Star Odyssey

Chapter 4112: Life Withers

Lu Yin took a moment to think. He raised a hand and placed it against the massive snail before him. Its body was covered with a layer of transparent, glassy material that served as a shield, preventing him from making actual contact.

He had witnessed the previous battles between the Tricolor Skyborne and the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s cultivators, so he already knew what these giants snails were capable of.

However, in the face of overwhelming power, all abilities were nothing more than illusions.

His fingers curled, and his eyes flared as indescribable strength suddenly erupted. Even the Immortal Kang Tian was startled into reacting, but it was already too late.

Terrifying power exploded out from Lu Yin’s palm. Not only did the enormous snail directly in front of him shatter, but the power also continued to spread out. It tore through the void and destroyed every giant snail in a straight line.

At that moment, the countless giant snails awoke to terror and confusion.

Lightning shot down from above Lu Yin, launched by the Immortal Kang Tian, only to be intercepted by Ku Deng. “I am your opponent.”

The snail stared at Lu Yin. This human was not an Immortal, and yet he had just exposed the power of one.

Impossible! Does this human civilization actually have an Aberrant?

Across the Aevum Inch, there were beings referred to as Aberrants. They were experts who possessed the power of Immortals before actually reaching that realm, which meant that they were not restricted by karmic chains. Aberrants were the last opponent any civilization wished to encounter.

Once encountered, such beings were to be slain without mercy.

The Nest civilization had once had four great Insect Lords, but not even they had been considered Aberrants. While it was true that Unbroken Time had once killed an Immortal, it had relied on the template of the Immortal Lord. As soon as that creature’s method was understood, it would be possible to overcome it. On its own, Unbroken Time could have never defeated an Immortal.

On the other hand, Lu Yin was a genuine Aberrant.

He fully possessed the necessary individual power to fight an Immortal as an equal.

This was a problem, a huge problem.

Even when attacked by both Awe Gate and Ku Deng together, Kang Tian had never felt such fear. The Immortal snail knew that it was almost impossible to kill, as no Immortal would willingly increase their own karmic chain just to slay it. However, the appearance of a Aberrant made for a nightmare, as Aberrants had no restraints.

That was why they were referred to as Aberrants.

In front of Lu Yin, countless shards of the transparent glass-like substance formed arrows that shot towards him. At the same time, a powerful force was released from the massive snail shells that tried to pull him in. The Tricolor Skyborne were able to cling to space and time, transforming outer space into a mire, and they were also able to devour any life that was pulled into their shells and crush them to dust.

Many of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s people had died in that exact manner.

But nothing used could even budge Lu Yin.

A casual sweep of his hand shattered vast stretches of the void, causing the deaths of countless giant snails. Blood filled the Aevum Inch, staining Lu Yin’s vision red and sending tremors through his heart.

He had never been directly responsible for so many deaths before. The words of Greater Sancte Green Lotus echoed in his mind: a part of your civilization or not—the difference is but a single thought.

Was Lu Yin afraid that he could not bear this burden?

For anything outside of one’s civilization, all that could be shown was pure savagery.

The entire Aevum Inch was consumed by such savagery, war being the purest form of that savagery.

If you want savagery, then I will be even more savage than you.

Lu Yin released his inner universe, and the star of divine energy spun as the dark-red power churned within him before spreading outward. He underwent a divine energy transformation.

All three Immortals, Awe Gate, Ku Deng, and Kang Tian, stared at Lu Yin in shock. They all knew that sensation: Obscura.

Lu Yin stood in outer space, his eyes turning red. A black line descended from his left eye as his hair surged out like waves of red vapor that rose upwards. The sleeves of his clothes were torn apart, revealing feral red markings that covered his skin. A dark-red cloud spread out from his chest, making it look like he was floating above a sea of blood. He stood at the center of the red radiance that rippled outward, the waves forming a lake of scarlet light.

It was eerie, unsettling, and felt like everything had been soaked in blood. At this moment, Lu Yin seemed utterly foreign to even Awe Gate and Ku Deng.

They had already known that Lu Yin possessed the same power as the Netherfiends, which belonged to Obscura, but they had not expected his power to be so overwhelming. At this moment, Lu Yin felt like a true member of Obscura.

Kang Tian sank further into despair. It could feel the merciless bloodlust radiating from the Aberrant. This human intended to slaughter every last member of the Tricolor Skyborne.

No. I can’t let that happen.

Kang Tian hurled both a wave of spatial power and bolts of lightning at Lu Yin, only for Ku Deng to block every attack.

It was impossible for Ku Deng to kill the giant snail; its defenses were far too robust. It had already withstood the combined assault of Awe Gate and Ku Deng. However, it was equally impossible for Kang Tian to push past Ku Deng and kill Lu Yin. The snail’s forte was defense, not offense.

Ultimately, neither of the Immortals were skilled in slaughter.

Lu Yin continued his assault. After undergoing the divine energy transformation, every emotion was overshadowed by the desire to kill. He went on a frenzied rampage. No matter how mighty the giant snails might be, none were able to withstand even a single blow. It only took moments for rivers of blood to flow.

The dark-red divine energy mingled with the flowing blood, leaving behind streaks of red across the dark backdrop of outer space.

Even Awe Gate was shaken by the sight of such carnage, despite having previously walked the same path herself.

“Without weathering upheaval, how could one ever awaken to true understanding?”

Such was the meaning of life.

From the moment a creature was born, they were destined to fight against others.

The cosmos was only so vast, and creatures were destined to compete against both visible and invisible forces.

At this moment, Lu Yin stood above the entire Tricolor Skyborne species.

“Lan Meng, if you don’t act now, I’m leaving!” Kang Tian roared in fury. It did not care about the death of the other snails. There were plenty more of their same species. After all, they were an entire civilization. Still, once these snails were eliminated, Kang Tian knew that it would be next.

The human Immortals could beat it half to death and then leave it to the Aberrant to finish.

It had never truly considered the possibility of its own death in this war, only to suddenly see and feel it.

The Immortal met Lu Yin’s gaze. The sight of the slitted, scarlet eyes filled the snail with dread. How can he possess Obscura’s power?

From far away, Lan Meng was also staring at Lu Yin. How could this human wield their own power? How could such a person be accepted by human civilization? Also, how was he not completely consumed by that power? It was too bizarre.

The long, blue sword in Lan Meng’s hand swept out as it moved forward.

At that exact moment, Awe Gate’s eyes flared, and her spear, Awecloud, pierced the void.

Bang.

A sharp sound rang out as the void was split open, the destruction spreading out in a chain of explosions.

Lan Meng and Awe Gate both appeared at the same time, facing each.

“Do you really think that you can stop me on your own?” Lan Meng scoffed while raising the blue sword in an upward slash at Awe Gate.

She just sneered. “Try me.”

Lu Yin continued to exterminate all the massive snails. There were simply too many of them. They were also scattering and fleeing as he attacked, which made it impossible to destroy them all at once.

Even so, more and more snails were being slain at every moment. Already, nearly half of them had been wiped out.

To Lan Meng’s great frustration, it was being completely restrained by Awe Gate and could not attack Lu Yin.

The Immortal snail let out a roar, “Immortal Lord-!”

A green light blossomed in the distance, only for Green Lotus to also take action. Spirals of karma reached out from the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, resulting in violent bursts of collisions.

The Immortal Lord and Greater Sancte Green Lotus acted simultaneously, and their clash shook the cosmos, ripping reality apart.

“Lan Meng, if you don’t deal with that Aberrant, I’m leaving!” Kang Tian bellowed in rage. In its eyes, if Lan Meng fought seriously, the tree could easily handle the human Immortal. Awe Gate alone should not be able to restrain Lan Meng.

The tree-like creature had no time to pay any attention to the Immortal snail. Awe Gate was actually holding Lan Meng back. In fact, it was even being slightly overpowered.

A faint smile touched Awe Gate’s lips as the joy of battle shone in her eyes. Within her, the Nirvana Tree Path had fully connected to two spirit seeds, causing her power to spike in a dramatic fashion. Her power was being tightly contained within her own narrow battlefield, which made it imperceptible to Kang Tian, though Lan Meng was feeling its full weight.

Clang.

Clang.

Clang.

The ring of clashing weapons echoed again and again as Lan Meng was forced back step by step.

“How could your power have increased so much?” it shouted in disbelief.

Awe Gate sneered. “Last time, I was merely toying with you. Did you actually think that that was my full strength? Fool!”

Impossible!

Up above, the Immortal Lord was being held back completely by Greater Sancte Green Lotus. Neither of the two had made an actual appearance, as they were both still wary and awaiting their opponent’s next move.

The most pitiful were the giant snails. Over half of the Tricolor Skyborne had already perished, which left the Immortal snail badly shaken.

The stench of blood filled the Aevum Inch, and the entire region took on a reddish tint.

As more of the giant snails fell, the Immortal Kang Tian grew increasingly panicked. It started retreating while fighting.

“Lu Yin, isn’t it? I’ve already sent Luo Chan and that Immortal beast to your Tianyuan. Are you prepared to see your megaverse reset?” the Immortal Lord’s voice rang out.

Lu Yin’s movements never even faltered. Instead, divine energy surged as he crushed another massive snail with a single strike.

“The Tianyuan will be reset,” the Immortal Lord continued threatening, yet their words fell on deaf ears. Lu Yin could hear nothing. All his eyes could see were rivers of blood and the endless destruction of the colossal snails. To him, he was seeing the beauty of life withering away.

“Life is destined for death from the moment it is born. People marvel only at the purity of its beginning, never noticing that its withering can be just as beautiful. Death is the start of life’s passage from one form into another. For that life, it is also a birth.”

Cultivation was a circle, yet so was life.

Everything in the cosmos had to eventually face death, even Immortals. Could anything truly exist forever?

“Death may well be nothing more than another stage of immortality.”

In Lu Yin’s eyes, the Aevum Inch had ceased to be black and had turned red. He watched as life faded away. Within that fading, new life emerged. The cycle of birth and death was inevitable, and that was the true meaning of existence.

Whoosh.

Dark-red divine energy shot upwards. Lu Yin raised a hand and grasped at the void. Ripples of power spread out from his grip, as though he had seized the entire cosmos. As the Immortal Kang Tian watched on in disbelief, Lu Yin’s fingers closed.

The Aevum Inch shattered as the entire cosmos was devoured by destruction. Everything, aside from the Immortals themselves, was erased.

The Aevum Inch returned to its previous darkness, endless and vast.

Lu Yin stood alone, as though standing at the center of the cosmos. Red energy boiled from him, rising ever upwards.

The sight caused Kang Tian, Ku Deng, Lan Meng, and Awe Gate to all stop fighting among themselves, as they were too shocked.

Then, another red light appeared and drew everyone’s attention.

They turned to look, only to see a line. A red was leaving the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, shooting straight at Lu Yin.

Lan Meng’s eyes flared in alarm. What was that?

The Immortal shot forward with incredible speed. The void froze around them, locking everything down in place. Only Awe Gate’s eyes moved, following Lan Meng. At that moment, even her spear could not match its speed. Awe Gate could not block Lan Meng, but that did not actually matter. Her unseen world was tightly contained, and as long as she was within her own domain, no one could move faster than her.

Lan Meng reached out, its hand grasping for the red line. It nearly touched it, only for a gate to appear before the Immortal. Its arm passed through the gate and vanished. While it had only been a hair’s breadth from that red line, it could not be seized.