Star Odyssey

Chapter 3000: Speed Comparable To Time

Jiang Qingyue soon made her escape, following the plan that they had agreed upon in advance. After all, if she did not escape, how would they lure the Seven-Star Mantis in?

The Progenitor-level mantis chased after her, and it was shockingly fast, but Jiang Qingyue was far from slow. Given that she also had Dragonturtle’s help, the mantis was unable to catch up, and it eventually gave up.

It explored the entire universe, but it found that Jiang Qingyue was the only human present who could fight back.

The beast took several days to make certain that there were no peak powerhouses in the universe before being satisfied with what it had discovered and returning to its own universe.

Their next visitor should be the Seven-Star Mantis.

Jiang Qingyue returned to Lu Yin, her breathing heavy.

Lu Yin looked at her. "How was it?"

Jiang Qingyue clenched the hilt of her sword. "I will deal with it."

Lu Yin's eyes flashed. The mantis’s strength was very focused. While it had the destructive power of a true Progenitor, it could not cclose to any of the Origin Universe’s Progenitors who had faced multiple stellular tribulations on their path to power and who all possessed a Progenitor’s world. Still, the mantis would not be easily defeated by a Semi-Progenitor.

Jiang Qingyue still had a trump card that she had kept hidden. That was good.

"It won’t be long before the next battle," Lu Yin muttered to himself.

Just half a month later, the Progenitor-level mantis returned. It appeared to be searching for Jiang Qingyue, but when it failed to find her, it returned.

After another month passed, the mantis returned. It visited again and again, until Lu Yin and the others grew practically numb to its visits. Only after more than half a year passed did Lu Yin suddenly feel a flash of danger that caused his heart to skip a beat.

He stared across the universe with Heaven’s Sight and saw that a truly enormous mantis had arrived. It looked quite similar to the Progenitor-level mantis, though this one was more than ten times larger and radiated a terrifying pressure.

"Here we go." Lu Yin's expression grew solemn.

The jiao's claws extended, but not because it wanted to attack. It felt threatened.

Despite not being a sequence powerhouse, the Seven-Star Mantis still possessed enough strength to draw Aeternus’s attention, and even the Lord of Lightning found the mantis a difficult opponent. There had to be something special about the bug.

The Seven-Star Mantis stared forward with its triangular head. The Progenitor-level mantis appeared behind the larger beast. It was clear that the two were communicating, but Lu Yin and the others were too far away to hear anything. Even if they were closer, they might not be able to understand anything that was said.

Jiang Qingyue revealed her aura energy, which caused the Seven-Star Mantis to instantly look over at her. The Progenitor-level mantis also sensed Jiang Qingyue, and it spread its wings before shooting through the void.

Jiang Qingyue stepped forward, her sword in her hand already slashing out.

The Progenitor-level mantis released a strange laugh as it stared at her with its narrow eyes. It was a look that would give anyone the chills, especially as it slashed at Jiang Qingyue with its two blades. There was a bang as the attack flew at Jiang Qingyue, and the Progenitor-level mantis shot towards her even faster.

Lu Yin focused entirely on the Seven-Star Mantis. This creature showed no intention of moving any closer, though it continued to stare at Jiang Qingyue.

Many peak powerhouses were extremely cautious individuals. Without such caution, they would not have survived this long.

Old Mo had that trait, and so too did the Seven-Star Mantis.

Lu Yin observed the spatial lines, moved along them, and attacked.

Seven-Star Mantis was still staring at Jiang Qingyue’s battle against the Progenitor-level mantis, but it suddenly tilted its head to the side. Right after that, Lu Yin appeared. He had disguised himself to prevent the Seven-Star Mantis from recognizing him, and the fact that Lu Yin clearly was not a peak powerhouse meant that the Seven-Star Mantis would not sense a deadly threat and not immediately try to escape.

Things proceeded exactly as Lu Yin had predicted. While the Seven-Star Mantis was cautious, it would not run from a mere Semi-Progenitor.

Lu Yin held a long sword in one hand, and he attacked the mantis with it. This was the Twelfth Sword.

The slash shot straight for the Seven-Star Mantis, but the beast just casually waved its own blades and sliced Lu Yin’s attack apart. The mantis then opened its wings. It instantly appeared right in front of Lu Yin, a blade raised high and falling down.

The Seven-Star Mantis was enormous, and it gave off an intimidating pressure.

The mantis’s natural blade fell, glittering with a cold light that made even Lu Yin wary.

A purplish-black substance spread across his body as his sword rose back up. There was a loud bang, and Lu Yin was sent retreating. This surprised him.

As expected of an ally of Aeternus, the Seven-Star Mantis was not any weaker than Lu Yin with his Wielder - Invincible battle force. If he wanted to rely on physical might to win, he would need to use Infinity as well.

Lu Yin was surprised, but the Seven-Star Mantis was equally surprised. It had never encountered a non-peak powerhouse who could match its blades. No human nor any other creature had ever been capable of this.

This human was incredibly powerful.

"Human, you must be the strongest person in this universe," the Seven-Star Mantis spoke in a harsh voice.

Lu Yin clenched the hilt of his sword and pointed the blade at the mantis. "You are the most powerful beast in your own universe."

"Chirp, you picked the wrong opponent! You’re lucky, as you can just bring sothers to have fun with this game. Chirp!" The mantis’s blades then fell again, and Lu Yin was forced to bring his full strength to bear to counter the blow.

The mantis’s slashes repeatedly forced Lu Yin back, and the Seven-Star Mantis advanced step by step, fully assured of its victory.

There was a loud bang as the sword blade broke.

The Seven-Star Mantis’s natural blades slashed sideways, the attack was so sharp that it completely severed the void. This attack would completely overwhelm Lu Yin, given the strength that he had revealed so far.

Lu Yin let out a deep shout as he turned his broken sword sideways and slashed it to the side. The attack struck the broken sword, and Lu Yin should have gone flying. However, he firmly grasped the back of the Seven-Star Mantis’s blade, and at that smoment, a finger attacked the mantis from behind.

The Seven-Star Mantis whipped around to see Arch-Elder Zen and Lu Tianyi, who was formed from the Progenitor’s Tri-Yang Ancestral Qi Technique. However, this finger attack was using Lu Tianyi's Law of Undoing.

Given Lu Tianyi's strength, even if a sequence powerhouse tried to block this attack, they might not be able to succeed. This finger was the killing move that Lu Yin had prepared for the Seven-Star Mantis.

He himself had been nothing more than bait to distract the Seven-Star Mantis and create an opening for Arch-Elder Zen.

Lu Tianyi dropped his fingers, one after another. They pierced the void, each attack shooting at the mantis with stunning speed, only to stop. Lu Yin stared, but the attacks were unable to move any closer to the mantis. It was as though the beast was simply out of reach, and no matter how fast the attacks moved, they would never land. Lu Yin felt as though he was somehow out of phase with the universe itself.

By the tLu Yin realized what was happening, he was far away from where he had been standing, and Ancestor Tianyi’s attack that Arch-Elder Zen had just released was still frozen in place in the distance.

A tremendous power twined around the mantis’s blades as they attacked Lu Yin, and he quickly released his grip and retreated. The beast’s triangular head turned towards Arch-Elder Zen as the mantis’s narrow eyes glared at Arch-Elder Zen. "Human, you are the strongest."

Arch-Elder Zen felt quite confused. What had just happened?

Poof!

He spat out a mouthful of blood. It was the backlash from forcibly releasing Ancestor Tianyi’s sequence particles with the Tri-Yang Ancestral Qi Technique. The attack was incredibly difficult for the Progenitor to use, but it would have absolutely been worth the price required if the attack had landed. Unfortunately, the attack had failed, and Arch-Elder Zen was essentially out of the fight due to the backlash.

Lu Yin stared at the Seven-Star Mantis. When Ancestor Tianyi had attacked, thad stopped entirely. At that moment, the mantis had moved at a speed as fast as time, which had frozen tfrom the mantis’s perspective. That was the reason why Ancestor Tianyi’s attack had seemed to freeze in place and failed to land.

This was what it meant to move as fast as t

"Chirp, chirp, An attack that can threaten me? I felt sequence particles from that, didn’t I? Chirp, very impressive. Humans, where are you from? You set a trap for me." The Seven-Star Mantis stared at Arch-Elder Zen. As far as the beast was concerned, Arch-Elder Zen, as the most powerful human present, must be the mastermind behind this attack. The fact that such an intimidating attack had been released by the old man was proof to the mantis.

Arch-Elder Zen's face grew pale, and the summoned Lu Tianyi slowly disappeared. The Progenitor was already powerless.

The Seven-Star Mantis could see this, but the last attack that had targeted it had been quite terrifying, and it was not sure if the human was merely pretending to be weakened.

Lu Yin let out a long breath. Since the plan had failed, the only option was to fight at full power.

He observed the spatial lines and visualized the Immovable Heavenly King Elephant as Wielder-realm battle force spread across his arms and Infinity merged with his body. As Lu Yin released a punch, the star in his inner universe that was formed from the Withered Bark shifted and confined 100 punches.

The Seven-Star Mantis had grown wary of Arch-Elder Zen, and it was not paying much attention to Lu Yin. However, the moment that Lu Yin attacked, the mantis could no longer ignore the younger man. The beast’s blades rose, and while it continued to stare at Arch-Elder Zen, its blades attacked Lu Yin.

While this attack appeared quite ordinary, it managed to block every path that Lu Yin's attack could take. The Seven-Star Mantis might not have learned any sword skills, but it wielded them with inimitable familiarity, and it had been fighting since the day it was born. It killed out of sheer instinct, and its attacks were just as skilled as someone who had studied the sword, if not even better.

Lu Yin stared at the mantis’s blades with Heaven’s Sight. Regardless of whether a creature relied on battle techniques, practiced skills, or biological instincts, there would always be ssort of trace that Heaven’s Sight could find. From there, Lu Yin would be able to break through any weapon technique.

While the mantis’s blades had blocked all paths that Lu Yin’s attack could take, nothing in existence was perfect. The Seven-Star Mantis was not even a sequence powerhouse, and it was far from reaching the level of perfection.

Using Heaven’s Sight, Lu Yin stepped forward with Inverse Step.

The mantis’s blade suddenly froze, and then it was pushed back at an odd angle, taking the Seven-Star Mantis by surprise. Lu Yin seized the opportunity to punch the beast in the abdomen.

This attack finally managed to actually hit the Seven-Star Mantis.

The mantis had even managed to avoid a sneak attack from Arch-Elder Zen with its shocking speed, but Lu Yin had managed to land a direct hit. The mantis thought that it had blocked Lu Yin’s attack, but Lu Yin had broken past the creature’s defenses and struck with 100 confined punches. This attack had even rocked the Cyclops King. The Seven-Star Mantis’s defenses could not compare the Cyclops King’s, and the damage from the punch could only be imagined.

Green blood leaked from the corners of the beast’s cruel mouth, and its huge body was knocked back by the punch. The narrow eyes stared at the small human in utter disbelief. The mantis could not believe that a human who was not even a peak powerhouse could cause so much damage with a single punch.

This punch made the beast question its entire life.

Its abdomen had cracks running across it.

The Seven-Star Mantis’s narrow eyes stared at Lu Yin as it chirped angrily.

Lu Yin took a step forward, and his hand rose to release another punch.

The Seven-Star Mantis no longer dared to underestimate Lu Yin. It had automatically been wary of Arch-Elder Zen, as the man was a Progenitor, but it turned out that the weaker human posed just as serious a threat.

Four pairs of wings unfurled from the mantis’s back, and it suddenly disappeared. With its wings in use, its speed had increased dramatically.

Lu Yin frowned and stopped moving.

The Seven-Star Mantis attacked from Lu Yin’s side, its blades falling. Lu Yin moved with Inverse Step, and the blade fell in front of him. He grabbed the blade with his left hand as the slipper appeared in his right before slapping down.

He had further Enhanced the slipper, and Lu Yin was certain that a direct hit from the slipper would instantly leave the mantis close to death.

Perhaps because the humans’ previous two attacks had terrified the mantis, or possibly because it sensed danger, the moment the slipper appeared, the Seven-Star Mantis unfurled all six pairs of wings from its back, and it instantly disappeared.

Once again, the sense of being out of phase with the universe appeared, but Lu Yin clung to the mantis’s blade and refused to let go. He wanted to land a blow with the slipper, but he was unable to reach the beast’s actual body. It was constantly shifting its body around as it dragged Lu Yin through the void at a speed comparable to titself. The only part of the mantis’s body that Lu Yin could hit with the slipper was the blade that he was holding in his hand.

The Seven-Star Mantis wanted to shake Lu Yin off with its speed, but it had underestimated Lu Yin's strength. The human had caught hold of one of the beast’s blades, and it would be difficult to break free.

The mantis’s forte was speed, not strength. It was not much stronger than Lu Yin, and it was completely incapable of escaping from the human’s clutches.