Chapter 4068: The Wasteland

As they walked along, the thing that left the strongest impression on Lu Yin was how the people and their cards coexisted. Lost Clan cultivators held onto their cards at all times. They were not treated as tools, but rather as family.

When he had attended the Lost Clan’s Shangsan Festival, anyone who was not a member of the clan yet still wanted a card needed to receive a card’s consent.

Cards were not alive, and yet they could be summoned, which was quite the mystery. The only explanation was that, after coexisting with people for so long, the cards had developed a sort of spirit or affinity for certain auras.

If that was the case, was there a specific aura that Shan Barrens was drawn to?

It could be something such as emotion, ambition, or a specific power. Anything could lead to a feeling of a kindred presence.

Following that logic, Lu Yin’s grand vow to break free of humanity’s cage and expose the cosmos beyond it had somehow resonated with Shan Barrens, but that had still not been enough.

The Shan Barrens had never had a master, which meant that it was not drawn to either power or emotions.

Lu Yin calmly walked down the street, eventually reaching the end, which led to the planet’s wasteland.

This long street was where the members of Lost Clan had gathered. Places that were unsuited for streets were wastelands, though the one before him was rather scenic.

“Senior, you can go back.”

“What are you planning, Lord Lu?”

Lu Yin looked up at the sky. “I can summon that Primordial card here, right?”

“You can summon it anywhere within the Lost Clan’s territory. But how do you intend to draw it out, Lord Lu?”

Lu Yin sat down cross-legged. “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.”

Shan Gu stared at Lu Yin’s back. With a soft acknowledgement, he bowed again and then withdrew.

Lu Yin had been honest when he said that he did not know how he would try to summon the card. He also did not know if the card would be of any help to him going forward. Still, anything that was so highly valued by the humanoid Verdant Sage was worth taking.

It was too much of a risk to leave the card with the Lost Clan. The Nest civilization was not stupid, and their next assault might be a targeted attack.

While the card might be useless in Lu Yin’s hands, it would pose a terrible threat if it fell into the hands of the Immortal Verdant Sage. It might even pose a threat to Greater Sancte Awe Gate.

Lu Yin slowly closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to spread out. In silence, he simply sensed the universe, sensed the Lost Clan’s customs, and sensed the bond that allowed them to coexist with their cards.

In the blink of an eye, a year passed.

A year in the outside world meant nothing within the Mirari Realm. The passing of time had no meaning in that place. Those who were inside would leave whenever Lu Yin reopened it. Eons might have passed within the Mirari Realm; who could guess how many people would break through upon exiting?

Lu Yin was still unable to think of a way to attract the Primordial card, though he had come up with one possibility: Shan Lie.

Since the Lost Clan coexisted with their cards and the cards had even developed a rudimentary form of sentience, then had the cards also inherited the Lost Clan’s hatred?

If they had, would killing Shan Lie summon the Shan Barrens card?

He could only test out that theory once, though there was no rush. He needed greater certainty, though Lu Yin did warn Great Elder Shan Gu not to kill Shan Lie just yet.

Another year passed. Some of the Lost Clan’s children entered the wasteland to play.

No one knew that Lu Yin was there aside from Shan Gu himself.

Lu Yin had sat there for two years with the wind and sun beating upon him. Green grass had grown all over him, concealing his form to the point where he was no longer recognizably human.

The children laughed as they ran past him, circling Lu Yin while tossing pebbles and pulling up grass. One accidentally brushed against Lu Yin and let out a yelp of fright, which led the children to scatter.

Lu Yin opened his eyes and smiled. He then continued his contemplations.

The children returned with their elders, but the elders were unable to see Lu Yin at all.

He was sitting right in front of them, yet no one could perceive him. Eventually, they all left.

Great Elder Shan Gu never intervened. He only ever calmly observed, hoping that Lu Yin would be able to summon the Primordial card.

After many more months passed, an unexpected visitor arrived in the Lost Clan’s universe, announcing that he wanted to meet with Lu Yin. It was Emperor Slayer.

No one had expected the beast’s visit.

Great Elder Shan Gu stared at him, speechless and helpless. “Why are you here?”

Emperor Slayer sneered. “Shan Gu, drop the act. Lu Yin’s here, isn’t he?”

The old man’s face grew stern. “Is that how you address Lord Lu?”

Emperor Slayer scoffed. “What? Do I need to justify my relationship with him to you?”

Those words sounded familiar to Shan Gu.

Who said that before? Right, Ghost Monkey. He said something similar.

Many people were aware of Ghost Monkey’s connection to Lord Lu, but what did Emperor Slayer have?

The beast continued to say, “While he was in the Spirit Nidus, without my help, he would have never gathered so many spirit seeds. When he was in the Consciousness Megaverse, I helped smooth his path again. On top of all that, didn’t you see me block the water droplet that that Immortal bug released? Hey, you saw that, didn’t you? That incident makes me the savior of your entire megaverse. Isn’t it fine for me to address him a bit casually?”

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Shan Gu heaved a sigh. “Fine, great benefactor. What do you want with Lord Lu?”

That immediately got Emperor Slayer worked up. The moment he blocked the Immortal insect’s attack had been the peak of his entire life. He had been worshiped by the entire megaverse and feared by Immortals. He would never be able to forget that feeling.

It had sparked an ambition to break through to the Immortal realm.

He knew that it would be extremely difficult. If even the High Seraph had barely any hope of success, then what about Emperor Slayer? Still, so long as there was any chance at all, he had to try, and that started with gathering resources.

He had believed that, after Lu Yin returned and resolved the threat facing the Tianyuan, rewards would be given out. And who had offered the greatest contribution, if not him? There was simply no question about it!

Jiang Feng? The Three Realms and Six Daos? The ferryman? All of them could only step aside.

Without Emperor Slayer, everyone would have died. He was the savior of the entire Tianyuan Megaverse.

But despite all that, Lu Yin still had not shown Emperor Slayer any favor. Well, there had been that mote of green light that allowed him to cultivate the Nirvana Tree Path, but he had not been the only one to receive that gift. Many others had received the same benefit, including some who had not offered any assistance during the war. Such a thing could not count as a reward.

Emperor Slayer wanted a real reward: resources, status, and cultivation.

Unfortunately, after waiting and waiting, even when Lu Yin had sent a group of people to the Mirari Realm to train there, Emperor Slayer had not been included among their numbers.

He had asked around and learned that the Mirari Realm was a place outside of time where the River of Aeons flowed through it. What kind of place was that? Somewhere the River of Aeons appeared?

He had exploded at that news. They had excluded him from such an opportunity? Even Su Shidao had gone! It was outrageous, unforgivable! Lu Yin had denied Emperor Slayer even that reward and instead given it to others, despite Emperor Slayer’s unmatched contributions!

He had traveled to the Lost Clan’s universe to demand justice from Lu Yin.

Just as he was about to start ranting, Emperor Slayer rolled his eyes and glanced at Shan Gu. It would be better not to say such things here. Given how greatly the old man revered Lu Yin, would Emperor Slayer even be allowed to meet with Lu Yin?

He thought for a moment and then adjusted his expression to show a gleaming smile. “Lu Yin left something with me when he left for the Spirit Nidus. He told me to give it to him when I met back up with him here in the Tianyuan.”

Shan Gu eyed the beast suspiciously, while Emperor Slayer maintained a very sincere smile.

After a moment, Shan Gu nodded. “I see. However, Lord Lu is currently in seclusion, so this is not a good time. Could you return later?”

Emperor Slayer’s eyes flickered. “Fine. Of course we shouldn’t disturb his cultivation. I’ll go. Oh, it would be best not to mention this to him.”

“And why is that?” Shan Gu was growing increasingly suspicious. There was something very off about this beast.

Emperor Slayer made a shushing gesture. “I’m saying this for your sake. What he left with me seems to have a connection to his cultivation. If I can’t deliver it to him in time and it affects his training, it would be very bad. That’s not very likely, given that he’s already in seclusion. That should mean that he doesn’t need it yet. Anyways, I’ll be off.”

“Wait.” Great Elder Shan Gu hurriedly stopped the beast from leaving. “Connected to his cultivation?”

Emperor Slayer nodded.

Shan Gu hesitated. He could not determine if the beast was being honest or not, but Lu Yin was in the middle of trying to attract Shan Barrens, rather than actually cultivating. An interruption would not matter. If what Emperor Slayer had was actually useful to Lord Lu, then even a short delay could ruin something important.

The option of escorting Emperor Slayer to Lu Yin would not hinder Lu Yin at all, so it was fine to do so.

With that in mind, Shan Gu stared intently at Emperor Slayer. “You better have told me the truth. Lord Lu is in the middle of something extremely important right now, something that concerns the Immortal realm. I can take you to him, but it turns out that you are lying, you will have to bear the consequences.”

Emperor Slayer frowned, growing uneasy. He wanted to demand justice from Lu Yin, but if he disrupted Lu Yin’s cultivation instead...

“Uh... why don’t I just come back another time?” He stepped back.

Shan Gu did not want to risk delaying Lu Yin. “No. Since it’s a matter that concerns his cultivation, come with me to meet with Lord Lu.”

“Wait, it might not be all that important.”

“You aren’t the one to decide that.”

“What if we disturb him? I’ll just come back.”

“You’re coming with me to see Lord Lu no matter what, unless you were just lying to me.” Great Elder Shan Gu’s expression turned grave.

Emperor Slayer’s face twitched. He knew that he had overplayed his hand. He had rattled the old man, but that had caused Shan Gu to refuse to back down. Flashbacks of Lu Yin’s ruthless battles against the High Seraph and multiple other powerhouses suddenly entered Emperor Slayer’s mind. Those memories caused the beast’s legs to tremble. What if the strength that had been used against that Immortal monster was instead directed at him?

He glanced down at his arm, turned away, and then started walking off. “I’ll come back later.”

“No. Now. We are not delaying even a moment.”

“Relax, I absolutely won’t delay anything.”

“Have you been lying to me?”

“No. Shan Gu, you just need to trust me. It’ll be fine. Just do as I say.”

“Then turn that item over to me so I can deliver it to Lord Lu.”

“No way! Move.”

“Hand it over.”

“Out of the way, or you can’t blame me for being rude.”

“Go on then, be rude.” Shan Gu brought out Aurora. He knew that he was not Emperor Slayer’s match, of course, but they were in the Lost Clan’s universe. How could Emperor Slayer dare to act recklessly here?

The beast gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to speak, both individuals heard a voice. “Emperor Slayer, come here.”

The beast’s expression changed drastically. He had been noticed.

Great Elder Shan Gu put Aurora away while staring at Emperor Slayer. “If you’ve disturbed Lord Lu and were lying to me, I’ll spread the word. You won’t have another good day.”

Emperor Slayer grew furious. “I saved your entire megaverse!”

“That’s still no justification to disturb Lord Lu in seclusion.”

“If it weren’t for you, I’d have already left!” Emperor Slayer’s paw itched to smack Shan Gu dead.

What a thick-headed fossil!