Star Odyssey

Chapter 2845: Reason

Lu Yin had not asked this question before, but at this juncture, he had to know. If the Great Sovereign refused to release the man to the Lu family, and if she also refused to believe that Nutjob Lu was a Redback, then there would be serious problems. They had to find a way, or else once Nutjob Lu took action, the Lu family would suffer the most.

Lu Yuan’s expression was terrible. The last time Lu Yin had mentioned Nutjob Lu, his ancestor had left in a hurry. The old man had not expected the child to be so ignorant and to press the issue.

"Ancestor, I know that you don't want to speak about this, but as the Fifth Mainland’s Dao Monarch, I have the right to know so that I can handle this in a timely manner," Lu Yin stated bluntly.

Lu Yuan's expression grew strange. "Handle this?"

Lu Yin stared at his ancestor. "Kill him."

Lu Yuan’s finger twitched, and he slowly sat down.

At this moment, Zhao Ran arrived to deliver Lu Yuan a cup of tea. It looked truly bizarre, as it had bubbles and what looked like insects swimming around.

Lu Yuan stared at the tea and then looked at Zhao Ran. Did this girl want to poison him?

Zhao Ran stared at Lu Yuan with great anticipation, blinking her large eyes.

Lu Yin coughed. "Ancestor, it's delicious. Zhao Ran's tea is a specialty of our Heavens Sect."

Lu Yuan arched a brow, but then he casually took a sip. Given his strength, what sort of poison could kill him?

The tea was initially sweet, and the forms that looked like insects exploded once they entered the mouth, which gave it a very refreshing sensation. As for the aftertaste, it held an indescribable fragrance. "Good tea."

Zhao Ran was thrilled. "Thank you, Grandpa!"

"Hahahaha." Lu Yuan laughed. Being called “grandpa” by Zhao Ran's young voice was like a tonic to the old man. His eyes automatically flickered over to Lu Yin. "This child is good. Little Seven, you should learn from your father."

Lu Yin had realized that Lu Yuan, Lu Tianyi, and even his father, Lu Qi, were all of one mind when it came to certain aspects of Lu Yin’s life. "Ancestor, I already have Yan'er."

Lu Yuan sighed. "Which is precisely why I want you to learn from your father."

The man then took another sip of his tea.

Zhao Ran left in a wonderful mood. She was always quite satisfied, as long as there was someone to enjoy her tea each day.

Lowering his tea cup, Lu Yuan asked Lu Yin to sit down.

Lu Yin sat down across from Lu Yuan and waited quietly.

Lu Yuan remained silent for some time. When he spoke, it was in a soft voice. "I once had a son. Nutjob Lu is my grandson, my biological grandson."

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. This was not a huge surprise, as he had already known that Nutjob Lu was a truly ancient individual. The entire Lu family had known this for a long time, though they had not realized just how ancient the man was.

Even during the Heavens Sect era, Nutjob Lu had been much, much older than Lu Tianyi.

"All of the direct descendants of my Lu family are able to awaken the innate gift of the Champions’ Stage, though they might not be able to awaken the Investiture of the Gods. You know this, right?"

Lu Yin nodded.

"However, this is not something that I was aware of at first." Complicated emotions drifted through Lu Yuan's eyes, though there was not much pain to be seen. After all, countless years had already passed. "I believed that my son was capable of awakening the Investiture of the Gods, but that he had failed because he did not work hard enough and did not push himself. At that time, I was already one of the Three Realms Six Dao, a leader who stood at the peak of the Heavens Sect. I needed to look strong before others, and I wanted to compete with my peers.

"Since I did not lose to anyone, my son shouldn't either.

"Many people claimed that the Investiture of the Gods was not the familial innate gift of our Lu family, but I refused to believe it. Without the Investiture of the Gods, how could our Lu family control the Fifth Mainland with the Champions’ Stage alone? I believed that it was not enough and that the Investiture of the Gods also had to be a familial innate gift.

"For that reason, I forced my son. I made him cultivate and practice. I made him work hard, hoping to trigger his innate gift. My innate gift could be passed down to my descendants, and I needed to be sure of it."

At this point, the old man grew a bit excited, but he also seemed completely numb.

"He ran away, escaping from the Fifth Mainland.

“When he finally returned, he brought a woman and Nutjob Lu with him. I didn’t care about my son’s wife or son, as I only wanted him to awaken the Investiture of the Gods.

"I pushed too hard, and ultimately, my son died. After that, his wife committed suicide. Only Nutjob Lu remained, though he personally witnessed both of his parents’ deaths. That matter dealt a blow to the child that completely changed him, though it also allowed him to awaken the Investiture of the Gods."

Lu Yuan gave a bitter smile. "I succeeded. I had proven that the Investiture of the Gods could be passed down within my family. I shattered all doubts that people had held towards me back then, slapping Destiny and Mavis in their faces. As for the price I paid, I, Lu Yuan, lost my only son. As for Nutjob Lu, he lost his parents.”

The old man looked at Lu Yin. "There are some truly pitiful people. You can’t know what you have until you lose it. I wanted to reverse time and undo my son's death, but in that era, the laws of the universe were solidified, and sequence particles were suppressed by the Origin Progenitor’s swords. The Origin Progenitor’s will allowed no one to independently reverse time.

"For my son, I still tried to do just that, only to nearly induce a disaster. In the end, I could do nothing but watch as my son died."

Lu Yuan took another sip of tea. "Little Seven, our family will never use force to try to awaken the Investiture of the Gods in new generations, as such attempts are useless. Force accomplishes nothing. If one is capable of awakening the innate gift, then they will do so. If they are unable to do so, nothing can change that.

"As for Nutjob Lu, I can understand his hatred for our family, which is why I did not restrict him too much at that time. In the end, Gu Yizhi took advantage of him.

"That bastard actually experimented on Nutjob Lu, tested his Wielder - Indestructible power on him, and pushed my grandson to become truly insane. That bastard. Gu Yizhi, if I ever have the chance, I will definitely destroy him."

Lu Yuan was truly angry. Lu Yin understood this. It made sense why the Fifth Mainland and the Third Mainland had not had a good relationship. Lu Buzheng mentioned to Lu Yin that the Fifth Mainland had always been hostile to the Third Mainland, and Lu Yin had just learned why.

"In that case, when did Nutjob Lu become a Redback?" Lu Yin asked.

Lu Yuan and Lu Yin stared at each other. "We actually never knew that he was a Redback. You told us, and we believe you. Even so, we don't understand how it happened, which is precisely why I rushed over to speak with the Great Sovereign to bring Nutjob Lu back. How could he have possibly become a Redback while imprisoned in the Lu Sanctum? It should have been impossible."

A surge of warmth blossomed in Lu Yin's heart. Just because he had said it, Ancestor Lu Yuan and Ancestor Lu Tianyi had believed the accusation without any hesitation. Even if what Lu Yin had said seemed impossible, they still believed him.

This was his family, and they were his seniors.

Lu Yin looked at the empty cup in front of Lu Yuan. "Do you want me to ask Zhao Ran for another cup?"

Lu Yuan waved a hand. "No, tea doesn’t really suit me."

"The Great Sovereign refuses to give our people back?" Lu Yin asked.

Lu Yuan gritted his teeth. "Things would be fine if it was just that crazy woman. At worst, we’d fight. What worries me are the Aeternals. I can allow those traitors from the four ruling powers to stay on the Endless Frontier, but I can never allow Nutjob Lu to remain safe and sound. After all, he is a member of my Lu family, and yet...”

The man sounded helpless. He looked at Lu Yin. "Someone from the Immemorial Citadel is being sent over to resolve this conflict."

Lu Yin was surprised. "Someone is coming from the Immemorial Citadel? Who?"

Lu Yin did not know how many people were in the Immemorial Citadel. All he knew was that various people had gone to that city throughout the ages, and also, that was where Mister Mu was at the moment.

Lu Yuan replied, "It's an old acquaintance. If I insist on fighting that crazy woman, no one can stop me. However, I owe this person a favor, so I can only wait for now."

Lu Yin wanted to ask more questions about the Immemorial Citadel, but Ancestor Lu Yuan refused to say anything more, and that would not change.

The two remained silent for a moment, and then Lu Yuan suddenly said, "Do not underestimate Nutjob Lu. He is extremely powerful."

Lu Yin’s eyebrows rose. "I’ve already seen that for myself. Nutjob Lu cooperated with the four ruling powers to set a trap in an attempt to kill me, but I took advantage of the situation and nearly killed him with that trap."

Lu Yuan shook his head and gave Lu Yin a very grave stare. "What you saw is Nutjob Lu’s strength in the Fifth Mainland. That is not his true strength."

Lu Yin felt terribly confused, as he did not believe that Nutjob Lu had hidden his strength. When Lu Yin had attacked Nutjob Lu in the Lu Sanctum’s treasury, the man had even used the Corpse King Transformation. If anyone had seen him do so, the four ruling powers, and even the Sixverse Association, would have immediately acted to eliminate the man. It was impossible for him to take such a risk just to keep his true strength hidden.

Lu Yuan seemed to struggle with how to explain the matter. "The title of Dao Monarch is not a mere title, but rather something that represents that one has received the will of a Mainland.

"Little Seven, do you know about this?"

Lu Yin shook his head. If this were nothing more than a spiritual matter, then Lu Yin could indeed understand that the title of Dao Monarch represented the will of the entire Fifth Mainland, but Ancestor Lu Yuan seemed to be hinting at something more.

Additionally, during Lu Yin’s Semi-Progenitor tribulation, he had used Flipping the Sky, which had allowed him to overcome a particular trial. While using the technique, Lu Yin had seen all living creatures on the Fifth Mainland. During the tribulation triggered by the Origin Sutra, Lu Yin had received the Wordless Heavenly Book, which held the names of countless people from the Fifth Mainland. It was an extraordinary item, and Lu Yin felt that there was something special about it.

Lu Yuan stared at Lu Yin intently. "To be the Dao Monarch is to wield the will of the Fifth Mainland. A true Dao Monarch, no matter how far away they might be, is capable of seeing the creatures of their Mainland, feeling their prayers, their joy, their anger, and sorrow. This is not something that is granted by those people themselves, but rather by the Fifth Mainland.”

"The Dao Monarch wields the will of the Fifth Mainland. Once the Dao Monarch shuns someone, that person will never be able to make any further progress in the Fifth Mainland."

Lu Yin did not understand, and his face betrayed his confusion.

Lu Yuan thought for a bit. "Let me put it this way. Ordinary humans need to breathe oxygen in order to live. They take in oxygen from their environment, but if someone can freely control the oxygen in their environment, could a normal human survive in that area, or would they die?"

Lu Yin nodded.

Lu Yuan continued, "The will that the Dao Monarch wields is the Fifth Mainland’s equivalent to oxygen. Once the Dao Monarch shuns a person, they will struggle to even exist in the Fifth Mainland. It is no different from an ordinary human struggling to breathe without oxygen, though it is also completely different, just as cultivators are completely different from ordinary humans.”

Lu Yin finally understood. "You’re saying that Nutjob Lu has been shunned by the Fifth Mainland?"

Lu Yuan nodded, and his voice dropped low. "His mind is too dangerous. My guilt prevented me from outright killing him, but I could not allow him to harm the Fifth Mainland, so I shunned him. As long as he is in the Fifth Mainland, he will struggle greatly. Like an ordinary human who struggles to breathe, it would be good for a shunned person to access even half of their true strength in a battle, but..."

At this point, Lu Yuan's expression turned even more solemn. "As soon as they leave the Fifth Mainland, their strength will completely transform. Each parallel universe has its own laws and will. A person who wields the will of that universe is the ruler of the universe, just like the Great Sovereign you have seen. She has mastered the will of the Cyclic Universe, and that allows her to bestow the seats of the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages.

"The Origin Progenitor mastered the will of the entire Origin Universe, and because of that, no one in our era was able to reverse the flow of time. The Origin Progenitor’s six swords suppressed all such attempts.

"As long as Nutjob Lu does not become the master of a universe, he will be the same as a normal person. However, if he can wield the will of a universe, his strength will rise precipitously."