Star Odyssey-Chapter 3535: Order

In the broken valley in the Roaming South Realm, Lu Yin stopped using his spirals of karma.

He was still unable to see anything.

He knew that he was in one of the seven lands of karma, which logically meant that he should have been able to see something, just like in the Consciousness Domain. However, he could see nothing.

In the Consciousness Domain, he had only seen the land of karma after connecting with Wu Wei's Heaven's Blade. Could that have been the trigger?

Several months had passed since Lu Yin had announced that he was taking on the title of Seraph. Old Tao and the others had nearly caught up to Lu Yin, but he still had not managed to find anything at all.

Every day, aside from testing things with spirals of karma, Lu Yin spent time staring at the portraits of Feng Bo while trying to piece the details together and find the truth. In spite of his efforts, the only conclusion he had been able to make was that he needed to wait for Jiu Xian.

There was one other activity that occupied his time: studying the Phantom Reach’s sourcebox array, Codex 16.

The Phantom Reach’s two Spirit Formation Grandmasters were suffering greatly, as Lu Yin was forcing them to set up Codex 16 every day. Their hair had already turned white.

"Third Boss, I've truly tried my best, but this is too difficult."

"Please, Third Boss, spare us. No matter how powerful that Spirit Treasure Formation might have been, you’ve already destroyed it. A spirit treasure formation that you can overpower poses no threat to you. Please, Third Boss, let us go."

Lu Yin frowned. "Again."

Codex 16 was a sourcebox array that featured a lone finger sitting atop a mountain of rocks. The figure’s back was facing the one who entered the array. It was a powerful offensive sourcebox array, nearly as powerful as the Epoch Sword, though it had a very different feel to it. In particular, Codex 16 featured a highly unusual human figure formed from the sourceboxes’ danger zones.

How could Lu Yin ignore such an unusual sourcebox array?

The Spirit Nidus had far surpassed the Tianyuan Megaverse when it came to their mastery of lockbreaking. What had impressed Lu Yin the most had been Cheng Gong’s use of sourcebox arrays. In fact, Lu Yin still could not make any sense of what the man had done.

It was something that Lu Yin continually mulled over.

As for Codex 16, it intrigued him, both because of its power and its name.

Could Codex 16 really be the sixteenth in a series? Were there fifteen other sourcebox arrays that preceded it? The thought caused Lu Yin’s eyes to light up. If this was true, then where were those sourcebox arrays? Su Shidao had never mentioned them. freeweɓnøvel.com

Thinking of that, Lu Yin pulled out his spirit cloudstone and reached out to Su Shidao.

No answer. No answer. Again, no answer.

The old man was clearly determined not to speak with Lu Yin again, but Lu Yin persisted.

After several days, Su Shidao finally answered. "What do you want?"

"Have you ever heard of Codex 16?"

Su Shidao was taken aback. "Codex 16? Isn't it Codex 15?"

Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. "There's a Codex 15?"

"There's a Codex 16?"

Both of them simultaneously realized the same thing.

"Where is Codex 16?"

"It’s with the Phantom Reach in the Roaming South Realm. What about Codex 15?"

"In the Wisdom Domain. Once when I was visiting, I saw a strange Spirit Treasure Formation that was called Codex 15."

"Did the old man tell you?"

"Of course not. That old man never says anything. Ming Chuan, one of the old man’s rivals, mentioned it to me. Unfortunately, Ming Chuan lost."

Lu Yin's gaze deepened in thought. Codex 16 was with the Phantom Reach, while Codex 15 belonged to the Wisdom Domain. There really did seem to be a series, and on top of that, the Wisdom Domain and the Phantom Reach had a connection. Could the Phantom Reach have obtained Codex 16 from the Wisdom Domain?

"How powerful is Codex 16?" Su Shidao asked curiously.

Lu Yin described the sourcebox array, and Su Shidao was intrigued by it as well. "Hurry up and learn it so that you can show me. A humanoid figure being formed by a danger zone? That’s quite rare."

"What about Codex 15?"

"I don't know. I’ve never forced my way into the Wisdom Domain. I merely sensed an unusual spirit treasure formation while I was there. Ming Chuan mentioned it to me in passing, but when I wanted to investigate further, the guardian of that generation stopped me."

Lu Yin's eyes sharpened. "The guardian from Old Yu's generation?"

Su Shidao grunted in agreement. "There is a guardian for each generation of the Wisdom Domain. The current generation's guardian is Mr. Li. Back then, the guardian was named Ye Ge, but he's already dead."

"Are you sure that he's really dead?"

"There’s no way he’s still alive. Just think about how old Old Yu is. Even if Ye Ge was cryogenically frozen, it’s impossible for anything to have survived for so long. He was from a much older generation than even the High Seraph. While I’m guessing that he was close to the peak, he’d have to be an Immortal now to still be alive, and that's impossible."

Lu Yin considered the matter for a moment before agreeing. The Spirit Nidus had a much longer history than the Tianyuan Megaverse. If not for that, they would have never been able to plot against the Tianyuan Megaverse.

The Origin Progenitor had been among the first humans in the Tianyuan Megaverse, while the Spirit Nidus had their Immortal, Master Qing Cao. That man was far older than the Origin Progenitor.

For someone to have lived for so long, they would have to be an Immortal.

"Codex 16 and Codex 15... Do you think that they’re part of a series?" Lu Yin asked.

Su Shidao replied, "Don't ask me. I don't know."

"You’re the number one Spirit Formation Grandmaster in the Spirit Nidus," Lu Yin stated skeptically.

Su Shidao had nothing to say to that. "That’s true. I also had my suspicions back then. Calling it Codex 15 sounds too much like it's a part of a series, but the Spirit Nidus doesn’t have any series of spirit treasure formations. If there were, how could I have not discovered them? I searched for a while, but I ultimately found nothing, so I let the matter go. I never expected Codex 16 to suddenly appear. It feels like we've caught a glimpse of something more."

Lu Yin's gaze flickered. "If there really is a series of spirit treasure formations, then we have a problem."

Su Shidao responded in an odd chuckle, "Not just a problem. That would be absolutely terrifying."

The question remained, just who could have created a series of spirit treasure formations? Even if someone had done so, where had all these formations come from? On top of that, if they did exist, then how had someone like Su Shidao never noticed them before?

It was a truly chilling possibility.

"Could it be Heavenspire?" Lu Yin asked.

Su Shidao grew serious. "You've gone against Cheng Gong, haven't you? What do you think of his abilities?"

"They’re very strange and incomprehensible. It was almost like-"

"Almost as if he wasn’t using a spirit treasure formation," Su Shidao interjected.

Lu Yin's expression grew grim. "What exactly is going on with him?"

Su Shidao shook his head. "I had the same reaction the first time I encountered Cheng Gong. I’ve wanted to spar with him on multiple occasions and discuss spirit treasures, but he’s always refused.

"Do you know why Cheng Liang was able to join the Spirit Treasure Society and become a Grandmaster? I helped him cheat."

Lu Yin was not at all surprised. "You’re a cheater yourself."

"That doesn't matter. It’s also why, when I lost to Meng Sang while fighting for the title of Seraph, I wasn’t too concerned about the underlying reasons. Everyone was cheating at that time, and it was just a matter of who did so better," Su Shidao said indifferently. "I originally thought that I could use Cheng Liang to make sense of Cheng Gong’s methods, but unfortunately, the kid learned nothing from Cheng Gong. He only barely managed to become a Grandmaster, and his attitude was trash."

"That’s why you didn't stop me from dealing with him." Lu Yin suddenly realized the truth. "You’re pretty cunning, you old fox."

He finally understood why Su Shidao had not done anything to stop Lu Yin from dealing with Cheng Liang. It was not because it was impossible for Su Shidao to interfere, as the old man clearly did not care about cheating or his reputation, but rather because Su Shidao had wanted to force Cheng Gong out. Lu Yin had been used to measure Cheng Gong’s strength, in the same manner as how the Phantom Reach had used Lu Yin to eliminate the megaverse’s top experts.

Su Shidao laughed smugly. "You were the one who dealt with Cheng Liang, not me. What do I have to do with anything that happened? Besides, you got back at me by forcing me to step up and take the position of one of the Seraphs, disrupting my peaceful life."

Lu Yin was not angry. The overall matter had nothing to do with Su Shidao to begin with, and he would have wanted to test Cheng Gong anyways.

In the Tianyuan Megaverse, Lu Yin had often used his die’s Possession to gain information and seize an early advantage, but here in the Spirit Nidus, he was always reacting to others. While comprehending karma occasionally granted him an edge or revealed some secrets, it was not enough to overturn the grand scheme of things.

There was no need for Su Shidao to scheme against Lu Yin. Simply allowing Lu Yin to act had accomplished Su Shidao’s goals. This was the power of overwhelming momentum.

This was not exactly manipulation, but rather simply going with the flow.

Su Shidao’s expression grew serious again. "Cheng Gong’s methods of using spirit treasure formations and these Codex 15 and 16 formations... Just what are they hiding? I can’t make any sense of this, so I can only rely on you."

Lu Yin lowered his spirit cloudstone. He needed to visit Heavenspire. It was possible that there was a connection to Codex 16 there.

However, Codex 15 was in the Wisdom Domain. Was the problem with the Wisdom Domain or Heavenspire?

There was no point in overthinking things. Lu Yin would simply deal with things one at a time. Sooner or later, he would clash with all of the Spirit Nidus’s forces.

For the moment, he would focus on mastering Codex 16.

In the Aevum Inch, a massive battleship slowly sailed towards the Spirit Nidus.

The cultivators aboard the vessel remained silent. Each person stayed in their own quarters, and no one dared to wander about. There were only two individuals on the deck.

One of the two was five meters tall, and they radiated an aura of unmatched dominance with every movement. Even while standing still and not making a sound, it was impossible for anyone to approach, as the individual’s presence was heavier than the heavens.

The other was a woman of breathtaking beauty. She possessed both a holy and untouchable aura. However, she was also holding a gourd of wine in her hand, and she appeared to be partially drunk and nodding off.

The two were Emperor Wu and Jiu Xian.

"The Day of Offering is almost upon us again. How nostalgic. It feels like going home." Jiu Xian leaned against the railing of the ship and sipped her wine. Her face was quite flushed.

Next to her, Emperor Wu replied in a cold tone, "It’s just a waste of time. The Consciousness Megaverse is aware of the Day of Offering, which is why they made preparations for it. We had to leave empty-handed."

Jiu Xian chuckled. "Why take things so seriously? Didn’t we capture one of the Thirteen Luminaries?"

"Not one comparable to Wu Wei," Emperor Wu solemnly retorted.

Jiu Xian glanced down at the deck. "True enough. While all the Thirteen Luminaries are Universe-realm conscients, their strength varies greatly. Wu Wei was too much for even Qi Zun to handle. If not for the fact that Wu Wei had already been severely injured, Qi Zun would have never captured that one. This one was much easier. As long as we find them, they’re ours."

"In our megaverse, it’s the same with some Dukkhans. What use are Meng Sang or Bao Qi? Without the High Seraph, neither would have ever been able to become a Seraph," Emperor Wu commented grumpily.

Jiu Xian teased him, "If not for the High Seraph, maybe that Emperor Slayer would have become a Seraph instead. Heh."

As soon as he heard Emperor Slayer’s name, bloodlust flickered in Emperor Wu's eyes. "When I return this time, I'll make sure to kill him."

"While you're at it, help me deal with Nian Xian," Jiu Xian asked, frustration in her voice.

Emperor Wu turned to the woman. "It was only a few decades ago when Seraph Yi and some others were supposed to lead an expedition to the Tianyuan Megaverse, only to be stopped when they were halfway there. I'm quite curious what happened with that."

Jiu Xian lowered her wine gourd, and her eyes flickered as she stared ahead. "I’m curious as well. It’s why I’m in a rush to get back early. The Tianyuan Megaverse... They won’t be an easy target. Can Yuan Qi alone really suppress an entire megaverse’s cultivation progress?"

"Yuan Qi wasn’t alone. There was an internal faction from the Tianyuan Megaverse that was cooperating with the Spirit Nidus: Aeternus."

"Aeternus? Who would take a name like that? That sounds even more arrogant than Immortal," Jiu Xian mused before glancing over at Emperor Wu. "What I’m most curious about is that Old Salamander from your Primal Beastland. That guy has lived for far too long."

"He’s nothing more than a coward clinging to life." Emperor Wu sneered.

Jiu Xian took another sip of her wine. "If a Seraph’s position opens up, who do you think will claim it?"

Emperor Wu’s gaze sharpened. "The Primal Beastland must claim it."