Star Odyssey

“Senior, are you from the Technocracy?” Lu Yin probed.

The bald old man shook his head. “No way. Does this grandpa look like one of those technological monsters?” He then shot a curious look at Lu Yin. “Hey kid, how did you get in here? This grandpa’s stayed in the Technocracy for countless years, but you’re the first human that’s ever entered this deep, and you’re still well and alive. When all those other fellows barged in, they had to force their way out again.”

“Junior was framed by a villain, and I suffered terrible injuries that nearly killed me. As a result, I was practically a floating corpse, which allowed me to evade the Technocracy’s detection,” Lu Yin replied.

The bald man had an incredulous look. “I understand the Technocracy’s methods quite well, but anything that has even the slightest trace of life won’t be able to escape from their detection. Kid, you’re being very dishonest, wanting to pull one over Grandpa. Hahaha, but it’s fine. The path of cultivation is too cruel, and everyone has a few secrets. Thus, it’s best to always be vigilant, hahaha.”

The bald man was very relaxed. He obviously did not believe Lu Yin’s explanation, but he was very confident that Lu Yin was not from the Technocracy. The old man chatted with Lu Yin for quite a while, and he mostly spoke about his many years’ of experiences in the Technocracy.

The man told Lu Yin that there was an advanced city within the Technocracy and that the technology in that place was unimaginable. There were even many things that could not be imagined. Unfortunately, that city had been smashed apart by the old man.

He also shared that there had been a research team in the Technocracy looking into immortality, and they had actually made some headway into that subject area. Unfortunately, the old man had destroyed the results of their research, and he had also conveniently taken out the research team itself.

Also, within the Technocracy, the people living there often held a certain tournament. During one of his bored phases, he had forcibly become one of the judges, and then he had eliminated all of the competitors. After that, he had been chased around by the Technocracy for a thousand years.

The bald old man talked about many things, as he had not spoken to anyone in many years. Or rather, he had not talked to someone from his home. Since he was within the Technocracy, anyone from the Human Domain was considered as someone from the man’s hometown.

“After talking for so long, I still don’t know Senior’s name. This junior is Lu Yin, and I’m from Frostwave Weave in the Human Domain’s Outerverse,” Lu Yin respectfully greeted. He had thought the matter through and had ended up deciding that there was no need to be wary towards this old man. Given the old man’s strength, Lu Yin would not be able to stop him even if he remained on guard.

The elder was stumped, and he unconsciously rubbed his bald head. “Name? Name?”

The man looked to be confused. “Nobody’s asked for this grandpa’s name for so many years. What was I called again? What was I called?”

Lu Yin pursed his lips. “Your surname is Hui?”

When they had first met, the man had referred to himself as Grandpa Hui.

The elder slapped his forehead. “Right, Hui! My surname is Hui! I nearly forgot, hahaha! Hui Kong! This grandpa is called Hui Kong."

Lu Yin nodded as he thought to himself, Hui, what a strange surname.

The old, bald Hui Kong was very happy with Lu Yin’s arrival. Even if Lu Yin was just a junior and the two had almost nothing in common due to their different levels, the old man was still delighted. He continued to talk about his own business, smiling the entire time he spoke and looking as though he had met up with an old friend.

As time passed, Lu Yin gradually relaxed. He was no longer concerned about the elder’s cultivation realm since he had realized that the older man was genuinely emotional about finally having someone to speak to after so long. Since that was the case, Lu Yin felt that he might as well let himself go and chat with the old man. Thus, they discussed cultivation, battles, and various interesting facts. Even if they only spoke about trivial matters, the two of them chatted away very happily.

Lu Yin suddenly thought of something, and he took out some alcohol and snacks from his cosmic ring. These were items that he had prepared for a bad situation, such as being trapped for a long time somewhere. However, he could use them at this time. “Senior Hui, try some of these drinks from home.”

Hui Kong looked excited, and he reached out with a trembling hand. He swallowed his saliva, very carefully raised a bottle, and took a large gulp before finally letting out a long sigh. “This is right, this is right. Hahaha.”

Lu Yin smiled. “Cheers.”

“Hahaha, cheers!” Hui Kong laughed.

Two men, one old and one young, drank and chatted on a strange planet. It was almost exactly like when Lu Yin had spent his time with Cai Jianqiang and Zi Rong, though this current situation had another level of strangeness.

Lu Yin brought out a great deal of food and drink from his cosmic ring, but Hui Kong could not bear devouring the feast. Instead, he said that he wanted to go slowly.

Lu Yin let the old man be, as he was willing to casually chat with the man.

Hui Kong truly had far too much to say, and he was also very sharp. As they spoke, the way that he looked at Lu Yin became more and more appreciative. Generally, the longer someone lived for, the clearer they were able to see things. Although the two had not known each other for very long, Hui King already had a good grasp of Lu Yin’s character. This youth might be ambitious and even ruthless, but he still had a bottom line, which was a good thing. A bottom line was like a chain that restricted a person, and it tied them to their humanity.

Hui Kong had seen too many powerful cultivators that could no longer even be considered human, as they were willing to horrifically abuse other humans and acted no differently than beasts. He himself could not be considered kind, but he also had his own bottom line.

Over the course of several days, the conversation between the two never ran dry. Hui Kong had an endless amount to say, and it was as if he was trying to narrate everything that had happened to him throughout his many years. Even if Lu Yin had prepared himself beforehand, he still would have ended up dizzy from the conversation.

“Little Lu, be a good boy and tell Grandpa Hui, how exactly did you get here?” Hui Kong asked curiously, his question truly coming from pure curiosity. After all, the old powerhouse had charged through the border when he himself had entered the Technocracy.

Lu Yin smiled bitterly. “What I told you is true. I can be considered a person who’s died once.”

Hui Kong was astonished, and he stared into Lu Yin’s eyes for a moment before averting his gaze and muttering to himself, “Died yet still survived? Is there really such a thing? Even this grandpa can’t do something like that.”

Lu Yin shrugged. “It’s probably just my good luck.”

Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat, and he looked over at Hui Kong. “Has Senior ever heard of the Arcane Art, Fatal Revival?”

Hui Kong went bug eyed. “You can’t possibly have succeeded in cultivating that.”

Lu Yin nodded. “It’s all because of that Fatal Revival that Junior survived.”

Hui Kong exclaimed, “That technique has an evil origin, and it spread extensively. Countless people tried to cultivate it, but none of them ever succeeded. Yet you actually used that to survive. Things make sense now.”

Lu Yin asked, “Does Senior know if Fatal Revival has any systemic issues?”

This was why he had mentioned the technique. He still trusted the old man from Driftcharge Planet who had given him a secret mission. That man had forced Lu Yin to accept a mission to go to the Neoverse to fulfill a promise. However, he had later removed that condition and had even created the opportunity for Lu Yin to escape from Driftcharge Planet. Lu Yin remained grateful to that old man from the bottom of his heart, but Fatal Revival was something that had been created a long time ago, and it had not been created by the old man himself. If that was the case, then who knew if there were any systemic issues to the technique? There was no harm in asking a few more people. Besides, the Arcane Art, Fatal Revival had spread extensively throughout the universe, and its existence could not be considered a secret.

Hui Kong shook his head. “This technique actually appeared in a rather strange manner, and everyone knew about it after just one night. However, nobody has ever been able to successfully cultivate it. I don't know if this technique has any systemic issues or not.

“Hahaha, don’t bother overthinking it, kid. Reviving after death is a wondrous thing. On top of that, you managed to enter the Technocracy while you were dead, which let you see this grandpa. This means that we have some fate between us! So with how things are, don’t call me Senior anymore—just call me Brother Hui, and I’ll call you Brother Lu. How about it?”

Lu Yin was thrilled. “Since Senior has suggested it, then it’ll be this junior’s honor.”

“You’re still calling me Senior…”

“Brother Hui.”

“Hahaha, Brother Lu, come! Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

“Here, slow down, and drink slowly. We still have many long days ahead of us.”

“Alright, we’ll drink slowly.”

…

Lu Yin eventually became drunk, and he had even lost count of how long he had been drunk for. If they so desired it, a cultivator would not get intoxicated even if they drank nonstop for an entire year. However, there was no meaning to drinking in such a fashion.

Rumble!

The ground shook as Lu Yin drunkenly opened his bleary eyes. Everything was fuzzy, but another rumbling sound interrupted his thoughts, prompting Lu Yin to get up and look around, at which point his eyes suddenly shrank. He could only see an incomparably massive mechanical arm slamming down at him from above the planet.

Lu Yin’s scalp tingled, and he raced to escape.

“Hahaha, Brother Lu, did you wake up? Don’t be afraid, I’m here!” Hui Kong laughed from up above, clenched a fist, and slammed it out. The mechanical arm was about as large as a planet, but it instantly shattered from Hui Kong’s fist strike, and the fragments were even swept away by a gale that rushed off into the distance.

Everything had taken place in no more than a moment.

It all went by too fast, and Lu Yin even thought that it was a dream until Hui Kong landed back on the ground and patted his shoulder. Upon being touched, Lu Yin returned to his senses.

“Br- bro, what was that?” Lu Yin asked blankly.

Hui Kong grinned. “Just a toy. Don’t worry about it.”

Don’t worry? How? Although Lu Yin could not see rune lines in this place, he was certain that the sheer power of that mechanical arm would have been enough to reduce him to dust, and even his upgraded universal armor would have been completely useless. That thing was a toy? Fine, to someone like Hui Kong, that arm had indeed just been a trivial toy.

“Bro, have we been discovered?” Lu Yin asked.

Hui Kong sat down cross-legged and brushed some dust off of his body. “I’m the one who dragged you into this. I’m as bright as the sun in the darkness, and the entire Technocracy is constantly watching me. Hahaha, every once in a while, they’ll send a toy like that to cause me some trouble, but it’s just a bit of fun for me.”

“With your strength, you should be able to return to the Human Domain.” Lu Yin was puzzled about this matter.

Hui Kong looked up, his expression complex. “I can’t return, definitely not. Not if I can’t find the answer that I’m looking for.”

Lu Yin did not ask anything further.

Hui Kong raised a hand to pat Lu Yin’s shoulder. “I know that you want to go back. You’re young, and there are many things that you care about. If you want to return, then I’ll find a way to send you back.”

Lu Yin was delighted. “Thank you, Brother.”

Hui Kong laughed. “However, you’ll have to keep me company for a few more days—you can’t just leave after you’ve barely arrived.”

“That’s a given. I’ll wait for Brother Hui’s instructions,” Lu Yin answered emotionally, as he had finally seen some hope of returning home.

Hui Kong smiled. “Although we’ve only known each other for a few days, I truly admire you. If not for some special reasons, I’d even be willing to become sworn brothers with you. We might not be able to do that for now, I still see you as my little brother, hahaha.”

Lu Yin also laughed, all of the pent-up frustrations from his recent experiences clearing themselves away. With such a powerful big brother, he would probably be able to remain within the Technocracy forever if he wanted, which felt pretty good.

Ten days later, Hui Kong was still talking nonstop about various things. Lu Yin knew that if the old man could not get his money’s worth of talking with Lu Yin, then there was no chance of him leaving.

At this time, an incomparably huge universal spacecraft appeared on a nearby planet. When Lu Yin saw it, his expression changed slightly. He had seen a similar spacecraft before, as this one was identical to the ones used by the people from the Bloodburn Realm when they had invaded the Outerverse.

“Troublemakers are here.” Hui Kong set down the roasted leg of a giant beast. He then leaped up into outer space.

Lu Yin pursed his lips. He was not concerned for his brother’s safety at all, especially when he glanced over to the side, where the carcass of a giant astral beast was turning cold while one of its legs was currently being roasted. This astral beast had actually possessed the strength of an Enlighter when it was alive. Lu Yin did not even know where Hui Kong had gotten it, but it actually tasted pretty good.

In outer space, the vessel’s hatch opened as countless nanomachines flew out of the ship. They all had different designs and shapes as they flew towards Hui Kong in a dense cloud.

Hui Kong simply raised a hand and slapped out a palm. Not only did he shatter all of the nanomachines that each had the strength of a Hunter, but he also almost swatted the spacecraft away.