Star Odyssey

Lu Yin let out a long breath and resumed fishing. Lightstream was still very far from being able to reveal as much of the past as he wanted.

As he continued fishing, he witnessed more and more scenes. A long time later, Lightstream was now able to let Lu Yin peer nearly 900 seconds into the past. Twice more during this time, Lu Yin saw scenes of someone observing him. Each instance caused his skin to crawl, as it was further proof that someone had been watching him.

As Lightstream grew stronger and allowed Lu Yin to look further back in time by dozens of seconds, Lu Yin once saw a scene that left him stunned. How could such a thing be possible? He stared intently, wondering if he was seeing an illusion.

The scene lasted for quite a long time, but the time associated with that scene could not be devoured by Lightstream. It was a moment in the past that had been accidentally pulled out from the River of Time, not time that resisted the flow of ages.

Lu Yin sat in silence for half a day before he resumed fishing.

One day, the mist suddenly dispersed, blown away by an unusually powerful wind. At that time, a path to the forest was exposed.

Lu Yin looked over at the forest, wondering what kind of growth could endure the endless erosion of time. Even a Semi-Progenitor had been quickly erased by the mist, and yet this forest remained lush and vibrant.

Suddenly, Lu Yin's gaze snapped to a specific location. He could just barely make out a cabin in the woods.

A cabin in the Mirari Realm?

He remembered something that the Origin Progenitor had mentioned; other people had been sent to the Mirari Realm in the past, including Destiny, Wu Tian, and other members of the Three Realms and Six Daos. Could the cabin be theirs?

The Bai family’s patriarch had inadvertently entered the Mirari Realm, which suggested that a large number of people may have visited this place throughout history.

Who had built the cabin? Anyone who could build something in the Mirari Realm’s forest could not have been an ordinary person.

Lu Yin wanted to go see the cabin, but he knew that it would be unreasonable to act rashly. The mist was too dangerous. He knew that, given the speed of the mist, as long as no strong wind picked up, he had enough time to visit the cabin and return to the river. Still, Lu Yin hesitated. Making the trip was too risky. If the mist closed in on him, he would be forced to simply leave the Mirari Realm, which he did not want to do.

After all, Lu Yin could not count on the Origin Progenitor to send him back to the Mirari Realm from the Immemorial Citadel.

Besides, he really, really did not want to be called “Pillar” ever again.

Ultimately, rationality triumphed over curiosity. Lu Yin focused on fishing and ignored the cabin in the woods. Even if the building might potentially contain treasures that belonged to the Three Realms and Six Paths, his only goal was to transform Lightstream.

Time passed, and Lightstream continued to grow. Lu Yin was now able to peer nearly a thousand seconds into the past. The time had increased by more than half since the time Lu Yin had entered the Mirari Realm. Unfortunately, it still was not enough for him to attempt to transform the inner world.

Recently, strong winds seemed to have become more common, and the mist was constantly being blown about, and the cabin in the woods frequently appeared in Lu Yin’s sight.

The first time this happened, he felt quite tempted, but after that, he no longer felt drawn to the cabin. He had already given up on exploring it once, which made the subsequent decisions easier.

Besides, the frequency of the wind was rather suspicious.

Lu Yin looked around, but he saw nothing unusual. He shook his head and continued to fish.

Finally, Lightstream was able to see 1,200 seconds into the past, which was twice what it had been able to do when Lu Yin had first entered the Mirari Realm. It was time to see if this development direction for his inner world was correct.

Ancestor Tianyi had offered Lu Yin some guidance on how to transform Infinity, but most of the transformation had been brought about by Lu Yin’s own enlightenment. As for transforming Lightstream, no one had been able to provide Lu Yin with any sort of direction. He was relying solely on the inspiration he had found while exploring parallel universes with accelerated time flows.

He needed to forge his own path, and no one could help him.

Not even Mister Mu or the Origin Progenitor could help Lu Yin with this process. All they could do was send him to the Mirari Realm.

The wind blew again, but this time, the mist did not expose the forest. Instead, the mist moved towards Lu Yin.

He grew wary. There was no doubt that the wind was abnormal. He looked around, once again wishing that he still had Heaven’s Sight so that he could see if there were sequence particles in the wind.

Aside from sequence particles, Lu Yin could not think of any other power that could move the mist.

As the mist drew closer, Lu Yin was forced to change his location again.

Unfortunately, the mist seemed to have a mind of its own, and it followed after Lu Yin no matter where he moved. Anyone would be able to tell by this point in time that someone was controlling the wind and the mist.

"Who's there?" Lu Yin shouted.

This was the first time he had spoken since Jue Yi's death. It felt strange to speak after such a long period of silence.

No one responded. Lu Yin continued to move about, avoiding the mist that kept following him. It quickly became clear that the mist was herding Lu Yin in a specific direction.

He was not being moved closer to the forest and the cabin, but rather upstream along the River of Time.

Lu Yin's expression fell. He grew determined to find out who was behind this.

After a while, a candle suddenly appeared on Lu Yin's shoulder, which caused his expression to change drastically. He immediately brought out Lightstream, intending to reverse time by a second, but instead, he suddenly stopped. He could see that Lightstream was absorbing something. Time?

After fishing in the River of Time for so long, Lightstream had devoured a great deal of time that had been separated from the river, and because of that, Lu Yin had become quite familiar with that particular sensation.

At this moment, Lightstream was absorbing time, and this time was coming from the candle's flame.

The candle could create time that Lightstream could devour, which meant that this candle used the power of time. Someone was targeting Lu Yin. Time alone was not enough for Lightstream to absorb it; the time had to have been somehow removed from the rest of the River of Time.

Since Lightstream was able to devour the time produced by the candle, Lu Yin could safely ignore it.

Not only that, but he could even use it as another means to strengthen Lightstream.

Lu Yin was uncertain of his own feelings at this moment. He had spent a very long time fishing in order to strengthen Lightstream. After that, he had assumed that someone was attacking him, only to discover that what he had assumed was an attack was an even better means of strengthening Lightstream.

Could the hidden person have made their move on Lu Yin while knowing this was possible?

Lu Yin warily scanned his surroundings. "Just who are you?"

A hoarse voice answered from directly ahead. "Young one, who are you? How did you enter this place?"

Lu Yin looked forward, but the swirling mist made it impossible to see anything clearly. "I came here by accident. If I've disturbed you, please forgive me."

"So young and yet you already lie without batting an eye. You came here by accident and yet know how to fish in the River of Time? On top of that, you clearly fear touching the mist, which shows that you know how dangerous it is."

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. The questions made it evident that this person had not discovered Lu Yin when he had arrived. In order to avoid the mist, he had repeatedly changed locations, which might have led to him being found.

"I picked up some broken stones after a great deal of effort, and then found my way here," Lu Yin said.

"Hehe, you used the markers, huh? Well, whether that’s true or not is none of my concern. Do you see that candle on your shoulder? That represents the time that you have left. When that flame goes out, so will your life."

Lu Yin feigned shock. "Why are you attacking me, Senior?"

"You don't have to die, but you do have to help me with a certain task. Perform well, and not only will you survive, but I can even guarantee that you will become an Ortus. Have you seen that monument in the Mirari Realm? Your cultivation is enough to fish in the River of Time, so maybe you’ve already heard about reaching the Origin Realm, overcoming Dukkha, and achieving immortality."

Lu Yin pretended to grow excited. "What realm have you reached, Senior?"

"My cultivation is beyond what you can comprehend. If you want to live, you'll help me."

Lu Yin sighed. "I don’t have a choice. Just tell me what you need me to do."

"Smart. What’s your name?"

"I am Xuan Qi."

"Where are you from?"

"The Sixverse Association."

"Sixverse Association? Never heard of it."

Lu Yin probed further. "The Transcendent Universe?"

"Never heard of it. It’s just a parallel universe, and your past identity doesn't matter. From now on, you have a new identity. You are from the Fifth Mainland and are a descendant of the Lu family."

Lu Yin was stunned, and his mind went blank. What did this mean? This person was stating the truth; Lu Yin was from the Fifth Mainland and was also a descendant of the Lu family. Wait, could this person be aware of Lu Yin’s true identity? What else could be going on?

"What are you talking about, Senior?"

"Have you heard of the Origin Universe?"

"I’ve heard of it, but the Origin Universe has fallen far from its past glory."

Whoever was speaking to Lu Yin was not even aware of the Sixverse Association, which suggested that they had been in the Mirari Realm for a very long time without learning about the outside world. If this person was aware of the present situation, then he would absolutely deny Lu Yin’s assertation about the Origin Universe. Lu Yin was testing the man.

"Really? Well, even if it’s fallen, the Lu family must still exist. Listen carefully, young one, to all that I tell you. You need to remember everything perfectly and not make any mistakes. If you make a mistake, your life will be forfeit. Don’t even think about trying to escape. My candle will stay with you no matter what parallel universe you go to, and no one can save you."

Lu Yin answered respectfully, "I understand, Senior. Please tell me."

"The Origin Universe is a parallel universe in the megaverse. It’s where the brilliant Heavens Sect was born…"

Everything that Lu Yin heard matched with his own knowledge of the Origin Universe. Lu Yin was hearing a history lesson, but it was one that he already knew.

This served as proof that this person had not seen through Lu Yin. After all, Lu Yin had used stellular energy to form his fishing rod, and anyone with a deep knowledge of the Origin Universe would have instantly recognized that particular energy.

This person had most likely only seen Lu Yin himself, not the energy that he had been using. This was likely due to the distance between them and the presence of the pervasive mist.

Such a distance would not normally matter, but the Mirari Realm’s mist greatly inhibited vision, even Lu Yin’s, especially since he no longer had Heaven's Sight. Even if this person was able to see a great distance, there still had to be certain limitations. If not, they would not have needed to force Lu Yin to move closer.

While listening to the history of the Origin Universe, Lu Yin examined himself to see if there was anything that could potentially reveal his identity.

"The Lu family has been the strongest family in the Origin Universe since four of the Mainlands were destroyed. They are the rulers of the Fifth Mainland. Do you understand this clearly?" the person asked.

"I understand," Lu Yin replied. "You’ve given me a rough understanding. Is this enough for me to pose as a descendant of the Lu family?"

"Of course not! The main line of the Lu family possess two innate gifts: their Champions’ Stage and their Investiture of the Gods, neither of which can be faked. However, not every generation is able to awaken the family’s innate gifts. I can help you fake a Champions’ Stage, and because of that, the Investiture of the Gods isn’t too important. The Champions’ Stage alone will suffice.

"As for your name..." The person paused, apparently considering the matter.

Lu Yin suggested, "My name is Xuan Qi, but I am also called by another name, Yin. How about calling me Lu Yin?"

"Fine. It’s just an alias anyways, so from now on, you will be Lu Yin."

"I understand," Lu Yin replied. This person’s lack of knowledge about current events had given Lu Yin the confidence to use his real name.

"Hmm… You are quite cooperative. Others who have stumbled into this place were all either too weak or too scared of dying, and both options were completely useless. I’ve waited a very long time for someone like you: young, decent cultivation, and not an idiot."

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA