Lu Yin once again returned to observing the cycle of karma and watched as time passed by.
The Lu family returned, and they fought a relentless battle against the four ruling powers. In the end, Nightking Zhenwu chose to side with the four ruling powers, which led to the Lu family being destroyed. The Immemorial Citadel fell, and both the Origin Progenitor and Mister Mu perished. Nightking Zhenwu allied with the Spirit Nidus, and due to his contributions and talent, he eventually became the next High Seraph, reaching the pinnacle.
He led a group of survivors to the Spirit Nidus, which included members of the four ruling powers, his supporters, and even people from Firesmelt Planet.
Nightking Zhenwu also had people he cared about.
However, what he cared about was not what Lu Yin cared about.
"Harmonious with the common people, when the Dao of Heavens is not present, leap into the cosmos and crouch, when the Dao of Heavens is bestowed, leap into the boundless skies and crouch, gather the energy inwards, devour the hundreds of rivers…"
His mind remained as steady as stone.
The next instant, Lu Yin found himself back at San Dios. His choices had not been wrong. Regardless of whether it was part of karma or fate, since Lu Yin had made his own choices, he had to bear the consequences.
He felt as though he could hear Nightking Zhenwu’s roars of frustration.
"I simply made a choice, and yet you can't move on," Lu Yin muttered. Time moved on, and he returned to the Karma Sanctum. Nightking Zhenwu stepped out from the mist of time once more, but this time, confusion filled his eyes, just like what had happened with Jenny Auna and Yan Gang.
This was not the same Nightking Zhenwu as before. This was nothing more than a projection of Lu Yin's karmic reflections. Lu Yin could have been replaced by Nightking Zhenwu, Liu Shaoge, or even Silver. He could have been replaced by anyone.
Was it possible to alter karma?
If Lu Yin’s alternate choice had led to Nightking Zhenwu gaining access to the Mirari Realm and entering the Karma Sanctum, would he have truly replaced Lu Yin? Would the changes that Lu Yin had observed become reality in the outside world?
Who had put the laws of the universe in place? Karma was real, but was karmic replacement also real?
Everything seemed like a fleeting dream. Whose karma had Lu Yin’s own existence replaced?
Lu Yin stood frozen for a long time, so lost in his own thoughts that he even forgot about the passing of time.
He was clueless as to how much time had passed when the mist that surrounded him dissipated. Lu Yin moved in one direction, and he eventually saw Progenitor Ku’s withered form. The man was not dead, but was instead sitting cross-legged while using Extremes Must Be Reversed. Much like what had just happened to Lu Yin, Progenitor Ku was lost in his own thoughts.
Lu Yin did not dare to disturb the man.
Karma was a matter of questioning one's own soul and coming to an understanding of the megaverse. If one failed to comprehend it, it would be easy for them to be consumed by it.
In truth, Lu Yin was no longer certain if he was real or an illusion.
He walked in another direction. The aeonic fog no longer had any effect on him, though it also felt as though Lu Yin’s choices were being made for him, as the dissipation of mist guided his path.
This time, he ran into the round-faced old man, the Seraph from the Spirit Nidus.
The Seraph was not alone, as he was surrounded by an entire group of people and other creatures. Lu Yin understood that these figures were all manifestations of the man’s own karma.
The old man was standing motionless in place with his eyes closed. It was as if this was his way of questioning his soul.
Was he experiencing an alternate choice?
Lu Yin approached and reached out a hand to touch one of the figures.
His hand passed through the figure, and the Seraph’s eyes snapped open. He stared at Lu Yin in horror. “I don’t want to do it again! You—
“Ah—! I wasn’t the one who killed you! I had no choice! Go find them!
“A new choice? What should I choose? If I don’t help them, they’ll come after me. I had no choice! If karma gives only one option, then why do I have to choose again? I’ve had enough! Enough!”
The old man’s form grew as Lu Yin stared at him. The Seraph was changing.
He made an alternate choice.
The Seraph gradually faded away, only to be replaced by another.
Someone would always be in that space; it would be whoever led the Spirit Nidus’s invasion of the Tianyuan Megaverse. It would be whoever fought against Lu Yin and the others and ended up entering the Mirari Realm before being ultimately driven into the forbidden region. The process would not change, only whoever was present.
To the old man, things changed, but for the Tianyuan Megaverse and Lu Yin, nothing truly changed.
Lu Yin waved his hand, brushing past several other figures.
The figure who had replaced the Seraph suddenly disappeared, and the old man reappeared. No matter which choice was made, when it came to the cycle of karma, others would be affected, as would their karma. If the effects of that karma was already decided, then the causes of that karma was also predetermined.
Golden light erupted, and before Lu Yin could even react, the Seraph attacked, catching Lu Yin off guard.
He quickly dodged, but by the time he regained his composure, the old man was gone, as were the figures who had surrounded him.
Lu Yin let out a deep breath, realizing that he had been so caught up in contemplating karma that he had overlooked the Seraph.
Lu Yin looked around the area. Karma, cultivation, and the aeons. Each was a thread, but were all of these threads part of the same rope? They had to be the natural laws.
The manner in which a person cultivated and the heights that they could reach were all predetermined. Even if the individual changed, the karma would not.
Where did the rope begin? Who held it?
Lu Yin slowly sat down. Since he was here, he might as well examine karma and see if he could unravel the thread.
He had once believed that karma was the path to Immortality. Since he had stepped onto the path of karma, he would see it through to the end.
Let me see how this karma unfolds.
The trees around him remained the same, bearing fruits with Lu Yin’s face on them. It seemed that, as long as he remained in the Karma Sanctum, the trees and fruits would follow him, just like the karmic ties between him and Nightking Zhenwu, Jenny Auna, and Yan Gang.
Lu Yin closed his eyes, considering his past and searching for more karma that he could change.
He found one: the Pirate Port. If he had not been attacked there and gravely injured, he would not have been left for dead on Driftcharge Planet. He would have never met Old Luo, and he would have never memorized the Stonewall Scriptures or the series of numbers. What would his future have been without all that?
Lu Yin chose to not go to the Pirate Port. Zhuo Daynight died, because the only chance to meet with Zeng Die had been at the Pirate Port, and without him, Zhuo Daynight’s injuries could not be healed. Instead, Lu Yin could only watch as Zhuo Daynight perished, after which he safely returned to Astral-10.
Without nearly dying or being sent to Driftcharge Planet where he had started cultivating the Arcane Art - Fatal Revival, Lu Yin’s strength remained mediocre. During the Astral Combat Tournament, he failed to stand out. No matter how hard he worked, there were always people he could never surpass. Instead of him, the one who rose to prominence was yet again Nightking Zhenwu.