Star Odyssey

Chapter 4239: Darkness Behind, Light Ahead

Lu Yin left, his heart heavy as he resumed floating down the river with the current, resuming his attempt to build a wall to develop his mental state.

However, after more than ten years passed, one brick simply could not be placed. It was a brick tied to the mental state of a single man, one whose hatred had driven him to slaughter countless beings, to the point where even his own wife and child had died to his blade. His story reminded Lu Yin of how Greater Sancte Green Lotus had abandoned Crimson Starshade. Lu Yin had spent five years easing the weight of that matter, only for the man’s story to stir it back up.

The process of building the wall in his heart came to a standstill.

Although fifty years had not yet passed, he still intended to go out and search. After all, it was not possible for him to continue building the wall.

Lu Yin moved out, first visiting the Consciousness Megaverse so that he could take Little Eighteen and Astral Anura along with him. With them in tow, he teleported to the edge of the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm. Sensing the consciousness in the line of pathfinding stones, he chased after the Seven-Treasure Anuras.

While many of the pathfinding stones still contained his consciousness, others had already faded. There were times when Lu Yin had to travel for years with his own power before he managed to sense the next stone.

In this way, seven years later, Lu Yin finally caught up to Old First and Old Fourth.

Fifty-two years had passed since he had separated from the two Immortal Seven-Treasure Annuras. Upon finding them, Lu Yin also found the Blacklight Civilization.

In the distance, a megaverse could be vaguely made out. Old First and Old Fourth were staring at it relentlessly. They had found the place.

Teleporting over, Lu Yin brought Old First, Old Fourth, Little Eighteen, and Astral Anura to the edge of the megaverse. As soon as they arrived, several Blacklight creatures swept by, too weak to even notice the newcomers.

Old Fourth was thrilled. “It really is here, Big Bro! Today, we will completely destroy the Blacklight Civilization.”

Old First’s eyes grew heated as he stared ahead. “Little Eighteen.”

Little Eighteen stepped forward. “Dad.”

“Make a move. Tear apart the sequence strings and force this megaverse to be reset. The Blacklight Civilization should no longer exist.”

Little Eighteen excitedly shot forward.

Lu Yin watched on. He had witnessed the reset of a megaverse and the destruction of a civilization more than once before, and he knew that he would see it many more times in the future.

Even civilizations which were capable of producing powerful Immortals like Huo and Hong would one day face destruction. No civilization in the cosmos was absolutely safe.

The Blacklight Civilization would fall because of hatred. If one day the human civilization faced annihilation, what would be the cause? Hatred? Profit? Or predation?

Boom!

The void twisted, its ripples spreading far into the distance. One of the Blacklight creatures’ Immortals was taking action.

This was within the toads’ expectations. Even if the Blacklight Civilization had been pursuing vengeance against the Seven-Treasure Anuras, it was impossible for them to send all of their Immortals away. At least one or two must have stayed behind as guardians.

Still, the one that had stayed behind was only about as strong as Kui, and it was evenly matched with Little Eighteen. If it used Life Overreach, it might be able to seal Little Eighteen with Seventy-Two Seals, but Little Eighteen was not alone.

“Seven-Treasure Anuras! How did you find this place? Where is Huo?” the Blacklight creature roared.

Little Eighteen swung his steel fork while also using Astral Anura’s Star Plucking Hands.

Turbulent streams of energy streaked across the Blacklight creature’s body. It was using Life Overreach to unleash Seventy-Two Seals.

Old First was about to lash out, only for Old Fourth to stop him. “Big Brother, my karmic chain is shorter than yours. Let me do this.”

The toad leaped into battle, tearing through the black plates while also using Astral Anura’s Star Plucking Hands.

Lu Yin had no intention of getting involved. Ending this hatred was something that only involved these two parties. He had nothing to do with it.

As Old Fourth struck, the Blacklight creature retreated again and again, letting out a piercing scream, “Activa-”

The single word echoed across the megaverse, shaking the entire Blacklight Civilization.

Upon hearing the Immortal’s scream, every Blacklight creature scattered, leaving the megaverse. The stronger ones moved the fastest.

Old First sneered. “So you’ve been prepared for this since long ago. The moment we arrive, you scatter. But can you really escape?”

With that, he raised a hand and tapped the space in front of him, pressing down upon the Immortal Blacklight creature and utterly suppressing it.

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. Gravity. It was one of the cosmic laws that Old First resonated with. He had escaped his prison because he had used gravity to anchor himself in place, forcing the seal to move by itself instead. That had allowed the toad to break free.

Old First far surpassed an ordinary Immortal. With a single move, the Immortal Blacklight creature was severely wounded.

Old Fourth continued to overwhelm the creature.

Little Eighteen raised his fork and thrust it forward. The void shattered endlessly as the toad tore apart the sequence strings, one after another, searching for their source.

In the Tianyuan Megaverse, the Immemorial Citadel was the origin of all sequence strings.

In the current megaverse, Little Eighteen quickly found the origin as well.

Lu Yin watched on calmly. If the Tianyuan were attacked in this manner, a great war centered upon the Immemorial Citadel would erupt, but in the Blacklight creature’s megaverse, the most powerful Immortals, like Huo, were already gone. The Blacklight Civilization was completely unqualified to fight a war with another civilization. All they could do was flee, escape as far as possible, and try to ensure that at least one of their own survived to preserve their heritage.

Unfortunately, not a single one could escape.

When the Blacklight Civilization attacked the Seven-Treasure Anuras, they had never imagined this outcome. They had considered the possibility of defeat, of dying to the unfathomable Ancestor Shan, but they had never imagined suffering such a devastating loss. The Seven-Treasure Anuras had arrived and with more than one Immortal. Not only that, but the toads had an Aberrant who could attack without any restraints.

Not a single Blacklight creature would escape.

As the origin of the sequence strings was torn open, the entire megaverse trembled. The reset had begun.

Lu Yin remembered the first time he had seen a megaverse’s reset, the Orchid Megaverse. At the time, there had been countless creatures living there, but all of them had perished in that reset.

That included even the Mother Tree.

The same scene unfolded before his eyes yet again. Countless Blacklight creatures scattered, yet none could escape their megaverse.

They struggled, seeking a path to survival. Wailing, they tried everything they could, but ultimately, they would end up being swallowed by their megaverse itself.

The Immortal Blacklight creature glared out with bloodshot eyes as it frantically attacked Old Fourth. All of its efforts were useless. The creature had never been a match for the toad.

Lu Yin’s expression grew complicated. He could have thrown that Immortal into his Champions' Stage Purgatory to strengthen his karma, but at this moment, he preferred to do nothing at all.

Learning that Greater Sancte Green Lotus had abandoned the Crimson Starshade civilization weighed heavily on Lu Yin’s heart. As he watched the destruction before him, the fleeing creatures did not have the appearance of Blacklight creatures in his eyes; they looked human. If the Crimson Starshade civilization had truly been destroyed, they must have faced a similar ending.

This was something that Green Lotus would never be able to get over, no matter how long he lived for.

Thinking of that, Lu Yin did not even want to move.

When a megaverse reset, it would produce Immortal matter. Even so, Lu Yin did not wish to collect any.

He simply watched, calm and silent.

Occasionally, frenzied Blacklight creatures would charge at the observers, seeking revenge, but they were never able to even get close. Astral Anura alone was enough to deal with any such attackers.

Little Eighteen’s eyes were red with bloodlust. It looked as though the destruction of the Blacklight creatures and the resetting of their megaverse would not be enough to sate the toad’s hatred.

They killed the Immortal Blacklight creature. Old Fourth could not be the one to kill an Immortal, as doing so would greatly increase their karmic chain. It was not worthwhile.

But even slaying an Immortal could not satisfy Little Eighteen. They butchered one Blacklight creature after another, to the point where even the resetting megaverse could barely keep up with the slaughter.

Astral Anura also rushed forward. He remembered the kindness that Ancestor Shan had shown him, as well as the time he had spent in the seven-colored land. The warmth of family that the toad had lacked for his entire life had been ruined by the Blacklight Civilization. He also wanted revenge.

“Uncomfortable?” Old First’s voice sounded.

Lu Yin stared straight ahead. Throughout the megaverse, parallel universes collided, the impacts devouring everything, and yet nothing could affect the two witnesses.

They stood in outer space, unshaken and untouched, no matter how the megaverse shifted and collapsed.

“Once it’s destroyed, everything ends,” Lu Yin stated.

Old First replied in a heavy tone, “That is why it must be destroyed.”

Lu Yin nodded. “Yes, it must be destroyed.”

“And yet you don’t seem pleased.”

“This was never my affair.”

“If the Blacklight Civilization had destroyed the Seven-Treasure Anuras and then taken their One-Hundredth Seal to attack your human civilization, would it still not be your affair?”

Lu Yin looked over at Old First. “Would they?”

The toad laughed. “Are you considering mercy in this cosmos?”

Lu Yin averted his eyes, murmuring, “Yes, there is no mercy in this cosmos. There always needs to be such an outcome when different species meet.”

Old First’s voice dropped low. “The Blacklight Civilization was the one that first sought to destroy us Seven-Treasure Anuras, and that is the reason why war broke out. This time, they struck first again. Fishing civilizations are aggressive to their core. I don’t know what Ancestor told you, but within the Aevum Inch, civilizations that survive and civilizations that are destroyed are as countless as the stars in a universe. If you do not destroy, others will destroy you.

“There is no reason that matters.

“This is the Aevum Inch. This is the omniverse. This is the clash of civilizations.”

Lu Yin exhaled. “If a civilization will ultimately be destroyed, what meaning does such a contest hold?”

Old First replied, “At the very least, I will continue to live until I no longer wish to live.”

Lu Yin looked at the toad, and Old First met his gaze.

Throughout the megaverse, the civilization was being destroyed. Time and space tangled together as thunder rumbled.

Lu Yin chuckled and clasped his hands behind his back. “To live until I no longer wish to live? Then death isn’t something sorrowful, but rather a release. That should be the case for civilizations as well.

“A heart contains both kindness and cruelty: kindness shown to others, cruelty contained within. People separate good and evil, knowing that there is right and wrong.

“Even walls have shades of black and white.

“If a brick cannot be added to the white wall, then let it be placed in the black wall instead.

“A towering wall built in one’s heart must have both white and black.”

With that, he started laughing, and the sound echoed across the stars.

Old First did not know what Lu Yin had comprehended, but they felt that this human was absolutely terrifying. It was as though Lu Yin could always resolve and set his thoughts in the direction that he needed. Some creatures might lose themselves through thinking, but this human gave off the impression that he would never do so.

He seemed capable of always being able to persuade himself.

With darkness at his back, his heart turned toward the light.

The Blacklight Civilization’s megaverse was reset. Not a single Blacklight creature managed to escape. All of them died.

They did not know whether any Blacklight creatures still lived elsewhere in the Aevum Inch. Still, even if some existed, they were scattered and would never be able to reunite.

From this day forward, there would no longer be a Blacklight Civilization in the Aevum Inch.

This was the first fishing civilization that Lu Yin had seen be completely destroyed.

With the fall of the Blacklight Civilization, the hatred of Old First and the others also came to an end. A trace of confusion appeared in the toads’ eyes. They did not know where to go next.

Logically, they should stay with the human civilization, and Old First was willing to do just that. Lu Yin had helped them fight back against the Blacklight Civilization, and that would be remembered.

But what would it mean to simply remain within humanity’s megaverses?

Old First did not know.

“Grandpa, let’s go back. We still have a home: the Consciousness Megaverse,” Astral Anura called out, longing filling his eyes as he looked at Old First.

Old First looked at the little anura and then at Lu Yin before nodding. “Alright, let’s go home.”