Star Odyssey

Chapter 1729: Murkiness

The imprisonment continued for two months, and Lu Yin had no idea how long they would remain trapped here for. He had already come up with a possible way to escape, but it would most likely expose his die, and he did not want to do that.

They were being held captive by manifested thoughts, and because of this, if Lu Yin rolled his die and landed on four pips, he would leave the pocket dimension for a split second to enter the Timestop Space.

However, regardless of how brief his absence might be, he would cease to exist within the Master Brain’s thoughts for a moment, and that would naturally cause some trouble.

This was what Lu Yin had thought of trying, and he had only been able to think of this plan because he knew that they were being held prisoners by the Master Brain’s materialized thoughts. This fact was something that Kui Luo, Wang Si, and Bai Laogui were all completely ignorant of.

However, escaping from this current predicament required Lu Yin to roll his die, and to even do so in front of everyone. His die was his greatest secret as he had not even revealed it to Mister Mu.

Lu Yin felt quite torn.

He was hesitant on what to do for another half a month, and during that time, Lu Yin recited the Origin Progenitor’s Sutra every single day. It made sense to do so, as he had nothing else to do.

Kui Luo and the other prisoners were all affected each time Lu Yin practiced the sutra. Wang Si and Bai Laogui believed that the strange rhythm was related to the Technocracy, and so they continued to threaten and posture while exposing the Wang family’s cooperative relationship with Sky Creation Academy. However, they never managed to arouse any reaction at all.

Lu Yin already knew that Sky Creation Academy had some connection to the Wang family, but it turned out that they merely had a cooperative relationship. This was something that Lu Yin could not understand. He knew that Sky Creation Academy needed materials that the Wang family could supply, but what could the Wang family possibly gain from Sky Creation Academy? Lu Yin had never seen any androids in the Perennial World.

One day, while Lu Yin was reciting the Origin Progenitor’s Sutra, everything around him suddenly turned gray, though Lu Yin remained in the same pocket space as before. He looked over and saw that Wang Si, Bai Laogui, and Kui Luo had all been frozen, and only Lu Yin was able to move. He was saved.

He slowly looked up to see a familiar figure before him. Lu Yin heaved a massive sigh of relief. "Master, you’re finally here!"

Naturally, Mister Mu had appeared in front of Lu Yin.

Mister Mu calmly observed Lu Yin. "You ended up in trouble again."

Lu Yin felt wronged. "Master, there was nothing that your disciple could have done! The Perennial World sent Semi-Progenitors to hunt me down, and if I hadn’t gotten lucky, they would have killed me long ago. They’re going to kill your disciple, Master!"

The more Lu Yin explained his situation, the more excited he became. He kept trying to reiterate how the Perennial World was working to eliminate one of Mister Mu's disciples.

Mister Mu reacted completely indifferently, "You’ve gained many opportunities, and disasters naturally follow. This is nothing surprising."

Lu Yin was startled, and he had no idea how to respond. Mister Mu's reaction had completely shut down any response Lu Yin could have made.

"By the way, Master, how did you know that your disciple was here?" Lu Yin asked. He did not have a jade talisman anymore, so was it possible that Mister Mu had been keeping an eye on him?

Mister Mu indifferently replied, "I was passing by and saw you."

Passing by? This answer sounded odd to Lu Yin. After all, they were in the Technocracy, so why the hell would Mister Mu ‘pass by’ this place?

He then remembered what Mister Mu had said when Lu Yin had seen him in the Perennial World: "If I want to visit, then I’ll do so."

This was a truly different perspective. To Lu Yin, the Technocracy was full of mystery, and it was intimidating to even Semi-Progenitors. However, to Mister Mu, it was just some place that he passed through whenever he wanted.

Lu Yin glanced over at Kui Luo, Wang Si, and Bai Laogui. The three Semi-Progenitors were all completely frozen.

Lu Yin looked back at Mister Mu again. The difference between them was just too big.

"Have you seen your senior brother?" Mister Mu asked in a casual manner. He acted as though nothing was particularly important.

Lu Yin remained respectful. "Yes, I've seen him. The Chief Justice is just too powerful."

Mister Mu stared at Lu Yin. "I meant the other one."

Lu Yin was taken aback. "The other- the other one? Who?"

Mister Mu looked off to the side. "If you don’t know, then just forget I said anything."

Lu Yin instantly became curious; was there another brother disciple that Lu Yin had seen? Who could it be? He had already realized that he had more than a single senior disciple brother, but only the Chief Justice had revealed their connection to Lu Yin.

Who could the other one be? Lu Yin’s mind started racing as he started going through all the people he had met.

"Since I saw you, I have a task to give you," Mister Mu said, but then he suddenly stopped talking. He seemed to be hesitating about something.

Lu Yin had never seen this reaction from Mister Mu, and he suddenly felt that he might be able to help with a unique task. So, he quickly put on his best smile and pandered, "Master, if you there’s anything you need, please tell me."

Mister Mu thought for a bit longer before answering. "This particular task is too dangerous for you, but you are also the one who is most suited for it."

"Tell me, Master. Your disciple is not afraid of danger," Lu Yin volunteered.

Mister Mu somberly stared at Lu Yin. "Aeternus has had a plan in motion for a long time. They call it ‘Murkiness.’ I would like you to learn more about it."

"Aeternus’s plan?" Lu Yin was surprised.

Mister Mu continued explaining in a calm manner. "Aeternus is humanity’s greatest enemy throughout all of history. They have done many things to mankind, and even though we have managed to produce many geniuses, we are still at a disadvantage. This particular plan may be the most difficult one that Aeternus has ever come up with, and it’s possible that we humans will cease to exist entirely if they succeed.

"I have been investigating this plan for many years, but it’s impossible to force a corpse king to reveal anything at all, and it’s even more difficult to plant a mole within Aeternus. Thus, aside from the name, I have been able to learn nothing at all about this plan. I’m hoping that you might be able to learn something, as you seem to be very good at such tasks."

Lu Yin's eyes grew determined. "Master, don't worry! Your disciple will do his best to look into this."

Good at such tasks? Of course Lu Yin was good at them! With his die’s Possession ability, as long as Lu Yin managed to Possess the right corpse king, he would learn everything, and the corpse king would be utterly helpless to resist. The only problem was that Lu Yin’s current strength meant that he could only Possess beings with a power level of about 600,000. It was impossible for any corpse king at that level to know anything about the master plan that Mister Mu was investigating.

Lu Yin would probably have to Possess an Aeternus powerhouse at the level of the Seven Skygods to learn anything at all.

"Master, it might not be easy for your disciple to learn anything soon," Lu Yin explained. "But your disciple promises that, as my strength improves, I will absolutely do my best to look into this. This will become my top priority in the future!"

Mister Mu nodded. "Don't worry too much and just do your best."

If Lu Yin were faced with anyone else, he would have likely started to negotiate conditions, such as protection from the Perennial World’s experts chasing him, or a powerful piece of equipment. However, Lu Yin had no such thoughts when facing Mister Mu.

The kindness of one’s teacher was a weight as heavy as a mountain, and Mister Mu had already saved Lu Yin’s life many times. Without Mister Mu, Lu Yin would have died long ago, so he would not refuse any requests that Mister Mu made.

"Is there anything else?" Mister Mu asked.

Lu Yin smiled, "Master, um… there are a few people who were trapped with your disciple, so I would like to ask Master to rescue them as well. Otherwise, your disciple won’t be able to return to the Innerverse."

Mister Mu looked up. "That’s simple."

The corner of Lu Yin's mouth twitched, as the two of them truly saw things from completely different viewpoints. "Also, Master, your disciple has something that I would like to ask you."

"Tell me."

Lu Yin thought for a while before solemnly asking, "Is your disciple’s cultivation path too messy?"

Mister Mu stared at Lu Yin. "Why are you asking that?"

Lu Yin remembered what Kui Luo had said. While Lu Yin had been imprisoned, those words had echoed in his head time and time again. "You know about this disciple’s identity from before I lost my memory. Lu Xiaoxuan had his own life, and he even managed to create his own Heaven-Shattering Palm while your disciple has accomplished nothing yet. Progenitor Chen created his Cosmic Art, the Rune Progenitor created the runic cultivation method, and the legendary Death God was able to replace stellular energy with his own death energy.

"Every true powerhouse has created their own strength and power, but your disciple has nothing and no idea how to even proceed."

As Lu Yin spoke, his eyes dimmed. He had always believed himself to be extremely talented, but it was true that everything he possessed had come from others. Everything that he knew had been learned from someone else. What did it matter if he was a Realmbreaker who could challenge Envoys? Lu Yin had nothing to truly call his own, which was something that Lu Xiaoxuan had already accomplished by the time he had reached Lu Yin’s age.

Lu Yin had become full of self-doubt during these recent days. He had no idea what he could create on his own, and he genuinely had no idea where to even start.

"Master, your disciple is incompetent," Lu Yin said softly.

Mister Mu raised a hand and set it on Lu Yin's head.

The gesture startled Lu Yin, and he froze while staring blankly into space.

"Everyone has their own path. Your path is something that only you can know, and there is no need to compare yourself to anyone else. So you don’t know how to go about creating your own power? That simply means that the moment has not come yet. The day will come when you will find something that is uniquely yours, some unique power. You are exceptional. Since I have accepted you as my disciple, you must be truly excellent,” Mister Mu said.

Lu Yin hesitated. "If your disciple had not established the Great Eastern Alliance and had focused exclusively on cultivating, could I have found my way to my own power sooner?"

Mister Mu pulled his hand back and looked down at Lu Yin. "The path you are taking is your own path. While you might feel that you are carrying those that you meet on your path right now, they may very well be able to give you a lift to greater heights in the future. Progenitor Chen walked his path on his own, taking on the universe on his own, while the Rune Progenitor cared for the masses, creating runes and raising an entire Rune Civilization.

"Cultivation is not solely for you alone. The reason why humans are different from the Aeternals is because of our connections to each other. Even if Progenitor Chen fought against the universe on his own and lived a lonely life, he still fought to protect humanity. Life and death are both mysteries. Everything that you do will end up becoming an opportunity that will return to you, possibly far in the future."

Mister Mu's words cleared the fog that had been clouding Lu Yin’s mind. Familiar words started to ring in his mind: 'Lu Yin, the Great Yu Empire is yours, as I'm not suitable to handle it.'

'Master, you’re back! Master, Little Wei missed you!'

'Your Highness, where are my snacks? I want delicious snacks.'

'Everything is under the Alliance Leader’s command.'

'We greet the alliance leader.'

'We greet the alliance leader'

…

‘Brother Lu, I’ve missed you so much.’

Lu Yin tightly clenched both of his fists. Kui Luo's words had left Lu Yin doubting himself for a period of time, and he had even started to deny his own talent and everything that he had ever accomplished. At the end, he had even started to deny the Great Eastern Alliance and those whose fates were intertwined with his own.

Fortunately, Mister Mu had cleared the doubts from Lu Yin’s mind in time.

Who had claimed that cultivation needed to be internally focused to the point of excluding all else? Who had said that managing the Great Eastern Alliance and working to unify the Innerverse and Outerverse had delayed Lu Yin’s progress? Who had claimed that cultivators had to seek out inheritances and constantly exchange pointers with others? Lu Yin had his own path to seek.

He had nearly forgotten, but if he had never established the Great Eastern Alliance, how could he have ever gathered the necessary star essence to cultivate and fuel his die rolls? Without the Great Eastern Alliance, how could Lu Yin have built up the status that he currently enjoyed, and how would he ever be able to stand up to the Perennial World in the future? How could he have ever become valuable enough for Aeternus to include him in their schemes? It was quite likely that Lu Yin would have simply been captured by Shaman God from the battlefield behind the Mother Tree and then transformed.

Yes, this was his path.

He wanted to take himself and his followers to the pinnacle.

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