Chapter 2444: Ancient Existence
In a bustling city in the Middle Realm’s Blue Moon District, Xuan Jiu looked down at the wireless jincan in his hand. His face was scrunched up. To answer or not to answer?
He had remained hidden in the Perennial World for three years, doing whatever it took to avoid Lu Yin. During this time, he had enjoyed a carefree life, just as he had during the twenty years of Lu Yin’s disappearance. Since Xuan Jiu had left the Fifth Mainland before the return of stellular energy, he had not been afflicted by Time Poison, unlike so many others.
Unfortunately, the four ruling powers did not accept him into their families, so he spent his days lazing about in Middle Realm.
He only hoped to never have any more dealings with Lu Yin ever again.
However, Lu Yin had unexpectedly reached out to him.
The wireless jincan finally stopped vibrating, allowing Xuan Jiu to heave a sigh of relief.
Then it started vibrating again.
Stop. Vibrate. Stop. Vibrate.
Xuan Jiu finally answered, sending back, "I can see that you’re not planning to give up."
Lu Yin replied, "You once told me that I’m bad luck and that whoever gets close to me will suffer from, right?"
"Right," Xuan Jiu replied without any hesitation, though he immediately added, "They don't even need to be close to you to suffer bad luck."
"Do you know the true Heaven's Enigma?" Lu Yin asked.
Xuan Jiu was surprised. "You actually know about the true Heaven's Enigma? I’ve never learned it. Nobody else has."
"Someone has."
Xuan Jiu was startled. "Who?"
Lu Yin answered, "If I tell you, will you be able to get the true Heaven’s Enigma from her?"
Xuan Jiu winced. "Of course not. The technique was split into Heaven’s Enigma and Inverse Enigma, but Destiny only ever taught her disciples the Inverse Enigma. It's a huge deal if someone has actually learned the true Heaven's Enigma."
"Didn’t the Starsibyl Sect not believe that Destiny existed? You seem quite certain about her existence," Lu Yin remarked.
"Those people from the Heavens Sect era have already proved that Destiny lived. Why doubt it still?"
"And yet I get the feeling that you guys have known about Destiny’s existence for a very long time," Lu Yin pressed.
"Even if we knew before that she lived, so what? Let me tell you, the Starsibyl Sect reached its current heights through their Abacus Divination. When we first claimed to be able to perform divinations, no one believed us. Now, one of Destiny’s true heirs has appeared, so there’s no longer any need for us to explain anything."
Lu Yin dropped the matter. "The person who knows Heaven's Enigma is my enemy. Is there any way to deal with her?"
"No! I'm just a useless old man, so don't count on me for anything! I only have one wish right now," Xuan Jiu paused before saying, "I want to live for another 500 years."
"500 years? That's too short," Lu Yin replied.
"Hmph, we can talk about that after I survive the next 500 years, though I'm afraid that you won't live for even that long," Xuan Jiu mocked as he rolled his eyes.
"Let's meet up," Lu Yin requested.
Xuan Jiu instantly ended the conversation and then proceeded to stomp on his wireless jincan until it broke. "Meet? Meet your ass!"
Lu Yin put away his own wireless jincan. It seemed that Xuan Jiu was determined to not meet him.
Just what was Destiny’s goal? The scene that he had just witnessed would not leave Lu Yin's mind.
He observed the red divine energy that lay within his chest. Would it eventually transform him?
He then looked up at the Upper Realm. The biggest variable that he needed to consider was Nutjob Lu. The man had never missed any opportunity to attack Lu Yin, which meant that Lu Yin had to eliminate the madman as soon as possible. Otherwise, who knew what would happen in the future?
Also, there were the resources of the New World that he needed to collect. The four ruling powers had to have taken some, but other powerful forces, such as the Nong family, should have also collected quite a bit.
With that in mind, he brought his wireless jincan back out and sent a message to Nong Yi.
"So you're here." Nong Yi was unsurprised by Lu Yin's presence in the Perennial World. Three years was a short time, but anyone who knew Lu Yin also knew that he never remained in seclusion for more than a year. "Has there been any news regarding stellular energy?"
Lu Yin replied, "No. I wanted to ask you about something."
Nong Yi felt puzzled. "What is it?"
"Where are you? In the Dominion Realm?"
"Seed Garden."
"I'll head on over." Lu Yin ended the conversation and immediately headed towards Seed Garden. It was not long before the place entered his sight.
The jiao’s huge shadow drew countless eyes from within Seed Garden. There were looks of shock, fear, and awe.
In a field inside Seed Garden, Nong Yi wiped his forehead. "Show-off. Yazi, go bring him here."
Behind the man, frustration covered Nong Ya’s face. The nickname Yazi sounded terrible, but since his family’s Progenitor loved to use it, Nong Ya decided to let it go.
At his feet, a Guo jumped and skipped about playfully while yipping joyfully.
Farther away, Nong Sanniang, Nong Lie, Nong Siniang, and others, including Bai Xue, were present as well.
Nong Yi usually spent most of his time outside of Seed Garden, only rarely returning. When the Lu family had still been around, he had also been one of the Progenitors guarding the Outer Realm. After the Lu family’s banishment, Nong Yi's role meant that he had even fewer interactions than ever with the Nong family.
Now that Aeternus had finally been completely driven out from the Perennial World, the Progenitor was allowed to return home any time he wished. No one wanted to miss this opportunity to get close to the family’s Progenitor.
Even if Nong Yi's identity as the Nong family’s Progenitor was ignored, many cultivators and even ordinary Progenitors would still flock to the man.
Soon, Lu Yin followed Nong Ya into the field. "Senior Progenitor is up ahead, Dao Chosen Lu, please."
Lu Yin saw Nong Sanniang, Bai Xue, and the others. He exchanged glances with Bai Xue and gave her a nod. Then, he removed his shoes and stepped into the field, acting exactly like the members of the Nong family.
The Guo happily bounced over to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin looked at the Guo in surprise. This was not his first time meeting the little fellow. In the past, it had followed Nong Lie around, but whenever it saw Lu Yin, it always tried to jump onto him. His current visit was no exception.
The Guo jumped up, and Lu Yin caught it out of reflex. He then placed the Guo on his shoulder, causing it to let out a happy grunt.
"That little guy really likes you," Nong Yi said with a smile. He was dressed in simple clothing, and there was a towel tied around his forehead. He looked nothing like a Progenitor.
Lu Yin laughed. "We're old friends. Senior, do you enjoy spending time out in the fields?"
Nong Yi nodded. "For our Nong family, the sky, the earth, and a cup of tea make for the greatest enjoyment. If we can instruct some of our juniors from time to time, then it’s even better."
Nong Ya and the others sighed and automatically retreated a bit.
Bai Xue felt conflicted as she watched the two men converse. During her time in Seed Garden, she had heard many things about Lu Yin. However, it was hard to believe that Lu Yin, someone who was around her age and who had left Earth with her and several others, could already fight against Progenitors. Apparently, he had even managed to confer the Nong family’s Progenitor into his Investiture of the Gods. It was unthinkable.
Was it just because he was a descendant of the Lu family?
"Senior, don't you plan on returning to the Outer Realm?" Lu Yin asked.
Nong Yi replied, "If the threat returns, of course I'll return."
He moved his hoe, digging it into the ground.
Others followed suit, and people started tilling the soil.
Lu Yin pursed his lips and then took a hoe out from his cosmic ring so that he could join the rhythmic digging, much to everyone’s surprise.
Even Nong Yi was taken aback. "Where did you get that hoe?"
"Someone gave it to me," Lu Yin replied casually.
Nong Yi studied the hoe. "A hoe that’s a power vessel? Is there anyone other than my Nong family who would do such a thing?"
Lu Yin smiled. "I received it from someone with the Nong surname, just the same as yours. He's from the Sixth Mainland."
"There are Nong family members in the Sixth Mainland?" Nong Ya exclaimed.
On the other hand, Nong Yi was not surprised at all. "I see, no wonder. The Nong family spread to both the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands. According to legends, one of our ancestral Progenitors had a grand plan to cultivate farmland on all six Mainlands. Because of that, many members of my Nong family spread across all the different Mainlands to till fields, competing with each other in order to please that Progenitor."
"What happened after that?" Lu Yin asked.
Nong Yi’s how stabbed into the ground. "When those Mainlands were destroyed, my family’s farms naturally disappeared along with them. That's why I don’t find it strange to learn that there are members of the Nong family in the Sixth Mainland."
The Guo jumped from one of Lu Yin's shoulders to the other, greatly enjoying itself while playing on its own.
"Senior, how much do you know about my Lu family?" Lu Yin suddenly asked.
Nong Yi felt a bit puzzled. "What exactly do you mean?"
"Nutjob Lu," Lu Yin softly replied.
Nong Yi's movements faltered. He stared at the ground, seemingly deep in thought.
Nong Ya and the others all gradually left the field, leaving Nong Yi alone with Lu Yin and the Guo.
"If you want to know about Nutjob Lu, then you’re asking the wrong person," Nong Yi replied, "Aside from Senior Lu Tianyi, no one else knows the madman's history. Even the other Progenitors from your Lu family might not know the man’s full story."
Lu Yin felt his heart lurch. "Senior, are you trying to say that Nutjob Lu is an ancient powerhouse?"
If Nutjob Lu was from his father's generation, or even from the same generation as the masters of the Nine Mountains and Eight Sea, then his background would not be much of a secret. The fact that only Lu Tianyi was aware of the man’s past indicated that he came from an older era.
Nong Yi arched a brow. "It appears that I need to be more careful when speaking to you, though you are right that Nutjob Lu is from a much, much older generation. Let me put it this way: I was among the first humans born after the Perennial World broke away from the Fifth Mainland, so I can only barely be considered a junior to Progenitor Bai and the others. Back then, my grandfather was still alive, and he told me that even his father had heard of Nutjob Lu. His name is also mentioned in ancient records, always regarding him as the black sheep of the Lu family.
"Whenever outsiders mention the Lu family, the first person to mind will be Senior Lu Tianyi. However, those who know about Nutjob Lu will also think of him."
Lu Yin grew increasingly curious. "Then how long has Nutjob Lu lived for?"
Nong Yi shook his head. "No one has any idea. Only Senior Lu Tianyi could have answered that question."
Lu Yin looked up, wondering if Nutjob Lu had been born during the era of the Heavens Sect. If that were the case, then why did he hate the Lu family so much? Also, why had the Lu family never dealt with the man?
Nutjob Lu had become a thorn in Lu Yin’s heart, stabbing deeper than even the four ruling powers.
The four ruling powers might be Lu Yin’s mortal enemies as well, but he did not have to worry about them for the moment due to the truce. Nutjob Lu was completely different, as he might strike at any moment.
So far, Nutjob Lu had attacked Lu Yin twice, and he had nearly succeeded both times.
The first attack had come right after the game of Stable Zone that Lu Yin had played with Mu Shang. If not for the mysterious hand that had appeared and blocked the attack, Lu Yin would have been in terrible danger.
The second attack had occurred during Lu Yin’s sixth stellular tribulation. At that time, Nutjob Lu had tried to interfere with the tribulation, just like how the God of Food had dragged Mr. Yu into his stellular tribulation. Nutjob Lu had clearly intended to die with Lu Yin.
The man was truly, undeniably insane. If Lu Yin did not get rid of the man, he would never be able to sleep peacefully.
But how could he deal with Nutjob Lu?
If not for the interference of the four ruling powers, he could ask Senior Brother Mu Xie to intervene by telling him that he suspected Nutjob Lu of being a Redback. He just had to inform his Senior Brother about what he had seen while shuttling through space-time. Although Senior Brother might not act without evidence, he could at least confront Nutjob Lu face-to-face.
However, with the four ruling powers there to block Lu Yin, he might never get an opportunity to confront Nutjob Lu.
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