"Master, I want to learn Origin Tracer," Lu Yin stated as he stood beside Mister Mu atop the walls of the Immemorial Citadel.
Mister Mu asked, "Did you learn Origin Tracer in the previous branch of the River of Aeons?"
Lu Yin nodded, and Mister Mu asked no further questions. He simply taught Lu Yin the technique, resolving another karmic cycle.
"Right, I also have to deal with the Yellow Springs," Lu Yin said. He then went to find the Origin Progenitor and asked him to explain the Yellow Springs to him.
The Origin Progenitor shared the information, which resolved yet another karmic cycle.
"Verdant Eternity has transformed into the Yellow Springs, which is why I've lost that technique," the Origin Progenitor lamented.
Lu Yin was speechless. "You haven't lost it. I know that."
The Origin Progenitor was at a loss for words. "You even know about that? Fine, I guess you really did see the future."
Lu Yin returned to the Heavens Sect and met with Blackless God.
Blackless God had been imprisoned beneath the Heavens Sect. The only bit of value he could still offer was his consciousness. Since Lu Yin's star of consciousness had already devoured Blackless God's consciousness, it was yet another karmic effect that needed its karmic cause to be resolved.
After that, Lu Yin would deal with the Sixverse Academy and Yu Leng.
Far below the Heavens Sect, surrounded by death energy, Lu Yin stared at Blackless God with cold eyes.
Blackless God looked pathetic at this moment. When he saw Lu Yin, the man bitterly asked, "Lord Lu, I don’t know what happened back there. Can you enlighten me? At least grant me a bit of understanding before I die."
In the Dominion Realm, Blackless God had clearly been with True God, as well as Forgotten Ruins God and Wang Xiaoyu. However, in less than an instant, Blackless God had been left with only Skydog and Master Qing Cao. The Immortal clearly knew something, as evident from his conversation with Lu Yin.
Still, Blackless God was unable to understand what had happened to True God and the others.
Even if True God had instantly vanished, it was impossible for Blackless God to be completely unaware of it happening.
However, his memories simply told him that True God had not been in the Dominion Realm, and neither had Forgotten Ruins God nor Wang Xiaoyu. It was as if the timeline of events had been disrupted.
Blackless God knew that there was no avoiding death, but even so, he wanted to die with understanding.
Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. "Why did you give me 100,000 years?"
Of course, Lu Yin already knew the reason, but this was another karmic cycle that needed completion.
Blackless God barked a bitter smile before letting out a heavy sigh. "100,000 years… it really was a joke. Completely ridiculous, but who could have imagined it? In just a mere century, you, Lord Lu, rose from being an ordinary human without any memories to your current level. Who could have imagined it? Not even Lord Yong Heng could have foreseen this, and neither could Master Qing Cao, who is an Immortal.
"If anyone had known your future, offering you 100,000 years would have been completely laughable, wouldn’t it?"
Lu Yin said nothing to interrupt, and he calmly watched Blackless God.
In the previous branch of the River of Aeons, Blackless God had tried to escape with his Endless Path, and he had not hesitated in front of Lu Yin. This time, the man seemed to want to give a final monologue before death. He knew that there was no chance of escape.
Lu Yin could see bitterness, self-mockery, and regret on Blackless God’s face. If the Skygod had known that such a day would one day come, why would he have given Lu Yin a chance at 100,000 years of peace? He would have killed Lu Yin the first time they met, completely avoiding the current situation.
After a long pause, Blackless God sighed. "Lord Lu, I gave you a chance at 100,000 years, which was essentially a chance to survive. Could you give me a similar chance in return?"
Lu Yin’s eys flickered as he met Blackless God’s gaze. "Alright, I’ll give you a chance."
Blackless God’s eyes bulged. "Really? You mean it?"
When offered the opportunity to live, no one would choose to die, especially not someone like Blackless God. He had betrayed his Consciousness Megaverse and joined the Spirit Nidus purely because he had wanted to survive. Unlike how Yuan Qi had been unwilling to submit to Lu Yin, Blackless God’s sole motivation was survival. He simply wanted to continue living.
He had granted Lu Yin a chance of 100,000 years in exchange for a favor that he had received from Whiteless God when she had once saved his life.
Lu Yin coldly stated, "I can give you a chance, but whether or not you can take it will be up to you.
"You are a conscient from the Consciousness Megaverse, so we’ll compete in terms of consciousness. If you lose, you die. If you win, you live."
Blackless God clenched a fist. "Are you serious?"
Lu Yin nodded. "Of course."
Blackless God grew excited. "Alright! Thank you, Lord Lu, for giving me this chance to live!"
Lu Yin was unbelievably powerful, but Blackless God was extremely confident in his own consciousness. Aside from that one monster, there should not be anyone in either the Spirit Nidus or the Tianyuan Megaverse who was capable of overpowering him with their consciousness. As long as he was willing to burn through his consciousness, Lu Yin would not be able to defeat the Skygod.
"I still have the same question as before: why did you give me 100,000 years?" Lu Yin asked.
Blackless God hesitated. He was afraid that if he shared the truth, Lu Yin might go back on his word, as Blackless God had not willingly offered the 100,000 year opportunity.
Lu Yin’s expression turned cold. "If you lie to me, you will lose this one chance to survive."
Lu Yin wanted to simply resolve the karmic cycle without any surprises. Giving Blackless God this opportunity was just to ensure that the man would not stay silent out of being convinced that he was bound to die. That would force Lu Yin to suffer a backlash from enjoying a karmic effect without its corresponding karmic cause.
Blackless God could feel Lu Yin’s bloodlust. After a moment of thought, he decided that the risk was not worthwhile, and he helplessly replied, "Because of Whiteless God."
Lu Yin let out a sigh of relief. Blackless God had not lied, and this karmic cycle could finally be resolved.
At the same time, Lu Yin felt profoundly helpless.
Who could have thought that avoiding the temporal reversion would instead bind him with karma? He was bound by restrictions that existed not only in the Tianyuan Megaverse, but also in the Spirit Nidus. If others became aware of Lu Yin’s bonds, would he still be able to resolve the karmic cycles when he no longer held the initiative?
He might be able to endure the backlash of one unresolved bit of karma, but what about two? Three? More? How could he endure so much?
As soon as others learned about what bound Lu Yin, there would be no need for them to fight him directly. Someone like Blackless God could have simply hid themselves, and eventually, Lu Yin would be forced to suffer the karmic backlash. This was not something that could be mitigated by a difference in strength. Lu Yin would have to suffer the full power of the karmic backlash.
For Lu Yin, completing every karmic cycle was a challenge.
He was once again reminded of the look that Wei Nu had given him when he had hidden in the Mirari Realm. There had been no doubt in her eyes, which meant that trouble was coming for Lu Yin.
However, even if he was given the choice again, Lu Yin would still choose to hide in the Mirari Realm.
While everything else could be abandoned, his Inner Clarity Technique was something he absolutely could not lose.