Star Odyssey

Chapter 3640: Backup Plan

Lu Yin glanced over at Grandpa Fa and the others. "This incident has nothing to do with them. Zhan Qianguhou was searching for Ancestor Lin’s descendants, so I took advantage to disguise myself and follow them into the Garden of Passing. They never knew anything, from beginning to end. I hope that you won’t make trouble for them."

Lu Yin had not immediately left, as doing so would have doomed Grandpa Fa and the others. After all, they had been Lu Yin’s key to gaining entry.

It was not possible to simply relocate Grandpa Fa and the others, because Lu Yin was dealing with the Gate of Laws. As long as they remained anywhere within the Spirit Nidus, escape would be impossible. More importantly, they had become a family; he could not just separate them from each other.

If Lu Yin took them aboard Boundless, it would violate their wishes. They just wanted to live peaceful lives.

"Of course, if you want to deal with them, I won’t stop you," Lu Yin added at the end.

Grandpa Fa and the others stared blankly at Lu Yin. It was only at this moment that they finally realized that the man who had been traveling with them was none other than Seraph Lu, a man regarded as invincible in the Spirit Nidus. He was from the Tianyuan Megaverse, yet no one in the Spirit Nidus could do anything to him. Seraph Lu had fought one battle after another, slowly earning a reputation for being unbeatable.

He was one of the most powerful experts in the megaverse, and yet he had been accompanying them on their journey.

They had no idea how to feel about the matter—bitter, upset, or relieved. All they knew was that they were insignificant figures, which meant that they could only accept their fate.

Zhan Ming glanced at Grandpa Fa and his younger companions. "Don’t worry, Seraph Lu. My Gate of Laws will not hold them accountable. Besides, you are not here to target us. You are not our enemy."

Lu Yin nodded. "In that case, until we meet again, Seraph Zhan Ming."

He then disappeared, along with Yi Shang.

The enslaved conscient was left behind.

Zhan Ming stared at the broken grave, his heart heavy. Yi Shang’s capture had completely disrupted Zhan Ming’s plans. Meet again? We certainly will.

A distant voice roared in anger, "Outrageous! That man is too arrogant! The Tianyuan Megaverse is our Spirit Nidus’s enemy! Zhan Ming, why did you let him go? We would have gladly fought him to the death!"

"Old man, speak for yourself! Don’t drag us into things. We’re not that close to dying just yet."

"Exactly! Don’t include us. We just want to wait for our descendants to come and chat with us, to enjoy a bit of family time."

"I only have a few days left to live, so just let me lie down and enjoy some peace."

"Hmph! All of you are cowards! Zhan Ming, capture those people and interrogate them! They must know something about that Seraph Lu. We might even be able to use them against Boundless."

Grandpa Fa and the others were startled. Ah Five tightly clenched the hilt of his blade as he warily eyed his surroundings.

Ah Three's expression instantly grew solemn.

Ah Nine bit her lip, still unable to process all that had just happened.

"That's too despicable! These children were merely being used," Feng Chengzhu protested.

"You fool! Even the tiniest of clues can lead to an advantage."

"I think that might be possible. At the very least, we should interrogate them."

"That’s going too far! These children should be pitied."

Zhan Ming let out a breath as he looked at Grandpa Fa and the others. "You may leave. Ancestor Lin has been dead for a long time."

"Zhan Ming, you intend to simply let them go? That’s unacceptable!"

Zhan Ming turned to look at the argumentative elder, and his expression grew darker. "Old man, this is not up to you."

"You!"

Grandpa Fa quickly bowed to Zhan Ming. "Thank you, Seraph Zhan Ming."

Ah Three and the others immediately followed suit and also bowed.

Zhan Ming left. Such people were nothing more than ants, and they possessed absolutely no value. He did not want to earn Lu Yin’s ire because of a few weaklings. The fact that Lu Yin had spoken for them was nothing more than a superior being showing mercy. Zhan Ming could also afford to show such mercy.

Zhan Qianguhou led Grandpa Fa and the others out of the Garden of Passing and allowed them to leave.

No one in the little group looked back as they left. They were too badly shaken by everything that they had witnessed. They were nothing more than average cultivators, and yet they had come into contact with multiple Seraphs. They had led Seraph Lu into the Garden of Passing and watched as former Seraph Yi Shang was captured. Everything about the day was too overwhelming for them. They had no idea how they had managed to get away from the Gate of Laws.

They never wanted to return to that place so long as they lived.

"Grandpa Fa, Seventeen..." Ah Nine trailed off.

Grandpa Fa’s eyes locked onto the woman. "Seventeen doesn’t exist! Don’t just speak randomly."

Ah Nine pursed her lips and opened her hand as she extended it. "I received this from Seraph Lu."

She revealed several jade slips that gave off a gentle glow.

Grandpa Fa frowned. He hesitated for a moment, but then he picked one up and examined it.

Ah Three and Ah Five each took one as well and examined it.

Grandpa Fa set the jade slip back down with a bitter smile. "I don't know if we were lucky or unlucky, but Seraph Lu has left behind cultivation arts that are highly suitable for each of you. From the descriptions, these methods should allow each of you to become Spirit Ancestors without any problem.

"If even one of these cultivation arts was casually released, there would be a fierce competition fought over them."

He then looked at Ah Nine. "The cultivation art that you received from Ancestor Lin doesn’t suit you. This one does.

"This is for you, Ah Three, and you, Ah Five."

"What about you, Grandpa Fa?" Ah Three asked.

Grandpa Fa stared at a slip of jade that he still held in his hand. "I'm already old and gave up all hope of further progress long ago, and yet this cultivation art can force me into the Spirit Ancestor realm."

Everyone fell silent.

Ah Nine's expression grew conflicted. It was said that Seraph Lu was a cruel and vicious person who was overly arrogant and extremely cunning. It was true that he had been ruthless and arrogant in the Gate of Laws, but Ah Nine greatly desired to see him again, even if only to say goodbye.

Grandpa Fa patted her on the shoulder. "Let's go. Just think of everything as a dream."

...

Far away, a meteorite shot through outer space.

Lu Yin and Yi Shang were sitting on the meteorite, facing each other while staring at a key between them.

“So this is the key to your key?”

Yi Shang stared at the key in Lu Yin’s hand, his expression bleak. “Yes.”

“You people really know how to complicate things,” Lu Yin muttered, clearly skeptical.

Yi Shang sighed. “I’ve already admitted that I found the third key to the Gate of Laws. There’s no reason to lie about this. If I were going to lie, I wouldn’t have admitted that in the first place.

“Working with the Gate of Laws wasn’t easy. Just offering up materials for sequence bases wasn’t nearly enough to convince the Zhan family to help me create a Divine Projection sequence base. What they really wanted was the third key.

“Zhan Ming needed proof of my sincerity, so I had to hide the third key somewhere he could never reach. This key is the only way to retrieve it. To build trust between us, I split it in two. Only when the Zhan family completes the Divine Projection sequence base and ensures that someone from the Yi family will always stand among the Seven Seraphs will I hand over this half. Only then will they be able to recover the third key to the Gate of Laws.”

Lu Yin put the half-key away. "That does sound reasonable, but if that’s true, then what about Yi Xia? If you were preparing to make a Divine Projection sequence base, then why have Yi Xia cultivate the Devouring Sequence Technique?"

Yi Shang gave a bitter smile. "First, to keep up appearances, especially for the High Seraph.

"It would be seen as a lie if I claimed to have no ambitions. That wouldn't match with how I’ve always controlled the Daquan Domain’s Chamber of Commerce. I needed to show that I was trying to ensure that another member of my Yi family would become a Seraph even after my time is up. That was the only way to ensure that the High Seraph would not be wary of me. I only managed to obtain the Heaven-Devouring Umbrella at a great cost, so to strengthen my deception, I had Yi Xia cultivate the Devouring Sequence Technique. That encouraged everyone to believe that, if the Yi family produced another Seraph, it would certainly be Yi Xia.

"There’s actually one more detail-"

Lu Yin interjected, "You wanted to try to make your Yi family a clan with three Seraphs."

Yi Shang said nothing for a moment, but then he nodded.

Lu Yin was quite impressed. "You certainly don’t have low ambitions. You managed to stay a Seraph yourself while also paying to try to make Yi Xia a Seraph with the Heaven-Devouring Umbrella. At the same time, you negotiated a deal with the Gate of Laws, trading a key for a Divine Projection sequence base. In that case, who would use the Divine Projection sequence base when it finished?"

Lu Yin's expression suddenly changed. "Rong Xiang?"

Yi Shang stared at Lu Yin for a long moment, but he gave no answer.

Lu Yin did not look away. "Really? Rong Xiang?"

Yi Shang looked away and sighed. "Either me or Rong Xiang."

Lu Yin exclaimed, "Isn't Rong Xiang an outsider?"

Yi Shang closed his eyes and shook his head. "He’s my son."

This time, Lu Yin was genuinely shocked, as this was completely unexpected.

Yi Shang continued in a low voice, "Rong Xiang is my son from my youth. He was born before I was even a Spirit Warrior, and I had him in a moment of impulse. To prevent him from hindering my cultivation, I abandoned him as I didn’t want to give my enemies any leverage over me. I never expected that, by the time I became a sequence powerhouse, I would happen to run into Rong Xiang again. By that time, he was already a Spirit Warrior.

"I had never expected a son that I had abandoned long ago to find his own fate and eventually rise up to become a Spirit Warrior.

"I did not acknowledge him as my son, but I did help him to grow further. When I reached the Spirit Origin realm, I helped him become a Spirit Ancestor. When I entered Dukkha and became a Seraph, I helped him become an Ortuser. Over the course of his cultivation, I have continuously adjusted his bones so that his appearance ended up far different from my own.

"On several occasions, he asked to become my disciple, but I refused him each time. No one would ever suspect that he is my son, not even himself.

“I even severed any sense of familial attachment between us.

"He follows me because I’ve helped him, and he is only loyal to me, but he holds no familial affection.

"If you don’t believe me, you are welcome to check his bloodline, Seraph Lu."

Lu Yin was amazed. "Not even the High Seraph could have considered this possibility."

Yi Shang smiled bitterly. "Not even I ever imagined such a thing happening. Many cultivators have numerous descendants, many of whom have achieved great success of their own. However, who would ever have imagined that I, the illustrious Seraph Yi Shang, would produce an heir so early on in life, let alone someone who has stayed at my side and served as my subordinate? That’s not even mentioning that several people have tried to use him against me over the years. He has even betrayed me, believing me ignorant of the matter.

"If he were truly only a subordinate, he would have died long ago."

The old man looked back at Lu Yin. "I know Rong Xiang very well. Given his personality, it’s quite possible that he’s already decided to throw his lot in with you, Seraph Lu."

Lu Yin's eyes flickered. Yi Shang was quite sharp. Lu Yin had also noticed that Rong Xiang was willing to work for him.

People really are something. Each one of these old foxes keeps so much hidden.

“Did he also learn the Divine Projection Sequence Technique from you?”

“Not exactly. Back then, I had absolutely no thoughts of creating a Divine Projection sequence base, though I had already recognized Rong Xiang as my son. I wasn’t even a Seraph when he started cultivating his sequence technique, so how could I have dared to have such ambitions? It’s mostly a matter of bloodline. Since the Divine Projection is the sequence technique that best fits me, it’s only natural for the sequence technique to also suit my descendants.

“As for Yi Xia, I was the one who forced him to cultivate the Devouring Sequence Technique.”

Lu Yin said, “If the Divine Projection sequence base was never completed before Rong Xiang’s death, then it would’ve ended up as your fallback plan. The Impression Realm is too obvious; as soon as you slip up, the High Seraph would confiscate it.”

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