Chapter 3819: The Price

Lu Siyu and Ming Xiaolong were both startled. How could Qian Shu and Granny Ya know Lu Yin? He had directly entered the Sea of Karma from the lower three megaverses. He had never traveled through the Nine Odysseys Megaverse before, so how could these two possibly know him?

The moment that the High Seraph defeated Ru Shi, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse had ceased having easy access to the Spirit Nidus. Not even a Young Sancte like Qian Shu could not enter the three lower megaverses, despite his methodical nature.

Qian Shu turned pale.

Impossible! There’s no way for him to have entered this megaverse! He was driven back from the Skyward Gate.

Granny Ya’s expression quickly changed multiple times, her pupils fluctuating as a profound fear blossomed in their depths.

Unbelievable! How could he have entered the Nine Odysseys Megaverse without passing through the Skyward Gate? Wait... Could he have used the Morrow Behemoth in the Spirit Nidus?

She was even more terrified than Qian Shu, because Granny Ya had actually seen how horrifyingly powerful the beast that had crashed into the Skyward Gate had been. That monster was an Immortal. A true Immortal.

That Immortal monster had clearly been hunting this man, and yet he had successfully escaped. Just how strong did he have to be? That question alone sent chills down Granny Ya’s spine.

How could such a person be allowed into the Nine Odysseys Megaverse? Why had he not been stopped by the Greater Sancti?

Across Ridgeplain, Lu Yin gazed up at Qian Shu and mouthed, “I came here for you.”

There was no sound, but Lu Yin’s lips were easy to read.

Atop the Autumnspring Slip, Qian Shu clenched his jaw. His face fell, and he immediately turned to leave.

He needed to find his sect’s Master Scribe cultivator. The man down on the ground surpassed what anyone else in their sect could handle. They had encountered serious trouble.

Truthfully, Qian Shu had regretted his decision ever since he had returned from the Skyward Gate. He had ordered Granny Ya to take action for two reasons: the first was that Qian Shu looked down on the lower megaverses and did not want any of their trash to enter the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. Second, he wanted Luo Ning dead. Lu Yin had never personally factored into Qian Shu’s thoughts.

However, after he saw the Immortal monster, Qian Shu realized that he had offended the wrong person.

He had learned from Granny Ya that the monster was an Immortal. The Skyward Gate itself had almost been destroyed. If the Greater Sancti had not intervened and driven the beast away, the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse would have faced an absolute disaster.

Anyone who could fight against an Immortal-realm beast could not be offended, regardless of their origins.

That was why Qian Shu had not gone anywhere after returning to the Autumnspring Slip. He had been nervous ever since the incident at the Skyward Gate and had been hoping that Lu Yin had simply died or would never be able to enter the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

Shockingly, the man had arrived all too soon.

This was someone who was much more of a problem than even Deathmound.

This was a peerless expert who had dared to face even an Immortal monster and yet managed to survive.

It was at that moment that another member of the Skyward Gate’s Luo family arrived. It was the old man who had challenged Lu Yin’s identity at the Skyward Gate.

The old man instantly recognized Lu Yin, and just like Qian Shu and Granny Ya, the old man was struck by a terrible chill.

Anyone who had never personally witnessed the power of that Immortal beast could not possibly understand how the three people felt at this moment.

It was like facing an invincible adversary across a bottomless chasm.

There were a great many people in Ridgeplain at this moment, and a number of them were quite powerful. There were even many hidden powerhouses who were not at all intimidated by Lu Yin’s earlier palm strike. Regardless of its power, they could see its strength.

However, that did not mean that those people would step up on behalf of the Autumnspring Slip.

It was obvious that Lu Yin was targeting the Autumnspring Slip, and many were happy to sit back and watch chaos unfold. While the Autumnspring Slip had successfully allied with a number of other organizations, there were many more which could not stand the sect.

When another hidden character was discovered and its power unleashed, multiple powerful auras erupted from the bamboo slip in the sky, and they fell upon Lu Yin like a storm. The sky itself grew dark.

Lu Yin glanced back up. There were countless cold eyes glaring at him, and they were led by an old woman who, unlike Granny Ya’s more violent demeanor, possessed the appearance of a scholar. This old woman’s eyes were not sharp, and neither was her aura oppressive. She appeared gentle, as if she was capable of accepting anything.

People had pulled away from Lu Yin. Even those who had been following him to search for hidden characters did not dare to remain close.

Between heaven and earth, there stood but one man and one bamboo slip; nothing else.

The void shattered, and countless spatial tears shot across the sky above Lu Yin’s head.

He frowned slightly and then slowly raised a hand that he aimed at the bamboo slip in the sky. It looked as if he was preparing to attack.

Everyone watching held their breath for a moment. Just who was this man? He was clearly acting against all of the Autumnspring Slip. Not even a Lesser Sancte would behave this brazenly.

Atop the bamboo slip, Lu Siyu was dumbfounded. She had already felt that Lu Yin was arrogant and ignorant of reality when he had secretly moved out to cripple the legs of the Four Commands Sword Sect’s four sect masters. But that was nothing compared to what she was witnessing at this moment; she had never seen Lu Yin’s true arrogance.

One man challenging all of the Autumnspring Slip? That was pure madness. Even Long Yin had only dared to cause trouble for the sect because she had both Deathmound and its Third Peak supporting her.

Ming Xiaolong pursed her lips.

What are you trying to do?

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

The old woman with the gentle appearance stepped forward, and she looked back to smile at the young woman standing with Lu Siyu and Ming Xiaolong. “Young lady, I’m sorry to have to bother you. I’ll go handle this matter now. Your observation of the various aspects of the world will not be affected.”

The young woman looked at the old woman and responded with a subtle nod. There was a rare flicker of respect in her eyes. “Do as you please, Master Scribe. There’s no need to concern yourself with me.”

The old woman smiled and left, slowly moving down to land in front of Lu Yin.

He lowered his hand. “If you hadn’t come down, I would have destroyed the Autumnspring Slip.”

The old woman was Ying Mei, the Autumnspring Slip’s sole Master Scribe cultivator, as well as the current master of the sect’s mirebound artifact.

She did not take Lu Yin’s words seriously. Destroy the Autumnspring Slip? Who could make such a claim aside from one of the Immortals? This man was too arrogant, but that was also understandable. He was clearly strong enough to dominate the three lower megaverses. While Ying Mei might not know how he had evaded the Immortal beast, he was clearly not an Immortal himself. If he was, the Autumnspring Slip would have already ceased to exist. Not even the Skyward Gate could stop an Immortal.

This man had already been pushed back by Granny Ya. No matter how strong he might be, his strength clearly had limits. Granny Ya and several others had allowed their perspectives to be clouded by the presence of the Immortal beast, and they believed that the man was stronger than he truly was. This man’s strength was not nearly at the level they feared.

Still, Ying Mei would not underestimate the man. She believed that Lu Yin was stronger than even the High Seraph, which would make him the strongest cultivator in the lower three megaverses. He was most likely as powerful as the Lesser Sancti. He was certainly a formidable foe, and even the Autumnspring Slip needed to proceed with extreme caution.

“May I ask for your name?” Ying Mei asked with absolutely no hostility in her eyes.

Lu Yin looked at her as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “I’m not really inclined to say.”

Ying Mei grew puzzled. “Why not?”

“I haven’t decided what identity I should use as I move through this megaverse yet.” Lu Yin had already considered this. His name was not well known in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. Only Yue Ya, Xing Fan, Zhao Yi, and Jiu Xian knew his name beforehand, and later on, Greater Sancte Green Lotus and the Seven Fairies had also heard it. That meant that they, their close confidants, and the people of Deathmound knew his name. When considering the entire Nine Odysseys, it was a small number of people.

Lu Yin would not be able to hide his identity forever, but he still had not decided how he wanted to proceed.

If he could fulfill the Seven Fairies’ requests, he would receive Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s promise. That might very well save the Tianyuan Megaverse. However, the Nest civilization was still a looming threat, so would simply having the Nine Odysseys Megaverse agree to not reset the megaverse be enough? Lu Yin needed far more than that.

Still, as he considered things, it seemed possible that there was no benefit to keeping his identity hidden.

“Are you from the Spirit Nidus?”

“My name is Lu Yin. You must be Ying Mei, correct?” Lu Yin countered.

Ying Mei felt rather confused.

Didn’t he just say he doesn’t want to expose his name?

Still, she did not pry. “Qian Shu has already informed me about the incident at the Skyward Gate. The Autumnspring Slip was indeed in the wrong. If you wish to resolve that matter, please speak freely. So long as it is within our means, we will not refuse you.

“Of course, I need you to understand that we did not target you personally. The Autumnspring Slip holds no grudge against you and would be honored to consider you a friend.”

Lu Yin praised the woman, “I’ve heard people say that the Autumnspring Slip is a despicable sect, but it appears that those are nothing more than rumors. You are surprisingly reasonable.”

Ying Mei’s expression did not change. “How many are truly able to see the universe clearly? Only those who rise high enough are able to see the bigger picture. There are only a few places at the peak, and most people are not qualified to stand there.”

“Tell me, do you believe that I’m qualified?” Lu Yin asked with a smile.

“Given your strength, of course.”

“If I’m qualified, then whatever I say must be correct, right?”

“That depends.”

Lu Yin met Ying Mei’s gaze. “Your disciple, Qian Shu, and his wretched servant attacked me. Regardless of their motives, the fact remains that they nearly got me killed. I want them to pay for that. Turn them over to me, and I’ll consider our grievances settled.”

Ying Mei’s eyes flickered, and her tone turned a bit stiff. “Do you know who those two are?”

“What? Are they your children or something, Sect Master Ying Mei?” Lu Yin asked bluntly.

Ying Mei’s voice dropped low and grew much sterner. “The one that you call a ‘wretched servant’ is Senior Scribe Ya, one of the Autumnspring Slip’s core powerhouses. She is no mere servant. As for Qian Shu, he has entered the Scion Spire and represents the Autumnspring Slip’s future. Do you really think that I would hand either of them over to you?”

Lu Yin sighed. “Then it appears that we won’t be settling things peacefully after all.”

“It was because of my respect for you that I agreed to talk to you, but that does not allow you to brazenly insult my Autumnspring Slip.

“I have demonstrated my sincerity, and I ask the same of you.”

Lu Yin laughed. “Your people nearly killed me, and

I’m

supposed to demonstrate sincerity? Is this how the Autumnspring Slip operates? It seems that the rumors weren’t wrong—you’re just as despicable and shameless as people claim.”

Ying Mei’s brow furrowed, and she glared coldly at Lu Yin, who did not even flinch.

The people atop the bamboo slip along with everyone else watching was able to hear the conversation, and they listened with bated breath as the tension grew thick.

Who was Ying Mei? She was the current sect master of the Autumnspring Slip, the owner of their mirebound artifact. She was one of the top figures in the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse with enough strength to compete for the title of Lesser Sancte. If not for the Autumnspring Slip’s political weight, Ru Guo would have never been accepted as a temporary Lesser Sancte for Ru Shi, even if he had offered up the Wayfinder Sutra.

Ying Mei was far more qualified than Ru Guo had ever been.

No Lesser Sancti would speak to her like Lu Yin had. It was unheard of for anyone to publicly call the Autumnspring Slip despicable.

Even factions that despised the Autumnspring Slip rarely dared to tear off the facade of politeness. In fact, the only ones who truly dared to be openly critical of the Autumnspring Slip were Deathmound’s Long Yin and the Sixth Night Pillar. Even then, those two only did so because of their mortal enmity with the Autumnspring Slip and the fact that both were supported by powers that not even the Autumnspring Slip could afford to offend.

No one could understand what sort of grudge Lu Yin had with the Autumnspring Slip that had led him to be willing to stand alone before the Autumnspring Slip and publicly insult the sect without any restraint.

Qian Shu, Granny Ya, and everyone from the Autumnspring Slip looked utterly humiliated.

Lu Siyu clapped her hands in delight, not caring at all about the glares that she attracted.

Ming Xiaolong grinned happily. She had always wanted to curse the Autumnspring Slip but had been held back by her status.

That little thief is so satisfying to watch!

Above Ridgeplain, the people from the Linlushan family who had been hoping to get closer to the Autumnspring Slip all held their breath and remained silent. No one dared to step forward at this moment, as this was not something that they could get involved in.

Shui Su tightly clasped her hands together, interlacing her ten fingers tightly enough for her knuckles to grow pale and bloodless. She moved back, increasing the distance between her and Lu Yin more and more.

I have nothing to do with this...

The people from the Luo family were just as happy as Lu Siyu and Ming Xiaolong. The Autumnspring Slip had always been a domineering sect, so it was incredibly satisfying to hear someone publicly insult them.