Star Odyssey

Chapter 3961: Request

Lu Yin had heard many people’s stories. Each person had their own unique story. Whether they were comedies or tragedies, stories were playing out every single day. Did these stories happen naturally, or had they been written in advance?

Why must people have stories? Was it not enough to simply live in peace? Was passing through life smoothly not good enough?

Perhaps that was the life that Gu Duanke yearned for.

Gu Duanke looked up at the cosmos above. “Gu Jing will never forgive me. Since he wants me dead, then I’ll die before his eyes.”

Lu Yin glanced at him. “But you don’t have to drag me down with you.”

Gu Duanke showed a genuine smile. Its appearance erased all of his former weariness. “Mr. Lu, you aren’t that easy to kill. Even an Immortal would find it hard to strike you down. I simply hope that you can take me to the Third Night Pillar. If I must die, I wish it to be there. If you can send me on my final journey, it would be for the best.”

Lu Yin shook his head. “You think too highly of me and too little of the Nest civilization. Do you understand what our current thoughts of this war are? Retreat. Retreat within the range of the Nine Odysseys. We will even abandon most of the Spirit Nidus, only protecting the thirty-six domains.”

Gu Duanke was startled. “Why?”

He truly had not known about this. In fact, aside from those who had been fighting on the battlefields, only a few from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse knew. The impact of spreading such knowledge could be catastrophic, as this decision was tantamount to admitting defeat, and learning that would seriously damage morale. This was why only a Greater Sancti could have issued such orders.

Lu Yin explained the situation of the four Insect Lords.

Gu Duanke was shaken by what he learned, though this also explained why the Third Night Pillar had been completely wiped out.

Neither Kang Tian nor Gu Jing had been weak. While Gu Jing’s mastery of the sword could never match Gu Duanke’s own, the man had still been skilled enough to stand proudly in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse as a nigh-peak expert. Kang Tian had been known as the Lord of Strength, the physically strongest cultivator in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. For both men to be killed, the combat power of the Nest civilization could only be imagined.

“The news that Master Qing Cao brought back only informed people that the Third Night Pillar had been wiped out, but nothing was said about the one who destroyed it: Chang, one of the four Insect Lords. It’s a creature acknowledged by the Immortal Lord as one who has reached the limit of power beneath the Immortal realm.

“I have always believed my physical strength to be unmatched and that even weaker Immortals might not be my equal. However, the Immortal Lord has led the Nest across the cosmos, destroying one civilization after another in their passing, and their knowledge far exceeds our own as humans. What such a being considers to be the limit of power could be very different from what I believe myself to possess.”

Lu Yin’s expression grew solemn as he turned to stare at Gu Duanke. “When it comes to physical strength, I may not be this Chang’s equal.

“Not only that, there are still the other three Insect Lords.

“Since Chang has arrived, the other three have most likely arrived as well, especially Luo Chan. Even if we can gain an advantage, Luo Chan can instantly reverse the balance.”

Gu Duanke understood. “That’s why the battlefield is being pulled back to the Nine Odysseys—it’s so that we can use Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s power to counter Luo Chan’s ability.”

Lu Yin nodded. “That’s also why there is no point in going to that battlefield and trying to drag the Third Night Pillar back. If you truly want to die, just wait for the final battle to begin. The Nest civilization will surely launch a massive attack on the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. Immortals have their own restrictions, and they will find it hard to take action. No matter what, you are one of the most powerful combatants we have. Don’t waste that.”

Gu Duanke gave a bitter smile. “Waste... Yes, dying out there really would be a waste.”

When considering the entire human race, the death of one of their most powerful combatants could only be considered a waste. No matter if that person was Gu Duanke, Lu Yin, or one of the Immortals, all of them existed for human civilization to continue.

Lu Yin lowered his head to look at the floor of Frightened Sparrow Terrace. “Before you came here, someone else already tried to leave the Nine Odysseys Megaverse to retrieve the Third Night Pillar.”

Gu Duanke stated, “Deathmound.”

Lu Yin nodded. “Deathmound’s people also want to bring back Gu Jing’s body. Even if there is no body, they still want to bring the Third Night Pillar back. However, they were stopped by the Great Master.”

Gu Duanke took a deep breath. “When Gu Jing joined Deathmound, I did not oppose his decision, even though doing so would have been useless. At that time, he did not know that I was aware of his origins.

“Deathmound is a special existence in this megaverse. They focus on hunting down and killing those who violate our taboos, maintaining the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s stability while also sheltering those with deep grudges. This is related to the Great Master’s personality, which is also why, back then, I assumed that the Great Master was also aware of Gu Jing’s origins.”

Lu Yin was curious. “The Great Master... what kind of person are they?”

He had interacted with the Great Master before and had even received some help from them, but he had never actually seen the Great Master.

Gu Duanke stood up. “Let the Great Master tell you directly. It’s not my place to speak about others. If there’s anything that you need me to do, just say it. I don’t plan for my life to continue past this war.”

After speaking, the man turned to leave, but as he did so, Chao Yi arrived in the Frightened Sparrow Terrace, followed closely by an old man with a large beard. As soon as the old man laid eyes on Gu Duanke, he glared at the swordsman. “Old man, Gu Jing’s matter is none of your concern.”

Lu Yin grew puzzled. Who is this senior?

Gu Duanke glanced over. “The master of Deathmound’s Inverted City Mountain, E Xiu.”

E Xiu then looked at Lu Yin and offered a smile. “You must be Mr. Lu Yin. I am E Xiu, master of Deathmound’s Inverted City Mountain. There’s no need for that old fart’s introduction.”

Lu Yin politely replied, “I am Lu Yin.”

E Xiu said, “I have long since heard of your great name, Mr. Lu. Seeing you now, I am certain that I cannot defeat you.”

Gu Duanke retorted, “You can’t even comprehend Mr. Lu’s strength. This old man is just another failure of a Seed Transfusion recipient.”

E Xiu was not upset, though he did sneer. “At least I’m not like you, who’s spent a lifetime in debt. So what if you’re the Sword Sovereign of the Nine Odysseys? What use is that?”

Gu Duanke did not argue and calmly stared at the other man.

It was clear to Lu Yin that E Xiu and Gu Duanke knew each other. They also both had some sort of connection to Jing, given that E Xiu was aware of Gu Duanke’s past.

Since that was the case, it was possible that E Xiu had had something to do with Gu Jing joining Deathmound.

Chao Yi looked at Lu Yin and offered a simple nod.

Lu Yin replied in kind, greeting the man.

“Old man, I’ll say it again. Gu Jing’s matter is none of your concern! He held nothing but hatred for you, and he never even acknowledged you as his real master. The Third Night Pillar will be dealt with by the members of Deathmound,” E Xiu repeated.

Gu Duanke casually replied, “Has the Great Master told you to do that? I doubt it.”

E Xiu responded with a contemptuous snort. “That’s because the Great Master intends to handle this matter personally! This is absolutely unacceptable.”

The bearded man then walked closer to the towering gate. Taking a deep breath, he bent low. “This junior, E Xiu, requests an audience with Greater Sancte Awe Gate.”

Chao Yi also quickly bowed. “This junior, Chao Yi, requests an audience with Greater Sancte Awe Gate.”

There was no response.

E Xiu and Chao Yi called out their request again, yet there was still no response.

“Go back. If Greater Sancte Awe Gate wanted to see you, she would have summoned you long ago,” Gu Duanke said.

E Xiu turned around to glare at Gu Duanke, and then he resumed begging for an audience with the Immortal. He repeated his request over and over, showing no sign of giving up.

It was easy to ask to retrieve the Third Night Pillar, but doing so would require someone to risk their life.

Gu Duanke was willing to sacrifice his life in the attempt, but he was not confident that he could even reach the Third Night Pillar, which was why he had asked for Lu Yin’s help. The people of Deathmound were not as strong as Gu Duanke. Even if they had the numbers, there were more than a few Verdant Sages, and there were also battles where numbers alone were useless.

Gu Duanke would be going to his death, and the same was true of the people of Deathmound.

Even if the Great Master went, it would be nothing more than a suicide mission.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate did not respond, so E Xiu and the others continued to beg for an audience. Soon enough, Long Yin also arrived, as well as someone else whom Lu Yin did not recognize. Lu Yin had never met this person, though he knew Lu Yin.

His name was Ming Jie, and he was the peak lord of Deathmound’s Second Peak.

After that, Li Guo arrived, despite the fact that his injuries had not fully healed yet. He was dragged to the Frightened Sparrow Terrace in his injured state by the peak lord of Deathmound’s Seventh Peak.

All together, six of Deathmound’s Three Mountains and Seven Peaks’ lords were present in the Frightened Sparrow Terrace. If the fact that Gu Jing had died was taken into account, this meant that only three of Deathmound’s lords were absent. This was likely not because they were unwilling, but rather because they were carrying out their duties.

The people of Deathmound wanted to retrieve the Third Night Pillar not only because of Gu Jing, but also because they felt that the Great Master might try to go alone. None of them could stop the Great Master, which meant that their only option was to ask Greater Sancte Awe Gate to intervene.

Even after several days had passed, there was still no response from Greater Sancte Awe Gate.

The people of Deathmound were growing increasingly anxious.

Li Guo’s eyes shifted, and he turned to look at Lu Yin and offered a deep bow. “We ask Mr. Lu to act. All of Deathmound is willing to assist in retrieving the Third Night Pillar.”

Lu Yin was startled. How did this end up on me?

Gu Duanke was also surprised that Deathmound’s people had come to the same conclusion as him and were asking Lu Yin for help.

E Xiu slapped his forehead. Right, how could we have forgotten about him?

While Lu Yin was not an Immortal, his combat power put him on a completely different level from even peak Dukkhans. He could essentially be considered a semi-Immortal.

The Nest civilization was formidable, but it would not be easy for them to kill Lu Yin. If he was aided by Deathmound, it would not be impossible to bring the Third Night Pillar back from the battlefield.

This realization explained why Gu Duanke had sought out Lu Yin.

E Xiu had actually wondered why Gu Duanke had sought out Lu Yin after learning of Gu Jing’s death. Apparently, the swordsman also wanted Lu Yin’s help. Thinking this, E Xiu quickly bowed. “We ask Mr. Lu to act. Deathmound will never forget your great kindness.”

“We ask Mr. Lu to act,” Chao Yi bowed.

“We ask Mr. Lu to act...”

Long Yin, Ming Jie, and Wei Er all bowed as well.

On the Frightened Sparrow Terrace, in front of the massive gate, most of the lords of Deathmound bowed to Lu Yin. Aside from the Greater Sancti and the Great Master, no other person in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse had ever received such treatment.

Gu Duanke calmly watched from the side. If Lu Yin did comply with this request, Gu Duanke would join the battle. He would not seek death, simply to return the Third Night Pillar so that Gu Jing could rest in peace.

Lu Yin had stopped Gu Duanke from seeking death, and he also did not want to rashly charge onto the battlefield, but with so many from Deathmound making such fervent requests, Lu Yin found it hard to refuse.

He was absolutely confident that, no matter how formidable the Nest civilization’s four Insect Lords might be, even if he could not defeat them, it would not be difficult for him to escape. The bugs could not keep Lu Yin from leaving. As for the people of Deathmound, they were all prepared to lay down their lives.

It was even more difficult to refuse their request because it was not unreasonable. The Third Night Pillar did need to be brought back to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, though not because of Gu Jing. It was because the Third Night Pillar was part of the Nine Odysseys; without one of the Night Pillars, the Nine Odysseys would be incomplete.

At that moment, the gate that rose high into the sky opened wide.

Everyone looked over as Greater Sancte Awe Gate stepped through.

E Xiu and the others immediately bowed. “Greetings, Greater Sancte Awe Gate.”

“Greetings, Greater Sancte Awe Gate...”

Lu Yin also bowed. “Greetings, Senior.”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s eyes swept the crowd before she slowly stated, “I know what you are requesting.”

E Xiu and the others’ hearts clenched as they awaited Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s decision.

“There is no need to go. The Third Night Pillar is already on its way back.”

Everyone was taken aback.

“It’s on its way back?” Gu Duanke was puzzled, and his eyes flickered. Was it possible that the Third Night Pillar had not been completely wiped out?

There had not been enough time since the Nine Odysseys Megaverse had learned of what had happened for anyone to make the journey there and offer support. Not even an Immortal could have made the journey so quickly. Therefore, if the Third Night Pillar was on its way back, it was highly likely that someone had managed to survive.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s tone grew deep. “The Nest civilization’s insects are riding on the Third Night Pillar, making their way towards our Nine Odysseys Megaverse.”