Lu Yin stared at Ye Wu, feeling as though he was looking at his former self. While both Lu Yin and Ye Wu had a certain line they refused to cross, Lu Yin knew that there was a distinction between good and evil, even in the world of cultivators.
From the moment Lu Yin had first heard the voices of the countless people of the Fifth Mainland, he had understood this.
Cultivation was not just for a person themselves, but also for protection. In a way, protecting others was protecting oneself.
Many people believed that cultivation meant traversing a lonely path, but that was simply because they chose to walk it alone.
Lu Yin considered his past and how he had schemed against countless people in order to unite the Outerverse and later the Innerverse. Despite how ruthless he had been, he had still had many friends and people he considered family.
It felt good to be cared for by others.
Lu Yin did not want to be alone, and that desire had made his life an arduous one, but there were paths that needed to be paved by others.
Neither Progenitor Chen nor Progenitor Ku had ever chosen to take the easy path.
Despite how much easier things would have been if either had joined Aeternus, both men had always refused to do so.
Both good and evil existed. Right and wrong were real things.
Lu Yin had no desire to try to change Ye Wu’s mind. At the very least, the man had his own principles.
"The Totem Civilization was destroyed by the ruler of the Second Scourge, Xu Jin. He focuses on cultivating the power of consciousness. When the people of the Totem Civilization abandoned their physical forms and sent their consciousness into an illusory world, they became a valuable treasure to him. He would have never allowed such a thing to go free.
"Ask your disciple. The Totem Civilization’s meteorite entered a dark cloud, and that cloud is Xu Jin’s body." Lu Yin informed Ye Wu.
Ye Wu's expression fell. Xu Jin. He would remember the name.
"Xu Jin is one of Aeternus’s Three Pillars and Six Skies, and he is extremely powerful. You won’t be able to kill him on your own. If you want to avenge the Totem Civilization, you’ll need to join forces with us," Lu Yin said.
Ye Wu remained calm. "I won't join you, but thank you for telling me. Now, please leave."
Lu Yin asked another question. "If we go after Xu Jin, will you join us?"
Ye Wu thought for a moment. "Yes."
"Good. Then I’ll come find you again some time." Lu Yin nodded to Mu Ke, and the two left the dark mountains.
Before leaving, Lu Yin made sure to ask Ye Wu if he knew Mister Mu.
The man did not know Lu Yin’s master.
Lu Yin wasn’t surprised. Perhaps this dimension had once had powerful civilizations that were destroyed, including the Totem Civilization. Ye Wu and the others must have appeared after Mister Mu left.
Lu Yin didn’t know how long Mister Mu had lived for. Such circumstances weren’t impossible.
...
On an endless prairie, a breeze stirred up dust.
Further ahead lay the ruins of an Aeternus Kingdom.
A man sat on a pile of stones, breathing heavily. He had finally dealt with the situation.
The nearby Aeternus Kingdom had been under the protection of someone who had betrayed the Nine-Star Civilization. The man had fought the traitor, and he had paid a steep price to unleash the seven-star technique, Ancient Key. With that, the traitor and most of the corpse kings in the Aeternus Kingdom had been sent into the Hollow.
It was a miracle that the man himself had survived, though in the future, he would not be able to use even a three-star technique, as he had crippled himself.
"Zezima, are you alright?" A young girl approached, looking at the man with concern.
He forced out a smile. "I’m fine."
"You released a seven-star attack that’s beyond what you can handle, so just how are you fine? Let me take you to the mentor. Maybe he can help you." The girl’s eyes flushed red.
The man patted her head. "Silly girl. You know the consequences of forcibly using a seven-star attack. It’s already a miracle that I managed to survive. Don’t worry. From now on, I’ll stay at the academy. I’ll help the mentor teach students. Who knows, maybe I’ll train a few geniuses, haha."
The girl started crying. Losing a six-star expert was a tragedy.
However, they had had no other option. The man would have lost the battle if he hadn’t forcefully used the seven-star attack. In that case, he would not have ended up merely crippled, but rather dead.
"Alright, go help clean up the Aeternus Kingdom. I’m going to rest here," the man comforted the girl.
She reluctantly nodded. "Alright."
She moved towards the ruins, though she frequently looked backwards.
Suddenly, the void warped, and multiple figures stepped out. Their arrival was heralded by a terrifying pressure.
A hand reached out and crushed the girl. "Get lost."
The man sitting on the pile of stones stared blankly at the girl’s tragic death.
By the time he finally reacted, a shadow loomed overhead. A massive corpse king stomped a foot down, and blood flowed from the stone pile. "Kill."
"Kill."
"Kill."
...
Far Away, in Star Capital, Kakawen's expression changed drastically as he turned to look into the distance. "This is bad! Have the Aeternals gone mad?"
A piercing alarm echoed across the entire Nine-Star Civilization.
Out on the grassland, at the ruins of the Aeternus Kingdom, powerful figures appeared one after another: Di Qiong, Arrow God, Xu Jin, and Ji Luo. They were followed by Shao Yin, Dual Bladeform, Marquis Wu, Marquis Wang, and a number of Progenitor-level corpse kings. It looked as though Aeternus had sent their full power.
In the distance, Mimina felt the overwhelming pressure of their arrival, and she turned pale.
"Mimina, go for help!" She heard Kakawen's voice as he stepped out of Star Capital and moved towards the invaders.