Chapter 3842: A Clear Path

Lu Yin shook his head at the Azuresword Sovereign’s explanation. “That’s not mandatory.”

“Yet it is one of the most important qualifications,” the Azuresword Sovereign stressed.

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. “So, joining the expedition is what matters more to you.”

The Azuresword Sovereign reiterated, “Joining the expedition as an Odyssey Commander is what matters most to me. I must have both.

“To be honest, you and I share the same goal, Mr. Lu: eliminating Yue Ya. If Yue Ya becomes an Odyssey Commander, even if he is no longer a Lesser Sancte, what he accomplishes on the battlefield will still earn him favor from the Greater Sancti. If that happens, it will likely become nearly impossible for you to ever deal with him. The Nine Odysseys Megaverse will never allow an outsider to kill a former Odyssey Commander and war hero. It would be humiliating.”

Lu Yin understood the reasoning. Yue Ya absolutely could not be allowed to ever become an Odyssey Commander. If he managed to do so, he would gain incredible protection.

Yue Ya was a powerful enemy that Lu Yin needed to eliminate, both for revenge and to improve his own strength. He wanted Yue Ya’s manifested thought.

The Origin Progenitor had cautioned Lu Yin by telling him that, as long as his body did not possess physical strength comparable to that of the Immortal realm, he would not be able to endure the power of Word Manifestation. Yue Ya was able to constantly destroy and regenerate his bodies to endure that power, but Lu Yin could not.

Even so, Lu Yin was absolutely confident that he would eventually achieve the requisite strength. Even if it was not possible to immediately use Yue Ya’s manifested thought, leaving him imprisoned in the Champions’ Stage Purgatory to strengthen Lu Yin’s power of karma would also be worthwhile.

Yue Ya had lived for countless years, and he had to have accumulated an immense amount of karma.

He was an enemy who absolutely could not be allowed to remain free.

While Lu Yin did not believe that going after Yue Ya would result in him becoming the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s enemy, he did not question that killing Yue Ya while he was a part of the Fifth Night Pillar would earn him a great deal of hatred. That enmity was not worth Yue Ya’s death.

The Nine Odysseys’ purpose was to fight against foreigners. There was a possibility that they might eventually invade the three megaverses. Thus, what Lu Yin wanted was to control their target, not fight against them.

Did that mean that the only solution was to drive Yue Ya out of the Fifth Night Pillar?

He could not blindly trust the Azuresword Sovereign’s words. After thinking for a moment, Lu Yin asked, “Has the Fifth Night Pillar been preparing for war for some time now?”

The Azuresword Sovereign’s eyes glinted. He knew that Lu Yin had asked Xian Ding this exact question back in the Four Commands Sword Sect. Now, he was repeating it to the Azuresword Sovereign. Clearly, this was an important matter to Lu Yin since he was originally from the lower three megaverses. After all, if they had not recently discovered a foreign megaverse, which megaverse would the Fifth Night Pillar have targeted? The Azuresword Sovereign knew exactly what Lu Yin was concerned about.

“That’s correct.”

“Your target?”

“I don’t know,” the Azuresword Sovereign replied bluntly.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Lu Yin just stared at the man, who continued in an earnest tone, “I truly don’t know. If I did, I would already be the Odyssey Commander. The war preparations were merely precautionary. Such things have happened many times throughout history without wars breaking out. It’s quite normal.”

“Who ordered the Fifth Night Pillar to prepare for war?”

“Only the Greater Sancti have the authority to do so.”

“Which Greater Sancte?”

The Azuresword Sovereign shook his head. “I have no idea. We report to the Greater Sancti, but we are never told which one issued an order. If you don’t believe me, Mr. Lu, you can verify this with Liu Li.”

Did the Night Pillars really know nothing? Lu Yin did not question that, though he was disappointed. He still could not see the goals of the three Greater Sancti.

He wanted to know: whom did they regard as a foe, and whom as an ally?

But the Greater Sancti would not share even that much insight.

Was he truly so unworthy?

Lu Yin flatly stated, “I can’t promise you that the Fifth Night Pillar will be allowed to join the war. All I can do is try.”

The Azuresword Sovereign let out a breath of relief and politely said, “It is an honor for my Fifth Night Pillar to receive your aid, Mr. Lu. I’ll return first and await your good news.”

With that, the old man turned around and left.

Lu Yin took out his communication device and called Ming Zhuo.

The Azuresword Sovereign had probably mixed a few falsehoods in with the truth, but the man would not have lied too blatantly to Lu Yin. After all, his connection to Ming Zhuo was already public knowledge. Still, Lu Yin wanted to verify what he had learned, and more importantly, see if there was a third option.

“Junior brother, I heard that you’ve pulled off some rather big moves recently. Most impressive! Hahaha!” Ming Zhuo appeared with a hearty laugh.

Lu Yin smiled. “It was nothing much. I just stirred up a bit of trouble.”

Ming Zhuo laughed. “We who belong to the Sea of Karma aren’t afraid of making trouble. Besides, even if others don’t know, how could I be ignorant? The Autumnspring Slip and Jian Hong were both requests that you were carrying out, weren’t they?”

Lu Yin sighed. “Each of the Seven Fairies is more difficult than the last. None of their requests are easy.”

Ming Zhuo chuckled. “Oh, quit complaining. Nothing they’ve asked has actually been difficult for you. It’s just that there are a lot of jealous people. One guy said that you stirred up trouble in the Temporal Heavens, and now you’re going after the Nine Odysseys too. Hahaha! You should’ve seen his face! Pure jealousy!”

Lu Yin was curious. “Who said that?”

“One of Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s disciples.”

Lu Yin was not surprised. Only disciples of the Greater Sancti would express envy of their peers. Anyone else would simply try to recruit the Greater Sancti’s disciples into their own sects.

Both Blood Tower and Awe Gate had their own disciples, and naturally, those disciples competed with Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s disciples. However, thus far, Green Lotus’s disciples wielded the greatest influence.

“Right, what did you need me for? Also, help me let the Sixth Night Pillar’s Liu Li know that my Fourth Night Pillar will be joining the expedition this time. She’ll agree,” Ming Zhuo continued.

“What sort of relationship is there between the Fourth and Sixth Night Pillars?”

“It’s pretty good. Hmmm... judging by your tone, did the Fifth Night Pillar already ask you to help?”

Lu Yin nodded. “The Azuresword Sovereign just left.”

Ming Zhuo sneered. “That old bastard’s being downright greedy this time. Usually, when a new megaverse is discovered, everything is decided through exchanging benefits. Whoever handles things, claims the profits. He’s never been this blatant before, but I guess that he’s been backed into a corner by Yue Ya and can’t come up with anything else. If he could have gotten his hands on that foreign lifeform and reported the discovery of the megaverse to the Greater Sancti, he would have been guaranteed the Odyssey Commander position.”

Lu Yin’s expression turned serious. “That’s exactly why I called you...”

Lu Yin then shared everything that he had heard from the Azuresword Sovereign. Ming Zhuo listened carefully before finally saying, “That old man didn’t lie to you. If you’re determined to deal with Yue Ya, it’d be best to wait until after he’s no longer part of the Fifth Night Pillar. If you don’t, a lot of people in the Nine Odysseys will hold a grudge against you, and that won’t do you any good.

“Still, he’s putting you in a difficult position. He wants you to beg Liu Li on his behalf? That’s going to be difficult. The Sixth Night Pillar might have grown weaker, but they still have their pride. Despite what that old guy has offered so far, Liu Li’s already refused. There’s no way she’ll ever agree now. You shouldn’t promise anything. If you can’t deliver, you’ll just look bad.”

“I know,” Lu Yin replied. “Still, I need to deal with Yue Ya.”

Ming Zhuo hesitated. “Yue Ya... True, he’s a problem. I haven’t interacted with him much, but I am well aware of how strong he is. He’s very powerful and is nowhere close to the level of someone like Lu Sizhan or the Azuresword Sovereign. Even I...”

The man hesitated and then solemnly added, “Even I’m not his match.”

Lu Yin feigned surprise. “Even you aren’t his equal, Senior?”

Ming Zhuo rolled his eyes. “Cut the act. As much as I appreciate your shocked expression, I am well aware of my own strength. You erased the Autumnspring Slip on your own. I could never do that. Yue Ya probably couldn’t either, so you’re definitely stronger than him. By extension, that means that you’re stronger than me.”

“There’s no need to belittle yourself, Senior.”

“I’m just being honest. Most straightforward people like me are the same.”

Lu Yin responded with an awkward chuckle as Ming Zhuo continued to say, “Helping old Xian Tong become an Odyssey Commander? That’s not likely. I think that you should wait a while. Yue Ya committed a crime by going to the lower three megaverses—you two fought there, right? If he knows that he can’t compare to you, he’ll never leave the Fifth Night Pillar. No, he can’t even if he wants to. He’s been exiled to that place, so it won’t be easy for you to get him out.

“I’ll show you a clear path: become the Odyssey Commander of the Fifth Night Pillar.”

Lu Yin arched a brow. “Become the Fifth Night Pillar’s Odyssey Commander?”

Ming Zhuo nodded. “That’s your only real option. If you become the Odyssey Commander, you can expel Yue Ya, and then kill him. That way, no one from the Nine Odysseys will go after you.”

“But Yue Ya was exiled to the Fifth Night Pillar by a Greater Sancte. Can an Odyssey Commander really expel him?”

“During times of war, the Odyssey Commanders wield tremendous authority, more than what you can imagine. Why else do you think that old man, Xian Tong, is so desperate to take the position? The Autumnspring Slip’s founding ancestor was an Odyssey Commander, which is how that sect managed to steal the mirebound artifact from the Sixth Night Pillar. That also contributed to the Sixth Night Pillar’s decline.

“Looking back, the Sixth Night Pillar has really been incredibly unlucky. Oh, did Liu Li try to convince you to stay? Don’t listen to her. That Pillar’s cursed. It would be better for you to try to take over the Fifth Night Pillar.”

Lu Yin was curious about something. “If an Odyssey Commander is given tremendous authority during wartime, then in times of peace, what about the Lesser Sancti? Could one of them expel Yue Ya?”

Ming Zhuo’s expression changed. “They could, yes... but that would offend Greater Sancte Blood Tower, who exiled Yue Ya.

“Within the rules, there are ways to freely manipulate things, but as soon as you break the rules, you make enemies.

“If a Lesser Sancte expels Yue Ya from the Fifth Night Pillar, they would be challenging Greater Sancte Blood Tower’s right as a divine authority. Can you shoulder those consequences?”

Lu Yin felt a headache coming on. It really did seem like becoming an Odyssey Commander was the only viable option available to him.

“Junior Brother, listen to your senior. I won’t steer you wrong. Becoming an Odyssey Commander is your only way to cleanly deal with Yue Ya. Of course, leading an expedition against a foreign megaverse won’t be easy, and it’s going to be incredibly dangerous. You saw what happened to the Sixth Night Pillar. If you don’t want to take that risk right now, just wait. Another opportunity will come around sooner or later. Yue Ya himself doesn’t want to stay in the Fifth Night Pillar forever, so he’ll eventually try to leave. Just make sure that you always remain stronger than him.

“Don’t worry. Just say the word, and the disciples of the Sea of Karma will keep an eye on him. Yue Ya won’t be able to escape,” Ming Zhuo said while clenching his fist.

Warmth blossomed in Lu Yin’s heart. “Thank you, Senior.”

“You’re welcome. I’m still waiting for the day you call me ‘Senior Brother,’” Ming Zhuo said with a massive grin.

Lu Yin was speechless. That day would never come.

“By the way, Senior, I’ve learned what’s required to become a Lesser Sancte, but how do I compete for the position?”

Ming Zhuo explained, “You need to receive recommendations from two current Lesser Sancti, though the High Seraph doesn’t count. The recommendation then gets passed along to the Greater Sancti, who make the final decision on who receives the title.

“Each Lesser Sancte can recommend multiple candidates, which means that your real competition is everyone else who’s been recommended at the same time as you.

“Right now, Ru Shi’s dead, and Yue Ya has lost his title. As for Ru Guo, who could’ve replaced one of them, he returned to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse from Heavenspire, which means that he has forfeited his right to compete. That means that there’s only two Lesser Sancti right now: Dan Jin and Xing Fan.”

Lu Yin frowned. “There are only Dan Jin and Xing Fan?”

Ming Zhuo sighed. “That’s precisely why I don’t think you should take that path. I can help you with Dan Jin. She’s never refused to recommend someone, no matter who asked her. However, Xing Fan is another story. I don’t have any connection with her, and that woman is... eccentric. Plus, you’ve already offended her once, so...”