Star Odyssey

Chapter 3631:

All of the conscients had been stolen from the Consciousness Domain long ago. Shi Xiu had also studied Mind-Spirit Link. He concluded that it posed no harm to the cultivator who learned the technique while also allowing them to control a conscient. It was truly an exceptional battle technique, and he was tempted to cultivate it. Unfortunately, he did not have access to a compatible conscient.

In the Ascendant Hall, Lan reported the matter.

The High Seraph found Lu Yin’s actions odd. Not even the man’s unmatched power could help him discern Lu Yin’s inscrutable thoughts.

Was this truly an effort to offer some benefits in an attempt to excuse Boundless from the expedition to the Consciousness Megaverse? Lu Yin should understand that that was impossible. The High Seraph would never allow Boundless to remain in the Spirit Nidus unsupervised.

In that case, what was Lu Yin’s purpose? Was he simply increasing the overall strength of the Spirit Nidus without any reason?

Or could this be related to the conscients?

For a long time, many people had suspected the Tianyuan Megaverse of allying with the Consciousness Megaverse. One incident that supported this speculation was when the conscients had been taken away from the Consciousness Domain’s underground prison.

With Lu Yin actively promoting his new battle technique, was it possible that things would devolve until the conscients seized advantage of the cultivators instead?

However, even the High Seraph had already examined the battle technique. There was nothing wrong with Mind-Spirit Link. The man would never make a mistake with such a thing.

The battle technique solely benefited cultivators and provided no advantage to the conscients.

Even the High Seraph could not make any sense of the situation.

The Ascendant Hall did not prevent Mind-Spirit Link from spreading across the Spirit Nidus, which was as good as tacitly approving the use of the technique. This greatly eased many people’s concerns, which led to them to focus solely on searching for appropriate conscients. Synchronizing with one could swiftly let their strength soar.

Lu Yin seized this opportunity and entered the Ascendant Hall in a highly visible manner. He stopped outside of the Apex Palace, requesting an audience with the High Seraph.

Lan kept a wary eye on Lu Yin, fearing that the man might suddenly carve on the walls of the building.

The High Seraph peered out from within the Apex Palace. "What is it?"

Lu Yin smiled. "My Mind-Spirit Link is able to greatly enhance the strength of the Spirit Nidus’s cultivators. I would like to use this in exchange for Boundless being exempted from the excursion to the Consciousness Megaverse."

So, it was indeed for Boundless. Lan stared at Lu Yin.

From the moment that Mind-Spirit Link had first appeared, many people had been discussing the technique, puzzled as to why Boundless would suddenly be so generous.

The battleship represented the Tianyuan Megaverse. Most cultivators in the Spirit Nidus believed that Lu Yin had been allowed to take the title of Seraph because the High Seraph wanted to recruit powerful experts from the Tianyuan Megaverse. After all, when their megaverse was reset, there was no need to completely annihilate all their people. Accepting some powerhouses into the Spirit Nidus as allies was a perfectly viable option.

Only the most powerful experts who stood at the peak of the Spirit Nidus saw things differently. In particular, after Lu Yin had repeatedly confiscated resources from almost every domain, it had become clear to the truly powerful that Lu Yin was attempting to limit the number of future cultivators in the Spirit Nidus. While his tactics were rather naive, the fact that no one had intervened did not mean that people were unaware of Boundless's goals.

It was in that situation that Boundless was suddenly promoting the Mind-Spirit Link battle technique. It was only natural that people’s suspicions arose.

Such efforts being made in an attempt to exempt Boundless from the upcoming attack on the Consciousness Megaverse made sense.

The High Seraph calmly looked at Lu Yin. "You are now one of the Spirit Nidus’s Seven Seraphs. Since the Spirit Nidus has acknowledged you, you are also expected to contribute to it."

"That is precisely why I developed Mind-Spirit Link, to improve the overall strength of the Spirit Nidus’s cultivators," Lu Yin replied.

The High Seraph shook his head. "Without conscients, your battle technique means nothing. Boundless is capable of enduring the force of springboards, making it a universe-class battleship. Therefore, it must be included in the expedition to the Consciousness Megaverse."

"So, are you saying that what I’ve done is insufficient?"

The High Seraph did not deny it.

Lu Yin thought for a moment. "You and I both understand a number of things. If you don't trust Boundless, then I and the Origin Progenitor, or a few people you select, can join the expedition to the Consciousness Megaverse. There’s no need to drag Boundless into things."

The High Seraph stared at Lu Yin for a long time. The man had his own plans, and he was confident that everything was under his control. No matter how quickly Lu Yin's strength had risen, the High Seraph refused to underestimate the man or his people.

He was well aware of the difficulty in rising from being an ordinary cultivator to becoming the ruler of a megaverse. This was not something that could be achieved solely with overwhelming might.

Long ago, the Old Man Under the Stars had been the stronger of the two, but he had still failed to obtain the position of High Seraph.

There were too many powerful cultivators in the megaverse. Even when the woodpecker had received the title of Emperor Wu, there was no doubt that Old Salamander had been more powerful at that time, yet he had kept his strength hidden.

There were many things that could be accomplished with great power, but there were also things that required far more than just strength.

The fact that Lu Yin had succeeded in becoming the ruler of the Tianyuan Megaverse was a testament not only to his strength, but also to his wisdom.

At this moment, the High Seraph was unable to see Lu Yin’s intentions, which was why the older man chose not to respond.

Lu Yin let out a breath. "I have allied with the Consciousness Megaverse."

The High Seraph’s eyes flickered.

In the distance, Lan’s eyebrow shot up, and she glared at Lu Yin as though wishing to kill him. Did he really just openly admit to it? Is this a provocation?

"We already started to work together back at Beacon City. The Consciousness Megaverse requested that we rescue the conscients imprisoned in the Consciousness Domain, which was the reason for the battle there," Lu Yin continued.

The High Seraph was not surprised. The truth was that he had known for a long time that Qi Gong had stolen the White Willow and framed Qi Shangjun. He had also learned that Sage Qian had collaborated with Qi Gong in order to lure Lu Yin to the Consciousness Domain. While Lu Yin’s goal might have appeared to be mere destruction, the reality was that he had secretly taken away the captive conscients.

"At first, while cooperating with the Consciousness Megaverse, we regarded the Spirit Nidus as our sole enemy. Over time, I came to realize that there is something wrong with the conscients," Lu Yin continued, his expression darkening. "Those creatures lack the same emotions as we humans. They only seek their own survival. That is their sole motivation, and the fact that they lack other drives is precisely what makes them so terrifying.

"They will do absolutely anything in order to survive. I believe that you understand this better than anyone."

The High Seraph indifferently asked, "What are you trying to say?"

Lu Yin solemnly replied, "I have decided to stop cooperating with the Consciousness Megaverse and instead help you reset the Consciousness Megaverse."

The High Seraph stared at Lu Yin with growing intensity. "What makes you think I would choose to reset the Consciousness Megaverse instead of the Tianyuan Megaverse?"

"Working with us means being able to reset the Consciousness Megaverse that much faster. Also, there’s absolutely no chance of you allying with the Consciousness Megaverse, is there? I also know your goal."

The High Seraph’s eyes moved past Lu Yin and he stared into the distance. "Did Old Yu tell you that?"

"He didn’t have a choice."

"So you think I'm in a hurry?"

"Are you not?"

The High Seraph chuckled. "Alright, I agree. We will first reset the Consciousness Megaverse. As for whether or not your megaverse will be reset, I promise you nothing. You are in no position to demand such a thing from me.

"You understand your own worth. Do you no longer intend to follow that path?"

Lu Yin understood that the High Seraph was referring to cultivating karma. If Lu Yin pursued that path, he would be watched by Master Qing Cao. If Lu Yin abandoned his path, he would lose all value to Master Qing Cao, and he would also cease to be a threat to the High Seraph.

"Whether I walk that path or not is my own business," Lu Yin responded.

The High Seraph remained indifferent. “If you want to cooperate with us, Mind-Spirit Link alone isn't enough. And why name it Mind-Spirit Link? You placed 'mind' before 'spirit'—are you leaning toward the Consciousness Megaverse?”

Lu Yin shrugged. "Then we can call it the 'Spirit Link.' I don’t mind. I just went with what sounded good. Our Origin Progenitor is even better at coming up with names. Do you want him to give you a name?

"How about 'Scruffy?'"

The High Seraph’s face did not so much as twitch, but in the distance, Lan's face spasmed. Scruffy... like a dog? He really has the guts to say anything.

Lu Yin laughed. "It was just a joke. If you don’t like it, then just forget it. If Spirit Link isn’t enough, that’s fine. I’ll tell you where the conscients have been hiding inside the Spirit Nidus. You can go capture them yourselves."

The High Seraph frowned. "Hidden conscients?"

Lu Yin stared at the man. "You can’t seriously believe that the Consciousness Megaverse has remained solely on the defensive throughout all these years, can you? Quite a few of them have been sent to hide here in the Spirit Nidus. Your upcoming expedition, which will bring most of the Spirit Nidus’s most powerful experts to the Consciousness Megaverse, has given them the perfect opportunity to strike from behind."

"Impossible! Even if there are some hidden, there can’t be that many!" Lan interjected.

Lu Yin looked over at the woman. "How long have you been alive? Any random conscient is likely much older than you. You have overestimated the Ascendant Hall’s authority. Do you think that it’s really that uncommon for people to break the rules?"

"Someone smuggled conscients back?" Lan asked in a low voice.

"Why else do you think Heavenspire has been targeting the Ark Domain? Why do you think the Ark Domain is regarded so highly>" Lu Yin challenged. He then turned back to the High Seraph and raised five fingers. "Five parallel universes, and those are just the ones that I know about. There are conscients hiding in five parallel universes. As for their numbers, you can estimate that yourself. What I will tell you is this: there are more conscients in each of those universes than what was held captive beneath the Consciousness Domain. This is my gift to you."

Lan stared at the High Seraph in shock, but he remained calm. "This will serve as the price you must pay to cooperate with us, as well as for the Spirit Nidus to recognize Boundless. However, that battleship must still participate in the expedition to the Consciousness Megaverse."

Lu Yin frowned. "You’re really ruthless. I’ve already betrayed the Consciousness Megaverse and delivered a massive gift to you, and yet, are you still not happy?"

"The Ascendant Hall has already issued its orders. They cannot be altered or rescinded," the High Seraph stated.

Lu Yin sneered. "I haven’t even given you the locations of those five universes yet."

The High Seraph just shrugged. "You can choose to not tell me."

Lan stared at Lu Yin. Did he really think that he could negotiate with the High Seraph? No one had ever managed to bargain with the man before.

"What if I told you that some of the Thirteen Luminaries are hidden here as well?" Lu Yin said.

Lan exclaimed, "The Thirteen Luminaries? How? Where did the Thirteen Luminaries come from?"

Lu Yin sneered at her. "Do you think that your defenses are that secure? Boundless had a conscient aboard it. They traveled from the Consciousness Megaverse to your Spirit Nidus, and from there, to the Tianyuan Megaverse. Only after that did they return here, and yet none of you knew a thing about it."

Lan's expression soured. She was the administrator of the Ascendant Hall, and thus the one responsible for deciding many matters. There was no need for the High Seraph to personally intervene in most things.

All of the oversights that Lu Yin had pointed out had been her mistakes.

Still, just as Lu Yin said, while the Ascendant Hall ruled over Spirit Nidus, that did not mean that everyone in the megaverse obeyed the rules. There were many people throughout the thirty-six domains who broke the rules, such as secretly smuggling in conscients.

The Thirteen Luminaries were not on the same level as ordinary conscients. Even the High Seraph had to take such beings seriously.

"Are you certain that some of the Thirteen Luminaries are here?"

Lu Yin was resolute. "Absolutely."

The High Seraph nodded. "Name your terms."

"Release Boundless."

"No," the High Seraph bluntly refused. "I already told you that the orders given by the Ascendant Hall cannot be altered or rescinded, especially in terms of strategy. Boundless must be included as the seventh battleship."

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. "There’s nothing else that I want aside from that. Given my strength, there's nothing I can’t obtain myself."

He then suddenly thought of something. "Why not an equal trade? I’ll give you one of the Thirteen Luminaries, and you give me one in return. What do you say?"

The High Seraph looked out at the stars and then back at Lu Yin. "Wu Wei?"

Lu Yin nodded. "That’s right."

"Why do you want Wu Wei?"

"A battle technique."

The High Seraph stared at Lu Yin. "The final level of your Nine Heavens?"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!