"Then what do you propose?" Shuangdao asked.
Lu Yin looked around. "There’s nothing that you can say to convince me, which leaves only one way to demonstrate your sincerity.
"Teach me those two consciousness swords. Then, not only will I tell you what happened above the cliff, but I’ll also answer any other questions you may have. For example, why we followed the High Seraph here."
"That’s because-"
Old Chief cut off Gui Shaoqing right as he started to speak, "Enough!"
With a sharp glare at Gui Shaoqing, Old Chief turned back to Lu Yin. "You want our two consciousness swords, but how did you acquire Heaven's Blade?"
Wu Wei was the only conscient to have ever mastered Heaven's Blade. Old Chief and the other Luminaries had repeatedly visited the Willbound Spire, attempting to obtain the same memory, but they had always failed.
Lu Yin replied, "I got it right here."
Old Chief was not surprised. He had already guessed as much when he had first seen Lu Yin use Heaven's Blade. The man’s luck was truly extraordinary.
"You desire our two consciousness swords," Old Chief said, "While we honestly hope that you will teach us Heaven's Blade."
Desire flared up in Xi Wen's eyes. Of the three consciousness swords, Heaven's Blade and Lower Heaven’s Blade were the opposite of each other; one cut at the result, while the other severed the process. Only her Middle Heaven’s Blade lacked an impressive ability, which felt intolerable to Xi Wen. However, if she could acquire the other two blades, then it would more than make up for her own technique’s inadequacies.
Lu Yin gave a cold laugh. "Old man, you sure know how to haggle. You want to know what happened atop the cliff, why we followed the Spirit Nidus, and now you even want me to give you Heaven's Blade? Don't you think that you're asking for quite a bit?"
Old Chief replied matter‑of‑factly, "After all, we do have two of the consciousness sword techniques."
"I’ll trade it for your Heaven and Earth Lock," Lu Yin suggested.
Old Chief's expression instantly changed, and he stopped speaking.
The Heaven and Earth Lock was his real trump card. It was far more powerful than his Lower Heaven’s Blade, and Lu Yin was naturally eager to obtain it.
This battle technique had even managed to briefly trap the High Seraph. There was no way that Heaven and Earth Lock was worth less than all three consciousness swords combined. That acquisition would greatly improve Lu Yin's arsenal.
However, it would not be easy to obtain the Heaven and Earth Lock technique. Old Chief was no fool.
It was right at that moment that the High Seraph suddenly appeared. He saw Lu Yin and the others, and at the same time, they all saw him. Everyone attacked at the same time.
The conscients had filled the area with their consciousness, which prevented the High Seraph from fleeing the moment he arrived, and that precaution proved worthwhile at this moment.
A torrent of consciousness slammed down, and the High Seraph’s body quivered. Consciousness was not enough to shake him on its own, but Lu Yin had also manifested a Skyshearer Millstone that shot straight at the High Seraph instead of falling from up above.
This was Lu Yin’s strongest consciousness attack, and he simultaneously moved forward with Inverse Step. Unprepared, the High Seraph reeled under the Skyshearer Millstone. He staggered back a step, and then Everstone and his transcended sequence froze everything nearby while warping the void. Lu Yin’s palm strike stopped when it was less than half a finger’s breadth from the High Seraph’s brow.
A powerful force blasted Lu Yin away, hurtling him sideways. The High Seraph’s body flickered as he used the Nine Heavens Transformation: shapeless, formless, and impassable without transcendence.
Lu Yin faced the High Seraph and released his own Nine Heavens before unleashing Heaven's Blade.
From two other directions, Old Chief attacked with the Lower Heaven’s Blade while Xi Wen used the Middle Heaven’s Blade.
All three consciousness swords froze at the same time. The High Seraph thrust a hand forward, shattering all three attacks. Dominion's Mantle covered the sky, setting it ablaze.
Lu Yin jabbed a single finger forward, releasing a spiral of karma from its tip.
Each of the Luminaries present attacked as well.
However, the High Seraph was already gone. They had failed to pin him down.
“I’m a step too late.” Yong Heng appeared. He glanced up at the burning sky before looking over at Lu Yin and the conscients.
Lu Yin shrugged. “It’s as we expected, but each exchange will let us understand his methods better. Sooner or later, we’ll corner him.”
No one had expected to trap the High Seraph on the first try. His escape was fully within expectations.
“Your turn.” Lu Yin turned and left.
Yong Heng looked at Old Chief and the rest of the Luminaries. “You have too great a disadvantage against the High Seraph.”
“That’s precisely why we want to kill him,” Old Chief replied with a shrug. “The High Seraph cultivates the Everstone Sequence Technique, and with his transcended sequence, he can alter the universe itself. For us conscients, he is our absolute nemesis. Even worse, he has the Everstone sequence base, which utterly suppresses us. Even his Everlasting Will can cut us Thirteen Luminaries down. We are not his match.”
If not for their cooperation with Lu Yin, the High Seraph would have crushed all the conscients in the momentary battle that had just occurred.
Even though he had failed to instantly wipe out the Luminaries, it would have been easy enough to pick them off one by one and eradicate them in that manner.
Suddenly, Xi Wen turned, looked at a corner of the area, and her pupils shrank. “The High Seraph?”
Yong Heng turned his head to follow her gaze, as did Old Chief and the others.
The High Seraph was standing in plain view. He had indeed escaped, only to return again so quickly. He calmly stared at the individuals gathered before him.
Xi Wen and the conscients all reflexively prepared to attack.
“You cannot keep me here,” the High Seraph slowly stated. “But I can take you up the cliff.”
His words instantly doused their killing intent. The allure of reaching the top of the cliff was too strong.
“Why didn’t you mention this before?” Old Chief asked.
Yong Heng was the one to answer. “Because of Lu Yin.”
The High Seraph met True God’s gaze and nodded in agreement. “I can take you, but I will not take him.”
“Why not?” Shuangdao was curious. The relationships between humans were always so tangled.
The High Seraph gazed at the cliff above and said, “Up there lies the greatest possibility, and Lu Yin himself already embodies another. The two cannot coexist. If they do, neither of us will have any chance.”
Yong Heng smiled. “I agree. You want to climb the cliff, as do we. First, tell us exactly what is up there.”
“How long until he returns?”