Chapter 3968: The Cornerstone

Time rolled on. The swarms of insects continued to expand, and voices in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse continued to condemn Lu Yin.

More and more people started to believe that Lu Yin was purposely allowing the insects to increase their numbers so that they would become an even greater threat to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. The rulers of the megaverse’s powerful factions were unable to silence the accusations, and things even reached the point where Greater Sancte Awe Gate could not silence the condemnations.

“You surprise me, Lord Lu,” Master Qing Cao commented.

Lu Yin calmly replied, “You also surprise me.”

“Oh? How so?” Master Qing Cao asked in puzzlement.

Lu Yin looked over at the man. “I thought that you weren’t at all anxious.”

Master Qing Cao chuckled lightly. “What leads you to believe that I am anxious?”

“Intuition.”

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“Intuition, is it?”

“Are you anxious, or not?”

Master Qing Cao stared deeply at Lu Yin, then nodded. “Perhaps a little.”

“Because of the Spirit Nidus?”

“Because of humanity.”

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed, but he did not argue. He simply waited for Master Qing Cao to continue.

The man gravely stated, “If even the Nine Odysseys Megaverse fails to survive the Nest civilization, your Tianyuan Megaverse will fare no better. Should that happen, it won’t be a matter of the Spirit Nidus replacing the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, but rather a question of whether or not humanity will even continue to exist.”

Lu Yin smiled. “So what you want, Senior, is a game that can be completely won.”

Master Qing Cao nodded. “A gameboard that has been flipped over is useless.”

Lu Yin stared eastward. “You know as much as Greater Sancte Awe Gate and I do, so why do you still harbor such doubts? Both the Greater Sancte and I are able to remain composed, so you should be able to as well. Besides...”

He motioned downward, his meaning clear. No matter how many in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse spoke against Lu Yin, he would never be swayed.

Master Qing Cao said nothing, as he was uncertain how to respond.

Lu Yin looked at him again. “What one gains is proportional to what one knows. Could it be that you know more than we do, Senior?”

No matter how many might condemn Lu Yin, he had already informed Greater Sancte Awe Gate, Gu Duanke, and the other top powerhouses of what he had learned. That ensured that the war would proceed as they had previously planned. Even if people too grew restless, they still needed to restrain themselves.

What had not been within Lu Yin’s expectations was the possibility that the first to lose control over their would be Master Qing Cao.

To Lu Yin’s understanding, Master Qing Cao should be the one with the most self-restraint. No, the man should not even need to hold himself back at all, as the situation would continue to proceed in a manner that favored him. Despite that, the man was anxious.

Lu Yin did not like seeing Master Qing Cao nervous. That man’s anxiety only meant that there were additional factors that remained unknown to everyone else.

Master Qing Cao lifted his head to look at Lu Yin and sighed. “There are certain things that can only be understood after becoming an Immortal, but even then, not all information is shared.”

Lu Yin nodded.

Master Qing Cao went on, “In short, I have always worked to maintain a certain balance. I do not want to see that balance broken. Humanity’s legacy is the cornerstone of that balance. Lord Lu, tell me, will this war end up as you have foreseen?”

Lu Yin thought for a moment, but then he shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Master Qing Cao’s expression grew complicated.

Lu Yin wanted to know exactly what the man was keeping balanced, but Master Qing Cao would never share that information.

Still, Lu Yin had become certain of one thing: the balance that Master Qing Cao protected required the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, and it also required it to have enough people. The Nest civilization’s endlessly increasing numbers might not pose a threat to the strongest in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, but they did endanger the overall population.

What kind of balance could require a certain number of humans to exist?

Master Qing Cao suddenly said, “If, and I do mean

if

, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse is defeated, or wins while paying an extremely steep price, I will invite you, Lord Lu, to combine your Tianyuan Megaverse with my Spirit Nidus and replace the Nine Odysseys. Would you be willing?”

Lu Yin laughed. “Senior, have you forgotten about Greater Sancti Green Lotus and Blood Tower?”

Master Qing Cao solemnly replied, “If that day comes, they will also be willing.”

Lu Yin was left puzzled, and he stared blankly at Master Qing Cao. Normally, no one would say such a thing, but after reaching the Greater Sancti’s height, many situations that seemed incomprehensible would be clear. For example, abandoning the Nine Odysseys Megaverse and choosing to join the Spirit Nidus and the Tianyuan might actually be possible.

That was because the Greater Sancti had the perspective of looking at all of humanity, rather than just a single megaverse.

In that case, if it was for this balance, then would even the Greater Sancti be willing to allow the Spirit Nidus and the Tianyuan to replace the Nine Odysseys Megaverse?

Lu Yin said nothing. He did not want the Tianyuan Megaverse to replace the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. All along, he had never considered such a possibility.

The Tianyuan was simply the Tianyuan. If it was abandoned, he would live or die with it. If the Nine Odysseys Megaverse was abandoned, the Tianyuan could accept its people, but there would be no idea of replacement. There would be no conquering or plundering.

That was because the Tianyuan’s cultivation methods did not emphasize such things.

In fact, for some time, Lu Yin had been considering whether or not he should change the Tianyuan’s cultivation method.

No matter how he looked at things, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s cultivation method better suited the concept of surviving in the cosmos. That even included the fact that they survived by plundering the Spirit Nidus.

The cosmos was an inherently cruel place, and even merely surviving was quite difficult.

However, changing the cultivation method of an entire megaverse was easier said than done. Perhaps if Lu Yin did eventually become an Immortal, he would be able to create a new method.

Master Qing Cao left. He had only stopped by to check on Lu Yin’s position, or possibly to reveal his own to Lu Yin.

Even so, the reality was that, regardless of Master Qing Cao’s attitude, he could not change Lu Yin’s.

Humanity’s strategy was not an active one, but entirely passive. There was no real choice to be made at all. Given the circumstances, there was no point in contemplating anything, as there were no other options that they could take.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate likely had the same thoughts, which was why she had never pressed the matter.

Luo Chan’s existence was something that could not be revealed to humanity as a whole. How could people know that allowing the insects to proliferate was exactly what was protecting their lives? Only by confining the battlefield to within the Night Pillars’ range could people fight by separating their cultivated spirit seeds from their bodies.

Even so, the insects’ rate of reproduction exceeded all of Lu Yin’s expectations. Given this development, while the overall strategy remained unchanged, there could be a few additions.

Suddenly, his expression shifted as he looked downward. He had just found it.

“Senior, Loneswan Island in the South Domain.”

A gate appeared, and Lu Yin stepped through it to arrive in the South Domain. In front of him lay a massive island floating in the vast sea.

The island was Loneswan Island, but that was not Lu Yin’s goal. Instead, he proceeded to a smaller island nearby that belonged to the Yan family.

As it turned out, when he searched for the instigator of the public outcry against him, the culprit had turned out to be the Yan family.

While there were countless voices throughout the Nine Odysseys Megaverse denouncing Lu Yin, the earliest had come from the Yan family. This was not something that others were aware of, as the Yan family had pushed some puppets forward to speak for them, and those puppets were actually more powerful than the family itself. For this reason, no one ever considered that the Yan family might be behind it.

In truth, the Yan family was also a puppet that had been pushed forward, and Lu Yin’s goal was to find whoever was behind them.

On the island, the Yan family was living as usual. While they were only a small clan, they had still had some level of standing among cultivators, where most were independent cultivators without any backing at all.

In particular, out on the sea, so long as they had Loneswan Island at their back, the Yan family could live in comfort.

But one day, someone the Yan family had never imagined visiting arrived, and their appearance left the entire clan trembling.

The Yan family consisted of 158,000 cultivators, which was neither small nor large. Most of the cultivators were perfectly average, and only a few had become peak powerhouses. All who had reached that level were elderly. The patriarch, Yan Zhong, was a very elderly sequence powerhouse. Younger members of the family supported the old man as he tremblingly bowed to Lu Yin. “This humble one is Yan Zhong. Greetings, Mr. Lu.”

“Greetings, Mr. Lu.”

“Greetings...”

Over 100,000 cultivators of the Yan family bowed to Lu Yin. Many stole glances at him. Some present had seen his image when he had sent characters raining down from the sky, but this was everyone’s first time seeing the man in person.

Recently, many voices had risen across the Nine Odysseys Megaverse to speak against Lu Yin, including some from within the Yan family. This made people nervous. Was it possible that Lu Yin was there specifically to settle accounts with their family?

The Yan family was insignificant, and their people had merely echoed what others had said. They had played no important role, so why had Lu Yin decided to visit them?

A spiral of karma flicked from Lu Yin’s finger, and it shot straight at Yan Zhong.

Yan Zhong knew nothing of what was happening, even as the karmic spiral entered his body, sending out Karmic Lines that proceeded to clash against each other. Spirals of karma pierced other members of the Yan family, and the resulting Karmic Lines also collided.

Far away, several people arrived above the sea. Among them was Loneswan Island’s Zhang Hongyun.

As soon as the old man learned of Lu Yin’s arrival, he had rushed over.

Lu Yin calmly waited for the karmic lines to finish colliding, watching as Yan Zhong’s past was revealed.

“This humble one, Zhang Hongyun, offers greetings, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Yin turned to Zhang Hongyun. “Seal all news of my arrival.”

“Rest assured, Mr. Lu. The moment I learned of your visit, I had word of your arrival sealed. Aside from the Yan family and a few on Loneswan Island, no one knows that you are in the South Domain,” Zhang Hongyun replied in a respectful tone.

Lu Yin nodded and then created a picture in the air of a man. “Who is this man, and where can I find him?”

Zhang Hongyun stared intently at the picture, trying to recognize the man.

Yan Zhong’s face turned deathly pale. He gaped at Lu Yin in disbelief.

How does he know? How is this possible? Could the rumors be true? Has he truly comprehended karma? Is he really one of Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s disciples?

It’s over! The Yan family is finished!

“Black Lord? Yes, it’s Black Lord.”

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. “Black Lord?”

Zhang Hongyun explained, “Mr. Lu, this man is known as Black Lord, and he’s a powerful person in these southern seas. At his peak, even my Loneswan Island needed to treat him with respect. He is older than me, so I also once referred to him as Black Lord. However, he has been missing for a long time. Why do you seek him, Mr. Lu?”

Lu Yin glanced at Yan Zhong. The old man had no idea where Black Lord was. If he did, it would have already been revealed through karma.

Zhang Hongyun did not know, and neither did Yan Zhong. Black Lord had hidden himself quite well.

In that case...

Lu Yin abruptly released his consciousness, and it instantly swept across the sea. As that happened, Zhang Hongyun, the Yan family, and everyone on the nearby islands felt as though the sky were collapsing upon them and the earth was about to devour them.

Lu Yin had wanted to conduct his search in secret in order to avoid any potential mishaps, but since the trail was gone, he had no choice but to act more overtly.

He soon found his target and then instantly vanished.

Past the far side of Loneswan Island, deep under the sea, a pair of slitted red eyes opened. They belonged to none other than Black Lord.

A blast of consciousness struck, and Black Lord’s head jerked before he fell unconscious. Right after that, Lu Yin appeared.

However, at the same moment, Black Lord’s body melted, a red power gushing out from within and engulfing the man like magma.

Lu Yin’s expression fell as he witnessed the same scene as before.

He had first seen this in the West Domain, which was the first time that he had encountered a Netherfiend. That man had died in the exact same manner. The first had been Jie Zun, and this time, it was Black Lord.

As expected, the entire situation was related to the Netherfiends.

In that case, was this Yong Heng, or the actual Netherfiends?