Chapter 3625: Keeping One's Word

Lu Yin picked up his wine cup and gave it a gentle swirl. This old man had once tried to use him to learn more about the strange phenomenon on the Day of Offering. Claimed it would come at a cost, but that had just been smoke and mirrors. Nothing but a trick to fool Lu Yin.

Inhaling the wine’s aroma, Lu Yin asked, "Does this wine also come from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse?"

Old Yu shook his head. "Not exactly."

"Do you have any wine from that megaverse? If so, bring some out so that I can try it."

Old Yu grew very serious. "Everything concerning the Nine Odysseys Megaverse is taboo here in the Spirit Nidus. Not even the Seven Seraphs have any right to know of such matters."

To the side, Jiu Xian picked up the gourd of wine that she had carried about for years and loudly slammed it onto the table. "Drink?"

Old Yu’s eyebrows shot up.

Lu Yin was also surprised. "Is this from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse?"

Jiu Xian nodded and smiled. At that moment, she looked quite fetching. "It’s very strong."

Lu Yin glanced at Old Yu, who was staring at Jiu Xian. Lu Yin asked, "Are you able to return to that place often?"

Jiu Xian proudly replied, "This wine gourd is a treasure! It can store what amounts to mountains and seas of wine, so I have enough to last me for a long time."

Lu Yin suddenly laughed. "Let me have a sip."

Jiu Xian just flicked her finger, and a bit of transparent wine flowed out of the gourd in a gentle stream that moved towards Lu Yin. It stopped in front of his face, slowly swirling about.

The setting sun illuminated the wine, causing it to shimmer with a kaleidoscope of colors that was exquisitely beautiful.

Lu Yin took a sip. "Not bad."

"So, Lord Lu, where did you obtain the Nine Heavens Transformation?" Old Yu asked.

Lu Yin looked at the old man. "You just recited something that I already knew, and now you expect me to trade my secret for it? That’s not very fair."

"Then allow this old man to change the subject: how much do you know about the Nine Odysseys Megaverse?" Old Yu retorted.

Lu Yin turned to Jiu Xian. "It's your turn."

Jiu Xian met Lu Yin's eyes. "Don't you already know? The fact that I agreed to come here means that I am also from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. Also, make sure that you remember that it was this old man who first mentioned that name, not me."

Old Yu sighed.

Lu Yin continued to ask, "What is your status in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, and why are you here in the Spirit Nidus? Also, what’s the relationship between the Nine Odysseys Megaverse and the Spirit Nidus?"

Jiu Xian shook her head. "I don't know. Don't ask me about such things. I came here to find Feng Bo. Anything else involving the Spirit Nidus is beyond my scope."

Yet again, Lu Yin returned his attention to Old Yu, who chuckled. "Lord Lu, you certainly understand how to negotiate. You say nothing, yet you expect us to spill everything. There is no honor in what you are doing.

"Instead, why don't we each ask another person a question that they must answer? If one of us is unable to answer, then a different question may be asked. Only, all answers must be honest. What do you say?"

Lu Yin hesitated, so Old Yu continued, "We both have information about the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, while you, Lord Lu, are alone. There's very little that we can learn from you. You won't suffer any loss."

Lu Yin was not afraid of being the one with a disadvantage. After all, he simply had nothing to tell either of the two.

"I'll ask first," Lu Yin finally said.

Old Yu looked at Jiu Xian, and she snorted. "Always trying to seize the advantage. Is this really how you established your foundation in the Tianyuan Megaverse?"

Lu Yin shrugged. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to give you many answers. When it comes to the information we want from each other, I’m clearly at a disadvantage.”

“That’s an advantage,” Old Yu corrected. “What we can offer you far outweighs what you can offer us. That puts you in

the

better position, Lord Lu.”

Lu Yin did not argue. "So, should we start now?"

"Fine, but I’ve already given you the name of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. That counts as one question," Old Yu replied.

Lu Yin laughed. "Old man, you’re also not suffering any losses! Can’t you ease up a bit on your juniors?"

"You clearly have no understanding of respecting your elders."

Lu Yin looked at Jiu Xian. "What about you?"

"I’m fine with it," she nonchalantly replied.

Lu Yin stared at her. "Where is the Nine Odysseys Megaverse?"

Jiu Xian cocked a brow. "Are you really making your first question so tricky?"

"You don’t have to answer. I can ask a different question."

Jiu Xian smiled. "No need. I can tell you."

Old Yu’s eyes flickered as he stared at Jiu Xian, but she was looking at Lu Yin. The woman’s hand rose, and she pointed a finger upwards.

Lu Yin frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It’s over your head."

Lu Yin looked up at the starry expanse up above. "Impossible. I see nothing."

Jiu Xian laughed. "If you could see it, then so could others. How could it remain hidden?"

"How can a megaverse hide within another? There’s no doubt that the Nine Odysseys Megaverse is a megaverse, just like the Spirit Nidus or the Tianyuan Megaverses. How can an entire megaverse be hidden?" Lu Yin remained unconvinced, though he was suddenly reminded of when he had seen the inverted funnels and the gigantic figure.

Jiu Xian offered no further explanation. "I’ve already answered your question. It’s up to you whether you believe it, but I didn’t lie."

Lu Yin glanced at Old Yu, and the old man nodded. "What she said can be considered correct."

Lu Yin once again looked up at the star-filled sky.

"Now it’s my turn," Old Yu stated bluntly. "Lord Lu, where did you learn the Nine Heavens Transformation?"

This was his largest motivation behind asking Lu Yin to have a discussion in the Wisdom Domain. This was critical information.

Jiu Xian was just as curious, and she stared at Lu Yin.

He looked down from the sky to face the two people. "Yu Shan taught me."

Old Yu and Jiu Xian were both caught off guard, and they exchanged glances. Both of them quickly grew more serious. "Lord Lu, we’ve all agreed to the rules. You cannot lie."

"I'm not lying. I really did learn it from Yu Shan," Lu Yin protested.

Old Yu grew upset. "One must split apart the Nine Heavens in order to use the Nine Heavens Transformation. How could Yu Shan have possibly done that for you, given his strength? Do you take me for a fool?"

Lu Yin grew puzzled. "How do you know the Nine Heavens need to be split open to learn the technique?"

During his fight with Emperor Wu, Lu Yin had thrown Old Yu into the spotlight, despite not knowing just how much Old Yu knew about the Nine Heavens Transformation.

"You don’t need to worry about how I know that," Old Yu retorted. "Lord Lu, please answer honestly. I went out of my way to arrange this meeting for you, and you've already obtained the answers that you sought. If you continue to deceive us, you will lose our favor."

Lu Yin sighed. "Then allow me to rephrase it."

He turned to face Old Yu directly. "I learned it from Yu Shan, but when it came to splitting apart the Nine Heavens, it's just a battle technique. I was able to open them myself."

Old Yu stared deeply at Lu Yin, clearly unconvinced.

Jiu Xian lazily commented, "Is there any point in continuing this conversation? If not, I’m leaving."

Old Yu stopped her. "Since Lord Lu is unwilling to answer, I won’t press the matter. I’ll change my question."

"Wait! I already answered and was completely honest. Why should you be allowed to change your question?" Lu Yin refused. He had indeed told the truth. The more that Old Yu and Jiu Xian doubted his answer, the more he wanted to continue the conversation. Clearly, these two knew too much about the Nine Heavens Transformation.

The Nine Heavens Transformation was the High Seraph’s ultimate technique, so how could Old Yu or anyone else know so much about it? Having a bit of knowledge was one thing, but why were these two so certain that it was impossible for someone to split apart the Nine Heavens by themselves? It was as if they had experienced the matter firsthand, which made things highly suspicious.

Does the Nine Heavens Transformation not actually belong to the High Seraph?

Old Yu’s tone dropped low and grew somber, "Lord Lu, this old man has been sincere in his dealings with you, and yet you-"

Lu Yin slammed a hand down onto the table, toppling the cups and causing the wine to spill and drip from the table. "Old man, you dare to claim to have been sincere with me? What about that debt you owe me from the Everstone Discourse?"

Old Yu’s expression shifted. He had absolutely no response for that accusation.

Jiu Xian burst out laughing. She laughed until she was gasping for breath, which caused both of the men to turn and stare at her.

"This is too funny! Old man, your Wisdom Domain has always prided itself on being ahead of the times and having knowledge above all others in the megaverse. You’ve witnessed the rise and fall of the eons. Even when the High Seraph explicitly forbade you from becoming a Seraph, you never lost your composure like this. But now? Are you actually getting mad? Hahaha!" Jiu Xian cackled with delight.

Old Yu was genuinely furious. From the first moment he had spoken with Lu Yin, he had been argued against, and all of his schemes had been countered. He was well aware that Lu Yin was shameless and would lie whenever it suited him, and yet Old Yu found it impossible to expose the deceit. Most frustrating of all was that Lu Yin maintained the high ground through brute force. He was utterly impossible to deal with.

Throughout countless years, the Wisdom Domain had never felt so stifled before.

Being suppressed by a High Seraph was one thing, but for someone like Lu Yin to appear, Old Yu was completely drained. He was struggling just to cope.

"Alright, let’s continue. I’ve actually taken an interest in this now. Seraph Lu, I will admit that you’ve been honest, so ask your question." Jiu Xian was thrilled to see Old Yu suffer, and laughter crinkled her eyes when she looked at Lu Yin.

"Wait a moment. It’s your turn to ask him a question," Old Yu reminded her.

Jiu Xian slapped her forehead. "I forgot! I forgot. This wine has quite the kick."

She set the jug down and then directed a smirk to Lu Yin. "How can I find Feng Bo?"

"Find Yong Heng, and then you’ll be able to learn where Feng Bo is."

Again, Lu Yin was not lying. It was true that finding Yong Heng would expose that Feng Bo had already died. That was still learning of the man’s whereabouts.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Jiu Xian was puzzled by the answer. "Who is Yong Heng?"

Old Yu was about to reply, only to be cut off by Lu Yin. "I’ll answer that question, but if you say a word, old man, this conversation ends here and now."

Old Yu glanced at Jiu Xian before turning back to Lu Yin. “Alright, ask your question.”

Lu Yin stared intently at the old man. “The Wisdom Domain has never actually belonged to the Spirit Nidus, has it?”

He then made a point to add something. “Don’t forget the rules, you have to answer truthfully.”

Old Yu let out a long breath and took a moment to calm himself. The truth was that Jiu Xian’s laughter had helped the old man regain his composure. With the conversation having reached this point, there was no need to hide certain matters. Still, there were some things that he still would not say. “Let’s change the question.”

“Both the High Seraph and your Wisdom Domain belong to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, don’t they?”

Old Yu’s eyes flickered as he stared at Lu Yin, but the old man remained silent.

Lu Yin suddenly laughed and poured himself some wine. “Old man, give a proper answer. I’ll help you get some information from Jiu Xian so that none of us lose out. What do you say?”

Jiu Xian was taken aback. “What do I have to do with any of this?”

Lu Yin remained focused on Old Yu.

The old man glanced at Jiu Xian, and then he nodded. “Very well, I’ll answer: the High Seraph belongs to the Spirit Nidus, but my Wisdom Domain does not.”

Lu Yin understood. He turned to look at Jiu Xian. “When you came to the Spirit Nidus, aside from searching for Feng Bo, did you have any other objectives?”

Old Yu turned to face Jiu Xian. He was particularly concerned about this answer. Finally, Lu Yin had followed through on his word, and he had not deceived the old man. This was the exact question that Old Yu had wanted to ask.

Jiu Xian barked a derisive laugh. “Are two grown men going to gang up on a little lady?”

“Please give an honest answer. Don’t forget the rules,” Lu Yin reminded her.

Old Yu coughed lightly and added, “You need to keep your word.”

Jiu Xian gave in, and said, “Retribution has returned to me so quickly.”

It did not matter if she answered this question or not, but if she did answer, she had to be honest. If she refused to answer, it would be like someone covering their own ears while stealing a bell.

“None.”

Old Yu’s eyes bulged. “Impossible!”

Jiu Xian shot a reproachful glare at Old Yu. “What does that mean? Are you trying to say that I’m lying?”

Old Yu focused intently on Jiu Xian. “How could you possibly not have any other motives?”

Lu Yin frowned. “Old man, why don’t you trust anyone? Look at you. How is this my fault? You’re the one overthinking everything and making up your own answers.”

Old Yu glanced first at Jiu Xian, and then at Lu Yin. He could not help but feel as if he had been played for a fool.