Chapter 2431: Divine Light
“Members of the Lu family always possess an abnormally large reserve of stellular energy, but even so, this is quite excessive,” Progenitor Smoke exclaimed.
Mu Xie commented, “Even if we consider Semi-Progenitors, I’ve never seen anyone absorb so much stellular energy after passing a stellular tribulation.”
“This is more than what even some newly ascended Progenitors are able to absorb,” Progenitor Smoke said with a bitter smile.
Elsewhere in the Outer Realm, Bai Wangyuan's expression fell. The difficulty of a person’s stellular tribulation reflected the threat that they posed to the true universe. Everyone had expected Lu Yin to either fail his stellular tribulation or be killed by it. But to their utter shock, he had successfully passed it. This unexpected outcome had greatly increased their wariness towards the young man.
Lu Yin greedily absorbed all the stellular energy surging towards him. It looked as though he was going to consume every last scrap of stellular energy from the Middle Realm. The four Progenitors exchanged uneasy glances. They could not allow this person to reach his full potential.
After a long time, Lu Yin finished absorbing all of the stellular energy. Not only had the massive influx drastically increased his cultivation, but it had also significantly enhanced the other aspects of his strength.
Lu Yin's already overwhelming physical strength was merely the most noticeable aspect that had been improved.
In the past, Lu Yin had to be cautious when fighting against Semi-Progenitors, but at this moment, he felt confident that he could deal with a Semi-Progenitor with just his physical strength alone. If he also used his Wielder - Indestructible, then he would be able to easily defeat a Semi-Progenitor.
Progenitor Smoke, Mu Xie, and the other Progenitors all continued to watch as the stellular tribulation’s vortex gradually vanished. This time, the tribulation was truly over.
The entire Perennial World had gotten caught up in a single stellular tribulation. Even some of the stellular tribulations to enter the Progenitor realm were not this widespread.
Mu Xie returned to Lu Yin’s side. “Junior Brother, it’s finally over.”
Lu Yin inhaled deeply and looked up at the fading vortex of his stellular tribulation.
"Let's see what you have in store for me next time," he muttered challengingly.
He had truly been forced to his limit. Everyone, including the observing Progenitors, felt that this stellular tribulation had gone too far. Not even Semi-Progenitors could have passed this stellular tribulation.
Progenitor Smoke arrived as well, and she commented, "That was an impressive stellular tribulation, but you were even more impressive. What did you do to provoke such a freakish tribulation?"
Bai Wangyuan and the others arrived, and they surrounded Lu Yin.
Mu Xie looked at Bai Wangyuan.
Progenitor Smoke glanced around at the four men. “What’s this? Are you guys planning to attack?”
The jiao roared, but it kept its distance. On its back was Lu Jian’s Champions’ Stage.
Lu Yin slowly asked, “Do the four of you intend to break our truce?”
“Lu Xiaoxuan, you are the one who provoked us,” Xiao Shenji answered coldly.
Lu Yin remained unruffled. "I came here to find the members of the Yue Sect, but all I found were the destroyed ruins of the sect, as well as the Celestial Frost Sect’s Semi-Progenitors in hiding. There's no doubt that the Celestial Frost Sect is behind their destruction. Furthermore, I will emphasize once again that the stellular liquid exposed by the crack in the Mother Tree cannot be touched. Anyone who dares to do so is committing a grave offense against the Mother Tree and this entire region of the universe."
He shot a very pointed look at Bai Wangyuan, and the Progenitor’s expression grew significantly colder.
Progenitor Smoke spoke up, “That’s right. No one is allowed to touch the stellular liquid.”
Her eyes then narrowed. “I also haven’t forgotten about what just happened. You still need to pay the price for absorbing that stellular liquid!”
Lu Yin's expression grew somber as he replied, "Absolutely. While absorbing that stellular liquid just now, I had the profound realization that I was committing a grave sin. Therefore, I solemnly swear to stand firm against the usage of stellular liquid from this moment forward, alongside you, Senior. Anyone who dares to absorb stellular liquid shall be regarded as an enemy against myself, Senior, and all of humanity."
Progenitor Smoke was rendered speechless by Lu Yin’s words. Such a brazen attitude reminded her of Hui Wen. While she was still displeased by Lu Yin’s actions, she had no choice but to play along. She could not allow the four ruling powers to absorb stellular liquid as well.
Progenitor Long said, “Lu Xiaoxuan—no, I should call you Lu Yin. You are far more shameless than Lu Xiaoxuan ever was.”
Lu Yin turned to Progenitor Long. “I heard that you only successfully became a Progenitor after receiving some guidance from Senior Progenitor Smoke. Are you going to attack her now? Tell me, who is the shameless one here?”
“Lu Xiaoxuan, you’ve pushed us time and time again. Do you really believe that we won’t dare teach you a lesson?” Xia Shenji angrily demanded.
Lu Yin shot back, “Stellular liquid belongs to the Mother Tree. Does me happening to discover stellular liquid and absorbing a bit of it mean that I’ve provoked your four ruling powers? Since when did the Mother Tree become your private property?”
Bai Wangyuan replied, “Let’s not talk about what happened before. The problem with the Fifth Mainland’s true universe is clearly one of Aeternus’s schemes. Lu Xiaoxuan, you are not allowed to enter the Perennial world until the matter is fully resolved, lest it spread to our true universe as well. This is not just the will of our four ruling powers, but also that of the entire Perennial World. Can you agree to this? If not, we will publicly announce the matter to the entire Perennial World. Since you care so much about humanity, we can have humanity decide whether you are allowed to stay.”
Lu Yin sighed. Bai Wangyuan’s words made sense. It was no surprise that the people from the Fifth Mainland wished to escape from there, while those from the Perennial World refused to allow them to enter. No one knew if the true universe in the Perennial World could be contaminated by the problem facing the Fifth Mainland. This was a matter that concerned not only Bai Wangyuan, but also Lu Yin.
The Fifth Mainland was already facing a terrible dilemma, and if trouble also befell the Perennial World, then who would stop Aeternus?
Regardless of what Lu Yin had done for the Perennial World, the people of the Perennial World would definitely concur with the four ruling powers on this matter: no one from the Fifth Mainland could be allowed to enter the Perennial World.
"Very well, I'll comply with your request and leave," Lu Yin replied nonchalantly. "However, from this point on, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of all cultivators from the Fifth Mainland who have entered your region of the universe. Return all of them to the Fifth Mainland unharmed. Until this current matter is resolved, no harm should befall any of them."
“Sure, we’ll throw all the cultivators from the Fifth Mainland back to where they belong,” Wang Fan replied.
With that, both sides reached an agreement.
As Lu Yin made his way back to the Fifth Mainland, he understood that it would be quite some time before he could return to the Perennial World. The four ruling powers had banned him from this place so that they could consolidate their control. Lu Yin's presence was a massive obstacle to their plans.
As the jiao vanished from sight, Xia Shenji's demeanor reverted to his normal state. "Aeternus has done us an immense favor. With Lu Xiaoxuan gone, we can quickly establish complete control over the Perennial World. Once we achieve that, even if the issue with the Fifth Mainland is resolved, Lu Xiaoxuan will no longer be able to exert any influence over our Perennial World."
“Watch what you say. We do not require Aeternus’s help,” Wang Fan warned before turning to leave.
Bai Wangyuan watched as Mu Xie and Progenitor Smoke also left. Although Lu Xiaoxuan had left, it was important to remain wary of those two. The four ruling powers would only truly live up to their title once they controlled the entire Perennial World.
Lu Yin sank deep into thought as he rode atop the jiao. The four ruling powers’ motive for sending him away was crystal clear, but unfortunately, he had no choice but to go along with them. Murkiness’s timing could not have been any worse, and he even considered the possibility that Aeternus had initiated the plan to deliberately alienate him from the four ruling powers and give them the opportunity to bolster their power.
It was far from impossible.
Together with Wang Wen, Lu Yin returned to the Fifth Mainland.
This time, Mu Xie accompanied him.
Lu Yin wanted to confer the Progenitor into his Investiture of the Gods.
“Senior Brother, will being conferred affect you in any way?” Lu Yin asked.
Mu Xie replied, “It won’t have any effect on me, though most people are unwilling to allow others to make a copy of them. Who knows—maybe they’ll eventually become enemies?”
“Just like the four ruling powers and Progenitor Lu Tianyi,” Lu Yin muttered.
Mu Xie replied, “That whole incident is very strange to me too. Only a few select individuals from the four ruling powers fully understand just what happened that day. Logically, as long as Progenitor Tianyi used his Investiture of the Gods, no one could ever touch him. He was capable of confronting two Skygods on his own, but they still managed to somehow exile him.”
Lu Yin had gleaned some knowledge regarding parallel universes from Marquis Lan's memories, and those memories had led him to believe that his family’s exile was somehow related to parallel universes. Just like how there was enmity between him and the four ruling powers, it was possible that the parallel universes themselves were not united either. When two distinct universes intersected, they could become either allies or foes.
From what Lu Yin had learned from Marquis Lan’s memories, none of the parallel universes had any human forces as powerful as the Lu family, and only a handful possessed as much power as the four ruling powers. In fact, most of the universes that the marquis knew about only needed to defend against a single Progenitor-level corpse king at most. Furthermore, very few of those universes were even aware of the Seven Skygods' existence.
Eventually, he returned to the Fifth Mainland.
Lu Yin first dropped Wang Wen off at Sky Creation Academy, and then he found a deserted location that was suitable for conferring Mu Xie.
During Lu Yin’s stellular tribulation, he had greatly regretted not conferring a Progenitor into his Investiture of the Gods beforehand. If he had done so, then he would have had a much easier time dealing with Progenitor Wen’s manifestation by simply overcoming every part of the tribulation.
"I’ve never personally witnessed the process of conferring a Progenitor. Senior Tianyi conferred the masters of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas, but I was not present at that time, and it only happened that one time. You will have to do this on your own," Mu Xie explained.
Lu Yin nodded. “I understand. Thank you, Senior Brother.”
The success rate of conferring a Progenitor was dependent on two factors: the cultivation level of the one with the Investiture of the Gods, and the willingness of the Progenitor being conferred. Without the Progenitor’s consent, it was impossible to successfully confer them into the scroll. This was unlike the Champions' Stage, which did not require consent. After all, anointed champions were already dead.
While the two techniques were fundamentally different, the ultimate outcome was the same. Both greatly increased the strength of the Lu family’s members, and it had allowed the family to dominate the Fifth Mainland.
Lu Yin and Mu Xie stood a hundred meters apart, both with their eyes closed. After a brief pause, Lu Yin waved his hand, and a cloth scroll appeared. As it unfurled, golden light burst out and illuminated the entire Technocracy with its glow. The light continued to spread further, and it eventually spread across the entire Fifth Mainland. It looked as though a deity had arrived.
Numerous people knelt down and began to pray to the light. The Investiture of the Gods not only radiated a golden light, but also a divine aura that resonated with the Fifth Mainland.
The only thing that could be seen on the scroll were the words, “Investiture of the Gods.”
The light from the scroll shone down on Mu Xie’s face, accentuating his solemn expression. He had once expected to be conferred by Progenitor Tianyi.
Lu Tianyi was one of humanity’s first lines of defense against Aeternus, and he had proven himself by single handedly charging deep into Aeternus’ forces.
Lu Yin certainly had not been the first human to have seen the giant scarlet eye; Lu Tianyi was the first. However, it had been too difficult for the man to destroy it when he saw it, as Lu Tianyi would have had to fight past multiple Progenitor-level corpse kings, as well as the Seven Skygods just to reach the eye.
When Lu Tianyi disappeared, so had the Investiture of the Gods. A long time had passed since this ability’s last appearance.
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