Chapter 4005: A Certain Kind Of Person

Lu Yin commented in a low voice, “That same character has appeared in the Tianyuan before.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate showed no surprise, and Lu Yin continued to say, “At first, I thought that it was connected to Master Qing Cao, but it seems that my assumption was wrong. No matter how hostile Master Qing Cao might be towards the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, he would never be behind the Netherfiends.”

“He doesn’t have the qualifications,” Greater Sancte Awe Gate stated bluntly.

Lu Yin agreed. Master Qing Cao was indeed an Immortal, but Lu Yin had never felt anything on the same level as the Immortal who had sent out that blue sword shadow from Master Qing Cao.

The Netherfiends were backed by Obscura, and it was certain that Master Qing Cao was not one of them.

Lu Yin then shared what he had learned about Yuan Qi with Greater Sancte Awe Gate, specifically his suspicions that some hidden force behind the High Seraph and Yong Heng had pushed Yuan Qi to the Tianyuan with the intention of arranging Greater Sancte Mi Jin’s death.

“At first, I thought that it was just a coincidence. Then, from someone by the name of of Ye Ge in the Spirit Nidus, I learned that, not only did the High Seraph force Yuan Qi to go to the Tianyuan, but Yong Heng also paid a visit to the Spirit Nidus to specifically request Yuan Qi by name. In that timeframe, it is impossible for Yong Heng to have traveled between the Spirit Nidus and the Tianyuan. The round trip would have taken much too long. He must have used some other means to complete the journey through the Aevum Inch that quickly.”

“You suspect that Master Qing Cao helped?”

“I did, yes. But now, I suspect that it was that hidden Immortal, the same one that’s behind Yong Heng. That being most likely orchestrated Greater Sancte Mi Jin’s death, and it’s very likely they’re also a member of Obscura.

“There’s something else as well. There was a cultivator in the Tianyuan with the Heaven brand. Before they died, they claimed that they had been branded by Master Qing Cao. They knew of Master Qing Cao’s existence and that he is an Immortal, but they still claimed that the character came from him. Even if Master Qing Cao is not the one behind Yong Heng, he has to know something.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate nodded. “That is certainly possible.”

Things were gradually becoming clearer. The Heaven (天) character could possibly be a brand that belonged to all of Obscura and was what kept the Netherfiends hidden. The High Seraph and Yong Heng had conspired to send Yuan Qi to the Tianyuan to trap Greater Sancte Mi Jin. It was possible that Master Qing Cao had been the one to execute the plan, but it had become apparent that the real hand behind the scenes was Obscura.

It also seemed increasingly likely that another member of Obscura was hidden in the human megaverses and that they were the true mastermind behind everything.

That aligned with Lu Yin’s own long-held suspicions.

He had long since felt that there was some hidden presence in the Tianyuan, some powerhouse who had been watching him right up to the moment that he had first comprehended karma.

“There’s still more. When I fought the Boundary Guardians in the Mirari Realm, a figure appeared wielding a red sword. Thinking back, I realize that the red sword looked a great deal like the blue one we just saw,” Lu Yin gravely stated.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate rubbed her temples. “The more you tell me, the more it sounds like Obscura has someone hidden in our civilization. But why would they bother hiding? If their goal is to wipe out humanity, then they could have simply joined forces with Qi Xu and connected us to other civilizations, forcing us to fight.”

Lu Yin replied, “Regardless, it is almost certain that there is a hidden member of Obscura. If Master Qing Cao has cooperated with them, then what is his real goal?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate hesitated and then slowly asked, “Have you ever lived through oppression, coercion, and enslavement?”

Lu Yin then understood. Master Qing Cao reminded him of Wilderness God. Astral beasts had been enslaved by the Heavens Sect in the Tianyuan, and that period of oppression had given rise to the astral beasts’ desire for humanity’s destruction.

The Spirit Nidus had gone through a dark period of people from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse visiting and treating the indigenous cultivators as subhuman. It had been common for the people of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse to pillage and enslave the people of the Spirit Nidus, and yet the Spirit Nidus had still been expected to protect their oppressors. There was no doubt that such an experience would leave Master Qing Cao feeling resentful.

If not for the High Seraph’s duel with Ru Shi that had culminated in Ru Shi’s death, the people of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse would have never become wary of entering the Spirit Nidus. Otherwise, Lu Yin would have seen a very different Spirit Nidus when he arrived. It would have been a place filled with slaughter, hatred, and despair.

Master Qing Cao had lived through that ancient era. His desire to be free from being plundered by the Nine Odysseys Megaverse was only natural.

“Obscura must have promised him something,” Lu Yin commented. That was the only possible explanation for why Master Qing Cao would aid the enemy. “But Obscura clearly seeks to destroy all of human civilization.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate shook her head. “If human civilization stagnates and fails to produce any more Immortals, surviving like ants, what value would we have to Obscura? Would you deliberately travel to the Tianyuan if doing so was similar to dealing with a mangy cur?”

Her words were harsh, but accurate.

Still, Lu Yin felt that they were missing something. Master Qing Cao was an Immortal and understood humanity’s struggles against Obscura. Would he truly side with such an enemy and allow human civilization to wither?

Was it possible that Obscura had offered him another kind of promise?

Just as Lu Yin was about to ask further questions, Greater Sancte Awe Gate released a heavy sigh. “We cannot know for certain whether Master Qing Cao is working with Obscura at the moment, but he did cooperate with Qi Xu once.”

Lu Yin was startled by that revelation. “And the Greater Sancti tolerated that?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate offered a wry smile. “I wasn’t around at that time—Greater Sancte Awe Gate did not yet exist. I was informed by Greater Sancte Green Lotus that, before his death, Greater Sancte Mi Jin specifically urged him and Blood Tower not to act against Master Qing Cao. His reasoning was simple: when humanity is faced with total annihilation, Master Qing Cao will be forced to stand up. After all, he is also human.”

Lu Yin’s eyes trembled as he was overcome with a solemn feeling of respect upon hearing another story about Greater Sancte Mi Jin. That man was responsible for a great deal of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s attitude towards foreign megaverses and civilizations. He had possessed a spirit truly worthy of admiration, and his wisdom deserved reverence. It was a true tragedy that such a man had died.

Still, while Lu Yin could respect such selflessness, if it had been up to him, he might not have spared Master Qing Cao.

It was possible that Master Qing Cao would help humanity, but that was contingent on the possibility that their civilization was facing total annihilation. Up til that point, any disaster that they encountered might even be related to the man.

The death of one Immortal was regrettable, but that was still far better than humanity being destroyed by that same Immortal.

Greater Sancte Mi Jin and Progenitor Hui were the same kind of people, and they were fundamentally different from Lu Yin. He could never be so selfless.

“Senior, do you believe that Greater Sancte Mi Jin was right?” Lu Yin asked.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate shook her head. “I do not know.”

Lu Yin looked at her. “Was there also a gate in the Tianyuan Megaverse?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate met his gaze. “There once was. It was destroyed.”

“Destroyed?” Lu Yin mused. Thinking back, the fact that the gate in the Tianyuan had been destroyed must be why the Nine Odysseys Megaverse had started to ignore the Tianyuan and why they had even agreed to Master Qing Cao’s request of non-interference. That request had ultimately allowed Aeternus to find a foothold in the Tianyuan.

Was it possible that the destruction of the gate in the Tianyuan had been regarded as necessary by both the Nine Odysseys Megaverse and Obscura?

Did that also mean that, if there really was an Immortal from Obscura hidden in the human civilization, they were in the Tianyuan?

Lu Yin was used to thinking in reverse. He was not smarter than Greater Sancte Awe Gate; he was just from the Tianyuan. That meant that he had a completely different perspective and thought process from her.

Furthermore, he was not an Immortal and thus not bound by certain restraints.

He was freer than Immortals.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate stared out at the stars. “If my first attack had shattered that gate, we might have avoided drawing Obscura’s attention.”

Lu Yin looked at her back. “Did you attack at full power, Senior?”

“No.”

Lu Yin stared at the woman, and she met his gaze. “But it was the strongest attack that I could release in such haste.”

Lu Yin looked away, nodding. “Then you can’t blame yourself. You would have needed at least another heartbeat to gather the power to shatter the gate with one strike, and that bit of time would have been enough for Obscura to be alerted all the same. The only possible difference would have been the lack of a second sword shadow. That difference wasn’t reliant on you, and I didn’t allow the second sword shadow to do anything anyway.

“If anyone should be blamed, it’s me. I should have given you an earlier warning. If I had, things wouldn’t have come to this.”

“I knew that you were going to act. No one expected that gate to suddenly appear out of nowhere,” Greater Sancte Awe Gate interjected. She then gave Lu Yin a look of curiosity. “By the way, you seem to also wield that red power.”

Lu Yin explained how he had ended up cultivating divine energy. “Did Qi Xu also wield this power?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate nodded. “She did.”

Lu Yin exhaled. “Aren’t you worried that I won’t be able to control it and will end up becoming part of Obscura?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate chuckled. “Greater Sancte Green Lotus examined your life with karma. He might not have seen everything, but it was at least enough to understand you. Do you know his assessment of you?”

“I’d like to hear it,” Lu Yin said, his curiosity roused.

Her expression grew solemn. “You’re ill.”

Huh?

Is his evaluation of me an insult?

“You have a near-pathological obsession with humanity’s inheritance and freedom, as well as a near-pathological adherence to your own bottom line. Your ‘illness’ runs deep. While it’s possible for others to betray humanity, you never will. The reason for that is simply because you could never break free from your past to do so. There is no cure for the illness that you possess.”

Lu Yin had expected to hear praise. Even as modest as he was, he still felt that he deserved to be commended, even by Immortals.

Green Lotus’s evaluation was completely unexpected. Lu Yin could not even determine if it was a good or bad evaluation. People had called him greedy, ruthless, unpromising, and now ill.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate smiled. “I admire your sickness.”

Lu Yin had no words.

“If Master Qing Cao had your illness, Greater Sancte Mi Jin might not have died. If everyone in our human civilization contracted it, it might be possible for us to one day become a fishing civilization ourselves, rather than always living in fear.” Greater Sancte Awe Gate sighed. “I truly wish Master Qing Cao had your illness.”

Before she managed to finish her comment, Master Qing Cao emerged from the void. He stared at the woman, as he had only managed to hear her last sentence. “Are you cursing me?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate glanced over at him, but then she left without offering even a single word.

Master Qing Cao turned to Lu Yin. “We’ve been marked. Qi Xu’s death can no longer be kept hidden.”

“Is someone from Obscura hiding in our human civilization?” Lu Yin asked bluntly.

Master Qing Cao did not answer the question and instead asked his own. “Have you seen the truth clearly?”

Lu Yin arched a brow. “You’re working with Obscura. What did they promise you?”

“You still haven’t seen things clearly. If you had, you wouldn’t ask me that question,” Master Qing Cao said, shaking his head. “Keep going.”

With that, he turned and left.

Lu Yin remained standing in the same place. He was not capable of forcing an answer out of Master Qing Cao, but the man also had not denied the allegation.

Lu Yin was overcome by a rising sense of unease. Human civilization appeared to be flourishing on the surface. The Nine Odysseys Megaverse had three Immortals, the Spirit Nidus had one, and each of the megaverses had many powerful cultivators. Humanity was strong enough to stand tall in the dark forest of the omniverse, and they were capable of wiping out any foreign civilization that approached them and risked exposing the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

Only now did Lu Yin see it clearly: human civilization, though outwardly strong, was already worn thin, carrying too much for too long.