Star Odyssey-Chapter 4148: A Rely Point

“Father, let me go back! I don’t want to leave,” someone protested from further back in the line.

The commotion caused many to turn their heads, but Mo Bai did not look. This same thing had already happened several times before. Some people refused to evacuate, instead insisting on staying in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse to fight in the upcoming war.

A war between civilizations was inevitable, which was why the cultivators from the Tianyuan had traveled to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse in the first place. They did not know it, but it was precisely because of their selflessness and courage that they had been chosen to be among the first to be evacuated.

There was no denying that the human spirit could be rather laughable. When there was a clear opportunity to live, why would one choose to die?

The people being evacuated did not even qualify to step onto the battlefield. Evacuating them to preserve a spark of humanity was the wisest choice. Their insistence on fighting was pure foolishness.

Mo Bai could not understand it at all.

Although the line moved slowly, Mo Bai eventually saw the Gate of Laws, as well as Lu Yin standing beside it.

She quickly averted her gaze, afraid that Lu Yin might notice her.

Someone as strong as him could sense certain abnormalities from just a glance.

This was especially true given that he had comprehended karma. If he decided to check Mo Bai at all, she would never escape.

Directly in front of the Gate of Laws, someone was begging Lu Yin to allow him to return.

Lu Yin’s expression remained calm, and he was completely unmoved.

Once someone joined this line, there was no going back. The only exception was if the outside world started to suspect something.

Mo Bai moved with the line, eventually reaching the Gate of Laws.

Lu Yin saw her. He showed no reaction. He simply felt a bit of regret that Luo Chan had not come. Of course, the chances of that bug making an appearance had always been minimal. Luo Chan was no fool.

Still, that did not stop him from feeling a hint of regret.

Mo Bai smoothly passed through the Gate of Laws, and once she was on the other side, she finally released a breath. She saw outer space stretch out endlessly before her. There was a massive battleship, and in front of it, a single green lotus leaf.

There’s more?

She had assumed that passing through that gate would directly deliver them to humanity’s last refuge. However, contrary to her expectations, the journey was still to come.

Still, it did make sense. If they could directly arrive there, it would be a bit unbelievable.

Once aboard the battleship, some people quietly spoke to each other, though most remained silent. The atmosphere was one of reluctance and sorrow.

They knew that leaving meant that they might never return home. If they were lucky, their family and friends might be evacuated in later batches, granting them a chance to reunite. Otherwise, they would remain separated forever.

The saddest part was that they could not even say goodbye. The outside world did not know that they would never meet the evacuees again. This parting would become a regret for the rest of their lives.

Days later, everyone had boarded, and Lu Yin also arrived. He stood in outer space, above the battleship, to look down at the crowd. “I know what you are thinking. You are feeling reluctant, unwilling to leave, frustrated, and even defiant. There are too many things that you have left undone. But regardless of what you feel, you still need to leave.

“You are not afraid of death. I know that. Only those who do not fear death deserve to live. And you must live. Humanity needs to continue. We need to preserve a spark for our civilization to endure. You bear no less of a responsibility than anyone else.

“Do you think that leaving means safety? Those who stay behind will fight in a war between civilizations, and they might perish while fighting. However, you also risk death. You will lose the roots of your civilization and are instead tasked with carrying our fire forward. In the vast Aevum Inch, there are enemies everywhere. You are not clinging to life—you are carrying the hopes of your family, your friends, and your entire people by living on and passing down our civilization. If humanity truly falls, you must pass down our hatred as well.”

Lu Yin’s gaze hardened. “When I first entered the Aevum Inch, Senior Blood Tower told me that, even if I face certain death, I must leave clues behind so that others can know who my enemy was.

“I now pass his words to you, while also giving them to myself. No matter who lives or who dies, leave a clue behind so that the survivors will know who our enemy is.

“Thus, the survivors carry a far greater burden than those who die.

“Live well, shouldering both pain and responsibility. That is what you must carry.

“Do you understand?”

On the battleship, the crowd roared, “We understand!”

Mo Bai stared upwards, seeing Lu Yin framed against the endless darkness of the Aevum Inch. Somehow, he still appeared to be immense.

Would he really lose?

The lotus leaf started to move, traveling into the distance.

They were still within range of the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm. The gate had been fake. They had not passed through the Gate of Laws, but rather through an Awe Gate.

Humanity did need to escape far from their current domain, but how could they find a faraway safe haven? Also, would mere distance truly be enough to eliminate danger?

If they had used the real Gate of Laws as bait, they might have never been able to lure the Immortal Lord out. The Nest civilization’s ability to sense their own kind was limited, and the Gate of Laws might connect to a location beyond the Immortal Lord’s senses.

For that reason, the only choice had been to use the Allsense Megaverse as the point of refuge.

The Allsense Megaverse was still within the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, but that was simple enough; the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm could be pulled back so that the Allsense Megaverse would be exposed outside of human civilization.

It took five years to travel from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse to the Allsense Megaverse. It was not too far, but it was far enough.

It was enough distance for the megaverse to serve as a temporary refuge for humanity.

No matter how brutal the war between humanity and the other civilizations might become, it most likely would not reach the Allsense Megaverse.

Not even the Nest civilization had ever seen the Allsense Megaverse.

The five-year journey translated to a distance five times greater than the distance between the Spirit Nidus and the Tianyuan, which was more than sufficient.

More importantly, the Allsense Megaverse also had a gate, a gate which was publicly declared to be the Gate of Laws.

Five years later, when Mo Bai saw the gate outside the Allsense Megaverse, she was finally able to relax. As expected of humanity.

Everyone stared on in confusion.

Lu Yin’s voice called out, “As you can see, this gate is the true path for humanity’s evacuation. This is a way to leave our current civilization behind.”

The crowd quickly understood the situation.

“Passing through this gate will deliver you to a truly unknown place, but that place has not yet been fully explored. It would be dangerous to go there now, so you will temporarily remain in this megaverse. It is not close to human civilization, so it can serve as a holding place. If the day comes when humanity suffers a devastating blow, we will send word for you to leave. If not, you will continue to live here as a contingency.

“The first group of evacuees is already here. We have thoroughly cleared out this megaverse, and there is no danger. You may choose where you wish to live, but do not go too far from this gate.

“You must be ready to leave through the gate at any time.”

Mo Bai glanced at the distant gate, snuck a look at Lu Yin, and then averted her gaze.

Lu Yin did not look at her, though everyone’s movements were crystal clear in his consciousness.

Mo Bai showed no irregularities. She was cautious and would not act soon.

“Mo Bai, where are you?” Luo Yan reached out to her.

Mo Bai gave him a grateful look. “Thank you for bringing me along.”

Luo Yan smiled. “Don’t thank me, thank Senior Hui Can. He’s the one who got you on the list.”

As he finished speaking, Hui Can appeared at his side.

Hui Can smiled at Mo Bai while greeting her.

She bowed. “Thank you, Lord Hui Can.”

Hui Can waved a hand. “There’s no need for such politeness. Luo Yan’s friends are my friends. Alright, you two go ahead and chat. I’m going to speak to my master.”

“Take care.” Luo Yan watched Hui Can leave, and after that, his expression shifted as he turned to Mo Bai. “Lu Yin may look righteous, but he still made arrangements for someone like Hui Can to evacuate. It’s clear that he’s afraid of death.”

Mo Bai quickly warned, “Be careful. Don’t let him hear you.”

Luo Yan replied, “It’s fine. Anyone who was allowed to come here has already been cleared of all suspicions. Even he won’t be monitoring everyone. To him, the only enemies worth thinking about are foreign civilizations. Anyone within humanity who harbors hostility toward him can’t change anything, so he doesn’t care about them.”

Mo Bai said, “Still, you need to be careful. We’ll talk when we meet later.”

Luo Yan nodded.

Upon ending the conversation, Mo Bai had initially planned to take out a Nest so that the Immortal Lord could locate her, but after a bit of thought, she decided to wait a little longer.

...

Far away from human civilization, two enormous figures were hopping along. “Old Fourth, we’re almost home.”

“I can see it, Old Fifth. However, there’s a very important problem that we need to resolve before we arrive.”

“How we’re going to explain ourselves to Ancestor?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“What pose we should take to ensure that we return home with the greatest style.”

There were multicolored lakes, lush grasslands, and mountains that stabbed high into the sky with peaks out of sight. The place was tranquil and beautiful, until two thunderous booms shattered that peace and shook the land.

Many eyes glanced over, only to look away even faster.

Those two had returned. Don’t provoke them! Don’t provoke them!

“Old Fifth, why is there no movement at all?”

“I don’t know, Old Fourth. Could you be scaring the children?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m so elegant. How could I scare them? They must be worshipping me.”

“With how clever I am, I must be right. You’re scaring them.”

“Rubbish!”

“It’s true.”

“You-” At that moment, two massive hands fell, snatching the toads and whisking them away.

Inside a mountain, a pair of murky eyes opened, staring at the nervous forms of Old Fourth and Old Fifth before them. Slowly, a voice rumbled, “Fourth, why did you come back, leaving the slugs unguarded? You’ve disturbed my rest. Cough, cough, cough.”

Old Fourth grinned. “Ancestor, I’ve missed you!”

“Cough. Such a smooth talker... Fifth, what of our missing kin?”

Old Fifth met Old Fourth’s eyes, and their expression twisted in a bitter fashion. “Ancestor, I’ve also missed you.”

Old Fourth was left speechless, and the ancient toad sighed. “You children never allow me to rest easy. Speak, tell me what happened.”

Old Fifth blinked. “Well, Ancestor, actually... Old Fourth should explain things.”

Old Fourth was left speechless. “Old Fifth, you-”

“Old Fourth, you’re so cultured. You wouldn’t pick on someone younger in rank, right? I’m just your junior here.”

Old Fourth’s mouth twisted in a helpless manner as they looked forward again. “Ancestor, it’s like this...”

The story was quickly shared, though with greatly exaggerated details. Lu Yin had made it clear that he had fled after striking once, but his actions were described as leaving disdainfully, unwilling to bother with Old Fourth.

Neither of the toads had even laid eyes on the human civilization, and yet they claimed to have sensed the auras of terrifying experts.

Old Fifth added some extra embellishments, speaking dramatically of the heart-shaking terror that they had experienced.

The Anuras’ ancestor’s murky eyes stared at the younger toads. In the darkness, only those eyes moved. They were clouded, blurred, and their gaze was interrupted by coughing. Nothing of the rest of the body could be seen. “Cough... I understand. You did well, children. After all, this was Obscura. You were right to return.

“Ancestor does not want to see Old Third’s tragedy repeated.”

At the mention of Old Third, both Old Fourth and Old Fifth’s expressions fell as they grew quiet.