The deaths of Lan Meng, Qi Xu, and the other Obscura members had made Lu Yin grow careless. The bottom line was who of those invited into Obscura did not possess hidden strength and powerful methods? None of these beings were simple.
"Hehe, Qiu Huang's final brilliance has faded as well. Ba Se, we are leaving now."
"We're leaving. I never expected to witness Qiu Huang's power."
"But even that could not overcome divine energy."
One member of Obscura after another departed.
Ba Se spoke, "Yellow has been melted down, and its divine energy has returned to the Divine Tree. If any of you know of suitable beings, you may invite them to join us."
"What? Getting anxious?" Furball teased.
Ba Se replied, "If none of you know of any candidates, I will make the invitations myself. Obscura will soon be replenished."
Lu Yin's expression changed. Obscura is going to be replenished? That’s going to be a problem.
"Soon? How soon?" the Immortal Lord suddenly asked.
"Hehe, are you asking on behalf of that human brat?"
"I'm curious," Immortal Lord replied.
Ba Se said, “Any invitation will be announced in advance. Also, the melted substance from Flying Fish belongs to Orange as compensation.”
Hong Xia did not respond. Whether he had already left or not was unclear.
Lu Yin glanced at the melted liquid below the Divine Tree. Once it solidified, even if it no longer retained the same defensive power that Second Furball had wielded while alive, it would still be far from ordinary. At the very least, an ordinary Immortal would not be able to break it.
"Ba Se, I also took action against it," he commented. He wanted to obtain a bit of that liquid. With his scythe in one hand, he would not mind having a shield as well.
Ba Se replied, "You are obligated to deal with any member of Obscura who breaks the rules."
"What do you want?" Black suddenly asked.
Lu Yin instantly withdrew. After what had happened to Second Furball, he was far warier of Obscura. It was true that he could reap immense benefits from the other Obscura members, but the price that he would have to pay might allow his enemies to gain even more.
He was still young. There was no need to rush.
After leaving Vestigium, Lu Yin went back to Crimson Starshade, where he saw Hong Xia standing before the Blood Tower. The man was clearly waiting for Lu Yin.
He showed himself, and Hong Xia looked over.
Lu Yin's expression sharpened. "Congratulations. You have one less enemy scheming against you."
"And congratulations to you as well. You are seeing the reality of the situation more and more clearly," Hong Xia replied. As he spoke, he smirked, even as his eyes grew cold. "What chances do you think your Trio has of dealing with me now?"
Lu Yin sneered back. "Do you mean after you’ve had seven parts of your Path of Dispassion broken?"
Hong Xia shot back, "The moment that Obscura's protection period ends, if you dare to break seven parts of my Path of Dispassion, I will slaughter my way through your Trio. We’ll see who there can stop me. Whether it is my Crimson Starshade Megaverse or your own, what sort of chances do you think you have of stopping me?"
Lu Yin's eyes instantly flared. "Go ahead and try. So what if Second Furball is dead? We never counted on others helping us."
Hong Xia directed a cold glare at the young man for a moment longer and then simply left.
Lu Yin stared at the man’s departing figure. He was a traitor who had used threats to force Senior Jiu Wen and the others to not break seven parts of his Path of Dispassion. After all, if the situation devolved into a true fight to the death, with the hidden mastermind no longer a concern, Hong Xia would be able to sweep through the Human Trio. After all, Green Lotus was still sealed, and if Senior Jiu Wen died, humanity would have absolutely no one capable of stopping Hong Xia.
Their only choice was to refrain from breaking seven parts of Hong Xia’s Path of Dispassion and instead use that threat as leverage to maintain a stalemate.
That was the best situation for everyone concerned, and it was also what Hong Xia wanted. He was well aware that Lu Yin would never let him go and that Jiu Wen would never abandon an opportunity to break seven parts of Hong Xia’s Path of Dispassion.
"We cannot give him that opportunity. Since he dares to threaten us, he may very well already have a way to neutralize the damage that he has suffered from having anchors of his Path of Dispassion broken," Jiu Wen spoke up.
Lu Yin nodded. "I know. Senior, can you think of what method he might use?"
Jiu Wen shook his head. "The mastermind who was scheming against him has been exposed, leaving him with no further concerns. We were too rash in this matter."
Lu Yin did not see things in that light. If that hidden mastermind had not been uncovered, should they have allowed a hidden enemy to lead them around forever?
The results suggested that they had indeed been impulsive, but before knowing the truth, no one could say with certainty whether they should or should not have taken action.
As soon as Second Furball was exposed, the situation had become completely clear. Otherwise, even if they had joined forces with that shield to attack Hong Xia, they would still have needed to deal with Second Furball afterward. That shield had not only seen Hong Xia and the Plume Immortals as enemies, but also humanity as a whole.
Furthermore, Second Furball's death was not without value. At the very least, it had allowed Lu Yin to see a part of Hong Xia’s hidden moves and had also revealed a path towards invincibility.
Even if there was no guarantee that Lu Yin could walk that path himself, since he had already comprehended the Starfist Manual, it should at least be possible.
He suddenly remembered something, and he opened Heaven's Sight to use Manifestation Beyond the Pupil. He then stared at a black scale. This one recorded half a set of coordinates, which Ancestor Shan claimed indicated was where invincible power could be found. Could that be the Tai'a Star? It was not impossible.
Both Second Furball and Ancestor Shan had participated in the war of the Nine Ramparts. Perhaps they had both seen the invincible power of the Sixth Rampart and left something behind because of it.
Why else would there be so many references to things being invincible?
Wait, that also doesn’t seem quite right. There were quite a few legacies of the Nine Ramparts that seemed to have the word “invincible” attached to them. For example, among the heart techniques of the Fifth Rampart, there was also an invincible technique.
Lu Yin rubbed his head. Just how arrogant had humanity been during the era of the Nine Ramparts? They had dared to call everything invincible.
If those legacies had truly been invincible, they should have at least left something behind that people could actually find. What was the use of leaving behind nothing more than the word invincible?
For the time being, the stalemate with Hong Xia would hold. That man was afraid of having his Path of Dispassion broken, while Lu Yin and the Trio feared that doing so would provoke the ancient powerhouse into a frenzied retaliation. The Trio currently had no one capable of stopping Hong Xia, and Lu Yin did not want to sacrifice Senior Jiu Wen under such circumstances.
There was nothing else to be done for the time being.
It was a pity that he had not obtained Second Furball's divine energy line. One more line would grant Lu Yin one more chance.
He looked towards the Red Dust region. It still existed as Hong Xia had not destroyed it. Is he still preserving a sliver of hope for himself?
Since it was able to break his Path of Dispassion, perhaps it can also be reconstructed.