Chapter 3651: Take A Look At Where We Are

Jiu Xian’s reaction gave Old Yu a headache. "I understand, but you can’t meet with him just yet. Wait until he leaves the Wisdom Domain."

Jiu Xian glared at Old Yu. "You're purposefully trying to make things difficult for me!"

Old Yu helplessly replied, "It’s you who is making trouble for the Wisdom Domain."

Jiu Xian clenched a fist and put away her gourd of wine, preparing to force her way in. In an instant, Old Yu’s demeanor changed entirely. "As long as I’m here, you can’t enter."

Jiu Xian’s eyes flickered. Finally, her wine gourd reappeared. "Fine! Then I’ll wait right here! Let’s see how long you can stop me for."

Old Yu was growing increasingly frustrated. He needed to contact his master and discuss Yong Heng’s demands, but if he left, Jiu Xian would force her way into the Wisdom Domain. If that happened, then regardless of whether she managed to speak with Yong Heng, it would still destroy the domain’s reputation that had been built up over the course of countless years. On top of that, if Yong Heng was pushed too far, he might actually hang around in the Wisdom Domain. Even if the High Seraph was summoned to deal with Yong Heng, the result would be the destruction of the Wisdom Domain.

Besides, who knew how someone like Yong Heng might react?

Old Yu did not want to become Lu Yin’s enemy, but he also did not want to become Yong Heng’s enemy.

The old man was aware of what Aeternus had done in the Tianyuan Megaverse. In some ways, Yong Heng was an even greater danger than Lu Yin.

That said, Yong Heng was still considered an ally of the Spirit Nidus.

The situation had become extremely awkward for Old Yu. He needed to speak to his master to receive a decision on whether or not he should cooperate with Yong Heng. After receiving an answer, Old Yu could finally relax. However, he could not leave the border as long as Jiu Xian was here and refusing to leave. If she forced her way in, Yong Heng would never leave.

How did things become such a mess?

Even the smartest person would face a conundrum when dealing with shameless people.

The stalemate continued for half a month. For that entire time, Old Yu blocked Jiu Xian from entering the Wisdom Domain. No matter what was said, Jiu Xian still refused to leave. She simply stared at the reeds in the lake, where Yong Heng was relaxing. He drifted about the lake on a small boat, enjoying the glow of the sunset, looking completely unbothered.

No one reported the situation to the High Seraph, seemingly by mutual agreement.

Meanwhile, in the Southern Wandering Realm, Lu Yin was even more relaxed. Qing Yun’s hand was fair and soft while Qing Xiao’s tea and snacks were perfect. It was a truly enjoyable situation.

One day, someone arrived in the Southern Wandering Realm, looking for Lu Yin.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The person was a young woman with a cute and charming appearance. She looked innocent and naive, yet she was also surprisingly powerful as a Spirit Ancestor.

For someone so young to possess such impressive cultivation, this woman would be considered one of the greatest geniuses in the entire Spirit Nidus. Even so, Qing Yun, Qing Xiao, and Lu Yin did not recognize the visitor.

“I am Ge Yao,” the young woman announced as she bowed to Lu Yin, her eyes shining. “Greetings, Lord Lu.”

Lu Yin observed the young woman. “Ge Yao? A pleasant name. Why have you come to see me?”

Ge Yao’s tone remained very respectful. “I come from Heavenspire, and I am here on their behalf to invite Lord Lu to have a talk.”

Lu Yin was surprised. “Is Heavenspire inviting me?”

“Yes.”

Lu Yin blinked. “Has the High Seraph agreed to this?”

It was clear that this woman was not from Heavenspire. She was merely using that pretext as an excuse to lure Lu Yin to the Morrow Behemoth’s hand.

Before Emperor Wu’s death, Lu Yin might have gone and investigated things, but he would no longer go. He suspected that there was most likely a path to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse in the Morrow Behemoth’s hand.

Because of what had happened to the River Domain, the High Seraph would not personally intervene, but he would definitely use other means to keep Lu Yin from going. On top of that, Lu Yin himself had no desire to go.

No one was aware that Emperor Wu had sent Lu Yin a jade slip or that Xie Jiang had witnessed what had happened to the River Domain and then informed Lu Yin of the matter.

Ge Yao was most likely one of Xing Fan’s representatives.

She smiled. “Of course the High Seraph has agreed to this. Lord Lu is without equal in the megaverse. Heavenspire has had some minor misunderstandings with you in the past, and we hope to resolve them.”

Lu Yin looked puzzled. “I’ve heard that no outsiders have ever entered Heavenspire.”

“You are no ordinary person, Lord Lu.” Ge Yao was well-spoken, and her smile was quite fetching, though it felt unnatural to Qing Yun, and she trusted her instincts. This girl might look innocent, but she gave off a feeling of indifference, or rather, condescension.

While she acted openly respectful towards Lu Yin, her behavior seemed more like a calculated facade.

Lu Yin tapped a finger on the arm of his recliner, rocking slightly. He opened his mouth, causing Qing Yun to purse her lips before feeding him a small snack.

Ge Yao watched, a bright smile on her face, not showing the smallest hint of surprise.

She was well aware of Lu Yin’s determination to visit Heavenspire, and believed that she would not encounter any difficulties during this visit.

“I’m not going,” Lu Yin said while still chewing.

Ge Yao was briefly stunned, and her smiling face quickly fell, though the slip only lasted for an instant. She recovered, her reaction so slight as to almost be unnoticeable. Still, she did not hide her confusion. “Why not? You don’t want to visit Heavenspire? Or have you somehow become upset with Heavenspire?”

Lu Yin shook his head. “Neither. The thing is, I simply

can’t

go.”

This made no sense to Ge Yao. “Why not?”

Lu Yin gestured at their surroundings, a frustrated expression on his face. “Take a look at where we are.”

Ge Yao looked around. “A valley?”

“Jiu Xian’s valley,” Lu Yin reminded.

Ge Yao was still confused. “What does this have to do with Jiu Xian?”

Lu Yin explained, “Jiu Xian told me not to leave this valley for now. I need to stay here until the day the invasion of the Consciousness Megaverse is launched.”

A cold glint flitted across Ge Yao’s eyes. “Jiu Xian told you that?”

“Go ask her yourself,” Lu Yin replied. “Oh, but don’t tell her that you heard it from me. She forbade me from telling anyone and was quite cryptic about the whole thing. In fact, this is just how I interpreted what she told me. I actually don’t even know if I’m right.”

Ge Yao said, “Lord Lu, why would you need to listen to Jiu Xian? She’s not even close to being your match.”

Lu Yin waved his hand dismissively. “This isn’t a matter of strength, but rather a polite agreement. Jiu Xian is helping me search for Yong Heng. Actually, are you familiar with Yong Heng? He’s my arch-enemy from the Tianyuan Megaverse. I haven’t been able to find him on my own, so Jiu Xian is helping me. In return, I’m staying here. Neither of us will break this agreement, and it doesn’t really matter since the expedition to the Consciousness Megaverse will leave soon. I might as well relax until then. See, these two are Jiu Xian’s juniors, and they’ve been taking care of me while I’m here.”

Qing Xiao was stunned. Something about what Lu Yin had said felt off. The more Qing Xiao heard, the more it sounded like Jiu Xian was being used.

“Um—” Qing Xiao started to speak up.

Lu Yin’s hand shot up and smacked the back of Qing Xiao’s head. “No sense of propriety! Can’t you see that the young lady doesn’t even have a chair? Is this how Jiu Xian treats her guests?”

Qing Xiao was left dazed by the blow.

Qing Yun was instantly enraged, which caused her physique to quickly become more easily discerned.

Ge Yao quickly spoke up, saying, “There’s no need for a chair. Since Lord Lu has already spoken, I’ll take my leave.”

Lu Yin grunted. “Jiu Xian has been remiss in her hospitality, letting you come all this way. When you go back, please deliver this message for me: I will be sure to visit Heavenspire.”

“In that case, I’ll be on my way.” Ge Yao bowed low and left without so much as glancing at Qing Xiao or his sister.

Once the woman was gone, Qing Xiao resentfully muttered, “When did Jiu Xian ever tell you that you can’t leave the valley? You’re the one who refuses to leave.”

Lu Yin rolled his eyes. “People like to say the opposite of what they actually mean. It’s called being subtle. You really have no emotional intelligence. How could you not pick that up?”

Qing Xiao gaped. This man was completely shameless.

Qing Yun was also quite furious at this moment, but her anger only made Lu Yin happier. Right, he also needed to do some physical exercise by removing some bricks. “You two, leave for now. Don’t disturb my seclusion while I train.”

Elsewhere, someone arrived outside the Wisdom Domain. It was the same sequence powerhouse who had spoken with the High Seraph in the Ascendant Hall regarding the River Domain.

Sequence powerhouses were all well known experts, even in the Spirit Nidus. Reaching that level meant being qualified to become the ruler of an entire domain. Old Yu was acquainted with nearly all such experts, but he did not recognize his visitor.

The person arrived at the Wisdom Domain’s border and saw Old Yu blocking Jiu Xian. The newcomer merely glanced at the two before carelessly turning to look at the reeds on the lake.

The expressions of both Old Yu and Jiu Xian instantly fell. A mere sequence powerhouse had the gall to ignore them.

They both wanted to strike the stranger down, and Old Yu and Jiu Xian were both on edge after confronting each other for so long. Still, they restrained themselves. For some reason, this person made them feel slightly wary, and they also seemed vaguely familiar.

"Let’s talk," the newcomer stated as he peered into the Wisdom Domain.

A voice rang out from among the reeds as Yong Heng replied, "Very well."

The newcomer entered the Wisdom Domain without so much as looking to Old Yu for permission.

The ruler of the domain just watched and did nothing, doubt and uncertainty clearly displayed on his face.

This feeling... is that someone from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse? Who could it be?

Jiu Xian's expression grew cold. "Old man, you're not stopping him?"

Old Yu quietly replied. "You should be able to see it too. There’s something unusual about him."

"This is the Wisdom Domain, and yet you’re letting some outsider barge in without your approval? Don’t you care about your domain’s reputation?"

"I did give my approval."

For a moment, Jiu Xian had nothing to say.

The man entered the Wisdom Domain and stepped onto the small boat drifting among the reeds on the lake, facing Yong Heng. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Yue Ya.”

Yong Heng’s fingers twitched, and surprise flickered across his face as he looked at the man. A never-before-seen seriousness and caution appeared in his eyes. “One of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s Lesser Sancti: Yue Ya.”

“Oh? You’re well-informed regarding the Nine Odysseys Megaverse,” Yue Ya commented in a low voice while calmly studying Yong Heng.

True God’s expression grew increasingly solemn. “For one of the exalted Lesser Sancti to come speak with me, what business might you have?”

“Why did Old Salamander attack Emperor Wu?”

Yong Heng gave a direct answer. “Someone provided me with Emperor Wu’s whereabouts.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.”

“It was the High Seraph, wasn’t it?”

“You’re welcome to ask him yourself.”

“I already did, and he told me to speak with you.”

Yong Heng laughed. “He wants to use your hand to strike at me.”

The other man agreed. “That is indeed his goal, but he’s too foolish. There’s no need for me to strike you. Since Emperor Wu was able to work for me, then so can you.”

Yong Heng looked puzzled. “How would I work for you?”

“Are you interested in the Nine Heavens Transformation?” Yue Ya asked.

Yong Heng’s expression grew serious. “Naturally. Mastering the Nine Heavens Transformation would give me the strength I need to challenge the High Seraph.”

The other man smiled. “Emperor Wu felt the same way, but he rushed too much. The Nine Heavens Transformation is not enough to defeat the High Seraph, and there is no need to rush. Take your time. I will see to it that you replace the High Seraph. Losing the Tianyuan Megaverse for me to give you the Spirit Nidus is not a loss for you.”

“What do you need in exchange?” Yong Heng asked, clearly tempted.

“Take Lu Yin to the Morrow Behemoth’s hand.”

“Why?”

“You don’t need to know why. Just take him there, and I will give you the Nine Heavens Transformation. The Spirit Nidus can also be yours. I will deliver all that I promise to you. Not even the High Seraph can stop this.”

Yong Heng took a moment to consider the proposition, but then he shook his head. “You’re too late.”

Yue Ya grew puzzled. “What does that mean?”

Yong Heng gestured around them. “Take a look at where we are.”

The man glanced around. “The Wisdom Domain.”

“Old Yu told me not to leave.”

The man reflexively looked back at Old Yu, who was still blocking Jiu Xian from entering the Wisdom Domain.

“Ever since I arrived here, he’s helped me by keeping Jiu Xian at bay. She’s been looking for me for quite some time, though I don’t know why. As for Lu Yin, there’s nothing I can do about him, especially since my strength fell so much in the Tianyuan Megaverse. Fortunately, Old Yu has agreed to help me. You can give me the Nine Heavens Transformation, while he can give me a place when a megaverse is reset,” Yong Heng explained.

The newcomer's expression fell, and he turned and approached Old Yu.

Yong Heng watched the man leave, a smile toying at his lips.

Yue Ya, Xing Fan, and the High Seraph... Things are so interesting, and it’s only getting started.