Chapter 3936: Survive

Greater Sancte Awe Gate shook her head at Lu Yin’s question. “Not everything can be explained. It might have been caused by something internal, or perhaps something external. No one really knows.

“In any case, we need to first deal with these bugs. Even if they don’t have an Immortal with them, their sheer numbers are already overwhelming. You need to protect the Consciousness Megaverse. Currently, the sects and families of the West Domain are defending the megaverse, but you destroyed the Cheng family, which caused Skyveil City to fall into chaos and many clans to relocate. That weakened the overall strength of the West Domain, so their weakness is partially your responsibility.”

Lu Yin did not argue that point. While he wanted nothing more than to return to the Tianyuan Megaverse at this moment, eliminating the bugs took priority.

If the insects spread throughout the Nine Odysseys Megaverse... Just the thought of Nests appearing everywhere in the human megaverses sent chills down Lu Yin’s spine.

He wanted to eliminate the bugs more than anyone else.

The Nest civilization was the first truly terrifying foreign civilization that Lu Yin had encountered. Battles between civilizations in the Aevum Inch were wars of the largest scale, and they were also the most brutal. Such conflicts defied all imagination.

Besides, he also wanted to return to the Consciousness Megaverse. The Origin Progenitor was still there, which made this a good opportunity.

Master Qing Cao let out a long sigh. “We intended to use the Tianyuan as a shield, only to be outmaneuvered by it. Awe Gate, isn’t that ironic?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate blandly replied, “No shield is absolute. Have you forgotten the crisis that we faced back then? Even if the Tianyuan and your Spirit Nidus had been used as shields, it still wouldn’t have been enough. If we had failed to stay hidden, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse would’ve been destroyed, along with everything else. Even so, we did our best to keep your megaverses away from the frontlines, especially the Tianyuan Megaverse. At the very least, we hoped to preserve a seed of humanity.”

Lu Yin looked at Greater Sancte Awe Gate.

Is that really true?

Master Qing Cao did not deny anything, which was as good as a confirmation.

It was imperative that humanity survive in the cosmos. For the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, if abandoning the Tianyuan would avert a catastrophe, then they would do so without hesitation. However, if even that would not help, then they would instead do their best to protect the Tianyuan Megaverse in order to preserve a spark of human civilization.

So this was what the Great Master meant when they said that it’s both a shield and a burden.

“Do you have any issues with supporting the Consciousness Megaverse?” asked Greater Sancte Awe Gate.

Lu Yin replied, “The biggest threat of the Nest civilization isn’t their strongest creatures, the Verdant Sages, but rather the Nests themselves. No one knows how many Nests have been scattered across the cosmos. That’s why the Tianyuan was never able to fully eliminate the crisis.

“I recommend that we deploy more cultivators. They don’t need to fight on the front lines, but instead need to scour every corner of the megaverses for hidden Nests. Also, there’s one more thing.” His tone grew grave as he continued to say, “The Nests represent desire. Some people desire revenge, the strength to achieve what was once beyond them. Such desires can drive them to spawn insects from the Nests. That’s what makes them so incredibly dangerous.”

“I will announce that the Nests are a forbidden power. Anyone caught hiding one will be regarded as a criminal,” Greater Sancte Awe Gate replied.

“That’s not enough,” Lu Yin retorted, “The fact that Deathmound exists means that violators will always appear. That also means that people will hide the Nests they find.”

Master Qing Cao agreed. “We still need some means of completely eliminating the spread of the Nests.”

Lu Yin suddenly looked over at Master Qing Cao. “What’s your relationship with Yong Heng?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate also turned to face the man, but Master Qing Cao just replied with a calm smile, “There’s no relationship.”

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. “If not for the fact that you brokered an agreement that prevented the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s people from entering the Tianyuan, Aeternus would have never been able to grow so strong. Yong Heng is quite well known within this megaverse. At the very least, Deathmound knows of him.”

Master Qing Cao replied, “Barring the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s people from entering the Tianyuan Megaverse was for your own good. I don’t want to see the Tianyuan become another Spirit Nidus. Of course, I didn’t do this out of kindness. Rather, from my view, the Tianyuan had the potential to become a second home for the Spirit Nidus’s cultivators.”

The man held nothing back. “If one day, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse is left with only two Immortals, I will be able to take the people of my Spirit Nidus and leave without worrying about anything. If the Nine Odysseys Megaverse wants the Spirit Nidus, they can have it. It would be just an empty shell, anyways.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate's tone grew cold. "You won't be able to leave."

Master Qing Cao chuckled. "That's why I said, ‘if one day, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse is left with only two Immortals.’"

Lu Yin wanted to say something, but Master Qing Cao cut him off. “Child, I have no obligation to answer your questions, but I will be kind enough to remind you of one thing: find your target, and find your direction. Clearly observe this megaverse before you proceed any further. Whether it's the human race or some other type of creature, they're all too bloated. In fact, the sole purpose of all existence is nothing more than survival. That's all there is to it. As long as one can survive, everything can be sacrificed. Don't you agree?”

With that, the man left.

Lu Yin stared Master Qing Cao’s back as he moved away. The word “survive” echoed endlessly within his mind.

Is it all really just to survive?

It sounded like such a simple reason, but after one truly saw the cosmos, they would understand that it was the most difficult thing of all.

Lu Yin suddenly felt like laughing. In the past, he had cultivated to become stronger. He had seized control of a region, and he had even risen to essentially become its ruler. However, after truly reaching that level, he had realized cultivation was only for freedom. After that, as he continued to cultivate, he had discovered that the ultimate goal was mere survival. Even Immortals, who could theoretically live forever, struggled just to stay alive.

It truly was laughable. To think that, in the end, all that cultivation boiled down to was simple survival.

Mortals enjoyed a lifespan of only 100 years, and they possessed virtually no way to extend their longevity. Even if they wished to live longer, it was not something that they could work towards. Instead, many worked hard simply to live more comfortably and freely.

Cultivators were not even better off than normal humans.

Cultivation was a circle, and so was the cosmos.

All living creatures, from birth to death, could not escape that circle.

The same was true even of Immortals.

What is the true purpose of my cultivation?

What is the meaning of my existence?

Cultivators did not have any intrinsic meaning to their existence. Only the omniverse itself was truly eternal.

As Lu Yin stared ahead, the model of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse and its surroundings suddenly shot towards him. He stood without moving as the model shattered, breaking into specks of light.

He turned and looked at Greater Sancte Awe Gate, who was also watching him. “Everyone’s mental state is different. Immortality lies within the individual. Don’t overthink things. Overthinking at this moment serves you no purpose.”

Sweat dripped from Lu Yin’s forehead. He had indeed thought too much a moment earlier, to the point where his mind had descended into chaos and nearly triggered a cultivation deviation.

If he truly went astray, either in his cultivation or in combat, he would start hesitating, even if it was in ways that he could not detect. That hesitation could easily become his greatest obstacle for future breakthroughs or cost him his life on the battlefield.

If not for Greater Sancte Awe Gate, he would have ended up in real danger.

“Thank you, Senior.” Lu Yin bowed low.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate continued to observe Lu Yin. “How was the Allsense Megaverse?”

Lu Yin had nearly forgotten that his duty upon returning was to report how the war in the Allsense Megaverse had gone.

He shared his battle with the transparent moth, and Greater Sancte Awe Gate listened calmly. “That was extremely dangerous. Without you supporting them, the Night Pillars would have been completely wiped out.

“This is what a war between megaverses is like. Sometimes, numbers alone can’t determine the outcome.”

While Lu Yin had been in the Allsense Megaverse, he had suspected that it was a trap. He had continuously recalled Qing Xing's warning, but in retrospect, it was clear that Lu Yin had been overthinking things.

Who in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse aside from Lu Yin himself or the three Greater Sancti could have dealt with that moth?

While someone as powerful as Dan Jin might have been able to retreat safely, everyone else on the Night Pillars would have died. The war had only ever had one goal: to eliminate all the Allsenses.

Lu Yin had been the only one in the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse who could provide the Night Pillars with the necessary support.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate looked at Lu Yin as she solemnly stated, “Never underestimate any creature in the cosmos. Some that appear weak may very well prove to be our ultimate nemesis.”

Lu Yin nodded. “Understood, Senior.”

...

In the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s West Domain, there stood a massive mountain range. From above, it looked much like a giant human hand pressing down upon the earth. It was the Five-Palm Mountain, the home of the Five-Palm Sect.

The Five-Palm Sect was the most unruly and lawless sect in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. Their goal was to take down those above them, which had culminated in their ideal of toppling the Lesser Sancti. Each generation, the sect leader had challenged a Lesser Sancte, though only the first generation had ever succeeded.

No one knew why the Five-Palm Sect had been founded. It was speculated that the first sect master had had a grudge against a Lesser Sancte, but that alone seemed insufficient to sustain multiple generations of hostility.

The sect’s ultimate goal was to unseat a Lesser Sancte. Until that happened, they constantly acted on their ideal of defying the strong by challenging opponents with greater cultivation than them. After all, to challenge someone with greater cultivation, battle was necessary. Words were not enough; action was required.

In their own words: strike down the strong, uphold the weak; roar when you see injustice, and act when it’s time to act.

As far as others were concerned, the sect was nothing but a bunch of busybodies sticking their noses where they were not wanted.

Still, outsiders’ opinions were irrelevant, as the Five-Palm Sect followed its own path.

Many of the sect’s members did not dare to even return home. Too many sought to make trouble for members of the sect, and many of them were camping right outside of Five-Palm Mountain. It had practically become a second Whither Peak.

Originally, the Five-Palm Sect had controlled a much larger territory, but after their third sect master fell, they had been forced to go underground. Yue Ya had been a formidable enemy.

At the moment, Lu Yin was standing below Five-Palm Mountain, looking up at it. The massive mountain range truly did look like a hand pressing down upon the earth. It was also far, far away from Skyveil City, which meant that there was no solid ground beneath the mountains, only yellow sand. Various clans and independent cultivators who hated the Five-Palm Sect had built a number of cities nearby, just so that they would always be close enough to cause trouble.

The Five-Palm Sect caused problems for others, and others returned that favor.

This was why Si Jiushi had never dared to use his sect’s name when traveling outside.

There were people everywhere beneath Five-Palm Mountain, all of them constantly watching it.

“That brat went inside, didn’t he?”

“Fourth Junior Sister said that she saw him go in. The others have spread out to keep an eye out. We’ll definitely catch him.”

“Don’t be careless! These shameless bastards have done this sort of thing too many times before. It’s fine if he manages to sneak back in, but he’s not getting back out!”

...

"Third Brother, are we just going to keep watch from here?"

"What else can we do if not this? That wretch even dragged out Father’s hidden mistress just to force him into a duel. Our family’s in utter chaos now, as Mother’s side won’t let this go. Hiding out here is the perfect excuse to avoid that mess."

"But she’s really strong... She actually defeated Father."

"That's the Five-Palm Sect for you: realmbreakers. Father was only one cultivation realm above her, which was unlucky. If he had been two realms above her, this wouldn’t have happened."

...

"Brother Mu, we've arrived."

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Thank you, brothers."

"That despicable bastard kept pushing you, Brother Mu! You were in poor condition, which is the only reason you lost. With us supporting you this time, as well as your days of diligent cultivation, you’ll definitely erase that former disgrace."

"Exactly! I’m just afraid that the coward won't dare to accept my challenge."

"No way! Brother Mu personally traveled all the way to Five-Palm Mountain."

"But that guy’s cultivation has risen to be equal to Brother Mu’s. The Five-Palm Sect only allows their members to challenge those with higher cultivations, so..."

“No matter what, I will fight him again. Defying one’s betters? In his dreams.”

...