Star Odyssey
Chapter 3618: The Nidus Trembles

Chapter 3618: The Nidus Trembles

Would Emperor Wu be willing to stay beneath the High Seraph when he possessed such terrifying power? If the two fought, what would be the result? What sort of impact would it have on the Spirit Nidus?

A single supreme powerhouse could rule the entire megaverse, but two supreme powerhouses spelled disaster.

What would actually be harmful to the Spirit Nidus?

Far away, Old Yu's expression turned grave as his eyes locked onto Emperor Wu. At this moment, Old Wu felt the same sensation from Emperor Wu as the High Seraph himself. There was no doubt that Emperor Wu had reached that level. What would happen next? Would the beast-form Spirit Rebirths truly rise up and suppress the human-form Spirit Rebirths?

Who was behind all of this?

Other than the High Seraph, who else could possibly possess the Nine Heavens Transformation?

Still, all of those things were concerns for later. At the moment, the most urgent matter was Seraph Lu; there was no way he could stand up to Emperor Wu, given his current state.

Old Yu’s eyes flickered. If Lu Yin died, Boundless was doomed. Not even their Origin Progenitor would be able to stop Emperor Wu. No matter how many experts might be hiding aboard that battleship, what could they possibly do?

Should Boundless be destroyed? Old Yu frowned. All of his calculations and plans had been shattered the moment that Emperor Wu had revealed the Nine Heavens Transformation. He had exposed himself as a powerhouse capable of overturning the entire situation.

Hu Wu, Tian Ya, and the others felt a chill run through them. This battle could not continue. It was time to retreat. If Seraph Lu did not retreat at this moment, there was no doubt that he would die. No one could confront Emperor Wu in his current state, aside from possibly the High Seraph.

As Emperor Wu stood in the middle of outer space, his aura coiled around him like a dragon. Just his glance was enough to darken the universe. His very presence felt like a terrible weight pressing down on the fragile paper that was the universe. It could be destroyed at any moment.

Lu Yin could not even breathe, as the pressure from Emperor Wu was that overwhelming. His power had grown to such an excessive level that his Natural Art’s suppression had become completely meaningless.

Lu Yin stared at Emperor Wu. "I'm quite curious—who taught you the Nine Heavens Transformation?"

Emperor Wu replied in a low voice, “You will never have the chance to find out.”

"What’s the matter? I thought that you were going to give me a gift before I die, no? What you just told me doesn’t count. I already knew that the Nine Heavens Transformation is a state. Old Yu told me," Lu Yin retorted.

Far away, Lu Yin’s comment caused Old Yu’s eyebrows to climb up his forehead. When did I ever mention something like that to him?

Emperor Wu said, "This must end. The Tianyuan Megavese has birthed someone like you, which has forced me to acknowledge the future potential of your megaverse. After all, you are still young. Unfortunately, there will only ever be one of you. Your megaverse is destined to be reset so that my Spirit Nidus can be completed.

"I will remember your name, Lu Yin."

Lu Yin felt frustrated; he had not gotten any useful information at all.

He was not even alone, as the entire Spirit Nidus most likely wanted to know the answer to Lu Yin’s question as well.

Who had managed to produce a powerhouse on the same level as the High Seraph, let alone one that was a beast-form Spirit Rebirth like Emperor Wu? He was known to focus solely on challenging the High Seraph and toppling the supremacy of the human-form Spirit Rebirths. Whoever was behind him was blatantly provoking a civil war within the Spirit Nidus.

There was no one in the Spirit Nidus who would do such a thing, not unless someone was hiding in the shadows, much like Old Salamander, and scheming against the High Seraph.

Someone had apparently wanted to use Emperor Wu to test the High Seraph's limits.

Old Salamander had used Emperor Wu as a blade for his own schemes, but was there someone else scheming against the High Seraph by also using Emperor Wu as a tool?

The first possibility that entered Lu Yin's mind was the Consciousness Megaverse. After all, only Lu Yin was aware that the Consciousness Megaverse had been secretly preparing to counter-invade the Spirit Nidus.

However, it was impossible for anyone from the Consciousness Megaverse to have taught Emperor Wu the Nine Heavens Transformation.

The revelation that Emperor Wu had mastered the Nine Heavens Transformation would certainly spark endless speculation within the Spirit Nidus.

That thought caused Lu Yin’s eyes to light up brightly. Why not fuel their speculations even more?

He retracted his divine energy back into his inner universe. He had been preparing to use his divine energy transformation, but now, he had decided to take a different approach.

Emperor Wu clenched a fist, and even that simple movement caused the universe to tremble. His power had reached such terrifying heights that, no matter how far away one might be, they all felt as though their life or death were under Emperor Wu’s control.

In front of him, Lu Yin let out a deep breath. "If you won’t tell me, then don’t bother asking me."

The moment he finished speaking, his consciousness erupted and settled into multiple layers behind him. Instantly, there were nine layers to his consciousness, each of which represented a "Heaven," and each of which contained a separate power or ability. This was the Nine Heavens Transformation.

Emperor Wu froze.

Everyone watching was stunned into silence.

Zhan Ming, Meng Sang, Old Yu, Old Salamander, and absolutely everyone else were completely dumbfounded.

Jiu Xian’s wine gourd slipped from her hand as she stared in confusion. What is going on? Another Nine Heavens Transformation? Damn it, how can he have it too?

Inside the Ascendant Hall’s Apex Palace, even the High Seraph was stunned.

Perfect silence reigned as every dazed eye was glued to Lu Yin.

This was the damn Nine Heavens Transformation! How did everyone seem to have it? First, there was Emperor Wu, who had long since publicly stated his desire to challenge the High Seraph. Now, how did even someone from the Tianyuan Megaverse suddenly know the technique? Who was generous enough to teach the Nine Heavens Transformation to everyone?

No one could have ever imagined that Lu Yin had learned the Nine Heavens Transformation through Yu Shan.

Lu Yin could understand why the High Seraph had never bothered to rescue Yu Shan, but ultimately, that had worked out in Lu Yin’s favor.

"You... how do you also know the Nine Heavens Transformation?" For the first time, Emperor Wu’s tone of voice shifted. Even when he had been brutally overpowered and humiliated, left horribly wounded and disfigured, he had not lost his composure. But at this moment, the red line down his face had twisted out of shock. It was clear that his emotions were in turmoil. He might even be on the verge of breaking down.

Everyone wanted to know how Lu Yin had learned the technique.

Old Yu even pulled out his spirit cloudstone, eager to call Lu Yin and get an answer.

Lu Yin just smiled. Go on, guess! All of you can guess.

That was his goal. He initially had not planned to reveal his Nine Heavens Transformation. The technique drew far too much attention, and it could easily provoke the High Seraph into taking action. However, after seeing Emperor Wu use the technique, it was to Lu Yin’s benefit to reveal that he possessed the same technique. What would the Spirit Nidus think of this situation?

There was no chance that the High Seraph had taught Lu Yin, but what other possibility was there? Yu Shan? That was even more of an impossibility. To start with, the man was simply unqualified, due to the fact that he had not fully mastered the technique himself.

Who else was there?

There was clearly someone hiding in the shadows and plotting against the Spirit Nidus.

Lu Yin wanted to see who was hiding in the dark. He wanted to find out just how deep the hidden waters of the Spirit Nidus reached.

This one move was certain to force something out into the open.

"Who taught you the Nine Heavens Transformation?!" Emperor Wu roared.

Lu Yin smiled at his opponent. "Let’s make a deal. You tell me, and I’ll tell you."

Emperor Wu’s breath grew ragged, and the space around him quivered. The yellow lightning continued to flicker across his body, and his sequence particles surged chaotically. While there was no question that his power was terrifying, Lu Yin had just used the Nine Heavens Transformation as well. With this, both of them had multiplied their strength severalfold, which essentially returned them to the very beginning of their duel.

"If you don’t want to say, then that’s fine. I won’t ask you again, but you shouldn’t ask either. We both understand the situation.

"Now, let’s see whose strength has risen more. Ready?" Lu Yin grinned at Emperor Wu, confident and seemingly in total control of the situation.

A blinding light exploded, and shards of shattered space scattered as the universe was destroyed.

Following that, there was an earth-shattering explosion that left everyone reeling.

The universe itself trembled as Lu Yin and Emperor Wu clashed in their respective Nine Heavens Transformation states. It was as if they had both become entirely different creatures. It almost seemed like two High Seraphs were battling each other. The power used in this fight felt like it could shatter the megaverse.

Left with no choice, Zhan Ming, Jiu Xian, and the other top experts moved forward to block the shockwaves. If they did not, they would be the only ones who survived the shockwaves.

The people who had gathered to watch the battle were certainly not average cultivators. If everyone who had gathered at the source of the Fu River perished, it would be a tremendous loss for the Spirit Nidus.

Emperor Wu had no reason to care about the spectators, and neither did Lu Yin. That responsibility fell to the other Seraphs.

Powerful cultivators stepped forward from all directions, each working to block the shockwaves. Only Ortusers or Dukkhans were strong enough to intervene. Sequence powerhouses needed to work together, and even then, that was not necessarily enough for them to withstand the impact.

"Retreat! Everyone, fall back! Now!" a powerful Ortuser screamed. Even as he shouted, a massive explosion erupted in front of him. What seemed like a calm ripple moved out from the explosion, but when it struck the man, the ripple was powerful enough to force him to cough up blood.

Every last cultivator present immediately pulled back.

The Fu River was long gone. The ground that had surrounded it, as well as the sky above, had been shattered. The universe had transformed beyond all recognition.

Zhan Ming and the others had grim expressions on their faces as they struggled to even breathe, due to the pressure on them. They were only dealing with shockwaves. The Nine Heavens Transformation had raised the two fighters up from the level of the Seven Seraphs to the High Seraph’s level. Both of these combatants were absolute monsters.

Further away, all thirty-six domains were trembling, much to the confusion of countless creatures. They had no idea what was happening.

Numerous cultivators started to panic. It felt like they were witnessing the end of their own universes.

They were aware that Emperor Wu and Lu Yin were scheduled to fight, but no one had ever imagined that their clash would shake the entire megaverse. Could a battle between merely Dukkha-level powerhouses really lead to such wide-spread consequences?

Far away, beneath the Ascendant Hall, the Morrow Behemoth roared, its voice ringing across the universes.

Within the Apex Palace, the High Seraph remained calm as he stared off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

Lan approached. She wanted to ask what was happening, but one look at the High Seraph’s expression prevented her from daring to utter a word.

She was quite familiar with the High Seraph, and she knew that when he was like this, he should not be disturbed.

The battle continued to rage at the now ruins of the Fu River. While the techniques employed by Lu Yin and Emperor Wu were largely unchanged from before, the sheer power behind everything they did was on an entirely different level.

Emperor Wu was still surrounded by the floating red lanterns, which were occasionally destroyed, as a sea of sequence particles shrouded his form. Lu Yin continued to be pummeled by Emperor Wu’s relentless assault, but Extremes Must Be Reversed and Wielder - God battle force was enough to allow Lu Yin to counterattack. Each of his attacks resulted in Emperor Wu coughing up blood.

Lu Yin’s breakthrough in his battle force enabled him to deal with Emperor Wu’s overwhelming strength.

Natural Art was constantly weakening Emperor Wu. While the degree would have been negligible if Emperor Wu was still fighting against Lu Yin’s earlier form, the fact that they had both used the Nine Heavens Transformation made any slight loss of power crucial enough to determine the outcome, just like before.

Natural Art put a cap on Emperor Wu’s maximum power, ensuring that he would never be able to surpass the limits of Lu Yin’s defenses.

Lu Yin sensed exactly what it had meant for the Spirit Nidus to send Yuan Qi to suppress the Tianyuan Megaverse. No matter how vast Tianyuan’s potential, once a ceiling had been imposed, the entire playing field had been locked in place.

Emperor Wu spat out more blood. The yellow lightning covering his body grew more intense as the sequence particles surged chaotically around him. The serrated blade in his hand swept forward, only to barely miss Lu Yin's head and slash through the void.

Far away, Zhan Ming saw the serrated blade’s slash sweeping towards him, and he hastily raised his defenses.

The attack grazed his body, and blood flew into space.

Lu Yin used the Dao of One Heavens to evade the serrated blade while launching his own counterattack. Infinity surged through him and merged with both the power that he had accumulated with Extremes Must Be Reversed and his battle force. In his Nine Heavens Transformation state, the power reached a previously unfathomable level. A single finger strike struck Emperor Wu’s Treasureform armor and caused him to tremble as cracks spread over it like a spider web. Despite Emperor Wu’s defenses having reached an even more terrifying level than ever, he was still unable to stop Lu Yin’s attack.

The finger attack shattered the Treasureform armor and also pierced Emperor Wu’s body that had been reinforced with his innate gift of Hardening. Even then, the attack continued on, shooting across the universe straight at Jiu Xian.

She reacted instantly and shifted the shockwave of the attack. Even so, Jiu Xian was forced back. When she looked down, she saw that a bruise had already appeared on her arm. Even an attack that had already struck Emperor Wu still contained this much force.