Star Odyssey

Chapter 3486: Identical

The red rain grew cold as it fell to the ground.

Lu Yin's expression remained calm as he stepped closer to Hu Wu and Tian Ya.

He had indeed been stunned by their last attack. The powerful experts who secluded themselves away from the megaverse were never simple people. Lu Yin had remained cautious, but there were still some attacks that were impossible to counter with vigilance alone.

The Worryless Elder’s Free of Care, Sorrowless and the thunderous power of Butterfly Dances on the Horizon had both been in that category.

Lu Yin had boldly declared that he would challenge the megaverse’s strongest experts, but doing so was not that easy.

Mad dogs. The mad dogs that Bao Qi had mentioned were truly difficult to deal with.

It was not unreasonable for the Phantom Reach to want the Third Boss to eliminate such threats. When a Seraph’s seat became available, all of these people would take action at the same time. Together, they might be enough to prevent even Lu Yin from succeeding in taking the title.

As he approached the couple, Lu Yin’s eyes locked with theirs. "It appears that you’re done."

Hu Wu averted her eyes, her gaze empty.

Tian Ya sighed. "We’ve lost. Do with us as you wish."

He clearly understood that this Third Boss was here specifically for them. Was his motive really as simple as challenging the strongest experts in the Spirit Nidus?

Hu Wu and Tian Ya were most famous for fighting against Bao Qi for the title of Seraph. Given the caliber of the opponents that he was targeting, this Third Boss might very well be striving for the title of Seraph.

If he did not eliminate the hidden threats, how could he be at ease?

Normally, Lu Yin would imprison his defeated opponents in his Champions' Stage Purgatory, strengthening his Karmic Dao. However, he felt no real malice towards the couple. They were straightforward and honorable people, and there had never been any rumors of any wrongdoing on their part, which was completely different from the Worryless Elder.

Qian was a typical cultivator, decisive when it came to killing. Lu Yin had held no qualms in imprisoning the man in the Champions' Stage Purgatory, as that was simply following the law of survival.

As for the Worryless Elder, the man had been too vile in his actions, and he had stolen people’s human nature. Killing such a man would not have been enough to slake Lu Yin’s anger over his crimes.

In contrast, Hu Wu and Tian Ya were not typical cultivators. Their open and upright nature made it impossible for Lu Yin to see any way to strike them down.

Lu Yin looked at the two for a moment. "Make me a promise."

Tian Ya met Lu Yin’s eyes. "Tell us."

"Do not fight me for the title of Seraph," Lu Yin stated.

Tian Ya's eyes shifted. Is this really all because of the title of Seraph?

The man was just about to agree, but from his embrace, Hu Wu refused. "We will definitely fight for the title of Seraph."

Lu Yin frowned. "I could kill you both now and simply eliminate a future threat."

Hu Wu was stubborn, and that stubbornness had been made clear to Lu Yin from the first time he had laid eyes on her. "That doesn't matter. As long as you don't kill us, we will definitely fight for the title of Seraph."

Tian Ya interjected, "We don’t need to compete with him. At worst, we’ll compete the next time a Seraph’s seat becomes available."

Hu Wu argued, "The next time, the next time! You always say ‘the next time!’ This person might be a monster, but can you guarantee that there won't be even stronger monsters next time? What if he loses? Will we still not compete with him at the next opportunity? Or maybe the time after that? How long can we live for?

"We are not immortal. We can’t live for so long."

Tian Ya shrugged. He wanted to say something more, but he could not bring himself to do so.

"Third Boss, this is the one condition that we cannot agree to. I’m sorry. We are determined to take the title of Seraph."

Lu Yin felt puzzled. "Do you want the title of Seraph that badly? Then why did you withdraw when Bao Qi was fighting for the position? I heard that the two of you had an argument. If not for that, Bao Qi might not have succeeded."

Hu Wu mockingly asked, "You believe that? If the High Seraph hadn’t intervened, why would we have staged an argument and withdrawn? Bao Qi was preordained to become Seraph at that time. He’s nothing more than the High Seraph’s dog."

Tian Ya looked at Lu Yin. "The High Seraph is trying to take more and more control of the Spirit Nidus. The Seven Seraphs might actually be able to counterbalance the High Seraph, but he is constantly scheming. Bao Qi is one of his ploys. While the man appears to be arrogant and unruly, his future was decided by the High Seraph long ago. Similarly, the strongest cultivator beneath the Seven Seraphs, Palace Master Yao, is also preordained to become a Seraph by the High Seraph.

"We are unwilling to accept things as they are, and we wanted to compete. If we had dealt with Bao Qi from the beginning, the High Seraph would have never been able to intervene.

"Unfortunately, we realized the truth of the matter too late. Everyone who was competing for the position of Seraph and the forces behind them only saw the truth in the end.

"We had no choice but to withdraw."

"Do the seven major powers allow the High Seraph to act like this?" Lu Yin asked in confusion.

Before he arrived in the Spirit Nidus, he had assumed that the High Seraph ruled the entire megaverse and that a single word from the man could decide everything.

After entering the megaverse, Lu Yin had come to realize that things were not nearly that simple.

The High Seraph was extremely powerful and did indeed rule the Spirit Nidus, but only in secret. On the surface, there were still the seven major powers and the Seven Seraphs. The Wisdom Domain would never be controlled by the High Seraph. The Gate of Laws was also secretly communicating with the Grandverse Manor. The Spirit Nidus was actually much different from what Lu Yin had originally pictured.

If the High Seraph could easily decide who would become a Seraph, that would contradict what Lu Yin had seen of the megaverse’s state of affairs so far.

Tian Ya softly replied, "So what if they are unwilling? The competition for the position of a Seraph will still be fair.

"We are independent cultivators, and we were stopped by the High Seraph's intervention, but that doesn’t mean that the representatives of the major powers stepped back. Bao Qi genuinely fought until the very end. With the help of the Cauldron Bell, he is truly qualified to hold the title of Seraph.

"While Palace Master Yao’s title as the strongest beneath the Seraphs is not entirely correct, the High Seraph must have the means to compensate for her lacking strength, which will grant her the power to become a Seraph.

"No matter what step the High Seraph takes, he has not broken any rules. All who obtain the title of Seraph need to possess the requisite strength."

This was true. Lu Yin was aware of just how strong Bao Qi was. With his Cauldron Bell, the man was absolutely as strong as Yi Shang. Additionally, Bao Qi could enter Dukkha at any time.

Shao Chen’s Mortal Realm had easily forced the Seraph to enter Dukkha.

From this perspective, the High Seraph really had not broken any rules.

"You once withdrew from the competition to become a Seraph because of the High Seraph’s intervention. What about in the future? Who can guarantee that the High Seraph won’t do the same thing again? You already said it yourself—the High Seraph is always scheming." Lu Yin countered.

Hu Wu looked up. "First, we need to clearly see what his plans are, and then deal with them.

"The person with the greatest advantage to become the next Seraph is undoubtedly Palace Master Yao. We need to deal with her first so that the High Seraph won’t be able to intervene again."

Lu Yin chuckled. "Palace Master Yao? You're wrong. She’s no longer a part of the High Seraph's plans."

"That’s impossible," Hu Wu denied.

Tian Ya stared at Lu Yin. "Why would you say that?"

Lu Yin waved towards the sky.

Hu Wu and Tian Ya looked up, and soon, another person appeared before them. When they saw who it was, they were both stunned. "Palace Master Yao?"

As one of the Ascendant Hall’s Absolute Duo, Palace Master Yao’s beautiful appearance was known to all.

Her image had long since spread across the megaverse, attracting countless admirers.

It was only natural that Hu Wu and Tian Ya recognized Palace Master Yao.

The woman herself did not understand why she had been summoned by Lu Yin, so she silently stood behind him.

Looking at the scene before them left Tian Ya confused. "Sir, what is your relationship with Palace Master Yao?"

Lu Yin smiled. "She’s a pawn that was discarded by the High Seraph.

"As for me, I picked this pawn up."

Palace Master Yao’s expression remained calm. While Lu Yin’s words were insulting, they were also true.

Hu Wu and Tian Ya glanced at each other. Each could see the other’s confusion.

According to their knowledge of things, the first person they needed to deal with before the next competition to become a Seraph had to be Palace Master Yao. They had never anticipated that she would be abandoned by the High Seraph. How could that have happened?

The two were rather stunned.

Lu Yin shook his head. "There are times when it’s beneficial to keep an eye on the outside world. Right now, Palace Master Yao is no longer your target. Do you still think that you know who the High Seraph is really planning to use in his schemes?"

Hu Wu and Tian Ya’s expressions betrayed their confusion, as they no longer had any idea.

Shortly after that, they retreated to their hidden paradise, where a stream flowed past their feet.

Hu Wu prepared tea with flower petals.

Lu Yin grew nostalgic, and he was reminded of Zhao Ran. Her tea... I might never taste it again.

Tian Ya sat across from Lu Yin, and he apologetically said, "No matter what, we must hold the title of Seraph. Regardless of if it’s you or anyone else competing for the title, even if it leads to our deaths, we will not give up.

"If you don't trust us, you can simply end us here and bury us in this peach garden."

Hu Wu remained calm. It seemed that death was irrelevant to the two.

But Lu Yin had no intention of killing them, and he never had.

"I might not kill you, but I can imprison you in a place where you won’t be able to move," Lu Yin said.

Hu Wu absentmindedly stared at a distant peach blossom, uninterested in Lu Yin’s words.

Tian Ya smiled. "That's fine, but may we take two peach blossoms with us?"

Lu Yin stared at Tian Ya. "Is the title of Seraph really that important to you? You don’t seem like people who lust after power."

Tian Ya gave a small smile and took a sip of his tea. "We don’t care about the position of Seraph, but we care about the chance to see something on the Day of Offering."

"Are the legends true? That the High Seraph leads the Seven Seraphs in a ritual, and at that time, some sort of wondrous sight might be seen?" Lu Yin asked.

Tian Ya nodded.

"Is that sight really so important to you?" Lu Yin asked, confused. "It sounds like nothing more than a legend. No details of what might be seen have ever been passed on."

"That’s true, there aren’t," Tian Ya agreed. He paused for a moment before continuing to say, "We don’t know what that sight might be, but we want to see it, or at least have the opportunity to see it."

Hu Wu finally moved her eyes and shot a cold glance at Tian Ya. "Nonsense."

Lu Yin turned to the woman. She met his gaze and coldly said, "The chance to see that wondrous sight is just one reason. Many Seraphs throughout history have never seen anything, and we don’t really expect to ourselves. Our real goal in becoming a Seraph is to get close to the High Seraph... and then kill him."

Lu Yin was shocked. "Kill... the High Seraph?"

Hu Wu proudly declared, "That's right, kill him! Even if we fail, we’ll throw the Spirit Nidus into chaos. It’d be best if we could interfere with this megaverse’s unified cultivation system. The more chaotic things become, the better."

Lu Yin blinked. Was he not hearing exactly the same goal as his own?

"Why?"

Tian Ya laughed and shook his head. "You must be laughing at us. Given our strength, claiming that we’ll kill the High Seraph must sound ridiculous, doesn’t it?"

Hu Wu opened her mouth to retort, but then she deflated when she remembered their latest battle.

Tian Ya looked at her. "I told you before that the timing and our current strength isn’t enough. You didn’t believe me. If I hadn’t refused for all these years, we’d both have already been killed by the High Seraph."

Hu Wu glared at her husband. "Shut up."

Tian Ya fell silent.

If Lu Yin did not know that the two knew nothing about what had happened in the outside world, he would have suspected that the two were trying to flatter him.

Their goals were just too coincidental. They aligned perfectly with his own.

Curious, Lu Yin asked, "Why do you want to kill the High Seraph?"

Tian Ya replied, "Since things have come to this, telling you won’t change anything. After all, you already hold our lives in your hands.

"Hu Wu and I are indeed husband and wife, but we are also senior and junior disciple siblings. Our master was the Old Man Under the Stars, who was also Hu Wu's grandfather."