Star Odyssey

Chapter 2746: Swept Across

Lu Yin ignored the emperor’s stare. Slipper in hand, he moved along the spatial lines to appear in the middle of the battlefield. Right in front of him were the transparent wings of the camphor bug, and inside those wings was the bestowal art carrier. Lu Yin could even see people from the Transcendent Universe on the trapped carrier.

This carrier was almost perfectly identical to the one that Lu Yin had previously seen in the Cloudflow Universe.

As Lu Yin looked upwards, he could see the camphor bug’s massive eyes. Compared to the bug, Lu Yin was smaller than an ant, and it completely ignored him.

A corpse king appeared behind Lu Yin, only to be instantly smashed apart with a slap of the slipper. The slipper rose up again and then slammed down.

Far away, the emperor of the Great Stone Empire watched the battlefield. He did not care about the camphor bug’s presence at all; rather, he was worried about the Progenitor-level corpse king that had recently arrived in the universe. The emperor felt that Lu Yin’s greatest role was not to deal with the bug, as the emperor felt that it was impossible for anyone to break through the creature’s defenses. No, Lu Yin would be best used to counter the powerful corpse king that had gone missing.

Since Lu Yin had already driven the monster off once, he could do so again.

Suddenly, a disturbing, mind-numbing scream that had never been heard before rang out. It acted like a boulder cast into a lake, disrupting the entire battlefield.

Countless people covered their ears and turned to look in the same direction in shock, as the scream had come from the direction of the camphor bug.

The emperor was also turned to look, and his mouth fell open as he stared in disbelief.

The camphor bug’s transparent wings that had left even peak powerhouses completely helpless suddenly had cracks running through them. Standing beneath the cracks was Lu Yin, the slipper raised high in his hand. "Again."

The slipper snapped down again, and another scream erupted from the camphor bug. It retracted its transparent wings in an instant, and for the first time in many years, the bestowal art carrier was finally released.

All across the battlefield, both human cultivators, Aeternal corpse kings, and the creatures controlled by the Aeternals all stared at Lu Yin in a daze. Had he really just broken through the camphor bug’s defenses?

Lu Yin had not expected such a strong reaction after breaking the bug’s wings, and he sneered at the bug. "Are you afraid of a bit of pain? Then you're done for!"

The moment that Lu Yin spoke, he charged at the bug again, the slipper raised.

The camphor bug’s pitch-black eyes turned to stare at Lu Yin. The creature’s massive, sharp claws swept out, but Lu Yin moved along the spatial lines. He remained beyond the camphor bug’s reach, instantly appearing like a ghost.

The camphor bug’s claws continued to lash out, but it was unable to even touch Lu Yin. The bug moved back, clearly frightened.

This human was strong enough to overcome the bug’s defenses, while the camphor bug was unable to even touch the human. This tiny opponent perfectly countered the camphor bug.

Lu Yin countered too many people, but he had never countered anyone as perfectly as this camphor bug. Despite possessing the strength of a Progenitor, this was the easiest opponent that Lu Yin had ever faced at this level. This camphor bug was nothing more than a slow moving target.

Lu Yin appeared on the bug’s back. From a human perspective, Lu Yin had stepped onto an endless continent. It was a solid black surface with no end in sight.

Lu Yin punched the camphor bug’s back, but he failed to leave any sign of an impact. The blow had probably felt like nothing more than a tickle to the camphor bug.

The bug leaped about, shaking its body all over as it tried to throw Lu Yin off.

The entire battlefield descended into chaos. All the human cultivators retreated, and the bestowal art carrier also entered a fully defensive state while pulling back. Many corpse kings were crushed by camphor bug’s rampage.

Lu Yin snorted. He was unable to damage the beast at all, which meant that his only option was to rely on the slipper.

The slipper slammed down on the camphor bug’s back, and the impact caused a crack to appear and spread out. The camphor bug released an even shriller cry as it raced through outer space.

The emperor had not yet reacted to what he was seeing, but he finally moved, and he quickly chased after the fleeing camphor bug. The man wanted to personally witness the death of the bug.

The creature flashed through the Big Stone Universe, constantly thrashing and rolling about as it struggled to dislodge Lu Yin. However, Lu Yin himself possessed the strength to fight against Progenitors, so how could it be easy to throw him aside? Even if the bug succeeded, Lu Yin could return in an instant, as the camphor bug was unable to use the power of space.

The slipper slammed down again and again, and the cracks on the bug’s carapace grew larger and larger, until a green liquid began to ooze out. It was most likely the beast’s blood.

Lu Yin suppressed his nausea at the horrid smell and continued to attack. He wanted to slap the bug to death.

The camphor bug’s screams rang out as it continued to thrash about in the Big Stone Universe.

Lu Yin had never attacked so viciously before. Well, he had actually attacked Undying God more viciously, but that man’s innate gift meant that nine out of ten of Lu Yin’s attacks had missed. On the other hand, the camphor bug was forced to endure the full power of every last one of Lu Yin’s attacks as more and more cracks appeared on its body. The black carapace, which had originally been immaculate, now had countless spider webs crisscrossing it, and green liquid was being splashed everywhere.

It would not be much longer for the beast to die.

Suddenly, Lu Yin's expression changed, and he retreated with Inverse Step.

A fist descended, striking the back of the camphor bug and sending the beast flying away. The Progenitor-level corpse king had returned.

Lu Yin stared at the monster. This corpse king only had one eye, but it was staring at Lu Yin. Black lines still covered the monster’s body, and most of the crushed head that Lu Yin had destroyed had recovered. How much time had passed since Lu Yin had fought the corpse king? It was recovering very quickly.

"You don’t know how to choose life over death!" Lu Yin's eyes grew cold. He held the slipper and moved with Inverse Step, making his way closer and closer to the corpse king. This corpse king merely possessed the physical might of a Progenitor and was not a true peak powerhouse itself. It did not have a Progenitor’s world, and even without the slipper, Lu Yin could defeat this corpse king.

However, since he was already using the slipper, this battle would be easy.

The emperor of the Big Stone Empire arrived, and from a distance, he saw the Progenitor-level corpse king and grew very fearful.

Just as he had feared, the powerful corpse king had shown itself, and the emperor was unable to deal with such a powerful opponent. Everything now depended solely on Lu Yin.

Fortunately, Lu Yin had already surpassed the emperor’s expectations, and he had managed to break through the camphor bug’s defenses.

Hey, where is that camphor bug?

Lu Yin had been forced away from the camphor bug, and he needed to first deal with the corpse king before him.

"Die!" the Progenitor-level corpse king roared in a hoarse voice as it punched at Lu Yin. The black lines continued to cover the corpse king’s body, and its physical strength rose even further. Lu Yin was able to sense that the corpse king’s power was rising, but such things were useless.

There was a snap, as the slipper lashed out and slammed against the corpse king's fist.

Blood splattered across outer space, the corpse king's fist shattered. The monster retreated a few steps. It was clear that the corpse king had used its full strength in that punch, but it was still unable to deal with Lu Yin’s slipper.

The watching emperor was completely stunned. What on earth was that slipper?

Lu Yin held his slipper and moved about with Inverse Step. It did not matter if Lu Yin confronted the corpse king directly or evaded its attacks, as the monster was completely helpless against Lu Yin.

With a frustrated roar, the Progenitor-level corpse king was beaten to death by a slipper, its massive body destroyed.

Lu Yin turned to look for the camphor bug, but he had no idea where the creature had fled to.

The Progenitor-level corpse king had been sent to die, just to save the camphor bug and give it an opportunity to escape.

It was true that the corpse king’s value could not compare to that of the camphor bug.

This was how Aeternus handled their affairs, and they would readily trade the life of a single corpse king, regardless of its strength, for the life of that camphor bug.

Lu Yin took a deep breath and put his slipper away. He stared off into the distance and saw the emperor.

The man approached Lu Yin, unable to suppress the excitement that filled his eyes. "Lord Lu, you really defeated that corpse king!"

Lu Yin did not try to hide what he had done. "It merely had the physical strength of a peak powerhouse, but nothing more. Anyone at that cultivation realm could have dealt with the monster."

"But not one who is not a peak powerhouse themselves," the emperor said with a bitter smile. Despite the fact that the corpse king had not been a true peak powerhouse, the emperor would not have been able to do a thing to the corpse king.

The emperor was strong enough to at least survive if he encountered a peak powerhouse, but that did not mean that he could deal with an opponent like the corpse king. The emperor could not launch any attacks that could harm such an opponent.

There were times when physical strength could reach a level that cultivation could not deal with.

A good example of that was the corpse king that Lu Yin had encountered in the Sixth Mainland. Not even Lu Yin was capable of dealing with such overwhelming physical might, as the corpse king had even been able to resist Lu Yin’s slipper. In a one-on-one fight, Lu Yin had been no match for that corpse king, and it had also genuinely had the strength of a Progenitor. Even so, corpse kings relied on physical power and thus had no Progenitor’s worlds.

How many such monsters did Aeternus have in reserve?

In order to save the camphor bug, Aeternus had readily and willingly sacrificed a corpse king with the physical strength of a Progenitor, despite the fact that common sense dictated that they could not have many such powerhouses.

Lu Yin felt a terrible weight settle upon him.

After eliminating the Progenitor-level corpse king and driving the camphor bug away, the rest were easy to deal with.

Lu Yin accompanied the emperor back to the battlefield where powerhouses fought against each other in the Big Stone Universe, and they found the bestowal art carrier releasing multiple beams of light, eradicating countless corpse kings. Each attack was able to clear an entire section of the battlefield.

The sight was a bit stressful to Lu Yin. "Don’t use that thing so carelessly! Save some of the sourceboxes for me."

The emperor smiled. "You needn’t worry. I can promise that you will be satisfied, Lord Lu."

Lu Yin nodded.

It did not take long for that battlefield to be completely purged, and the emperor felt remarkably relaxed.

That battlefield had not experienced any real changes for many years, and while there was a great deal more that needed to be done before the Big Stone Universe was fully purged, that day would arrive soon enough, as long as no more Progenitor-level opponents arrived.

Lu Yin returned to the universe’s data center and spoke to Sage Bodhi again.

The woman used the Big Stone Empire’s emperor to verify Lu Yin's accomplishments. "By the standards of your universe, that corpse king was not a real Progenitor-level corpse king, but merely had physical strength at that level. Because of that, there is no issue with treating this as you eliminating peak powerhouse."

Lu Yin was eager for the rewards that he had been promised. "So, what is my reward?"

In Wuju, Sage Bodhi calmly stared at her display. "Is there someone that you would like to select to never be able to take action against you?"

"I was referring to the material rewards for this. As for the peak powerhouse I can restrict from attacking me, please send me a list of options for me to choose from," Lu Yin replied.

Sage Bodhi was surprised that someone like Lu Yin actually cared about material rewards. Was he not immediately requesting that Sage Yuan be forbidden from attacking him or his people?

"Killing a Progenitor-level opponent rewards with material treasures of a comparable level. Dao Monarch Lu, you can choose a Progenitor-level weapon or power vessel, though I will caution you. Should you choose to forbid a peak powerhouse from taking any actions against you, your material rewards will be reduced to a lower level.”

Lu Yin did not hesitate. "How much is an Ascendant worth?"

Sage Bodhi blinked as she stared at her display. She leaned closer, thinking that she must have misread the message. "What do you mean?"

Lu Yin replied, "You said that the material reward will be reduced, right? That means that it would be the same value as the reward for killing what your Cyclic Universe calls an Ascendant. Just pay me whatever money I would get for killing an Ascendant."

Sage Bodhi stared at her display again. Money? Sure enough, she had not misread the messages. On the meatgrinder that was the Endless Frontier, after the glorious achievement of killing a Progenitor-level corpse king, right after the word “Ascendant,” Sage Bodhi had really seen the word “money,” as well as a request for a sum.

Sage Bodhi was more than a little confused. Lu Yin was the master of the Heavens Sect, right? Was he short on money? Was he really that desperate for funds?

She felt that she must not have understood what Lu Yin had meant, so she asked again, "What money?"

Lu Yin was caught off guard. "You don't reward people monetarily? Star essence, or any other resource used by members of the Sixverse Association as currency would be acceptable, aside from transcendent crystals."