Chapter 3363: The Coordinates Of Time

Soon, a figure appeared, and it started making its way towards the stone gate.

Nearby, Wu Tian and several others looked over, carefully watching the person.

The man was clearly anxious and did not want to be there at all, but the situation left him with no other choice. He could only force himself to move toward the stone gate.

If the Tianyuan Megaverse’s experts took action, he would be doomed.

At this moment, not only were people from the Tianyuan Megaverse watching, but Meng Sang was also observing from the distance. The man was being used to test Lu Yin, to let Meng Sang see how he would react.

Lu Yin was immediately informed, but he remained indifferent to the report. How Meng Sang chose to test Lu Yin was the Seraph’s own business.

The man safely made it through the stone gate, where he breathed a sigh of relief. Since he had passed through the gate, he could escape, though he might still not be able to actually get away.

Past the stone gate was the path to the Spirit Nidus. It might as well be endless, but even that was better than dying in the Tianyuan Megaverse.

Soon, another person moved towards the stone gate. It was another cultivator from the Spirit Nidus.

Then a second, a third, and a fourth.

Meng Sang hid among those he sent out to test Lu Yin. If the Tianyuan Megaverse did decide to take action, they might find Meng Sang, or they might not. Meng Sang was careful to control the situation; all the people he forced to move to the stone gate were ordinary peak powerhouses. They were specifically chosen so that the Tianyuan Megaverse would not feel overly threatened.

After a fifth person made the journey, no one else moved towards the stone gate. That was because the last person had been Meng Sang himself.

He arrived outside the stone gate, as he had wanted. From this position, even if the Tianyuan Megaverse gave chase, the Seraph would have enough time to escape.

It was time to start building the springboard.

A springboard was a type of astral phenomenon. When the first one had been discovered by the Spirit Nidus, they could only describe it as magical as they had never seen one before. springboards were formations that used the power of the omniverse itself to hurl anything that approached it far away. Its intrinsic power was beyond human imagination, and it might even surpass what Immortals were capable of.

Without such power, it would be impossible to travel between two megaverses in a mere decade.

When the springboard had first been discovered, the Spirit Nidus studied it for a very long time before they finally learned how to use it. That discovery had thrilled the entire Spirit Nidus, as everyone had believed that it would allow them to use the springboard to reach the Consciousness Megaverse more easily, thereby speeding up the megaverse’s defeat.

However, there would always be wise individuals who could see a potential crisis.

A springboard was not a one-in-a-billion random astral phenomena, but rather one that could only occur between megaverses. Since they had found it, then others could have as well. If a civilization more advanced than the Spirit Nidus had already identified how to use a springboard and was monitoring it, then any civilization that used it would end up in serious trouble.

A civilization that was capable of monitoring the springboards would invariably be far more advanced than one that had just discovered it. The ability to monitor such a thing hinted at a confidence of controlling all variables, which was a terrible threat to any civilization that had only recently discovered the springboard.

The Spirit Nidus’s initial excitement transformed into a rather bleak outlook in just a few years.

The Spirit Nidus as a whole quickly embraced the pessimistic point of view. One could say that the moment such a perspective spread, it was accepted by the Spirit Nidus’s inhabitants at an astonishing speed. It was as if such fear had been engraved into their very bones. Humanity's natural fear of the unknown had swiftly taken hold, and even the High Seraph had stayed silent.

From that moment forward, using the springboard became taboo. Regardless of the circumstances, using it was avoided. Even if this decision meant delaying the Consciousness Megaverse’s defeat by countless years, the Spirit Nidus still refrained from using the springboard.

As time passed, countless people wasted their lives while traveling to the Consciousness Megaverse, and many died in the war, due to the lack of reinforcements. Those people may have felt resentment before dying, but no one would ever consider using the springboard until their final moment.

The fear of using it came from their very souls.

For countless years, the Spirit Nidus rarely ever used the springboard, though it did happen more than once. Usually, they focused on simply studying the astral phenomenon.

Given the fact that they suspected other civilizations of monitoring the springboard, the Spirit Nidus aspired to accomplish the same thing.

Over the years, the Spirit Nidus's greatest achievements were twofold: first, they suppressed the Consciousness Megaverse. Defeating the megaverse and resetting it were only a matter of time. The second was thoroughly researching the springboard. They had even succeeded in creating miniature springboards, and their production time was constantly shortening.

At the moment, they only needed about three years to build a springboard.

Even with the strength of a Dukkhan, like one of the Seven Seraphs, it would still take three years to produce an astral phenomenon, which gave an idea of just how powerful the final product would be. However, they did not build a real springboard. At best, the manufactured ones would only cover one-tenth of a real springboard’s distance. In other words, while the Spirit Nidus could reach the Tianyuan Megaverse in just ten years by using the real springboard, it would take at least forty years to make the trip with their handmade springboards, as both the distance and production time had to be taken into account.

This was already an ideal situation. Should any mishap occur along the way, the time needed to make the journey could be extended indefinitely.

The fact that Meng Sang had started constructing the springboard set Lu Yin at ease. With this, things would simply be a matter of luck.

If the Spirit Nidus’s reinforcements set out before the springboard was completed, then no one would be able to stop them.

For the time being, there was something that Lu Yin had wanted to do for a long time anyways.

He tore through space and left the Heavens Sect. He made his way to the Immemorial Citadel. He wanted to find Mister Mu and learn Origin Tracer.

“You want to learn Origin Tracer?” Mister Mu asked.

Lu Yin nodded and bowed low. “I ask for your permission to learn it, Master. I know that you said that I can only learn one of your ultimate techniques, but Origin Tracer is crucial to me. If at all possible, I would like to learn it.”

Lightstream was a boat that could sail across the River of Aeons, but doing so only allowed Lu Yin to see flashes of scenes, and he had no way of determining his coordinates. Each time he set sail, he essentially moved like a ship lost at sea, as there was no sense of direction.

If he could learn Origin Tracer, then it would be possible to use moments of time that were not part of the River of Aeons as coordinates. Lu Yin could locate various moments in the past by himself, or he could even use moments when he had traveled at the speed of time as coordinate points, which would allow his future self to locate the past. This could be used as a means of sending messages to his future self.

Without Origin Tracer, Lu Yin would always have to rely on Senior Sister Mu Zhu and his senior disciple brothers, which was much too inconvenient.

Mister Mu nodded. "Given your mastery of the power of time, you are certainly capable of learning Origin Tracer.

"The reason why I initially told you that you could only learn one of my ultimate techniques was because each of the two techniques are incredibly difficult to master, let alone simultaneously. I only succeeded through pure chance. You walk a path similar to Tai Chu’s, but not even he could sever the River of Aeons, regardless of his strength.

"However, you are unique, given the number of energies you’ve cultivated. It appears that the more you cultivate, the better it will be for you."

Lu Yin was overjoyed. "Thank you, Master."

Mister Mu sighed. "I should be the one thanking you. You, I, and Tai Chu are all walking different paths, though you encompass everything. The day may come when, in you, we may see the true culmination of all paths. That is a cultivator’s lifelong wish.

"Origin Tracer, once cultivated to a full mastery, can sever the River of Aeons. Used well, such power can offer benefits to many. But if not, it can plunge the megaverse itself into chaos. There are things in this megaverse that can be traced back to what was done to the River of Aeons and the anchoring of the Mirari Realm. You need to remember this."

Lu Yin replied, "Master, that isn’t your fault. Anchoring the Mirari Realm here and severing the River of Aeons were nothing more than catalysts that revealed conflicts and conspiracies. Without your actions, the Spirit Nidus might have attacked at an unknown point in time, and it’s even possible that the Tianyuan Megaverse would have already been reset.

"The only reason why we have the strength to oppose the Spirit Nidus is because the Mirari Realm is anchored here, allowing the time of various universes here to flow faster. There is a cause and effect to everything."

Mister Mu's eyes flickered. Cause and effect. Cause and effect...

...

In the blink of an eye, two years passed.

During these two years, there was no sign of True God or his followers. Progenitor Chen had continued to pursue Forgotten Ruins God, but he had found only various insects.

The round-faced old man and Bao Qi also had not revealed themselves; the Spirit Nidus’s two Seraphs had gone into hiding.

Tian Ci had succeeded in escaping from the battle at the Tianyuan Megaverse’s boundary, only to be executed by Lu Yin in the Heavens Sect. For that reason, all of the invaders were extremely cautious.

Meng Sang continued working on the springboard outside the stone gate. Lu Yin had observed the process from a distance several times, and he had gotten a faint glimpse at the wondrous astral phenomenon. He did not know how long it would take to finish the construction.

As for Origin Tracer, it had not been difficult for Lu Yin to learn it. His mastery of the power of time had already been exceptional, which had allowed him to progress twice as fast in learning Origin Tracer.

He frequently sailed along the River of Aeons, using Origin Tracer to seek moments of time that were not part of the river. Lightstream devoured those moments, growing tougher and stronger.

Moments of time that were cast off from the River of Aeons frequently appeared on battlefields like the Scourge, the Immemorial Citadel, and the megaverse’s boundary. They were created by the actions of Lu Yin and a number of other peak powerhouses.

Lu Yin also saw the moment when Progenitor Chen had been gravely injured while taking Forgotten Ruins God’s attacks, only to recover by skipping time.

Lu Yin had Lightstream devour that moment, which eliminated a hidden danger for Progenitor Chen.

No one would be able to find that moment and use it to harm Progenitor Chen in the future.

Of course, no one should have been able to find that moment to begin with, unless they had learned Origin Tracer.

Origin Tracer was the only technique that allowed one to precisely locate moments of time that were no longer part of the River of Aeons.

Lu Yin also saw his own image again, which soured his mood.

Could it have been Master Qing Cao? Had he been the one monitoring Lu Yin throughout his life? Someone had been observing Lu Yin for a very long time, which he had discovered when he first fished in the River of Aeons while in the Mirari Realm. Back then, the knowledge had sent a chill down his spine. Even now, it was just as disturbing to see it again.

Aside from someone as powerful as Master Qing Cao, Lu Yin could not think of anyone else who was capable of monitoring him in such a way.

No matter what strategies Lu Yin concocted for the war against the Spirit Nidus, ultimately, they would need to confront one person: Master Qing Cao.

Lu Yin could only hope that Master Qing Cao would be restricted by his chain of karma. That was the Tianyuan Megaverse’s only hope for survival.

Unfortunately, that was a thin thread of hope.

All who had faced the Immortal had been defeated.

The Lost Clan’s Third Rampart had been home to powerhouses like their Royal Regent, and yet they had still fallen to the Immortal Lord.

Mister Mu's megaverse had also fallen to an invincible being.

This time, the Tianyuan Megaverse would face an Immortal as well.

The pressure of this prospect was unimaginable to ordinary people.

Lu Yin found that he needed to fish more and more, in order to calm his mind.

He stared off into the distance, wondering what Destiny had actually seen, and he thought about the chance to restart.

...

Under a starry sky, countless meteors linked together to form a ring. Above it, Yan Gang excitedly looked at the flickering light in front of him. “Such a treasure! Such a treasure! My lord, this is amazing!”

Nearby, Skydog barked, though it only gave the glowing light a cursory glance.

Forgotten Ruins God grew curious. "It’s just a little Enlighter-level insect. What’s so amazing about it?"

Yan Gang remained excited. “While its fire is visible to the naked eye, it’s hard to avoid. This bug is called a Firefly Menace, and its heart-fire can burn all living creatures. Anyone who sees this insect will not be able to avoid being burned. While it may be weak and only at the Enlighter level, its advantage lies in how its fire is completely unavoidable and its vast numbers.”

Forgotten Ruins God scoffed. “It doesn’t sound any different from the rest of the bugs.”

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