Star Odyssey

Chapter 3779: Skyward Gate

Two years passed.

Lu Yin estimated that the monster would arrive at the Spirit Nidus within a year. It had probably already encountered Yong Heng.

In the Aevum Inch, Yong Heng had indeed encountered the beast. He had watched the enormous creature sweep past him, like a new sky overlaying the old. Meanwhile, he had been hiding beneath a springboard while suppressing his aura. The monster had completely ignored the man and simply passed by.

Yong Heng had let out a long breath as he stared at the creature’s receding back. An Immortal beast... just how did Lu Yin provoke that thing?

Wasn’t he in the Consciousness Megaverse? Where did that beast even come from?

Yong Heng had felt lucky the beast had ignored him. If not, regardless of whether he had been close to a springboard or not, he would not have been safe.

Yong Heng had taken a moment to think as he stood atop the springboard. He was in no rush, so he would wait. There was no chance that the Spirit Nidus would be peaceful for some time.

In the blink of an eye, another year passed. When the familiar beast roar rang out once again, Lu Yin’s expression changed. The monster had finally arrived.

At the Spirit Nidus’s boundary, people blankly stared into the Aevum Inch. “Did anyone else hear something?”

“I think I did... Was that a beast’s roar? From the Aevum Inch?”

“Impossible. You must have misheard. No creature has ever emerged from the Aevum Inch.”

“But I just felt my heart drop.”

“Me too.”

“Same here...”

Lu Yin stared intently into the Aevum Inch. Eventually, he saw a colossal shadow crashing through the void, making its way towards the Spirit Nidus. However, while Lu Yin could make out the beast’s shape, the people protecting the boundary gate could not. Still, they did hear a second roar. It was clear and terrifying.

Everyone turned to look into the Aevum Inch, especially the Ortuser who was on patrol. His jaw dropped when he saw what was approaching. What is that thing? It’s almost big enough to blot out the entire Aevum Inch!

Just as the man was about to scream, a vine suddenly emerged from the void. It sliced through space, as though wanting to split the Spirit Nidus in two. It shot past Lu Yin, moving into the Aevum Inch. As the vine moved, it flung Lu Yin in the same direction, into the region of space that had just been torn apart.

No one could have anticipated such a sudden turn of events. Even the Ortuser, who was an incredibly powerful cultivator, could not understand what he was seeing. It was not the sight of space being ripped open that shocked him most, but rather the pure abruptness to everything. After all, he could not even sense where the vine had come from.

Lu Yin was violently flung into the torn space. When he was finally able to steady himself, he saw a place that was both familiar and unknown. Is this... Heavenspire?

While Possessing Wu Wei, Lu Yin had accessed the conscient’s memories of Heavenspire, but he had never set foot there in person.

If he had really been thrown to Heavenspire, then did Master Qing Cao want him to continue on to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse?

Before he could think any further, the vine shot out again, with its far end holding the monstrous beast.

Lu Yin saw this, and his face grew pale. The vine had grabbed the enormous beast. This was very bad. The monster was about to be hurled at Lu Yin! There was no doubt that Master Qing Cao was incredibly powerful since he was capable of binding even an Immortal beast.

The terror that suddenly filled the beast’s roar stunned everyone who was still at the megaverse’s boundary.

Master Qing Cao’s expression turned grave. He held the vine with one hand as he hurled the beast towards Heavenspire with tremendous force.

The beast’s claws slammed into the vine with incredible force, sending ripples across the entire Spirit Nidus. The power of those claws was so overwhelming that Master Qing Cao almost lost his grip on the vine, but he managed to hold on. Strands of green grass drifted out from him and reinforced the vine. They were transformed from countless motes of Immortal matter, and they spread outward.

“If you were at your peak, I might actually struggle,” he commented. “But right now, off you go.”

With that, Master Qing Cao flung the beast, which was still bound, and sent it hurtling across the megaverse to crash into Heavenspire.

For the first time, anger blazed in the beast’s two eyes as it turned to glare at Master Qing Cao. The monster’s rage was fully communicated, but Master Qing Cao did not react. He simply continued to hurl the monster into the starry expanse above Heavenspire.

Within Heavenspire, Lu Yin raced for a specific target. He was not far, as he could not be that far from the Skyward Gate. Master Qing Cao not only wanted to protect the Spirit Nidus, but he also wanted to guide the calamity away, which was why he was throwing the beast to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. Lu Yin was serving as the bait. This was incredibly ruthless, and Lu Yin suddenly questioned if the beast’s arrival at the Consciousness Megaverse might also be connected to Master Qing Cao.

Right as that suspicion appeared, the beast arrived behind Lu Yin. The tear in space closed up, and the beast glared in the direction that it had come from. Its eyes then turned, and it refocused onto Lu Yin. Claws rose up high, as the beast prepared to strike.

The beast was unbelievably massive. Even though it was smaller than what Lu Yin had seen in the memory in the Willbound Spire, the beast was still more than large enough to destroy an entire universe with a swipe of its claws.

Lu Yin had no choice but to unleash the Tri-Azure Sword Intent against the beast’s claws in an attempt to buy enough time to escape.

He did not know exactly where he had appeared in Heavenspire, but he had to be close to the Skyward Gate. Since Master Qing Cao had gone to such lengths to throw the beast after Lu Yin, Lu Yin would not be allowed to die too soon; otherwise, everything would fall apart.

As his mind was processing his situation, Lu Yin finally saw a springboard.

There was a springboard in Heavenspire as well.

He did not hesitate a single moment as he immediately moved onto the springboard and was thrown far away by it.

It was a manufactured springboard, which meant that it could not move Lu Yin faster than the beast. However, the creature would need to use its special movement method to catch up.

Lu Yin glanced back. The beast started growing smaller as soon as the springboard had activated, only to quickly grow larger once again. It was chasing after Lu Yin.

It was following him, but thanks to the springboard, Lu Yin had managed to open up a bit of space between himself and the claws. At this moment, distance meant opportunity.

The beast drew closer and closer, forcing Lu Yin to continuously use the Tri-Azure Sword Intent.

Repeatedly using Immortal matter caused blood to stream from his eyes, but he had no time to worry about his body breaking down. All he could focus on was pressing forward.

Several days passed, and Lu Yin saw a mist glowing with an iridescent light ahead in the darkness of space. Far away, an unseen bell tolled, the sound clearing his mind. Slowly, a gate took form. It was immense, and it was even nearly as large as the monster. The closer Lu Yin drew, the clearer the gate became.

When it became completely visible, Lu Yin saw a colossal gate that connected the sky and the ground. There were stone pillars on either side that had been carved with divine runes. Seven-colored light enveloped everything before him as sacred cranes flew overhead, accompanied by various fantastical beasts. It looked like he was arriving at a sacred land.

“Who approaches? State your name!” a majestic voice echoed. A curtain of rainbow light descended from the stars, stretching towards the Skyward Gate.

Beneath the gate, cultivators stood high above, staring down at Lu Yin with stern expressions.

His speed started to slow. The springboard had delivered him right in front of where the rainbow-colored curtain of light stopped. It was just the right place for him to prove his identity. The rainbow veil was a defensive barrier that most experts would struggle to break, and that was ignoring the fact that it extended all the way to the Skyward Gate.

Lu Yin did not say a word. Instead, he simply pulled out the Skyward Gate token that he had received from Luo Ning.

The moment the token appeared, the rainbow curtain opened up.

The cultivators guarding the Skyward Gate stepped aside, opening up a path that extended outwards. It was readily clear that it would reach Lu Yin’s feet. He was being welcomed in.

Unfortunately, the process was too slow. He could not wait. He shot forward, even wanting to use Inverse Step to move faster, but the space surrounding him felt odd. He was being restricted by some sort of power. If he forcibly used the movement technique, he might not be able to escape, and it might also instigate an unnecessary conflict with the Skyward Gate’s guardians, which would cost him more precious time. There was only one choice.

The gate’s guardians frowned, but they did not stop him.

Inside the Skyward Gate, an elderly man was quietly watching as Lu Yin approached. He called out in a booming voice, “This place is the sacred grounds of the Skyward Gate. Your behavior is unbecoming and undignified.”

Lu Yin did not even glance at the man. Undignified behavior? You’ll see plenty more of that in a moment.

Just as he was about to pass through the Skyward Gate, the old man’s eyes suddenly flared, and his hand rose up before slamming back down. Five Fingers: Skyward Gate!

Boom!

The Skyward Gate shook violently.

A transparent barrier blocked the gate right before Lu Yin could cross it. Rage blazed in his eyes as he turned to glare at the old man. “What do you think you’re doing?”

The old man was looking in another direction. A man stepped forward: Cheng Gong.

The sight of Cheng Gong caused Lu Yin’s face to fall.

Cheng Gong glared at Lu Yin with cold eyes. “Brother Luo, this man’s name is Lu Yin, and he is from the Tianyuan Megaverse. It is impossible for him to acquire a Skyward Gate token under normal circumstances, which clearly indicates that there’s a problem with it. I ask that you verify its authenticity.”

The old man looked back at Lu Yin. “Is this true? Where did you obtain your token?”

Lu Yin clenched his fists. “I have a token. Isn’t that enough? Do I need to report where it came from to you right now?”

The old man replied, “Of course not, but I do have the right to question the authenticity of your token. Turn it over for inspection. If it’s genuine, I will allow you to enter.”

Lu Yin's expression grew frigid. Naturally, the token was real, but he had no time to waste on an inspection. Even if the old man did eventually allow him to pass through, the procedure would waste precious time. The beast had just been stalled by a Tri-Azure Sword Intent, which meant that it could arrive at any moment.

Thinking quickly, Lu Yin did not hesitate to bring out a Zenith Mountain and release Luo Ning.

The sight of Luo Ning caused the old man’s expression to change dramatically. “Little Ning?”

Lu Yin was instantly surrounded by the Skyward Gate’s guardians.

Cheng Gong’s eyes narrowed sharply. So, there really was an issue with his token.

He had been ordered to stop Lu Yin from entering the Nine Odysseys Megaverse by Yue Ya. Yue Ya knew that Lu Yin had captured Luo Ning and acquired a Skyward Gate token, which meant that he had access to the megaverse, but Yue Ya would never allow Lu Yin to enter so easily.

Cheng Gong had not wanted to go to the Skyward Gate, but he had no choice after receiving Yue Ya’s orders.

It was surprising that Lu Yin was behaving so brazenly. The token that he held had to actually be real.

“Open the gate right now or I’ll kill him!” Lu Yin snarled, his hand squeezing Luo Ning’s neck as bloodlust emanated from him.

The old man shouted, “Release Ning’er! Who do you think you are? To be so bold as to capture the heir of the Skyward Gate’s Luo family!”

Lu Yin shouted right back, “This is your last warning! Open the gate now!”

“Fa- Father, let him in!” Luo Ning pleaded, already panicking. He did not doubt that Lu Yin would kill him. The man was certainly not soft-hearted, given that he had even tried to kill Yue Ya.

The old man did not hesitate. His hand pressed down to the ground, and with a deep growl, he forced the invisible barrier to open.

Cheng Gong grew anxious. “Brother Luo!”

“Silence!” the old man snapped.

Lu Yin’s eyes lit up, and he immediately dragged Luo Ning inside. He could already hear the beast’s roar; the monster had arrived.

Lu Yin was not alone, as everyone at the Skyward Gate had heard the same roar. However, all attention was still currently focused on Lu Yin, so no one had looked into the distance yet.

As Lu Yin passed through the Skyward Gate, the beast’s silhouette appeared behind him. Cheng Gong, the old man from the Luo family, and several other cultivators turned to stare in shock. What in the world was that? They were overcome by a wave of dread that sent chills down their spines.

Lu Yin had endured that bone-deep terror for years. It was now the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s turn.

As soon as he entered the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, how could the beast be his concern?

He only had a single step left to go.

Before Lu Yin, ink-black forests rose from the earth, vivid and lifelike in every detail. At the same time, an ancient voice echoed forth. “How dare one of such lowly status approach the Skyward Gate? Autumnspring: Hundred Forests Retreat.”

The ink-dark forest instantly surged towards Lu Yin.

He held Luo Ning with one hand while unleashing an attack with his other. Lu Yin’s terrifying power instantly shattered the Hundred Forests Retreat, spraying ink across the ground and releasing a shockwave that swept forward.

However, the cost of throwing that one palm strike was that Lu Yin had not taken his second step and was still on the gate’s threshold.