Star Odyssey

Although Lu Yin was reluctant to let Highsage Leon go, he had no good reason to stop the man. As long as Highsage Grandmaster remained at Eversky Island, there was no way that Highsage Leon could abandon it.

Highsage Leon made his way towards the Neoverse, and Big Sis was still on Mt. Microcosms. The three of them had been separated. Lu Yin just prayed that the defensive line would be able to hold out for a little longer, at least until they could meet again.

Lu Yin’s heart was heavy. It was unlikely that Mt. Microcosms could be moved.

“How strange," Kui Luo muttered to himself while facing east.

Lu Yin felt puzzled. "What is?"

Kui Luo replied, "You and I have seen the Seven Skygods’ power. The Fifth Mainland’s Semi-Progenitors clearly lack the strength needed to stop them one-on-one, so why hasn’t a winner been determined yet?”

Lu Yin's heart skipped a beat. This was a critical insight! Undying God most likely was not the strongest of the Seven Skygods, but he was already completely terrifying. If Ancient God and Forgotten Ruins God released their full strength, then they would certainly be more than what Semi-Progenitor Jiu Chi could withstand. Arch-Elder Zen might be able to hold such experts back, but Elder Gong and the other Semi-Progenitors who were about as strong as Xia Ji would be completely overwhelmed. How had they managed to hold back the Seven Skygods for so long?

Unless, the Seven Skygods were allowing the humans to do so.

"Forget it. Let's go," Kui Luo gave up on guessing at Aeternus’s intentions.

"Wait.” While Kui Luo was unable to understand the plan, Lu Yin had a vague idea of what Aeternus was plotting.

What was the Fifth Mainland’s top priority at this moment? It was either to stop the Aeternals’ invasion or for the various human powers to protect themselves. If Lu Yin’s guess was right, Aeternus was waiting for humans to gather together in an attempt to protect themselves before eliminating all of humanity in one single move. This would be much faster than searching and clearing out the scattered remnants of the Fifth Mainland.

The Aeternals’ goal was not just to eradicate a large percentage of humans, but also to raise a portion in captivity so that they could contribute to Aeternus.

The humans living in the Starfall Sea had been imprisoned in an Aeternus Kingdom built upon the Sea King's Dome. Instead of chasing down all the humans, it would be better to let the humans gather together and lull them into a false sense of security. This would save them a great deal of time.

Although he could not confirm anything, Lu Yin felt confident in his intuition. If he were in the Seven Skygods’ position, this was exactly what he would do.

Unfortunately, Lu Yin had no way to foil these plans, despite knowing of them. On top of that, humanity’s scattered forces would face tremendous difficulties trying to mount any sort of resistance against Aeternus. All Lu Yin could do was lead a group from the Fifth Mainland away with before Aeternus was able to enslave them.

A thought suddenly occurred to Lu Yin, and he quickly tried to call Arch-Elder Zen.

Unsurprisingly, the call did not connect. Every single Semi-Progenitor was busy with their own opponents.

Lu Yin did not give up, and he continued to call Arch-Elder Zen until the man finally answered.

"What is it?" Arch-Elder Zen asked impatiently. Lu Yin could hear a vague roar in the background.

Lu Yin stated, "Senior, you once told me that there’s a place where I may need to lend my assistance and that it’s where President Xiu Ming and the other Lockbreakers have gone."

"I don't have the time to deal with that!" Arch-Elder Zen was getting annoyed.

"Go ahead and have them unlock it, Senior."

Arch-Elder Zen was stunned by the conviction that he heard in Lu Yin’s voice. "Do you know something?"

Lu Yin answered, "This junior can't really explain it, but that’s the only chance for our Fifth Mainland to emerge victorious. Kui Luo and Xia Ji just fought against Undying God, and they were completely overpowered. The Seven Skygods’ Semi-Progenitor incarnations are already terrifying enough, but the reason why they haven’t gone all out yet is because they’re waiting for us humans to all gather together so they can seize a decisive victory in one fell swoop. The Fifth Mainland can't do anything to stop the Seven Skygods on our own, and our chances aren’t much better even if we get help from the Sixth Mainland and the Perennial World’s army. Unlocking that sourcebox is our only chance at survival.”

"Do you know why no one has ever been allowed to unseal that place? Locked within it are countless corpse kings hailing from ancient times! That place is basically an entire battlefield that’s been frozen in time. Once the sourcebox is opened, no one can guess what will appear. It’s possible that Progenitor-level corpse kings will emerge and that our chance of victory will drop even lower." Arch-Elder Zen remained doubtful.

Lu Yin remained firm. "Senior, trust me. Open it."

Arch-Elder Zen stared at his gadget, confused. "Why?"

Lu Yin lifted his chin. "My master said to."

Arch-Elder Zen's eyes went wide. "That man? What exactly did he say?"

Lu Yin replied, "Master said that he can't help humanity right now, but that opening that place is our only opportunity for victory. It’s possible that humanity will still perish, but we also just might be able to make a comeback."

Arch-Elder Zen silently contemplated these words.

Lu Yin started to grow anxious. "Senior, Undying God is someone from Wu Tian's era who was adopted by Wu Tian as a child. He’s an absolute monster, and I can't think of a single Semi-Progenitor who can defeat him! While it might be difficult to admit, there were simply too many powerful experts born in the ancient eras. That place might hold experts who are able to fight against the Seven Skygods. Instead of waiting around to die, it's better to take this gamble for a possibility of winning.”

Arch-Elder Zen still hesitated. To risk it all or not? As a Semi-Progenitor, he rarely even considered such matters, as people who shied away from risks were seldom able to cultivate to such a high level. However, these stakes were sky-high. Arch-Elder Zen alone carried the hopes of the entire Fifth Mainland on his back. This was an unimaginably heavy burden. If he lost this bet and humanity was wiped away from the Fifth Mainland, he would become a sinner in history.

The more worries one had, the less they were willing to take risks. This perfectly summarized Arch-Elder Zen’s position.

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Lu Yin shouted, "Senior, didn’t you approve of Grand Marshal Shui Chuanxiao's decision to sacrifice half of Endless Weave to integrate the Human Domain’s network?"

Arch-Elder Zen’s heart stirred.

"Didn’t you support the Sea King’s actions when he broke open the Upper Three Gates and when he tore aside the false sky put in place by the Sixth Mainland?"

Arch-Elder Zen’s expression grew conflicted.

Lu Yin continued passionately, "You once asked this junior how I would deal with the Sixth Mainland asking for the Outerverse if I were in your place. I already gave you my answer: you overthink things."

Arch-Elder Zen’s forehead creased. Was he just overthinking?

"Humanity doesn't need you to carry all of its burdens! You still aren’t a Progenitor! You’re just a Semi-Progenitor! You can’t yet hold the responsibility for humanity’s future!" Lu Yin yelled.

Arch-Elder Zen’s eyes froze. “Alright, I’ll take this bet. At worst, my life will be forfeit. I know that you have a plan, so if we lose this bet and it brings a greater calamity down upon the Fifth Mainland, just run. Flee as far as you can and keep the hope of humanity alive."

Lu Yin let out a long breath. He believed in Mister Mu, and all Lu Yin could do at this moment was trust his master. "This junior understands."

…

In a vast field of pristine white ice, Xiu Ming’s eyes opened as he sneaked the occasional glance at his gadget.

The situation in the outside world had triggered an intense debate. There were some Lockbreakers who wanted to join the fight against Aeternus while others wanted to remain where they were.

Xiu Ming himself was not sure what to do, so he had decided to wait for Arch-Elder Zen’s instructions. Though, if he were honest, Xiu Ming would much rather stay where he was.

While Lockbreakers were individually powerful, their numbers were insignificant when compared to the scale of Aeternus’s invasion. Even the full strength of all the Lockbreakers here would not be of much use. Their most important task was to prevent any accidents from happening where they had been sent. The Neohuman Alliance had their own Lockbreakers, and this location would likely be a target.

Beep beep beep!

Xiu Ming quickly accessed his beeping gadget.

"Prepare to unlock the sourcebox. I want that entire place unlocked." Arch-Elder Zen’s voice came through.

Xiu Ming thought that he must have misheard. "What did you say? Unlock it?"

Arch-Elder Zen’s voice was serious, "There are many enemies here, and I don’t have time to explain. Unlock that whole place. Whether it proves to be a blessing or a curse, we just need to bear the consequences."

Xiu Ming's expression turned grave. "Have things have already reached such a stage?”

Arch-Elder Zen sighed helplessly. After he ended his call with Lu Yin, he had spoken with Xia Ji and confirmed Undying God’s strength. If that represented the Seven Skygods’ true strength, then stopping them was nothing more than a dream. Even Kui Luo had been suppressed. Even if Arch-Elder Zen or Ni Huang had been in Kui Luo’s position, chances of victory would have still been slim.

Not even Arch-Elder Zen or Ni Huang could stop the Seven Skygods, and there were still the Twelve Marquises waiting beyond the current battlefield. The situation had already deteriorated to this state, so their only option was to risk it all on a huge gamble.

Xiu Ming hung up and looked around at the endless field of white. When those terrible monsters were freed, what would they do? Would things become even worse? He had no idea. However, since Arch-Elder Zen had given his orders to unlock the sourcebox, Xiu Ming would obey. This gamble was their only path to victory.

At Xiu Ming’s command, all the Lockbreakers stationed on the frozen battlefield started preparing to unlock the enormous sourcebox. As soon as Arch-Elder Zen passed down the order, they would begin.

As soon as Hao Yue got the notification from Xiu Ming, he similarly believed that he must have misheard, and he asked Xiu Ming multiple times for clarification.

"Master, are we really opening the sourcebox?" Yi Dishui was stunned.

Hao Yue sighed. "Let’s just unlock it. Humanity is facing a catastrophe, and there are times when all we can do is take a risk.”

Yi Dishui stared down beneath her feet. A pair of terrifying eyes stared back at her. They seemed to be looking into space above her, yearning for freedom.

She gulped, forcefully suppressed her fear, and prepared to start lockbreaking.

…

The most tragic battlefield was the area just beyond the Starfall Sea, Chaos Flowzone, and the border of the Technocracy.

Lu Yin had already ordered the Great Eastern Alliance to gather in Blazing Mist Flowzone.

He had intended to return to Blazing Mist Flowzone in the Innerverse along with Kui Luo, but a sudden call for help came from Smoke-Eater Peaks. They were located at the border of the Neoverse and Cosmic Sea.

"There are Semi-Progenitors fighting in that direction. You can't go there," Kui Luo said seriously.

Lu Yin insisted, "I just want to take a closer look. If we can’t save them, then we’ll just leave, but we need to save as many people as possible. Smoke-Eater Peaks’ smoke is also very important, and they helped me during the war in the Cosmic Sea.”

Kui Luo felt incredibly frustrated. "Do you actually think that you can save everyone? You need to understand that many people are going to die during this catastrophe and that no one can stop that from happening!"

“But that time isn’t here yet.” Lu Yin refused to back down.

Kui Luo ended up losing the argument and took Lu Yin towards Smoke-Eater Peaks. The old man felt an urge to drop Lu Yin off somewhere and leave the youth to fend for himself. However, since he was the sole remaining descendant of the Lu family, Kui Luo ultimately decided to let things go. At the very least, this was still within the limits of his tolerance.

"Listen carefully: the moment I appear, one of the Seven Skygods fighting against Jiu Chi might release their true strength, which means that I cannot attack. As soon as I decide that there’s nothing to be done, we have to turn and run," Kui Luo reminded Lu Yin yet again before carefully taking Lu Yin east.

Lu Yin was naturally aware of the situation, and he did treasure his own life. While Smoke-Eater Peaks was important, it was not worth him dying for. Still, the area might not have yet become a Semi-Progenitor’s battlefield, even if Smoke-Eater Peaks was in the same direction. If the Semi-Progenitors’ battle had shifted closer, then it was already too late to save anyone.

At the border between the Neoverse and the eastern edge of the Cosmic Sea, a mountain range that resembled a cigarette butt slowly sank towards the bottom of the sea. This was Smoke-Eater Peaks.

Within Smoke-Eater Peaks, Gu Laogui's roars echoed as he used his battle techniques to utilize his white smoke and bombard the forces oppressing his mountain. However, the attacking forces remained unaffected.

Disciples of Smoke-Eater Peaks continuously drew out more white smoke for Gu Laogui to use.

Gu Xiao'er was also within the crowd, and he felt like he was about to cry. Everything had been going just fine only a short while before; they had been planning to travel to the Innerverse and join up with the Great Eastern Alliance. However, as soon as they reached this particular area, a strange power had blasted the mountain. After that initial attack, the power had not dissipated at all, instead continuing to oppress Smoke-Eater Peaks. If they were not able to counter this force, Smoke-Eater Peaks would be shoved down to the bottom of the sea, and they would be forced to abandon their homeland.

Smoke-Eater Peaks had never encountered such a crisis before despite existing for many years. No one was willing to give up.

The seawater was already almost at the top of the mountains, leaving only a small area clear of water. Further up ahead was a burning flame that constantly blazed while spitting out more white smoke.

"Father, are you done? I can't hold on any longer!" Gu Xiao’er wailed.