There was no longer any need to consider what would become of the Seal-Eater Civilization. The civilization had been destroyed, and the creatures with seals implanted in them were incapable of planting seals in others. They were not truly creatures of the Seal-Eater Civilization, but merely foreigners.
Lu Yin was more curious about how this Immortal had been beaten so badly. What had it encountered? Anything that could threaten an Immortal could naturally threaten their human civilization as well.
He continuously used karma to expose the creature’s past. Lu Yin and Green Lotus saw many things. They saw the creature’s past cultivation and battles, as well as the destruction of the Seal-Eater Civilization at the hands of the technological civilization. There was also how this creature had escaped destruction with another Immortal, only to then turn against each other while fighting over black plates.
Seeing this, Lu Yin grew delighted. Black plates. There were actually more black plates there. This was an unexpected gain.
Green Lotus smiled. Those plates carried Ancestor Shan’s knowledge of the Aevum Inch. If all of them could be gathered, humanity would gain a great deal of knowledge about the ancient Nine Ramparts and also obtain something.
The reason why the two Immortals that had escaped from the Seal-Eater Civilization had turned against each other over the plates was they had discovered that not even they could damage the plates. Clearly, they were valuable. Also, having left the Seal-Eater Civilization, they were no longer bound by their seals. Since the two creatures were not members of the same species, it was normal for them to fight each other.
However, halfway through their battle, they encountered an accident.
In the scenes of the past, Lu Yin and Green Lotus saw the other Immortal enveloped by an unknown white substance that looked like molten rock. The Immortal’s entire body contorted in absolute agony, and the other Immortal had taken the chance to flee, only to be pursued.
In the end, it had dragged its half-dead body through the cosmos for a century to reach the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm. It had entered the macrocosm in an attempt to evade the white molten rock’s pursuit.
Lu Yin used the Mirrorlight Art to look back in the direction that the wounded Immortal had come from. He was now capable of seeing a distance of about fifty years’ travel, but he could not see the creature of white molten rock.
Green Lotus looked grave. “Although these two Immortals were not strong and were also injured from fighting each other, that white molten rock was able to attack them both at once, and it even rendered one of them completely unable to resist. It is clearly not weak. I will continue to look outside the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm.”
Lu Yin searched the wounded Immortal and found two black armor plates, but in the creature’s karmic past, he knew that the two Immortals had fought over five plates. “The other three plates are with the other Immortal, so I’m going to go retrieve them.”
“Be careful of that white molten rock.”
“Don’t worry.” Lu Yin vanished, teleporting towards the location where the wounded Immortal had encountered the white molten rock. Each leap covered a fifty-year travel distance, so it only took two jumps for him to arrive.
He found nothing in the empty cosmos. All traces of battle had long since vanished, given the passing of a hundred years.
A century had passed, which was neither long nor short.
Lu Yin used the Mirrorlight Art to scan his surroundings, hoping that he would be lucky enough to see something. However, he was only able to see a fifty-year travel distance, and the farther he looked, the larger the area that he needed to search. It was impossible to search the entire cosmos.
He eventually returned to the Human Trio. While the wounded Immortal was still alive, Lu Yin threw it into his Champions’ Stage Purgatory to increase his karma.
The Immortal was not some benevolent being. In truth, using “good” or “bad” to describe creatures which were not human was unfair; any creature that was not human was “bad” from the perspective of humanity.
While their human civilization wanted to increase their number of Immortals, that did not mean that they wanted just anyone. Adding an Immortal like this wounded one would bring no benefits, and they would even have to remain wary against any possible threat. At the very least, if their human civilization ever faced a true crisis, this creature would unquestionably be the first to run away.
Humanity already had one foreign Immortal in Kang Tian. They did not need to add more foreigners.
In the end, the wounded Immortal died, its injuries too severe. It was not even able to finish strengthening Lu Yin’s karma.
Fleeing in the direction of the human civilization had been a mistake to begin with. This also caused Lu Yin to consider what humanity would do if they one day faced a life-and-death crisis. Would they entrust their lives to another civilization?
He teleported to the Consciousness Megaverse and handed the two plates to a Seven-Treasure Anura, asking it to translate the messages.
Old First had taken most of the Seven-Treasure Anuras away, but it had made sure to leave some behind, both to help Lu Yin translate the messages on any plates that he found, and also because he did not want to stake everything on a single throw. After all, no one knew what they might encounter after traveling through the Jade Thread of Heaven.
“Please help me translate these. Thank you.” Lu Yin handed the two armor plates to the Seven-Treasure Anura.
This toad was Twenty-Fifth, who was even younger than Little Eighteen. They were also a Dukkhan, though they were a bit weaker than Astral Anura.
Still, this was the strongest of the Seven-Treasure Anuras that had been left behind.
Twenty-Fifth took the armor plates. “Relax, I’m very reliable.”
Lu Yin just stared in confusion.
Seeing the two armor plates, Twenty-Fifth stared at one of them, their expression one of absolute struggle.
Lu Yin did not understand how he could tell that a toad was struggling, and yet it was unmistakable.
Twenty-Fifth glanced at the plate and then at Lu Yin, as if confirming something. Lu Yin grew a bit nervous. This toad can’t be illiterate, right?
Even as that thought passed through Lu Yin’s mind, Twenty-Fifth sighed.
Lu Yin’s heart lifted into his throat.
“It’s you. You’re the most suitable.”
Lu Yin was blank. “What?”
Twenty-Fifth said, “This plate has recorded Uncle Sixth’s aura. I don’t know why Ancestor left this behind. We are already able to sense Uncle Sixth’s aura, so the aura on this armor plate is clearly meant for outsiders.”
Uncle Sixth? The Seven-Treasure Anuras’ Old Sixth? The prodigy that Ancestor Shan claimed to be the most talented of the Seven-Treasure Anuras throughout all time? Someone who, as long as they survived, would be able to surpass even Ancestor Shan?
“Old Sixth was banished because they made a mistake, right? Old First and the others all think that they’re dead,” Lu Yin asked.
Twenty-Fifth nodded, their gaze growing wistful. “Seniors like Uncle First are too naive. Uncle Sixth wouldn’t die so easily. Out of all of us, aside from Ancestor himself, only I guessed the truth. After all, I’m very reliable. I always think things through a bit more.”
Lu Yin looked at the plate. Old Sixth’s aura?
The Seven-Treasure Anuras were capable of sensing each other’s auras. Ancestor Shan certainly did not need to leave such a thing behind, other than to let others, like Lu Yin, also learn Old Sixth’s aura. If possible, Ancestor Shan hoped that others would help search for the banished toad.
It was a father’s final hope for his son.
“Lu...” Twenty-Fifth did not know how to address Lu Yin.
“Call me Seventh Bro, like Astral Anura does.”
“Alright, Seventh Bro. Is this aura intended for you to sense, or for someone else?”
“Me.”
“Very well.” Twenty-Fifth placed the plate in Lu Yin’s hand. A moment later, a warm current entered his body. It was not any sort of power, just an aura. After the warm current entered him, Lu Yin felt nothing at all, but he clearly knew that, if Old Sixth one day appeared within a certain range, he would be able to sense them.
There was still one other plate left. Twenty-Fifth studied it carefully, but even after a long while, there was no movement.