time?

At this moment, even Su Shidao was getting excited.

Yuan Qi's breathing grew a bit ragged.

Lu Yin stared out into space.

A strange scene? What could it be?

Right as the thought occurred to him, his eyes bulged, due to the incredible sight before his eyes.

The Spirit Nidus consisted of thirty-six domains that were connected with spirit threads to form the spirit character (灵). At this moment, that character seemed to come to life, and it slowly rose up. It was not the spirit threads rising, nor the thirty-six domains themselves. In fact, everything seemed normal on the surface, but the “灵” character itself was rising. As that happened, seven massive funnels appeared in seven different locations throughout the Spirit Nidus. Those funnels did not descend downwards like normal funnels; instead, they extended upwards. The bottoms faced the deep expanse of outer space, making it look as though the entire megaverse had been flipped upside down.

Lu Yin's eyes flickered as he stared at the scene before him. The seven funnels were located precisely above the seven lands of karma that he had seen before.

The funnels were draining something away. Lu Yin stared and saw that they were absorbing something and pulling it upwards, where a liquid oozed out. The droplets formed massive bubbles, rising slowly into the void.

Compared to the entire megaverse, the seven funnels were tiny. However, if they were compared to humans or even to the thirty-six domains, the funnels were enormous. They split the entire Spirit Nidus into seven sections. The "灵" character rose up again, and it was soon followed by another "灵" character. They rose up continuously, with each character shrinking slightly as they ascended. As the characters rose up, the liquid in the inverted funnels also rose, moving in sync with them.

The spirit character and the liquid in the seven funnels both moved upwards into the empty space. From Lu Yin's perspective, it appeared as though the multiple characters formed a continuous triangular path stretching endlessly upwards.

Throughout the entire process, Lu Yin stared blankly. What was he seeing? None of it made any sense to him.

Beside him, Yuan Qi was observing Lu Yin. The young man’s unusual expression was readily apparent, and Yuan Qi let out a long breath. As expected, only Lu Yin could see the strange scene.

Among the Seven Seraphs, the one who witnessed the strange scene would be chosen as the next High Seraph.

During their generation, the current High Seraph and the Old Man Under the Stars had seen the strange scene simultaneously. The result was that the Old Man Under the Stars perished, while the High Seraph ascended to supremacy.

At the moment, Lu Yin was fully immersed in the strange scene, unaware that Yuan Qi was studying him intently.

Soon, Su Shidao also glanced at Lu Yin, followed by Emperor Wu, Zhan Ming, and the others. One by one, all their gazes landed on him. His abnormal reaction at this precise moment made the rest of the Seraphs uneasy.

For the first time, an outsider had witnessed the Day of Offering’s strange scene.

The High Seraph continued to face away from the Seven Seraphs. He did not even need to look, as he already knew that Lu Yin was the only one among the Seraphs able to witness the strange scene.

What would he make of it?

Even Lu Yin himself had no idea what to think. He couldn’t even make sense of what he had just witnessed.

There was the "灵" character that was formed by the thirty-six domains, and the seven funnels scattered across Spirit Nidus corresponded exactly to the seven lands of karma. Lu Yin was instantly reminded of the strange sight that he had seen in the Consciousness Domain when wielding Wu Wei’s Heaven’s Blade.

His gaze sharpened.

Is there... another megaverse hidden within this one?

The "灵" character and the rising liquid both ascended into the unknown, vanishing beyond sight.

Then, an earth-shattering rumble erupted in his ears. The rising "灵" character and the seven funnels suddenly shattered, dissolving into clouds of smoke that blanketed the entire Spirit Nidus. Once again, Lu Yin alone bore witness to this. None of the other Seraphs saw a thing.

As the smoke cleared, a streak of green light pierced through the darkness, sweeping across the entire Spirit Nidus and illuminating every corner of the megaverse.

It was blindingly clear, unmistakably bright, and yet no one else seemed to see it.

Lu Yin stood there, frozen, staring upwards.

Within that vast expanse of green light, an enormous figure took shape. Wrapped entirely in radiance, it slowly rose, stretching as though it had just awakened from a deep slumber.

The sheer size of this being encompassed the entire megaverse, and yet its features remained indistinct.

All Lu Yin could discern was the swirling emerald glow.

Then, in an instant, the green light condensed—transforming into razor-sharp blades that slashed toward him.

Lu Yin’s pupils constricted. He moved instinctively, barely dodging. The green blades brushed past him... only to vanish without a trace.

And just like that, it was over.

The smoke, the green glow, the colossal figure—all of it vanished. Even the blades had ceased to exist.

The only proof that anything had happened was that Lu Yin had shifted from his previous position. He was the only one who had moved.

The High Seraph finally turned, his gaze locking onto Lu Yin.

One by one, the other Seraphs followed suit, their expressions shifting. Even a fool could tell that Lu Yin had seen something.

Lu Yin lifted his gaze to the sky. Nothing.

It was as if none of it had ever happened, as if everything had been an illusion. But was it truly just an illusion?

The instant the green blade shot toward him, his scalp tingled, his body frozen by an unfamiliar fear. It was suffocating, an absolute and overwhelming helplessness.

Even more helpless than when he had faced the High Seraph by himself.

He had not avoided the blade. It had simply vanished on its own.

The most unsettling part was not the scale of what he had witnessed but rather that no one else had seen it.

In the entire Spirit Nidus, perhaps only two people had seen it—him and the High Seraph.

Lu Yin felt as though he had just glimpsed something unnatural, something beyond reality.

He had always been able to perceive what others could not. Karma itself was laid bare before him, a power that had given him an unshakable sense of superiority.

And yet, at this moment, he wished that he had never seen it. That strange sight. That god-like being.

He was the ruler of the Tianyuan Megaverse, a man who had once confronted Master Qing Cao without flinching. But in this moment, he had glimpsed something else entirely. That figure’s presence was beyond comprehension, and it felt less like a being and more like an illusion of the divine.

What was it?

"Hey, you saw it, didn’t you?" Jiu Xian blinked while staring at Lu Yin.

Emperor Wu, Zhan Ming, and everyone else was also staring intently at Lu Yin.

His expression slowly returned to normal as he tried to shake off his feeling of unease. "No."

The hoarseness of his voice betrayed how unsettled he was.

Jiu Xian rolled her eyes. "If you saw it, then you saw it. Why lie?"

"Congratulations, Seraph Lu." Zhan Ming congratulated the young man, though his expression seemed off.

No matter how deep the Seraph’s schemes might be, none could accept the fact that an outsider like Lu Yin had witnessed the Spirit Nidus’s strange scene. Could an outsider really be the next High Seraph?

Emperor Wu turned around and prepared to leave. He intended to resume preparations for the battle at the source of the Fu River, as he only had half a year left.

The High Seraph suddenly spoke up. "There is an announcement."

Everyone turned to look at the man as his eyes swept over the Seven Seraphs. He calmly stated, "When Emperor Wu and Jiu Xian returned from the Consciousness Megaverse, they brought back one of the Thirteen Luminaries, whom they captured, Ye Meng. Ye Meng has already revealed the location of the Willbound Expanse."