Chapter 3885: A Profound Question
Chapter 3885: A Profound Question
The Jue family members showed no disappointment. They were used to such failures.
“That man abandoned his daughter when she was just two-years-old so that he could survive. She was already calling him ‘father’ at that time. That word gave him nightmares for countless years, and he regretted his actions for that entire time, never able to find peace.
“Our Jue family saved his daughter and raised her to adulthood, just for this moment and for her to cry out ‘father.’
“That word, ‘father,’ couldn’t have been faked. The feeling of a familial connection was able to amplify his emotions to the extreme... but ultimately, he still failed to understand a comprehension technique,” Jue Rou explained from behind Lu Yin.
He casually commented, “That’s quite cruel.”
Jue Rou nodded. “Yes. Manipulating people’s emotions is cruel.”
“However, nothing in this world can be gained without cost. Your Jue family saved his daughter so that you could have this opportunity. That’s quite fair,” Lu Yin said.
Jue Rou looked at Lu Yin. “You think that what we did is right?”
Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. “It’s not a matter of right or wrong. When he saw his daughter again, what did all of his previous suffering matter for? He brought it on himself.”
“But his daughter won’t be able to forgive him.”
“He might not need forgiveness.”
Jue Rou stared at Thoughtless Mountain in a daze. “He might not need forgiveness? If just knowing that his daughter is alive is enough for him to let go of his burden... does he truly want to let go of his burden, or does he simply want his daughter to live?”
Lu Yin was startled by the question, and he turned to look at Jue Rou.
She blinked when she met his gaze. “What’s wrong, Mr. Lu?”
Lu Yin smiled faintly. “Nothing. You just asked a very profound question.”
“Even you think it’s profound?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“People say that you’re the fourth-most-powerful person in the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse.”
“If I take one more step forward, I might be able to answer you, but right now, I can’t.”
Jue Rou did not understand. “One more step?”
She froze, as a thought suddenly occurred to her. “The Immortal realm?
“Mr. Lu... are you saying that only one of the Immortal Greater Sancti can answer this question?”
Lu Yin did not respond. Immortals alone were able to see through the world, only themselves. No matter how strong a person might become, they could not dictate the rise or fall of human nature.
Each individual had a mind of their own. If becoming an Immortal truly allowed one to see through everything and guide others at will, then how many peak Dukkhans in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse would have already become Immortals? Instead, Immortals remained incredibly rare.
Lu Yin himself had once made a grand vow to guide others toward goodness. At the time, he had believed that becoming the ruler of the Tianyuan Megaverse would be enough for him to accomplish that. But since then, he had learned that it was far from enough.
“Mr. Lu? Sir?” Jue Rou softly called out to him.
Lu Yin looked at her again. “What is it?”
Jue Rou bit her lip. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Oh... then can I ask another question?”
“No.”
“Are you... annoyed with me being so chatty?” Jue Rou asked in a pitiful manner.
“A little.”
“...”
One day, two days, three days...
Lu Yin stayed at the base of Thoughtless Mountain, observing as members of the Jue family helped people try to understand comprehension techniques. He had to admit that the Jue family paid an exorbitant price for their efforts. Every two days, another person would make an attempt, and each one had their own story. Watching them gave Lu Yin the feeling of once again observing human life in all its forms.
Why had Qing Yun not gone to visit the Jue family? Thoughtless Mountain was the place where human emotions were the most intense.
During these days, Jue Ling had not disturbed Lu Yin. She understood what he was observing. The higher one’s cultivation rose, the more they cared about the lives of ordinary humans. This was true of many powerful cultivators.
The experiences of the weak cultivators at Thoughtless Mountain were greatly varied, which provided great fascination for the powerful.
In fact, many of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s most powerful cultivators wanted to visit Thoughtless Mountain and observe it, which had allowed the Jue family to earn many favors. Of course, there were no other observers during Lu Yin’s visit. Even if Lu Yin did not stand at the foot of Thoughtless Mountain, no powerhouse would dare step foot into Skyveil City right now. No one wanted to confront an absolute powerhouse who could casually reap their lives and who had shown no restraint.
Even Jue Qing did not stop by.
Jue Rou alone visited Lu Yin. She would visit him every few days to chat. She did not believe that she was talking too much, but in her entire family, Jue Qing was the only one who was aware of Jue Rou’s true personality. Lu Yin was a second, but since there was a second person, Jue Rou would not let him get away from her easily.
She felt that Lu Yin was a good person. After all, he did not scold her, and he also allowed her to freely speak her mind.
Even if he only rarely responded.
“Mr. Lu, would you like some water? I can also brew you some tea. Our clan’s tea is really good.”
“Mr. Lu, that man is terrible! He’s done so many bad things. I told my sister to ask Mother to toss him out, but Mother said that he might understand a comprehension technique, but is that really enough for him to stay?”
“He didn’t succeed! That’s great, Mr. Lu! He didn’t understand a comprehension technique! I’m going to ask Mother to throw him out again.”
“Mr. Lu, I’m back. I brought you some fruit. I grew these myself! Not even Mother knows about this. They’re so tast- cough, cough... Oh, they’re super sour.”
“Mr. Lu, allow me to play my zither for you. I’m really good! Lots of people even sneak up to the walls of our home just so that they can hear me play...”
One day, Long Yin called Lu Yin, only to inform him that she had not been able to speak to Li Guo. She assumed that he was in seclusion, so she asked Lu Yin to wait a little longer.
He had no other choice.
Jue Rou leaned closer to eavesdrop on the conversation. When she overheard that Lu Yin would need to wait even longer, she was thrilled. “Mr. Lu, I’ll bring you some more fruit!”
Lu Yin replied helplessly, “Didn’t you say that it’s sour?”
Jue Rou pursed her lips, her eyes nervously evading his. “It’s not all sour...”
She then fled. She thought that he had not noticed that incident.
Throughout Lu Yin’s time observing Thoughtless Mountain, Jue Ling did not disturb him at all, though Jue Rou continued to visit him regularly. It was anyone’s guess if Jue Ling knew about her daughter’s visits or not.
In the blink of an eye, two months had passed, but Lu Yin was still waiting for news.
In the South Domain, a great battle erupted beneath Whither Peak. On one side was Loneswan Island, and they fought against an unknown group of people. The battle techniques being used were so varied that no one could tell where the group had come from.
The two groups were fighting over Cheng Gong’s corpse.
A single attack from Lu Yin in the West Domain had slain Cheng Gong in the South Domain. After his body fell to the ground, no one had dared to touch it.
There were two kinds of people at Whither Peak; those who were hiding from pursuers, and those who were seeking revenge. Still, regardless of which group people belonged to, they all valued their lives. Cheng Gong’s death had struck them with a cold terror that they could not resist. For that reason, they had all maintained a distance from the corpse.
The unknown group arrived first and tried to collect Cheng Gong’s corpse, but the people from Loneswan Island had shown up soon after, and then a fight had broken out.
The people who stayed close to Whither Peak had kept their distance while nervously watching the battle. All of them were afraid that another sword slash might suddenly appear, slaying them before they even realized that they were being attacked.
“Who are you people? Mr. Lu entrusted us of Loneswan Island to guard this man’s corpse. How dare you stop us?” one expert from Loneswan Island shouted harshly. His eyes blazed with killing intent, and his voice overflowed with pride and arrogance.
The moment he announced their purpose, nearly half of the unknown group immediately retreated.
The people of Loneswan Island stood even taller, straightening their spines.
Technically, Loneswan Island was a faction in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, but realistically, they skirted the boundary between a proper faction and a mere family. Just one wrong step would cause them to lose what status they had, while the correct step would merely enable them to continue barely clinging to the bottom rung that they were holding onto. They did not dare to offend anyone, and yet they still lived in constant fear of offending others.
However, things had recently changed. The fact that they were able to announce that they had been given a task by Mr. Lu gave them the confidence to confront anyone.
While some people retreated, others attacked again, clearly determined to seize Cheng Gong’s corpse.
Battle broke out again.
Gradually, more people joined the fray. They were not attempting to take Cheng Gong’s corpse, but merely preventing Loneswan Island from obtaining it. These people also kept their identities hidden, and they did not fight too fiercely. They simply interfered, though that succeeded in infuriating the people from Loneswan Island.
Someone shouted angrily, “You people of Loneswan Island are still part of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, so why are you obeying someone from the Tianyuan Megaverse? Do you feel no shame?”
The people of Loneswan Island instantly understood how bad their situation was. The people attacking them were not their enemies, but instead simply people who were upset with Lu Yin.
“Mr. Lu currently resides in our Nine Odysseys Megaverse, and he is also human, just like us. Why divide us? Even the Greater Sancti have said nothing, so what are you supposed to be?” an old man shouted in a harsh tone. He was Zhang Hongyun, who had left to personally lead Loneswan Island’s forces.
“Hmph! The Immortal Greater Sancti simply cannot lower themselves to act against him! Lu Yin is not himself an Immortal, and yet he’s stirred up so much chaos in the East Domain, destroying the Autumnspring Slip. He has since annihilated the Cheng family. He is lawless and reckless! Sooner or later, he’ll get his comeuppance. If your Loneswan Island has any sense, you will not stand up for him.”
“Zhang Hongyun, you’re nearly at the end of your lifespan. Why involve yourself in this matter? Or do you actually believe that Lu Yin can help you advance another step?”
“Your Loneswan Island is foolish! No matter what Lu Yin wants to do, we simply will not allow him to succeed. He’s just a lowly worm from the Tianyuan Megaverse. He should be grateful that he was even allowed to set foot in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, and yet he goes around creating trouble wherever he goes. He’s doomed to fall sooner or later.”
“Well said...”
Zhang Hongyun started to suffer from greater and greater pressure as more people joined the battle. Their sole purpose was to prevent Loneswan Island from taking Cheng Gong’s corpse.
From all directions, countless eyes watched the events at Whither Peak. This was a battle of opinion. Some, like the Autumnspring Slip, looked down on the three lower megaverses. It was that prejudice that had led to the Spirit Coalition’s creation. Without such an alliance, people from other megaverses would find it impossible to survive in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.
Previously, no one had been aware of Loneswan Island’s position on the matter. It was also unknown why they had suddenly chosen to help.
Lu Yin had not even stepped foot in the South Domain, but he already commanded enough influence for Loneswan Island to act on his behalf. The man was clearly not as simple as he initially appeared to be.
Finally, someone reached out and was able to touch Cheng Gong’s corpse. They were not after the corpse itself, but the cosmic ring on its hand.
Zhang Hongyun’s pupils shrank sharply. Mr. Lu had made a point to stress that Cheng Gong’s cosmic ring could not be taken by anyone. The old man let out a roar and threw caution to the wind. He charged forward, ignoring the risk of being gravely wounded.
A small group of people blocked his way, led by a Dukkhan. They succeeded in keeping Zhang Hongyun from getting close to the corpse.
Right when the cosmic ring was about to be taken, a massive shadow descended, accompanied by a roar in the sky. Everyone looked up. “Stormmaw?”
Stormmaw was a creature with six limbs. Its body was entirely black, and it had the face of a tiger. It was an otherborn that could only be controlled by the Qiunan family.
The name Stormmaw came from the Qiunan family’s signature technique, Stormmaw’s Roar.[1]
Everyone in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse knew that, when Stormmaw arrived, it heralded the arrival of the Qiunan family.
No one had expected the Qiunan family to also arrive at Whither Peak.
Still, the family was indeed one of the South Domain’s factions.
A deafening roar rang out as Stormmaw fell, slamming into the ground with a powerful impact. The creature’s fierce aura radiated in all directions, kicking up clouds of dust.
More and more beasts landed after the first. Clearly, multiple members of the Qiunan family had arrived.
Everyone automatically stopped fighting. The Qiunan family was no ordinary faction, as they stood between the Temporal Heavens and the Nine Odysseys. Technically, they were associated with the Temporal Heavens, but they also served the Nine Odysseys, which granted the family a terrifying amount of influence. Even more importantly, after Qiunan Hongye had been born into the family and become one of the Seven Fairies, the fact that a descendant was one of Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s nominal disciples had caused the family’s power to skyrocket.
With the Qiunan family present, who would still dare to make a move?
Zhang Hongyun’s face grew pale. Why has the Qiunan family come here? Do they also want the corpse? If that’s the case, it’s all over.
No matter what, Loneswan Island would never dare to stand up to the Qiunan family.
1. This technique has been renamed since chapter 3953, when it first appeared. It was originally Windfall Drums, but with the context provided in this chapter, this new name fits much better. ☜