Star Odyssey-Chapter 3556: Exiting Seclusion

Suddenly, a hand appeared, reaching for the eyeball. From the eye’s perspective, the hand blocked out the starry sky.

“What an interesting innate gift.”

Qianmen Feidu was stunned. He had not sensed anything approaching him until the hand had suddenly appeared. He quickly tried to escape, but it was already too late. His eyeball was seized. Helpless, he could only abandon it. After all, he could simply regenerate an eye, just like when his mouth had been shattered by the Third Boss.

However, Qianmen Feidu’s mind suddenly went blank. He then saw the same starry sky again, but not from the eye that he had sent through the portal. Rather it was his own perspective. He was very far away from the universe that he had sent his eye to, and yet he had instantly crossed that vast distance without even realizing it, appearing at the portal where the eyeball had been. It had all happened in the blink of an eye.

When Qianmen Feidu regained his senses, he was already in the distant universe. There was a hand pressed down on his head, immobilizing him.

How could this have happened?

It was very hard for other people to notice him after he awakened his Spirit Transformation innate gift. It allowed him to easily gather information, and he even had a remote possibility of spying on the Seven Seraphs without being seen. He had been confident that, even if someone with the strength of a Seraph did find him, while he would certainly suffer some injuries, he would at least be able to escape with his life.

After facing the invincible Third Boss, that confidence had only grown stronger.

As long as he avoided that Third Boss, Qianmen Feidu believed that no one could do anything to him.

But at this moment, his confidence was completely shattered. He had no idea how he had suddenly appeared in a distant universe. There had not even been the slightest chance to resist. No, he had not even been able to think of resistance. He had simply appeared in the same place that his eye had been.

The hand above him relaxed a bit, but Qianmen Feidu did not dare to try to move. His eyes rose, and he saw a man standing before him.

It was impossible to describe Qianmen Feidu’s feelings upon seeing the man. He felt utterly paralyzed, as well as an overwhelming need to stand still, submit, and listen. The feeling was so strong that he could do nothing but follow his instincts.

Qianmen Feidu was supposed to be the master of the Phantom Reach, a powerful Ortuser who was only inferior to the Spirit Nidus’s Seven Seraphs. Despite that, in front of this man, Qianmen Feidu felt utterly suppressed.

From the moment he had first started cultivating, the only other person who had ever given the man the same sensation was the High Seraph.

Could this person be comparable to the High Seraph?

“Was that your Spirit Transformation innate gift just now? It’s very interesting and also very useful.” The man smiled at Qianmen Feidu, but the expression was that of a person analyzing a tool.

Qianmen Feidu instinctively bowed low. “Greetings, Senior."

The man smiled. "You have never seen me. You will only see me when I decide it's time for you to."

...

One day, a bit of news shook the entire Spirit Nidus and caused everyone to grow excited.

The High Seraph had exited his seclusion.

Right before the Grandverse Manor entered the Spirit Nidus, the High Seraph had gone into seclusion. This was something that everyone in the Spirit Nidus had accepted as fact, as well as what the Ascendant Hall had told the public.

Had the High Seraph not been in seclusion, the Grandverse Manor would have never been able to act so brazenly. They would not have been allowed to violate so many taboos, kill a Seraph, or antagonize the Apex Palace.

With the High Seraph emerging from seclusion, the entire Spirit Nidus was eager to see how he would deal with the Grandverse Manor.

Lu Yin sat in the courtyard in the Clearflow Realm. In his inner universe, someone stumbled out of the Champions' Stage Purgatory. They were panting for breath and swaying on their feet.

There was a person sitting beside the stone table that Lu Yin sat at, serving him tea.

Lu Yin picked up a cup of tea and took a sip before looking at the swaying person. "How was it?"

The person was a woman, and she was in fact Feng Chengzhu.

On the same day that Lu Yin drove Yue Ting away, he had given Feng Chengzhu two options: first, she could endure ten days in Purgatory, after which she could stay or leave as she wished. The second option was to work for the Hundred Leaf Trade Association, protecting Ye Laogui and Ye Yan'er, just as Shan Xian had protected Yue Susu.

Lu Yin wanted to gather as many spirit seeds through the trade association as possible and then destroy them in order to lower the Spirit Nidus’s future potential.

While the idea might be a bit unrealistic, since it had occurred to him, he decided to pursue it anyways and see where it led. He wanted the Hundred Leaf Trade Association and the Sima Chamber of Commerce to work together to gather as many spirit seeds as possible. Something was always better than nothing.

Theoretically, this would probably eliminate a few geniuses from rising to power, and that was certainly better than nothing. After all, this was not Lu Yin’s primary focus, but simply another move in a game that he was playing.

Feng Chengzhu had not hesitated to choose to endure for ten days in Lu Yin’s Purgatory. She had undergone a beast-form Spirit Rebirth and believed she had already suffered every kind of agony possible. From the time she had first started cultivating, she had fought for her very survival, especially now that she was reaching the end of her lifespan. Death no longer frightened her, so what could she not endure?

Lu Yin had promptly imprisoned the woman in the Champions' Stage Purgatory to strengthen his Karmic Dao.

Feng Chengzhu gasped for breath, her pupils fluctuating wildly as she stared at the ground. For the first time in a very long while, she felt as though she had been reborn.

It was clear to her that her life was almost over, and her body was filled with a sense of decay. But despite that, yet she felt like she had been reborn.

What she had experienced over the past ten days had been etched deep into her heart. She had seen many, many people from her past—family, enemies, lovers—and had experienced many events. There were regrets and decisions she had wished to undo. It had all ended when she was brought back to reality.

She had experienced indescribable suffering, and that agony allowed her to understand why Lu Yin was so confident.

She would rather die than experience his Purgatory again.

She slowly lifted her head to look at Lu Yin. A rare bit of fear could be seen in Feng Chengzhu's eyes.

Death was not terrifying. What was terrifying was to have to live life again and again, never being able to alter any outcome before having to face death again. That was the most terrifying thing.

"What was that?" Feng Chengzhu asked with a dry voice.

Ru Mu observed the other woman with open curiosity. Feng Chengzhu was a powerful Ortuser who was at death’s door, and yet she was clearly filled with fear after only a few days of imprisonment. What kind of power did the Third Boss control?

Lu Yin gave a small smile. "Would you like to try again? Ten days? 100 days? Or perhaps..."

"That’s unnecessary. You promised me that if I could endure your Purgatory for ten days, I would be allowed to stay or leave as I wish," Feng Chengzhu quickly replied. She did not want to endure such agony ever again.

Lu Yin smiled brightly. "That's right. If you can endure Purgatory for ten days, you can stay or leave as you wish. However, you’ve only endured five days."

Feng Chengzhu's expression changed drastically. "What...?"

Lu Yin opened his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

Behind him, Ru Mu said, "You can check the date, but only five days have passed. You still have five more days."

Feng Chengzhu stared at Lu Yin, dazed. Her face even started twitching. "You, you..."

Lu Yin just smiled, his eyes filled with amusement.

Without personally experiencing the karma of the Champions' Stage Purgatory, it was impossible to understand it. Of course, Lu Yin had given Feng Chengzhu five days in his Purgatory before offering her a chance. This way, the torture would be deeply entrenched in her memory.

Even just a few days in the Champions' Stage Purgatory would strengthen Lu Yin’s Karmic Dao, and it was also very difficult for anyone imprisoned to know how much time passed in the outside world.

Lu Yin had experienced it for himself. The cycle of constantly wanting to change the outcome, but being helpless to do anything induced incredible despair.

Time became a precious thing for those who were caught in the cycle of karma.

Feng Chengzhu had no idea how much time had passed.

Ru Mu stared at Feng Chengzhu with sympathy. While the younger woman had no idea what sort of torture the Ortuser had suffered, the fact that she did not even know how much time had passed seemed too cruel. On top of that, she needed to endure five more days to be free. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Ru Mu glanced at Lu Yin with a strong sense of wariness in her eyes.

Lu Yin calmly observed Feng Chengzhu, who stared back at him for some time. Finally, she clenched her fists. "I’ll continue."

Lu Yin arched a brow. "Are you sure? You still have five more days. I can even increase your suffering."

Feng Chengzhu's pupils shrank, and her face grew pale. Nonetheless, she clenched her jaw and replied, "I’ll continue."

Lu Yin nodded. After letting out a breath, he said, "Alright, you can leave now."

Feng Chengzhu froze and then looked at Lu Yin in confusion.

Ru Mu was also taken aback. Was it really over?

"You're letting me go?" Feng Chengzhu could not believe her ears. This Third Boss had been so cruel in forcing her to endure such torment, so why was he suddenly willing to let her go?

Lu Yin shrugged. "Five days of Purgatory was the price for attacking me. If you don’t want to join the Hundred Leaf Trade Association, then I won’t force you. There’s no real grudge or enmity between us, and you’re about to die anyway. There’s no need to torture someone who’s about to die. Leave."

Feng Chengzhu stared at Lu Yin with growing intensity before her face slowly started to relax. "Thank you."

She dropped all hesitation, turned, and left.

Lu Yin took a sip of tea.

Ru Mu said, "That’s such a pity. After all, she’s a powerful expert."

Lu Yin casually asked, "How many people like her are there at the Gate of Laws?"

Ru Mu thought for a moment. "I don’t know. Not even Seraph Zhan Ming knows for sure. It’s possible that some of those ancient freaks are still alive."

Lu Yin put down his teacup. "What about Heavenspire? How many ancient powerhouses are hiding there?"

Ru Mu did not hesitate to answer. "Quite a few. Heavenspire’s strength is not what the Spirit Nidus sees. While Heavenspire is certainly greatly inferior to the Spirit Nidus as a whole, there are still a number of powerful experts who remain unknown."

Lu Yin sighed. "It seems that trying to destroy Heavenspire will be a long and arduous process."

Ru Mu blinked. "Why would you want to destroy Heavenspire, Boss? Is it just because it belongs to the High Seraph? If you eliminate the High Seraph, Heavenspire could belong to you instead."

Lu Yin looked at Ru Mu. "Even if I’m from the Tianyuan Megaverse?"

Ru Mu replied, "No one wants to die."

Lu Yin smiled, but he said nothing.

His spirit cloudstone then trembled. At the same time, Old Tao arrived, looking quite anxious. "Third Boss, the High Seraph has exited seclusion. He has already acknowledged you and Su Shidao as new Seraphs. Now, he wants you to go to the Apex Palace to tie the Seraph knot to formally accept the title of Seraph."

Lu Yin glanced at his spirit cloudstone and accepted the call. He heard Yuan Qi’s voice come over. "The High Seraph has emerged from seclusion. Do you really want to become a Seraph?"

"Of course. I need to go tie the Seraph knot," Lu Yin replied.

Behind him, Old Tao’s face turned pale.

The old man had forgotten that accepting the title of Seraph also required one to tie a Seraph knot. This was not a difficult task, and was instead ceremonial, much like the Day of Offering.

Tying the Seraph knot before burning it was a show to the legendary invincible being that the title of Seraph had changed hands. It was one of the necessary rituals for a new Seraph to complete before they were officially recognized as such by the Apex Palace.

For others, it was a simple matter, nothing more than a journey. But for Lu Yin, it was very different.

He was the High Seraph’s enemy, and going to the Apex Palace meant meeting the High Seraph face to face. What would the High Seraph do at that time? Would he attack? If he did, was Lu Yin capable of stopping the High Seraph? How would the Grandverse Manor react to such a situation? Everything was thrown into question.

The High Seraph had voluntarily ended his seclusion and asked the Third Boss to tie the Seraph knot. It was clear that the man had already decided what he would do.

This would be the Grandverse Manor’s greatest challenge since entering the Spirit Nidus.

The High Seraph was personally stepping forward.

The entire Spirit Nidus was thrown into an uproar. Everyone was eager to see if the Grandverse Manor’s Third Boss had the courage to go to the Apex Palace and face the High Seraph. If he did go, what would become of him?

"You know how strong the High Seraph is. Are you really going?" Yuan Qi asked in a low voice.

He was not concerned about Lu Yin, but rather about himself.

If it was right after they arrived in the Spirit Nidus, Yuan Qi would have wanted the High Seraph to kill Lu Yin, but the Seraph had already become bound to the Grandverse Manor. If the Grandverse Manor fell, Yuan Qi would also suffer. Even if he was not killed, his future in the Spirit Nidus would become quite bleak, and there was no chance of him keeping his position as one of the Seven Seraphs.

The only reason why he was able to retain his title was because the Grandverse Manor existed.