Chapter 4023: Two Extremes

Lu Yin felt a weight on his heart. Even if he eradicated the Netherfiends, Obscura still had their sights set on humanity. Also, while Silent Death’s spirit treasure formation had been stopped before it was completed, the Death Megaverse was another looming threat.

Finally, there was the Nest civilization, which could return at any moment, which was a truly terrifying possibility.

“People have been waiting outside for me long enough. I should go meet them,” Lu Yin commented as he turned to look at a distant point.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate turned to leave, and she took Qing Yun and Granny Yin with her.

Lu Yin released his consciousness and walked away.

The Great Master was the first to rush over to him, and her eyes locked onto Lu Yin. “Fusing multiple spirit seeds?”

Lu Yin motioned for silence, and the Great Master smiled. “I understand.”

With that, she vanished.

From the other side, Qing Xing, Dan Jin, and the others nodded to Lu Yin before also leaving. While they were curious about the Nirvana Tree Path, they had already reached a certain level of power and thus were not in a rush.

Only the cultivators who were in the area beyond where Lu Yin’s consciousness had previously covered stayed behind. Many had been drawn to the area by the recent battles, while others had been lured over by the Nirvana Tree Path. All of them were waiting for Lu Yin to provide answers.

When he appeared before the crowd, Little Lotus King and the other young elites stepped forward to block his path.

Lu Yin looked at them and stopped, though he said nothing. With his hands clasped behind his back, Lu Yin silently waited.

Little Lotus King walked closer while staring at Lu Yin. “Mr. Lu, you’re Fugui, aren’t you?”

Many of the people watching from a distance overheard the question, and exchanged strange looks.

Fugui? Is that a name?

Lu Yin smiled. “That was me.”

Little Lotus King met Lu Yin’s gaze. “Were you toying with us, Mr. Lu?”

Lu Yin chuckled. “I don’t have time for something like that.”

Jian Heng stepped forward. “What exactly did you mean by your words to us?”

Lu Yin looked at him. “Such as?”

“Tired,” Xue Zhan replied.

Lu Yin nodded. “That’s right, I’m tired. Dealing with you all is even more exhausting than searching for the Netherfiends.”

“What about what you said about ordinary and extraordinary cultivators?” Gui Ji asked.

Ji butted in, “In your eyes, are we really all the same?”

Lu Yin replied, “Yes, all are the same. Is there really a difference?

“As for the ordinary and extraordinary, you came to that conclusion on your own. I never said anything.”

He then added admiringly, “All of you are true geniuses, for you to be able to force an epiphany like that. It was impressive.”

Hearing their actions being referred to as forcing an epiphany caused several of the young men to blush with embarrassment.

At the time, they had not considered any of their enlightenments to be forced. They had truly believed that they had been enlightened. In hindsight, it seemed evident that Lu Yin’s evaluation was quite accurate.

It was humiliating.

Jian Heng wanted nothing more than to lash out at Lu Yin, but he did not dare. When he considered how he had openly offended the man in Blackmarsh City, Jian Heng understood just how lucky it was that Lu Yin did not hold it against him.

Otherwise...

He shuddered to imagine what could have happened.

It did not matter that they were considered geniuses, as even someone with as high a status as Little Lotus King could be disciplined by Lu Yin without issue. Who would dare to stop him?

Bai Xia? The guardian of the Scion Spire had already run off without a trace.

Little Lotus King stared at Lu Yin with a serious expression. “Mr. Lu, there’s only one question that I wish to ask.”

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Lu Yin said, “I’m in a good mood, so go ahead and ask more than one.”

“Exactly what is cultivation?”

It was a question that Little Lotus King had never considered before. In Blackmarsh City, he had obtained enlightenment through Lu Yin, but after realizing that Lu Yin was not an ordinary cultivator, doubt and contradictions had arisen in Little Lotus King’s mind, obscuring his path of cultivation. He was now seeking an answer.

It was possible that not even his master could provide him with an answer, as his master saw things from too high a perspective.

Lu Yin was the most suitable person to ask. He had comprehended karma, and he was also the cause of Little Lotus King’s confusion.

Lu Yin glanced over at the young men before him and then calmly stated, “None of your insights are wrong. Everyone has their own path. Ordinary or extraordinary, you’ve each gained your own insights, just as I’ve received my own.”

Little Lotus King and the others looked at one another in surprise.

In their eyes, Lu Yin was untouchable, and his power was unmatched. He was practically an Immortal. Could he truly have learned something from people like them?

Lu Yin smiled. “Don’t be surprised. To be born human is, in truth, fair. Mortals cannot reach the heights of the Immortal realm, but likewise, an Immortal cannot reach the heights of a mortal. Heaven and earth always move in dualities: yin and yang, black and white, gain and loss. There are always two sides. You pursue Immortality—that pursuit is no different from a mortal striving for their own life. In the end, it’s all the same.”

Little Lotus King and the other young elites were not the only ones to hear Lu Yin’s words, as all of the nearby cultivators were also able to listen.

One by one, people stared at Lu Yin in stunned silence. They had never before heard Immortals and ordinary humans being equated, and yet Lu Yin had just placed them both on the same level. What kind of profound insights did he have?

The Immortal realm was one extreme, while ordinary mortals were another. In pursuing one extreme, the other could not be neglected.

It was true that they had all ignored mortals throughout their cultivation journey, but without those ordinary humans, how could cultivators have ever existed?

Originally, all humans had been mortals. Cultivation was nothing more than a journey from one extreme to another.

At that moment, countless people seemed to understand something, and they bowed low to Lu Yin.

Little Lotus King and the other elites no longer felt lost. Their insights belonged to them alone, and their paths were theirs to walk. Why should they care about how others saw them?

To strive towards the Immortal realm or to strive towards the mortal realm: both were correct paths to take.

With that thought, they also bowed low to Lu Yin.

Across a vast stretch of land, countless cultivators bowed as one. It was like a field of wheat swaying in the wind.

Receiving the recognition of so many people brought Lu Yin closer to the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm and the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. He had a feeling that, if things continued like this, one day, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse would become a second Tianyuan Megaverse in that the megaverse would fully acknowledge him. That might even give birth to another Wordless Heavenly Book.

Cultivators cared nothing for mortals, and yet Lu Yin did. It was neither because of his cultivation, nor because he sought enlightenment, but simply because he sought to protect human civilization itself.

At this moment, Lu Yin was guiding all cultivators towards that same path.

He had once made a grand vow that he would lead people towards goodness, and he was starting to fulfill that vow, one step at a time.

“Everyone, allow me to leave you with a thought,” Lu Yin’s voice spread across the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, even echoing throughout outer space.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate, Master Qing Cao, the Great Master, Gu Duanke, and countless others turned to look in the same direction.

“Cultivation is a circle.”

Cultivation is a circle.

Cultivation is a circle.

Cultivation is a circle.

Those few words echoed throughout the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, granting sudden understanding to countless people.

As they faced Lu Yin’s direction, countless people bowed deeply. “Thank you, Mr. Lu.”

“We all thank you, Mr. Lu.”

“Mount Zhong’s Shang family thanks you, Mr. Lu.”

“The Four Commands Sword Sect thanks you, Mr. Lu.”

“The Third Night Pillar...”

The gratitude of countless people swirled into a storm that caused the Nine Odysseys Megaverse to suddenly appear smaller in Lu Yin’s eyes.

It was as though he could see the entirety of the megaverse.

A person’s state of mind could change in an instant.

Earlier, Little Lotus King and the others had sought an explanation from Lu Yin. They had been willing to let their frustrations fester for years without resolution. But after just a brief moment, their gazes towards Lu Yin were filled with fervent reverence.

Only a greater genius could humble geniuses.

“Mr. Lu, what was the illusory tree that just appeared?” Ning Xiao asked curiously. He was different from Little Lotus King and the others, as he had not interacted with Fugui in Blackmarsh City.

Ning Xiao had never sought Fugui’s guidance, unlike Xue Zhan and the others. That was because Ning Xiao had risen up from the most common of origins. He was a pure independent cultivator.

Compared to the others, Ning Xiao was more intrigued by the illusory tree.

That phenomenon had made him feel a powerful urge to get closer. It was a sensation that only arose when he was close to battle techniques or cultivation arts that could greatly benefit him.

In the past, he had felt such a sensation from the Nine Deficiencies Art, but the impulse roused by the illusory tree was far stronger than that of any battle technique or cultivation art that Ning Xiao had ever encountered.

With everyone’s eyes on him, Lu Yin replied, “It’s a cultivation method I developed that anyone can use. I’ll find an opportunity to share it publicly.”

“Like the Nine Heavens Transformation?” Xue Zhan’s eyes lit up.

Lu Yin nodded.

The crowd erupted as they all looked at Lu Yin with growing excitement. Those who had been drawn over by the illusory tree were especially thrilled, and even bowed again in thanks.

“All right, that’s enough. Leave.” Lu Yin dismissed the crowd with a wave.

The cultivators obeyed, each offering yet another bow before departing.

Little Lotus King and the other young men wanted to continue speaking with Lu Yin, but they noticed something off about his expression, so they tactfully withdrew.

Once the crowd dispersed, Lu Yin released his Karmic Dao and merged it back with the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm while looking eastwards.

A few moments earlier, he had received a message from Greater Sancte Awe Gate that the Immortal monster had returned and entered the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm.

Previously, Master Qing Cao had flung that beast far away. Whether because it had lost its bearings or something else, it had ended up drifting farther and farther away from their civilization, eventually leaving the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm altogether.

That had allowed Greater Sancte Awe Gate and the other Immortals to breathe a bit easier. If the Nest civilization had attacked while the Immortal monster was threatening them, the situation would have become quite dire.

However, the Immortal monster had just returned.

Lu Yin’s guess was that his frequent use of the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm had created some sort of disturbance that had allowed the beast to regain its bearings and lock onto him again.

Still, the timing was perfect.

Lu Yin’s eyes lit up.

In that case, come. Show me how big of a gap still exists between me and an Immortal beast

.

It was time to settle the score with the beast that had chased Lu Yin all the way from the Consciousness Megaverse to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

“How do you want to proceed?” Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s voice reached him again.

Lu Yin solemnly replied, “Senior, please stand guard here and allow this junior to fight that beast to the death.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate took a moment to consider the request. “Very well. Be careful.”

By merging his Karmic Dao with the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, Lu Yin could theoretically perceive everything encompassed by it. However, karma was just karma, and he was not truly roaming through the megaverse. His mind also could not traverse the entire region in an instant, all of which meant that it took time for him to examine the entire Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm. This was also why he had not checked on the Tianyuan earlier.

At this moment, he could.

The Immortal beast still had quite a ways to go before it reached the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, and that was enough time for Lu Yin to complete a number of tasks.

Several days later, with his Karmic Dao still connected to the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, Lu Yin was finally able to see the Tianyuan.

It was such a familiar megaverse. It was familiar and also home.

He was not able to speak. Karma was still just karma. However, being able to see his home was already enough for him.

The Tianyuan possessed its own karma. Every civilization and every megaverse had its own karma.

While the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm enveloped the Tianyuan Megaverse, Lu Yin was still able to discern the distinction between the two currents of karma.

...

In the Tianyuan, a group of cultivators from the Spirit Nidus trudged away from the Heavens Sect’s main hall, clearly frustrated.

They had just requested to return to the Spirit Nidus, arguing that the bugs had been completely eradicated from the Tianyuan.

Their request had been denied.

Lu Yuan had told them that there were still many insects spread throughout their megaverse and that they were far from being completely wiped out.

The people of the Spirit Nidus had insisted that the extermination was already complete, while Lu Yuan had insisted that it was not.

After a bit of back-and-forth, the argument had ended with Lu Yuan forcing the others into compliance.