Chapter 3935: Direction

Lu Yin stared blankly at Master Qing Cao. He had not seen the Immortal ever since the Morrow Behemoth had flung him into the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. A reunion under these circumstances was a complete surprise.

Wait, when did Master Qing Cao return? Could he have stopped the four universe-class battleships from going to help the Tianyuan Megaverse?

That thought caused Lu Yin’s eyes to turn cold as he stared at Master Qing Cao.

The Immortal calmly met Lu Yin’s gaze. “It’s been a number of years since we parted, and yet your elegance remains undiminished. No, it’s even greater than before. I hear that you are now undefeated throughout the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, standing below only the Greater Sancti. Congratulations.”

Lu Yin calmly replied, “When did you return, Senior?”

Master Qing Cao smiled. “‘Return?’ Have you started to regard the Nine Odysseys Megaverse in the same vein as your Tianyuan?”

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. “What’s the situation in the Tianyuan Megaverse?”

“Are you asking about Tianyuan, or about the four battleships?”

“Both,” Lu Yin admitted without hesitation.

Master Qing Cao sighed as he clasped his hands behind his back. “I didn’t expect events to play out in such a manner while I was gone. The fact that the relationship between the Spirit Nidus and the Nine Odysseys Megaverse broke apart is a result of my failure, but I truly had nothing to do with it. Greater Sancte Awe Gate has already informed me of your plan. Lord Lu, let’s proceed with that.”

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Lu Yin arched a brow. “You aren’t going to stop the Spirit Nidus from helping the Tianyuan?”

Master Qing Cao shook his head. “No.”

“And you’re also willing to allow the Spirit Nidus’s cultivators to remain in the Tianyuan Megaverse

forever

?” Lu Yin deliberately emphasized the word “forever” in order to test Master Qing Cao’s attitude.

However, the man remained as composed as ever. He even smiled. “Of course I’m willing.”

Lu Yin frowned. Something was off, so he turned to look at Greater Sancte Awe Gate.

The woman’s face was not visible, but she did radiate a great deal of pressure.

When Lu Yin looked over, Greater Sancte Awe Gate coolly stated, “Of course he’s willing. The Spirit Nidus, and even the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, are in trouble. Do you remember the Nest that a child from your Tianyuan carried to the Spirit Nidus? Your megaverse calculated the situation well. The threat of the Nest civilization has redirected from the Tianyuan Megaverse to the Spirit Nidus. Endless swarms of insects are traveling through the Aevum Inch, heading straight for the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.”

Lu Yin was surprised. “The Nine Odysseys Megaverse?”

Master Qing Cao interjected, “You could also say that they’re heading towards the Spirit Nidus. After all, the two megaverses are so close that they’re practically indistinguishable.”

Lu Yin immediately understood why Master Qing Cao was so agreeable to his plan.

For even Greater Sancte Awe Gate to be so serious about the Nest civilization, going so far as to use the word “crisis,” it meant that there was a terrifying number of insects. There might even be enough to threaten both the Nine Odysseys and the Spirit Nidus Megaverses. Already, the Spirit Nidus’s cultivators had been taken away to the Tianyuan, which meant that they had narrowly avoided the approaching calamity. This also meant that the Nine Odysseys Megaverse would be the one to face the insect crisis.

All calculations, both mortal and Immortal, had never predicted such an outcome.

Initially, Lu Yin had planned to destroy the Nest in the Spirit Nidus and then use the Spirit Nidus’s cultivators to help the Tianyuan eliminate their own Nests, effectively removing the human megaverses from the Nest civilization’s senses.

Who could have expected that the Nest civilization would make a move in advance?

Still, it was an outcome that allowed the Tianyuan to avoid complete disaster. The Spirit Nidus’s support was also essential; who knew when the insects might shift their focus back to the Tianyuan?

Even if Lu Yin had quickly destroyed the Nest in the Spirit Nidus, it had still attracted the insects, which indicated that the creatures were able to determine a direction through a Nest. This meant that the Tianyuan Megaverse’s location had also been exposed. With the Spirit Nidus’s cultivators present in the Tianyuan working alongside his own people, Lu Yin would be able to rest easier.

However, this change also meant that the Nine Odysseys Megaverse would be the first to suffer from the insect calamity.

Would this truly be a disaster for the Nine Odysseys Megaverse? Lu Yin had not seen the horde of insects traveling through the Aevum Inch, so he could not be sure. Still, judging by Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s attitude, it seemed that the insects were indeed a grave crisis.

The situation had become clear: the Tianyuan had effectively allied with the Spirit Nidus to defend itself and eliminate all insects, while the brunt of the disaster had shifted onto the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

“Have you seen those insects, Senior?” Lu Yin asked, turning back to Master Qing Cao.

The man sighed. “Yes, I’ve seen them. They’re endless, terrifyingly numerous.”

“What did you think the moment you saw them?”

Master Qing Cao did not try to hide anything. “Disaster.”

“A disaster for your Spirit Nidus?”

“Indeed.”

“So you’re in a good mood now because the Spirit Nidus’s cultivators have fled,” Lu Yin stated.

Master Qing Cao gave a small chuckle as he looked at Lu Yin. “For that, I must thank you, Lord Lu.”

Lu Yin smiled. “It’s fine. While your megaverse’s cultivators may have fled, you’re still here, which is enough.”

Master Qing Cao cocked an eyebrow.

Lu Yin’s expression grew solemn. “Since Greater Sancte Awe Gate must protect the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, I’ll leave the Nest civilization’s Immortal Lord to you, Senior.”

Hearing this, Greater Sancte Awe Gate immediately felt relieved. It was true that a large number of the Spirit Nidus’s cultivators had escaped, but that did not particularly matter. It was quite a large number, but none of those people were particularly powerful. Any faction or two from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse would easily surpass their combined force.

The key detail was that Master Qing Cao was still present. That alone was enough.

After all, the Immortal Lord was certainly another Immortal. It was imperative that Master Qing Cao test the waters.

Master Qing Cao frowned, but he did not object. This crisis also concerned him, and he was certain that the Immortal Lord would come.

He was glad that the Spirit Nidus’s cultivators had escaped, but that did not mean that he could leave.

In fact, if he had known that the Spirit Nidus’s cultivators had gone to the Tianyuan Megaverse beforehand, Master Qing Cao would not have even bothered returning at all.

“If another type of being were headed this way, even another Immortal, there might not necessarily be a clash with the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. However, for the Immortal Lord... there’s a ninety percent chance they’ll come,” Master Qing Cao stated darkly.

Lu Yin was puzzled by that. “Why?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate explained, “The Nine Odysseys Megaverse is surrounded by the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, which even stretches as far as the Tianyuan Megaverse. This entire macrocosm belongs to humanity. Generally speaking, Immortals do not intrude within this region, as doing so would be taken as a provocation. The immense range of our macrocosm serves as a warning: do not provoke us, and do not expose yourself to us.

“As for creatures beneath the Immortal realm, there are no such restrictions. They may come and go as they please. After all, we Immortals are not omniscient, and we cannot see through every corner of the human macrocosm.

“Still, any Immortal that is capable of perceiving the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm usually avoids entering it.

“However, these insects are an exception. This has to do with certain laws, which I will explain after this disaster has passed. Regardless, should the Immortal Lord appear, Master Qing Cao, they will be your responsibility.

“Do not forget your agreement with our Nine Odysseys Megaverse. Throughout all these years, we’ve never once gone back on our word.”

Master Qing Cao sighed in a helpless manner. “Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to block the Immortal Lord. However, don’t blame me if I fail. Anyone who can control the Nest civilization is by no means an easy opponent.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate then turned to Lu Yin. “If an Immortal appears, Master Qing Cao will handle it. Anything below the Immortal realm will be your responsibility. We’re not in a position to intervene.”

This comment caused Lu Yin to instinctively glance at Awe Gate’s wrist, but he could not see anything.

He knew that Master Qing Cao was restricted by his karmic chain, which prevented him from exterminating large numbers of insects. From the way that Greater Sancte Awe Gate spoke, it was clear that she was also bound by similar restrictions.

Lu Yin had no choice but to agree. As he thought about the situation, he realized that he was actually the reason why the Nest civilization had been drawn to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse in the first place. If he had not tried to draw out the Lost Clan’s Primeval card, the Nests would have never appeared, and the Tianyuan Megaverse would have never been exposed as a result.

He had also failed to fully eliminate all the Nests from the Tianyuan, which had led to increasingly dire consequences.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate raised a hand, and an image of the Mother Tree appeared in the air before her. From that image, a complete model of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse spread out, which gradually grew to include the Spirit Nidus, the Consciousness Megaverse, the Orchid Megaverse, the Allsense Megaverse, and even the distant Tianyuan.

It was only at this moment that Lu Yin was able to truly see the full range of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

He looked at the Skyveil Megaverse, the Morrow Megaverse, the Clearvoid Megaverse, and more.

“The cosmos is vast, even endless. No creature is capable of fully exploring it, and no civilization has ever truly united the entire omniverse,” Greater Sancte Awe Gate slowly stated, “Here, in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, we determine coordinates in the Aevum Inch our own way, using the power of the Morrow Behemoths.

“By relying on the Morrow Behemoth’s strength as a unit of measurement, we measure the time that it takes to throw a Night Pillar: one year of travel is one unit of measurement, and our Mother Tree is used as the origin. This is how our Nine Odysseys Megaverse maps out the Aevum Inch.”

As she spoke, the model shifted, and four specific locations were highlighted.

One was past the Spirit Nidus. While the miniature model made the location seem close, it was actually so far that either a springboard or a Morrow Behemoth was needed to reach it.

Another was outside the Consciousness Megaverse.

The third lay near a different megaverse that was on the opposite side of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

The last one was a bit farther away.

“Past the Spirit Nidus, southeast by two units; outside the Consciousness Megaverse, north by three units; the Clearvoid Megaverse; four units west and up from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. These are the four locations that the Nest civilization attacked one year ago.

“Right now, the Rift of Suffering and the Four Commands Sword Sect are cooperating with other families and a number of independent cultivators to move into the Spirit Nidus. The Eighth Night Pillar has gone to the Clearvoid Megaverse, and the Third Night Pillar is heading to the furthest location, the one that is four units west and above the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. As for the Consciousness Megaverse, that will be your responsibility, Lu Yin.”

Lu Yin stared at the model and the four indicated locations in confusion. “How could the Nest civilization be scattered across four locations? The distances between them are so vast. Just how fast can they move?”

Master Qing Cao replied, “They couldn’t have reached these four locations so quickly without some sort of special means. There are far too many bizarre creatures in the cosmos, and there are just as many means of travel. The Nine Odysseys Megaverse uses their Night Pillars and battleships. The Immortal beast that you once encountered has its own method. The Nest civilization must also have their own unique method.

“The most terrifying aspect of the Nest civilization is their ability to continuously evolve, much like those Allsenses. Their evolution is completely unpredictable, and even worse, those insects are able to incorporate the strengths of indigenous lifeforms in whatever megaverse they invade to evolve into endless possibilities.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate grimly added on, “I once encountered a strange creature that was able to travel by using living creatures like springboards. Any lifeform it touched would become a launch point for it. I still don’t understand how that worked.

“I also saw a creature that could repeatedly layer space until it used an entire stack like a spring to launch itself forward.”

Lu Yin’s eyes bulged. Were such methods really possible?

Master Qing Cao said, “Do not underestimate the omniverse. There is far too much that you haven’t seen. Before entering the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, could you have ever imagined using pillars as a means of transport? Or that entire megaverses could move?”

Lu Yin frowned. “That reminds me, why can megaverses move? The Allsense Megaverse seems to be moving closer to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, which was the reason why it was attacked in the first place.”