Star Odyssey

Chapter 4038: World

The droplet-shaped creature was stunned. “An Immortal...”

It instinctively redirected the massive droplet and flung it towards the claws.

The massive droplet slammed into the claws, shattering the universe. A vast swathe of darkness spread out, devouring everything it touched.

Jiang Feng stared into the endless darkness. He could see the specks of Immortal matter spreading through the darkness, scattering in all directions.

Zhao Ran quickly yanked him back.

Lu Yuan and the others sharply ordered, “Everyone, fall back!”

The darkness continued to expand, spreading out to envelop everything nearby.

Luo Chan immediately took Shan Xiao away.

Only the Immortal bug and the gigantic arm stayed behind. As for the claws, almost half of them had been dissolved by the massive droplet. Soon, the Immortal monster’s roar of pain transformed into one of greater rage.

The Immortal monster had arrived in the Tianyuan.

When Lu Yin had used the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm to search for Netherfiends, he had also created a disturbance that acted as a beacon to the Immortal beast. It had followed that commotion towards the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

Lu Yin had been waiting for it there, as he had intended to fight the Immortal.

However, when the Nest civilization had suddenly attacked the Tianyuan, Lu Yin had no choice but to go support his home. He knew that he would not arrive before the insects, and even after he comprehended the karmic wall technique, he had not been confident that he could delay the swarm long enough for him to catch up to them. For that reason, he had come up with a plan.

He had woven karma.

He had woven the Immortal monster’s karma.

That Immortal had initially chased after Lu Yin because he had used the Tri-Azure Sword Intent. The original wielder of that sword intent had removed four of the monster’s arms, earning the beast’s undying hatred. With the support of the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, Lu Yin had created a new thread of karma that he wove into the monster’s, shifting its tie of the sword intent to the Nest civilization.

The monster had already been traveling through the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm on its way towards the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, and it had been much closer to the Tianyuan than the other human megaverses.

With its hatred redirected, the monster had veered towards the Tianyuan. Despite moving slower than the green lotus leaf, the monster had been closer than Lu Yin, so their arrival times ended up being quite similar.

Still, the fact that the monster had arrived even just a day before Lu Yin was enough.

The monster’s hatred meant that it was entirely focused on the Nest civilization, and naturally, its target was the Immortal bug.

Lu Yin had done something similar in the Consciousness Megaverse. He had infused his Karmic Dao with Immortal matter to create a karmic connection for the monster. Doing so had consumed most of his karma, but with the support of the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, he had managed to succeed without even using any Immortal matter.

However, the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm had paid the price instead. Far more karma had been consumed than what was in Lu Yin’s own Karmic Dao. If he had tried to rely solely on his own karma to weave the Immortal monster’s karma, he would have exhausted all of his karma long before succeeding.

After all, Lu Yin had not woven an ordinary karmic connection, but instead inserted new hatred into the monster’s past. The karma that he had consumed to do so was more than what Lu Yin dared to even consider.

The droplet creature could never have imagined that its plan to invade the Tianyuan would be repeatedly delayed by Lu Yin, who was interfering from so far away.

First, he had erected the karmic wall. Then, he had directed the Immortal monster towards the insects.

If not for Lu Yin, the Tianyuan would have already fallen.

The Immortal bug had no desire to fight against another Immortal, and yet the monster had locked onto it.

The impacts sent ripples through the void as countless droplets battered the monster, leaving dents in its hide. It let out roars of fury. Its eyes looked wild, but they never left the droplet creature as the arm and claws slashed out again and again.

The beast was essentially the lowest of Immortals. Master Qing Cao had easily flung the monster into Heavenspire, and Greater Sancte Green Lotus had casually hurled it beyond the three human megaverses. Later, it had been driven beyond the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm yet again by Master Qing Cao.

As the Immortal bug bombarded the monster with more droplets of water, the beast appeared to be in even less control of the situation than Jiang Feng had been.

Still, the monster’s defenses were shocking. Jiang Feng had not dared to face any of the droplets directly, while the monster simply took them all head-on.

Its sheer size made it seem like it could simply weather any blow.

“Why are you attacking me? As another Immortal, do you not fear increasing your karmic chain?” the droplet creature shouted. Its previous composure was completely gone. It was capable of suppressing the Immortal monster, but it would not be easy to eliminate the beast. On top of that, the insect was not willing to pay the karmic price to kill another Immortal.

It only wanted to eradicate the human civilization in this megaverse; what did the beast have to do with that?

The Immortal monster never offered any sort of reply. It simply continued to flail its arm, slashing out with its claws. The destruction not only affected the Immortal bug and the battlefield, but also vast regions of outer space throughout the Tianyuan. Planets shattered, and swarms of insects were annihilated. Countless lives were lost in the endless destruction.

The entire Tianyuan was swaying.

Lu Yin clenched his fists. The monster’s size was inconceivable, and it was a complete catastrophe for the Tianyuan. Unfortunately, there was no other choice. The monster was the only creature capable of keeping the Nest civilization’s Immortal occupied.

Just one more day, and then the green lotus leaf would reach its destination. It was almost there. They just needed to buy a little bit of time.

Bang.

Ancient God crossed his arms. An overwhelming force blasted him away even with an entire crowd of cultivators behind him. Even the shockwaves from the monster’s arm was more than what they could handle.

Lu Yuan released his Investiture of the Gods.

Emperor Slayer fired his Emperor Slayer Cannon, but just the wake of the arm’s passage shattered the attack before it could make contact.

“Where did this beast come from? Another Immortal? Why are there so many Immortals?”

“Retreat! All of you, fall back to the parallel universes. Don’t die for nothing...”

Compared to the humans, the insects were able to bear such losses. Luo Chan kept shifting the swarms of bugs around, teleporting countless insects into the Aevum Inch.

The droplet creature slipped through the void, cracking its river of droplets like a whip to fling the monster away. Unfortunately, only moments later, the beast charged right back. Its eyes were still locked onto the droplet creature. There was no finesse to the monster’s attacks; it just kept flailing its solitary arm in broad arcs, but its bulk alone allowed it to crush stars.

One was unimaginably huge, and the other was tiny, but the two Immortals waged a monumental duel across the Tianyuan.

Claws fought against droplets of water as Immortal matter clashed with Immortal matter. It was a simple battle, but absolutely deadly.

Any battle technique would be ground to dust beneath the sheer power of the blows being exchanged. It was a fight that could shatter a universe.

Lu Yin calmly watched on from the Aevum Inch. A fight between Immortals was not as dazzling as he had imagined. In fact, it was startlingly simple.

Cultivation is a circle.

Could combat also be a circle?

Instead of intricate battle techniques and strange innate gifts, after reaching the Immortal realm, combat instead devolved to the simplest forms of offense and defense. If this was the case, then what was the purpose of cultivating such things?

Master Qing Cao stared in the direction of the Tianyuan. He could sense a clash between Immortals taking place. “Exactly what is happening over there?”

Lu Yin explained, “I lured that Immortal monster here.”

Master Qing Cao was astonished. “You lured it? How?”

He then remembered that Lu Yin had comprehended the power of karma and exclaimed, “Karma truly is limitless, for it to be capable of even something like this. You must have used the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, as it would have been impossible on your own.”

Lu Yin stared out into space. Of course he had relied on the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm.

It was unfathomably expensive to weave karma even for a peak Dukkhan, let alone an Immortal. Only by being extremely close and infusing Immortal matter into karma might it be possible to reduce the expenditure.

Lu Yin only hoped that, when Greater Sancte Green Lotus returned, he would not blame or judge Lu Yin too harshly. After all, he had drained a significant amount of karma from the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm.

“How goes the battle?” Master Qing Cao asked.

“Deadlock.”

“It would seem that the Immortal bug is not so remarkable after all.”

Lu Yin looked over at the other man. “Are all battles between Immortals so plain?”

Master Qing Cao explained, “The Immortal realm is a completely different level. Think of it like when you first started cultivating. Back then, you were not even able to freely travel between planets or roam the universe. Your destructive power was limited to the point where you were unable to destroy even a single city.

“The Immortal realm is much like that initial stage, but at our level, an entire megaverse is equivalent to a city for you when you first started cultivating.

“Everything, cultivation arts, including battle techniques, undergo a metamorphosis. However, some Immortals never experience that transformation. That Immortal beast, for example, fights in the most primitive manner. Even so, it can crush any creature beneath the Immortal realm.

“In contrast, Greater Sancte Green Lotus has mastered his Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, which envelops this entire portion of the Aevum Inch. The two are entirely different concepts.”

Lu Yin fell deep into thought.

“For those in the Immortal realm, cultivation is not measured by time, but by comprehension, breakthroughs, and one’s understanding of the cosmos. It is nothing like when you first began your path. Some achieve a true metamorphosis the moment they step into the Immortal realm, and can slay that monster with ease.”

Lu Yin looked over. “What about you, Senior? Where do you stand?”

Master Qing Cao chuckled. “Are you testing me?”

“No. I’m asking quite openly,” Lu Yin said, hiding nothing in his question.

Master Qing Cao shook his head. “I am completely average. I’m not as simple as that monster, nor am I as complex as Greater Sancte Green Lotus. Just middling.

“Each Immortal has their own unique world which overlaps with the universes and the Aevum Inch. An Immortal’s strength depends on how powerful their world is.”

“Like the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm?”

“Exactly. Or like Awe Gate’s gates.”

“That Immortal beast seems to lack its own world.”

“Which is why it is the weakest kind of Immortal. If that Immortal bug is incapable of easily handling the beast, then they are of the same type, though it is possible that it is simply holding back from showing its hand.”

Lu Yin frowned. At this moment, the Immortal insect did not appear to be the Immortal Lord. It was impossible for the Immortal Lord to be so weak.

A world?

Semi-Progenitors possessed inner worlds, while Progenitors commanded Progenitor’s worlds. Lu Yin’s own Progenitor’s world was his inner universe. Although he could release it, he could not freely merge it with a megaverse or the Aevum Inch.

The Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm was different. It existed perpetually.

Awe Gate’s gates should likewise be able to exist without end.

In other words, to replace the cosmos with oneself while merging with the cosmos, that was the Immortal realm.

Seeing Lu Yin lost in thought, Master Qing Cao said, “Don’t think too deeply on it. This is only my own understanding. There is no fixed path to the Immortal realm, and we humans are far too small compared to the vastness of the cosmos. How many Immortals have you actually encountered?

“It’s possible that other Immortals are entirely different from us. No one can say.

“Do not let rigid thinking confine you.”

The fact that Master Qing Cao had said such a thing to him made Lu Yin regard the man with newfound respect.

It was not that his words were particularly profound, but rather that Qing Cao was warning, or guiding, Lu Yin.

What about Luo Chan?

Lu Yin’s expression suddenly changed.

At that moment, while everyone else was focused on the battle between the Immortal beast and the droplet creature, Lu Yin had been focused on Luo Chan. That bug’s ability was too unfathomable. No one knew what Luo Chan might do.

Too many of Lu Yin’s loved ones were in the Tianyuan. He needed to keep an eye on Luo Chan so that he could prevent it from ambushing someone.

However, Luo Chan had just vanished.