Chapter 3810: Speculation

Ming Xiaolong suddenly remembered that Lu Yin was from one of the three lower megaverses. Her master had mentioned that before. She exclaimed in surprise, “How are you keeping your aura as a foreigner hidden?”

Lu Yin smiled at her. “Do you want me to teach you?”

Ming Xiaolong had no interest in that. “Unnecessary.”

Lu Yin’s expression turned serious. “It would be best if you learned it. If you don’t, then if a day comes when the Nine Odysseys Megaverse is destroyed, you’ll have a very difficult time escaping to another megaverse and staying undetected.”

Ming Xiaolong instantly became enraged. She wanted to curse Lu Yin, but she had been raised to not behave like that. All she would allow herself to do was mutter “little thief” before storming off in a huff.

Lu Yin chuckled as he watched Ming Xiaolong leave. It would be best if she did not bother him.

While he had not yet learned the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s written language, it was easy to do so. He mastered it without any difficulty.

For the next few days, Lu Yin immersed himself in the Everchange Valley’s history.

He still did not understand what the Heaven and Earth Phenomena realm was; there was no mention of the Heaven and Earth Aura in the sect’s archives. That was precisely why Ming Xiaolong had no qualms about leaving Lu Yin alone. Still, he managed to gain a rough understanding of what he needed to know.

The Everchange Valley boasted a history so long that no one knew just how long it had existed for. The span of time simply could not be measured. This was no different from the current Greater Sancti—Blood Tower, Awe Gate, and Green Lotus—no one knew when the Immortals had been born. They were Immortals, and their lives were eternal. They had lived since eras so ancient that even the legends had been lost to history.

While it was impossible to know how old the Everchange Valley was, there was something interesting that Lu Yin discovered: before Xing Fan had gone into seclusion within the sect’s territory, the Everchange Valley had been giving rise to Heaven and Earth Phenomena realm masters. It was only after Xing Fan left her seclusion that the Everchange Valley had no longer been able to produce such experts.

That was the first point of interest.

Second, whenever the Everchange Valley produced a Heaven and Earth Phenomena master, the sect’s status had risen to become unmatched. From the ancient records, it was clear that, in each generation that the Everchange Valley had produced a Heaven and Earth Phenomena master, the sect had been beyond domineering. In fact, it could have easily been described as outright arrogant.

Third, and this nearly confirmed Lu Yin’s suspicions, was that there had been absolutely no traces left behind by any generation’s Heaven and Earth Phenomena masters. All that was recorded down was those experts’ mere existence. Simply knowing that such a person had existed had been enough to deter all other organizations from antagonizing the Everchange Valley. There was not a single record of what those masters had done or experienced.

Even the Everchange Valley itself had nothing but questions regarding the records of the previous generations’ Heaven and Earth Phenomena masters.

Why were there any questions?

If Lu Yin’s suspicions were correct, then the reason why the Heaven and Earth Phenomena masters had been so highly respected yet also publicly unknown was not because of what they had done in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, but rather because of the Spirit Nidus.

Before Xing Fan had gone into seclusion in the Everchange Valley, it was the Heaven and Earth Phenomena masters who had orchestrated the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s harvesting of the Spirit Nidus’s resources. They had overseen the creation of spirit threads and operated the spirit character that formed the Spirit Nidus with the seven funnels.

Lu Yin lowered another beast bone. If his conjectures were correct, then Xing Fan’s rise to power had effectively prevented the Everchange Valley from producing another Heaven and Earth Phenomena master. Did the Everchange Valley not understand this? Could Wan Lou not know? These were not foolish people, and they had to have guessed something. It was possible that only one Heaven and Earth Phenomena master could appear at a time, or perhaps there were specific conditions that only allowed a single person to control the spirit threads. Thus, as soon as Xing Fan obtained that power, the Everchange Valley’s era of producing Heaven and Earth Phenomena masters had ended.

If that was true, then the Everchange Valley had every reason to feel offended. They had been robbed of their legacy by Xing Fan, and yet they did not dare to retaliate, as Xing Fan was a Lesser Sancte. The Everchange Valley could not afford to offend such a powerhouse, and they even needed to rely on Xing Fan’s title for protection.

It was not difficult to reach the conclusion that, if not for Xing Fan, the Everchange Valley most likely would have continued to produce Heaven and Earth Phenomena masters. If that had happened, would the Autumnspring Slip have ever dared to treat the Everchange Valley as they had?

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. Was it possible that the Autumnspring Slip not only coveted the Everchange Valley’s network of connections that they had built up over the years through their mastery of the Heaven and Earth Aura, but that they also intended to seize the Heaven and Earth Phenomena? If the Autumnspring Slip could seize that position and produce their own Heaven and Earth Phenomena master, then they would be able to cooperate with the Nine Odysseys Megaverse itself and harvest the Spirit Nidus for resources. It would completely reverse the two sects’ fortunes.

Forget the Sixth Night Pillar and the Everchange Valley—no one would dare to attempt to do anything against the Autumnspring Slip then.

Lu Yin frowned. He had no idea if his suspicions were accurate.

If there could only be one Heaven and Earth Phenomena at a time, was the Autumnspring Slip aware of that detail? If they were, then how could they hope to produce a Heaven and Earth Phenomena master while Xing Fan still lived?

Lu Yin exhaled. While there were not many truly powerful organizations in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, to the point where they could be counted on his fingers, their relationships were extremely complicated.

Lu Yin returned to the ravine and stared up at the sky. There was a method that would allow him to determine if his conclusions were correct: comprehend the Heaven and Earth Phenomena realm. He would see for himself if it was possible for another Heaven and Earth Phenomena master to appear and if such a person could harvest the Spirit Nidus.

However, that would not be easy to accomplish. It was clear that Ming Xiaolong did not trust Lu Yin. He had already investigated the sect’s history, and if he also started investigating the Heaven and Earth Phenomena realm, the woman would divulge nothing at all.

There was no rush. While he traveled to Ridgeplain, as long as he took Ming Xiaolong along, there would eventually be an opportunity for Lu Yin to extract some information from the woman.

A month had passed since Lu Yin had arrived in the Everchange Valley.

He stepped out of the ravine and started moving towards Ridgeplain.

Ming Xiaolong’s expression fell. That woman still had not left yet, and Ming Xiaolong wanted to stall for a while longer.

Lu Yin noticed the woman’s hesitation. This was actually perfect. Since she wanted to stall, he could simply question her as they traveled.

“Let’s go to Ridgeplain.”

Elder Le also came out with Shui Su in tow.

As soon as she heard that their destination was Ridgeplain, Shui Su’s eyes lit up. “Ridgeplain? The Worldscript? Are you going there too? Let’s go together!”

Lu Yin glanced over at the woman. “I only agreed to bring you to the Everchange Valley. You’re on your own from here.”

Shui Su lowered her voice. “I also want to go to Ridgeplain. Since all of you are going, we might as well travel together.”

Wan Lou then arrived, a grim expression on his face. He glanced at Ming Xiaolong, and then at Lu Yin. “Mr. Lu, do you still intend to go to Ridgeplain?”

Lu Yin nodded. “Since I’ve promised to do so, then of course I’m going.”

Wan Lou protested in a low voice, “I have already explained the situation to you. Why do you insist on forcing my Everchange Valley into a difficult position?”

Ming Xiaolong moved to stand in front of Lu Yin, and she glared at Wan Lou. “Are you worried about embarrassing the Everchange Valley or about embarrassing yourself, ‘Valley Master?’”

Wan Lou was completely helpless. “Xiaolong, the situation is complicated. Things can’t be fully explained in just a few words.”

“Then don’t explain. We’re going to Ridgeplain,” Ming Xiaolong stubbornly declared.

Wan Lou looked at Lu Yin and pulled out five karmic buds from his cosmic ring. “Mr. Lu, if you promise not to interfere with the Autumnspring Slip, these karmic buds will be given to you. Consider them compensation.”

Lu Yin’s eyes lit up.

Five karmic buds? This Everchange Valley has a truly impressive foundation

.

Ming Xiaolong frowned. “Wan Lou, what are you trying to do?”

“Xiaolong, this is for your own good. If it was easy to bring Xiaochou back, I wouldn’t stop you. But you can’t!” Wan Lou snapped, a rare spike of anger appearing as he shouted at Ming Xiaolong.

The woman blanched as her own fury flared.

Elder Le ducked his head. He was the one who had suggested to Wan Lou that the Everchange Valley offer Lu Yin the karmic buds. This was not because Elder Le did not want Xiaochou rescued, but rather because it was impossible to succeed.

Elder Le was aware of the Valley Master’s lost wager. If even the Valley Master had lost, then what could Lu Yin do, even if his strength did surpass Wan Lou’s? Was the man seriously going to destroy the Autumnspring Slip?

The only thing that could stop Lu Yin from taking action was temptation.

Everyone looked at Lu Yin, waiting for his decision.

Shui Su’s face grew pale. She could already sense that this guy was going to make trouble for the Autumnspring Slip. The more she heard what was being said around her, the more wrong the situation felt. No, she could not travel with Lu Yin. Doing so would land Shui Su in a great deal of trouble.

Wan Lou stared at Lu Yin with growing intensity. It had taken many years for the Everchange Valley to gather five karmic buds. In fact, each of the megaverse’s major powers had been stockpiling karmic buds for many years, with the intention of eventually sending a suitable disciple to the Sea of Karma to face Green Lotus’s trials. While five karmic buds might not sound like many, it was actually quite the substantial collection. Even places like the Four Commands Sword Sect or Ruler Garden might struggle to bring out one or two. Karmic buds were more often used or traded away.

If someone managed to collect all the karmic buds that were scattered across the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, there would be a staggering number of them. However, when they were scattered, they became quite scarce. The Nine Odysseys Megaverse was a massive place. In addition to the major powers, there were countless clans, independent cultivators, and even a few academies scattered about.

Wan Lou was certain that, aside from himself, almost no one else could produce five karmic buds at once. This should be more than a sufficient temptation.

The Valley Master focused solely on Lu Yin, and he was thus unaware of the mocking expression on Ming Xiaolong’s face.

Nothing can change this! Master’s condition for this little thief is to complete our requests. Only by doing that can he become Master’s disciple. That is the greatest honor possible, and no amount of karmic buds can compare to that

.

Sure enough, Lu Yin refused. “Some promises need to be kept, Valley Master Wan. I’m not one to meddle in others’ affairs. If it were possible to avoid doing so, I would, but I can’t change this.”

He then turned to look at Ming Xiaolong. “I want those five karmic buds very much.”

Ming Xiaolong was taken aback. She had fully expected Lu Yin to refuse Wan Lou’s offer, but why was he saying this?

“Why do you need karmic buds? They’re just tickets for a chance to enter the Sea of Karma and undergo a trial. You already-” She hesitated. “You don’t need them.”

Lu Yin turned around and walked to the valley’s exit. “It’s nothing much. I just wanted to let you know that I really want those scabs.”

Ming Xiaolong felt completely confused. Even if Lu Yin wanted the karmic buds, he had just refused Wan Lou’s request. The Valley Master would never give them to Lu Yin in this situation.

Wan Lou’s expression turned heavy as he put the karmic buds back away. He felt entirely helpless. He was unable to stop Ming Xiaolong, and he could not stand in Lu Yin’s way either. All he could do was pray that they did not act rashly.

“Hey, aren’t you coming?” Ming Xiaolong turned to Shui Su.

Shui Su hesitantly stepped forward. “Um... I suddenly remembered something, so I won’t go to Ridgeplain right now. Please excuse me.”

With that, she raced out of the valley, not even daring to glance backwards.

Lu Yin chuckled to himself. She knew that he was planning to cause trouble for the Autumnspring Slip, which was why Shui Su did not dare to travel with him. It was a wise choice.

However, how did she plan to leave? To leave the Everchange Valley, she had to cross that bottomless chasm.

While thinking of that, Lu Yin and Ming Xiaolong slowly walked toward the valley’s exit.

From behind, Wan Lou called out, “Xiaolong, it would be better if you stayed here. If he acts alone, he will have a better chance.”

Ming Xiaolong reacted with a snort of disdain. “Are you afraid that I’ll hold him back or that I’ll embarrass you, Valley Master? Don’t worry, I’ll travel under my own name. I won’t drag down your Everchange Valley.”

There was nothing that Wan Lou could do as he watched Lu Yin and Ming Xiaolong walk away. From behind him, A'zuo appeared. He was the same man who had previously guided Lu Yin to Xing Fan’s residence.

“How strong is he, honestly?” Wan Lou asked in a low voice.

A'zuo’s voice sounded dry, as though it had not been used in a very long time. “Hard to say... but very strong.”

“If we try to force him to stay, would we succeed?”

Behind the two men, Elder Le was startled by the question. He wanted to interject, but it was not his place to do so.

A'zuo hesitated briefly. “No.”

Elder Le let out a breath of relief. He had personally witnessed how Lu Yin had subdued the entire Four Commands Sword Sect. While the Everchange Valley enjoyed a high status and a terrifying foundation, that did not mean that they could stand up to the Four Commands Sword Sect in a direct fight. If the Four Commands Sword Sect had not been able to stand against Lu Yin, then there was no need to even mention the Everchange Valley.

“Follow them. Protect the young lady,” Wan Lou said in resignation.

A'zuo vanished.

At the edge of the Everchange Valley, Shui Su’s face was ashen as she stared out at the chasm. How could she cross this?

Lu Yin and Ming Xiaolong arrived behind the woman.