Lu Yin looked to the towering peak. “Senior Shan has already made it clear that there will be no further communication with our human civilization.”
“You are you, and human civilization is human civilization.”
“I can’t be separated from human civilization.”
Little Eighteen growled, “Old man, I still have one more move. I must use it, or else I won’t be able to accept this result.”
“You are no match for Lu Yin,” Old First said.
Little Eighteen stared at Lu Yin. “Human, have you ever killed an Immortal?”
Lu Yin met the toad’s stare. “Of course.”
“I have too. Next, I’m going to use the technique I used to kill that Immortal on you. Do you dare to take it?” Little Eighteen taunted.
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. “No matter what move you have, you still can’t beat me.”
“Then just watch.” Sequence particles spread out from Little Eighteen.
Lu Yin arched a brow. Sequence particles?
Given their level of power, sequence particles could no longer play much of a role in combat. They were crushed too easily by both Lifeforce and Immortal matter. What is this damn toad trying to do?
Just then, a lotus leaf suddenly moved closer to the shore of the lake. It grabbed Little Eighteen and dragged them into the depths of the lake and out of sight.
Lu Yin stared in a daze. Is that it?
Old Fourth and Old Fifth exchanged glances, unable to understand why Old First refused to let Little Eighteen use their final move.
“Human Lu Yin, Little Eighteen has lost. Thank you for the lesson. We won’t see you off,” Old First said from beneath the lake.
Lu Yin stared at the lake for a long moment. Did they not want him to see Little Eighteen’s most powerful attack?
“You’re welcome. This junior will take his leave.” With that, Lu Yin nodded to Old Fourth and Old Fifth before looking over at Astral Anura one last time. Under Astral Anura’s conflicted, hesitant gaze, Lu Yin approached the green stalk, sat on a branch, and left.
Once the green stalk was gone, Old Fourth and Old Fifth also left.
Farther away, toads enthusiastically led Astral Anura away.
Beneath the lake, Little Eighteen was being held firmly in place. “Old toad, I’m not convinced! I didn’t even use that move! I’m not convinced!”
“Fool. That was not a fight to the death. If we rashly expose all of our trump cards to a foreign civilization, we will be the ones to lose out.”
“Exactly. Human civilization is trouble. If we can avoid contact, we should do so,” Ancestor Shan’s voice drifted down.
Little Eighteen was still unhappy. “I didn’t lose.”
“Heh, Little Eighteen, you won. You forced that human to reveal his trump cards. He wields Willforce, which is indeed very strong. However, once you know about someone’s trump cards, they become much easier to handle. Compared to your ultimate attack that still remains hidden, his means were exposed, which leads to him being the one who lost,” Ancestor Shan praised the young toad.
Little Eighteen was still frustrated, but with the way that Ancestor Shan framed the situation, they felt much better.
Old First released Little Eighteen and allowed them to leave. “Ancestor, I can’t help but feel that Lu Yin never revealed his true strength.”
“Of course he didn’t. I was just comforting Little Eighteen. The gap between them and Lu Yin is far too great.”
“Human civilization is truly frightening with infinite possibilities. Those creatures can even comprehend Willforce,” Old First said with a sigh.
Ancestor Shan lamented, “Every species that lives in the Aevum Inch has powers that they can comprehend and powers that are absolutely impossible for them to wield. Humans alone are an exception. They are born very weak, yet they are able to cultivate every kind of power. If they are destroyed at the very beginning, they will be nothing. But if a human civilization is allowed to fully develop, it will become a problem.
“Back when the Nine Ramparts soared across the cosmos, many great powers appeared, and they shocked many civilizations while feeding humanity’s ambition. In the end, they trapped and doomed themselves. I hope that this branch of human civilization won’t repeat those mistakes, or else the cosmos will be thrown into chaos yet again.”
Old First suddenly felt uneasy. “Will that human Lu Yin listen to you?”
Ancestor Shan said, “I don’t know. Humanity’s nature makes it impossible for them to remain content. Every shift in circumstance breeds a new scheme.
“You rise through intelligence, yet you are just as likely to be buried by it.
“The Aevum Inch does not lack clever beings or those with talent. What it lacks are creatures that are truly straightforward.”
...
A green stalk moved through the Aevum Inch, making its way towards human civilization.
Without Astral Anura accompanying them, things felt much more peaceful.
Lu Yin stared straight ahead. He could sense traces of each pathfinding stone that he had tossed out. Each and every one of them could serve as a set of coordinates for him to teleport to. If he was not trying to hide his innate gift from the Immortal Lord, Lu Yin could simply teleport straight back to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, not needing the twenty-plus years for the journey home.
They traveled without making conversation. The Immortal Lord and Lu Yin had little to say to each other to begin with.
After more than twenty years had passed, the green stalk suddenly stopped. “This is the agreed upon location. Release Luo Chan.”
Lu Yin and the Immortal Lord had made an agreement that Luo Chan would be released outside the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, at a distance that an Immortal could cover with a year of traveling, though the Immortal Lord would be the one to choose the exact location. This was the condition that had convinced the Immortal Lord to accompany Lu Yin to visit the Seven-Treasure Anuras.
They had arrived at the location that the Immortal Lord had chosen.
Lu Yin peered into the distance. “So from here, it’ll one more year for me to return to human civilization?”
Of course, if he could see the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm, he could simply teleport directly to it. Still, to keep that ability a secret, he needed to ask.
The light of the green stalk rippled. “Correct.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“Lu Yin, are you trying to go back on your word?”
Lu Yin looked at the green stalk. “My life is in your hands. How could I go back on anything? Still, if this place isn’t actually close to the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm and you’ve taken me somewhere farther away, just what am I supposed to do about it? You should at least let me confirm my whereabouts. Don’t worry, I can’t contact Greater Sancte Green Lotus or any of the others from here.”
“Fine, you can verify these coordinates, but you had best not try to deceive me. So long as you are in my grasp, no one can save you. Not even that old monster from the Seven-Treasure Anuras can take you away instantly. Don’t seek your own death,” the Immortal Lord warned before flying off into the distance.