Chapter 4021: The Nirvana Tree Path

In the distance, Master Qing Cao was startled. He had indeed arrived, but the green grass’s rampant growth was completely unrelated to him. No, it was more than just grass; there were also flowers blooming across the land, and the effect was spreading outward. The growth rolled over the land that had been ruined by Lu Yin’s fight against Zhi, and soon enough, an endless green expanse stretched out before their eyes.

The entire land was covered in green.

At the center of that boundless green expanse, there was a single tree that was growing relatively slowly. It had no real substance, as it was only a shadow. However, as the green image of a tree rose from the ground, every eye was drawn to it even though it was not that tall.

As everyone stared at that indistinct tree, a refreshing wave swept through them. An ineffable desire to claim the tree welled up within them, as though it was somehow capable of transforming them.

As Master Qing Cao stared at the tree, his breath quickened.

The Mother Tree?

It actually felt like he was staring at the Mother Tree.

How could the Mother Tree appear in this manner? What has Lu Yin done? Even if this tree grows up, what does he want to do with a Mother Tree?

Little Lotus King and others could not sense the presence of a Mother Tree. Instead, they only felt a fierce desire to take the tree for themselves. It was as though a third path had opened up before them; not only did this path seem to stretch into the distance, but it also seemed to rise up into the sky. It grew from the earth and rose high into the sky.

The tree stirred up an irrepressible excitement within them, and they all wanted to rush towards it.

Suddenly, the illusory tree grew rapidly without end. As that happened, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s Mother Tree swayed, as though it was cheering and celebrating.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate stared in shock.

A phenomenon?

Master Qing Cao’s pupils shrank.

“A phenomenon... Is that a phenomenon?”

“I’ve seen phenomena before. When an incredible expert has a breakthrough, a phenomenon will sometimes appear. But... Mr. Lu hasn’t broken through.”

The indistinct green tree continued to grow, and then it started spreading outwards. Little Lotus King and the others stared on as they were overshadowed. Instinctively, they did not try to avoid the tree, which would have been impossible anyways. The illusory tree was like a second Mother Tree flourishing within the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. It had already grown vast beyond measure, and its image grew sharper and clearer until every leaf and contour was vivid.

All throughout the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, cultivators saw the tree.

They stared at the second Mother Tree, and just like Little Lotus King and the other elites, they all felt an urge to acquire the tree. It felt as though the tree was a path to a greater future.

The illusory Mother Tree continued to grow larger. When it was nearly as large as the real Mother Tree, the illusion shattered into countless emerald motes that rained down from the sky.

Countless hands reached up to catch the lights, but they were ethereal, and no one could touch them.

Still, as the motes brushed by hands and bodies, people experienced something that they had never felt before. They felt like a traveler in the desert who had just found an oasis. It was a feeling of stepping out from a hopeless maze...

Countless people shot towards Lu Yin’s location. They needed to know what that illusory tree was and why it had given them such a feeling.

When a lost soul finds a direction, they will throw themselves forward without any hesitation.

Countless cultivators throughout the Nine Odysseys Megaverse acted in this manner, all of them feeling as though they had caught a glimpse of hope.

Master Qing Cao stared up at the sky before glancing around in shock. Something had changed. The Nine Odysseys Megaverse itself had changed. He could not say what exactly that change was, but he knew that something had happened.

That change had come from Lu Yin and the illusory tree. It had not been a mere tree, but rather a method of wielding power. It was a path of cultivation.

Did Lu Yin actually manifest a new cultivation path?

Many cultivators were capable of creating new cultivation arts. Some were strong and others were weak, but Lu Yin had created a new cultivation method for an entire civilization, which was completely different from common cultivation arts.

No matter how powerful ordinary methods were, they could only be considered a cultivation art. Only a method used by an entire civilization was qualified to be called a cultivation path.

Lu Yin had created one such path for humanity.

A gate opened up before them, and Greater Sancte Awe Gate stepped out between Master Qing Cao and Lu Yin, warily eying the Immortal.

Seeing the woman’s expression, Master Qing Cao offered a wry smile. “What do you think I will do? What do you think I would do to him?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate gravely replied, “I don’t know, but I can’t take such a risk.”

Master Qing Cao’s gaze slipped past her to land upon Lu Yin. “Everything I do is also for humanity.”

“What you do only reflects your own narrow perspective.”

“Humanity cannot resist Obscura. If that were possible, history would have never been broken.”

“Was it truly broken?” Greater Sancte Awe Gate countered. She recalled the scene that had appeared when Lu Yin broke through to the Origin realm and walked up the River of Aeons.

Master Qing Cao stared blankly at the woman. It looked as if he wanted to argue but was holding himself back. He glanced back over at Lu Yin again. “You can rest easy. Even if I wanted to act against him, I couldn’t. He is... very strong.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s eyes flickered. That was certainly true. Lu Yin was not someone who could be casually dealt with.

Even Immortals like them would have a difficult time against the young man.

He had unmatched physical strength and endless Lifeforce. He could strengthen his attacks with the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, Word Manifestation, and other bizarre methods. Just the thought of facing off against Lu Yin brought on headaches.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate suddenly realized that she had never truly considered what would happen if she acted against Lu Yin.

As she considered it, it seemed to be far from a simple battle.

If an Insect Lord had managed to escape from Master Qing Cao, then Lu Yin was certainly capable of going toe to toe with the man.

Something important to note was that Lu Yin was still only an Ortuser.

Just how strong would he become when he entered Dukkha or reached the peak? What about when he became an Immortal?

For the first time, Greater Sancte Awe Gate found her imagination lacking.

Master Qing Cao left without speaking another word.

In the distance, Lu Yin opened his eyes and let out a breath. He looked up at the sky, feeling relaxed.

“Did you succeed?” Greater Sancte Awe Gate appeared and looked at Lu Yin with evident expectations.

Lu Yin nodded. “In a manner.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate marveled. “You stirred up quite the commotion. A cultivation path for a civilization... you’ve created a cultivation path for humanity.”

Lu Yin shrugged. “It’s nothing that grand. Strictly speaking, I didn’t create it.”

“What the Netherfiends failed to do, you accomplished. That means that you created it. Mr. Lu, there’s no need for false modesty.” Greater Sancte Awe Gate was speaking to Lu Yin in a different manner from before. While she had certainly offered him her thanks in the past, she had always treated him as a junior. At this moment, she actually addressed him as Mr. Lu.

Lu Yin smiled. Greater Sancte Awe Gate had misunderstood him. He had indeed created something different from the Netherfiends’ method of fusing with multiple spirit seeds. It was a true cultivation path. When he had replied that it was not his own creation, he had meant that the cultivation method belonged to the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm. Without that, he could have never succeeded.

Still, this misunderstanding was fine.

“What a commotion. The Nine Odysseys Megaverse has become quite lively.” Lu Yin sighed.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate nodded. “While ordinary cultivators may not be able to clearly sense what happened, their instincts are still guiding them here. Living creatures’ instincts are remarkable—they can always tell where the benefits are.”

Lu Yin met Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s gaze. “Senior, please gather more spirit seeds. The Nine Odysseys Megaverse can no longer afford to let them be destroyed. Deathmound will need to pick up their efforts to hunt down criminals who plunder others’ spirit seeds.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s expression grew solemn. “Are you willing to help the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s people learn to fuse with multiple spirit seeds?”

“Of course. Without the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, this Nirvana Tree Path wouldn’t exist.”

“The Nirvana Tree Path?”

Lu Yin chuckled. “It’s the name that I gave it. Not bad, right?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate laughed in spite of herself. “It doesn’t have a pleasant name, but it’s rather fitting. It’s just like something you’d come up with.”

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Lu Yin smiled, reminded of the Origin Progenitor. If he were present, what sort of name would he have chosen? If he met Greater Sancti Green Lotus or Awe Gate, what sort of nicknames would they receive?

Lu Yin still had no idea where the Origin Progenitor had gone; the Willbound Spire had not been found.

The Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm did not cover all the parallel universes in a megaverse, as that would be too absurd.

Only the main universe of each megaverse was covered.

The Willbound Spire had most likely drifted into one of the Consciousness Megaverse’s parallel universes, which was why Lu Yin could not find it. He also did not have any time to search for it.

“Senior, bring someone over to test out this Nirvana Tree Path,” Lu Yin said.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate took a brief moment to consider and then opened a gate. Two people stepped through it: Qing Yun and Granny Yin.

Lu Yin looked straight at Granny Yin.

The old woman bowed to Greater Sancte Awe Gate. “Greetings, Senior Greater Sancte Awe Gate.”

The Immortal observed the woman. “You saw the phenomenon just now, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did,” Granny Yin answered respectfully while glancing at Lu Yin. She knew that he had caused the phenomenon, which amazed her more than anything he had done before.

“How did it feel?”

Granny Yin did not understand the reason for the question, but she honestly amswered, “It was overwhelming, and... and...”

She hesitated. “I felt an extreme desire to acquire it.”

“The illusory tree?”

“Yes.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate exchanged glances with Lu Yin before slowly explaining, “That illusory tree is a new cultivation path. Are you willing to attempt to take it? To be the first of our human civilization to step onto this path?”

“Mother...” Qing Yun’s voice was anxious, and she prepared to protest, but Granny Yin’s face showed nothing but excitement.

“Thank you, Greater Sancte Awe Gate! I am willing to try.”

Qing Yun turned to her. “Granny...”

Granny Yin smiled at her. “Child, I know that you are worried, but I have already lived for a long time. I have finally seen a new cultivation path. If I don’t step onto it, I will regret it deeply.

“When I saw that illusory tree just now, the desire to seize it stirred something within me for the first time in ages. No new battle technique or cultivation art could ever replace that feeling. My long-lost passion for cultivation was reignited, as it feels like this is a new path that can lead me to new possibilities.”

Qing Yun stared at Granny Yin in a daze. At this moment, the old woman felt like a stranger.

Granny Yin had always devoted herself to protecting Qing Yun, and she had never mentioned her own cultivation. However, the less such a thing was mentioned, the more it mattered.

Who did not wish to progress further?

Those who had accepted a Seed Transfusion had lost their potential in exchange. The suffering that such people endured was something that others could never understand.

If a new path appeared before them, they would latch onto it at any cost.

“It’s just a new path of cultivation. It won’t be dangerous,” Lu Yin said.

Qing Yun looked over and nodded. “I’ll have to trouble you then, Mr. Lu.”

Facing Lu Yin, Granny Yin bowed low. “Thank you, Mr. Lu, for this gift.”

The old woman’s expression reminded Lu Yin of when he had established the Tower of the Fifth in the Tianyuan’s Origin Universe. At Wang Wen’s suggestion, everyone who entered that tower to acquire battle techniques and cultivation resources was required to acknowledge Lu Yin as a half-master, and they had to offer rites to him in accordance with that.

That moment had been the start to Lu Yin gaining the acknowledgement of the Origin Universe, which had eventually spread to encompass the entire Tianyuan Megaverse.

Now, with the Nirvana Tree Path, he could likewise earn recognition as a half-master from everyone blessed by it in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. Those who had lost their futures through Seed Transfusion would be especially grateful.

After all, this was not some ordinary cultivation art or battle technique but an entirely new cultivation path. It had cost not only time and karma, but also that mysterious green light.

But Lu Yin neither sought nor needed such acknowledgement.

He was no longer the man that he had been in the Tianyuan. His vision and his scope had both changed. He no longer needed the title of half-master—he had already surpassed it.