Chapter 4069: Two Extremes

In the wasteland, Lu Yin stared at the nervous Emperor Slayer in front of him and calmly asked, “What do you want from me?”

The indignation that Emperor Slayer felt demanded that he get justice from Lu Yin, but those feelings had already been consumed during his argument with Great Elder Shan Gu. Because of that, the beast was purely nervous when directly facing Lu Yin. The more that Emperor Slayer thought about his situation, the more uneasy he became. After all, he was not from the Tianyuan, and worse than that, he had previously offended Lu Yin and acted as his enemies’ accomplice on several occasions in the Consciousness Megaverse. It was a little hard for Emperor Slayer to justify his demands.

“Uh, well... I, uh, blocked that Immortal bug’s attack, so... I... this...” Emperor Slayer trailed off, suddenly at a loss for words.

Am I really here to ask for a reward?

As he looked into Lu Yin’s eyes, the beast found that he no longer dared. All he wanted was to quietly leave, in hopes that Lu Yin would not hold the interruption against him.

Lu Yin’s gaze fell to Emperor Slayer’s right index finger. “Thank you.”

The beast froze for a moment before he met Lu Yin’s gaze and forced a laugh. “You’re welcome.”

Lu Yin continued, “If it weren’t for that attack of yours, the Tianyuan wouldn’t be what it is now. I never properly thanked you for that. The Tianyuan will remember your deed.”

Lu Yin’s words caused Emperor Slayer’s back to straighten. “So, uh... that Mirari Realm? Even Su Shidao got to go...”

“It’s of no use to you,” Lu Yin replied.

Emperor Slayer wanted to argue, but then he reconsidered his words. “Alright, if it’s useless to me, then it’s useless. I guess I should get going then?”

“What do you want?” Lu Yin asked. Given his years of cultivation, how could he not see through Emperor Slayer’s thoughts? The beast had been an annoyance in the Spirit Nidus, mostly an enemy in the Consciousness Megaverse, and a coward at a critical moment. He had almost no real connection to Lu Yin or his allies, aside from the fact that he had blocked that one attack to defend the Tianyuan.

Emperor Slayer had taken action mostly for his own sake. If he had not blocked the Immortal insect’s attack, he would have also died. Still, regardless of his motives, the Tianyuan owed the beast a debt. Without Emperor Slayer, there would no longer be the same Tianyuan.

The moment that Lu Yin had witnessed Emperor Slayer block the massive drop of water from atop the green lotus leaf, Lu Yin’s gratitude had remained vividly clear.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

That was why he had given Emperor Slayer a mote of green light to allow him to cultivate the Nirvana Tree Path.

However, it appeared that Emperor Slayer did not feel that he had received sufficient recompense.

The truth was that Emperor Slayer himself did not know what he wanted. He simply longed to once again experience the sensation of being revered by billions, stepping into the realm of invincibility that should only belong to Immortals.

The only one who could offer a glimmer of hope for that was Lu Yin.

The beast had thought that meeting Lu Yin would offer him the chance to demand greater resources. However, when Emperor Slayer actually stood before Lu Yin and met the young man’s calm gaze, the beast felt lost.

When he compared himself to Lu Yin, Emperor Slayer realized that he was moving ever further away from the Immortal realm.

As Lu Yin observed Emperor Slayer, he noticed the confusion in the beast’s eyes. “It appears that you've gained a goal.”

Emperor Slayer was caught off guard. “A goal?”

Lu Yin smiled. “You've lived for far longer than I have. Strictly speaking, I have no right to lecture you. This is not something that can be judged by strength or combat power. But when compared to the first half of your life, what are you currently lacking?”

Emperor Slayer fell silent.

The first half of my life...

Mediocrity was not a word that could be used to describe him. He was Emperor Slayer, the one who had rivaled Emperor Wu, the one who had been fierce enough to shout curses at the Ascendant Hall—he had always been a true powerhouse! But apart from hiding, hiding, and more hiding, what else had he accomplished?

The Immortal realm was an ethereal and distant cultivation realm that every cultivator pursued. Emperor Slayer rarely ever thought about such an esoteric thing, knowing himself incapable of ever reaching it.

However, the moment that he saved the Tianyuan had completely changed Emperor Slayer. The thrill that he had felt in that one moment, as if he had become the center of the cosmos, had released all those years of frustration, helplessness, and bitterness.

That was what he truly desired.

Dreams? Goals? Such things were ridiculous. He had never truly thought about them, and yet such things had never become outdated.

Emperor Slayer bowed low to Lu Yin. “Lord Lu, how can I begin making progress towards the Immortal realm?”

Lu Yin stared at Emperor Slayer with greater intensity. “You are close to becoming a peak Dukkhan and are able to face your own Dukkha, and yet you have never considered breaking through to the Immortal realm. You are the first person I've ever seen like that.”

Emperor Slayer gave a bitter smile.

Are you saying that I lack any sort of true ambition?

“And yet, someone like you might actually be closer to the Immortal realm than anyone else. I could have allowed you to enter the Champions' Stage Purgatory in order to confront your past, but that might not be the direction where your path lies.

“In the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, I met someone who was born to unmatched fortune. Her cultivation never slowed or stalled. She easily managed to become a peak Dukkhan, and yet, for her, it seems that it will be more difficult for her to become an Immortal than anyone else.

“As for you, while your cultivation path was nothing but hardship, you have never truly considered trying to step into the Immortal realm.

“You are similar to her, while also the opposite. Keep walking your current path. The more paths that are walked to the Immortal realm, the better.”

Emperor Slayer finally looked up. “Why does that sound like you're using many of us as test subjects?”

Lu Yin laughed. “Because no one truly knows how to become an Immortal. All I can do is help you to stay true to your path. The road that you’ve been following all along is already the path to Immortality. There’s no need for you to become lost.”

Emperor Slayer exhaled heavily. “The way you say things leaves me even more confused.”

Lu Yin shook his head. “No one can clearly point out the path to the Immortal realm. Cultivation is a circle, while life is a line. A line has two ends, two extremes. One is Immortality, the other the mundane. If I can one day walk to one end and transform that line into a circle, it might allow me to connect to immortality, allowing me to step into the Immortal realm.”

As he spoke, Lu Yin was not aware of what he was saying. He spoke subconsciously, as though he had just entered another state of existence.

Emperor Slayer stared at Lu Yin in bewilderment.

How did he end up having an epiphany mid-conversation?

Lu Yin blankly stared up at the sky. It was as though he could see a line curving around until its two ends joined and formed a ring. The disappearance of the two extremes caused every point along to line to become Immortality.

“When extremes disappear, Immortality exists everywhere... Is that it? So, can cultivators transcend the mundane?” he murmured, unaware of what he was saying.

Suddenly, the universe trembled.

The corner of a card appeared high in the sky within Lu Yin’s vision.

His eyes narrowed.

Shan Barrens?

Emperor Slayer looked up and stared blankly.

What is going on?

“Emperor Slayer, quickly! Come over here!” Great Elder Shan Gu’s voice reached the beast’s ears, and Emperor Slayer rushed over. He was completely confused, without any idea of what was going on.

Lu Yin looked up at the corner of Shan Barrens that had revealed itself in the sky, puzzled. He had not done anything. Had it appeared because of his sudden moment of enlightenment?

“Do you wish for your master to be an Immortal?”

Only a corner of Shan Barrens exposed itself before quickly vanishing again.

Countless members of the Lost Clan knelt on the ground. Few of them had ever seen Shan Barrens, but according to their records, they had only managed to escape from the Third Rampart and reach the Tianyuan because of that card.

The card was the Lost Clan’s spiritual pillar.

Lu Yin looked up at the sky that had returned to normal. “But now, the Lost Clan has no Immortal. If you intend to wait for an Immortal to appear, they will have their own card after cultivating for so long. Why would they choose you instead?

“If you can’t help a cultivator reach the Immortal realm, then is your only purpose to allow these people to escape?”

The universe roared, causing countless members of the Lost Clan to quiver.

Great Elder Shan Gu stared at the sky, stunned.

Is Shan Barrens enraged?

Emperor Slayer was dumbfounded. “Shan Gu, what’s happening?”

The old man said nothing. His gaze grew complicated as he looked back down at Lu Yin.

The young man’s voice thundered, echoing across the sky, “If you had been able to help them back then, they would not have been defeated! How could they have been forced to flee?

“I’ve already summoned you twice and made two grand vows. The first time, I said that I would one day lead humanity to shatter the false sky and see the real cosmos, allowing everyone to follow their own path and reclaim true freedom.

“The second time, I declared that no enemy should be called ‘Heaven’. As long as heaven does not exist in our hearts, no heaven can exist. Heaven is the origin that gave birth to humanity and the myriad species of the cosmos. It is not some living creature, and certainly not some sort of restraint.

“Freedom from restraints—that’s what you desire. You want the strongest being in existence to lead you forward, but why would such a being care about you?”

A corner of the card reappeared in the sky, radiating immense pressure.

But the pressure had no effect on Lu Yin. He was capable of fighting against true Immortals; why would he care about a mere card?

Lu Yin looked up and said, “Can you suppress me? All of my vows are nothing but yearnings for the future. I am standing right here, right now! If you appear, I will take you! Do you think that you can escape?”

More of the card exposed itself, seemingly enraged as it unleashed increasing amounts of pressure upon Lu Yin.

He slowly rose up into the sky. With a casual wave of his hand, the sky was ripped open with enough force that the card shuddered.

Lifeforce surged around his body as a terrifying aura shot up high. The force of it nearly blew the card away.

Great Elder Shan Gu watched in shock. Throughout the Third Rampart’s history, many emperors had tried to force Shan Barrens under their control, but all of them had failed without question. Even their last emperor, whose strength had reached the absolute limit beneath the Immortal realm and who dared to attack an Immortal, had failed.

Was Lu Yin intending to take the same path?

Lu Yin looked up at the sky. He lacked the patience to slowly lure the card out. He was not a member of the Lost Clan, and since not even their emperors had been able to subdue the card, then as far as Lu Yin was concerned, the card was simply ungrateful.

He could not even be sure if the card would be of any use to him. Given all of the various details, he did not want to waste any more time.

More than two years had already passed. That was enough.

“I am not from the Third Rampart, but to show you my respect...

“Senior, I will take Shan Lie.”

As Lu Yin finished speaking, someone was flung out from a distant location in the Lost Clan’s territory to slam into the ground. It was Shan Lie.

Shan Lie looked up into the sky to see both Lu Yin and the card. Shock covered his features. “A Primordial card?”

The next moment, his body rose into the air, completely outside of his control, only stopping when he was in front of Lu Yin.

Lu Yin looked at the card. “This is my gift to the Lost Clan. I will carry their hatred. Between the Nest civilization and humanity, only one can survive.”

With that, he waved a hand, and Shan Lie’s head flew off. The Verdant Sage’s body plummeted to the ground, limp and lifeless.

Emperor Slayer’s heart trembled at the sight.

Lu Yin looked back at Shan Barrens. “I have demonstrated the respect that you deserve. You want to be controlled by an Immortal, and while I may not be an Immortal, I can fight them. Now, come down to me!”

As he commanded the card, his hand rose and grasped for it. The void twisted, and the Lost Clan’s universe bent.

Shan Gu was stunned, but Emperor Slayer was even more shocked. This was a level of power that left him feeling like he could be crushed at any moment. This was a level of power that far surpassed the High Seraph. This was a level of power that belonged to an Immortal.

In the sky above, the card did not immediately retreat, and it was not even capable of doing so. As long as it was within the Tianyuan, Lu Yin could seize it.