Star Odyssey

Wang Xiaoyu’s innate gift was truly unique. Only if most of the nearby people recognized the one who held the scepter as a qualified ruler would the scepter do nothing. Otherwise, it would harm the one who held it.

Progenitor Chen was incredibly powerful, and he was practically peerless, but that did not mean that he was qualified to be a ruler. Such things were completely independent of each other.

Clearly, within the Rivers and Mountains Painting, there was no one who recognized Progenitor Chen as a ruler. He was strong, but not a ruler.

The scepter again appeared in Progenitor Chen’s hand, and Wang Xiaoyu’s voice echoed in his ear, "Can you hold the king’s scepter?"

A beam of light pierced the man’s body, and Progenitor Chen took a step back after being wounded by the scepter a second time.

Right after that, the scepter immediately reappeared.

One beam of light after another stabbed through Progenitor Chen’s body. He stared at Wang Xiaoyu, his eyes filled with disbelief and other complicated emotions.

Forgotten Ruins God moved closer to Wang Xiaoyu and raised her hand.

Progenitor Chen's eyes flared, and he crushed the scepter that had appeared in his hand, which caused Wang Xiaoyu to suffer backlash and be wounded. She coughed up blood, but the man did not have the time to focus on such things. "Wang Miaomiao, stop!"

Forgotten Ruins God’s hand hovered above Wang Xiaoyu’s head, a sinister smile on her lips. Her aura was deep and dangerous, giving the impression of a black rose blooming in the depths of an abyss. She was beautiful, but deadly. "The scepter can’t kill you, Xia Shang. Xiaoyu is much too weaker than you. However, what if she dies?"

Wang Xiaoyu coughed and then wiped the blood from her lips as she turned her head. "Ancestor, are you going to kill me?"

Forgotten Ruins God sighed. She looked quite helpless at the moment. "Xiaoyu, I don’t have a choice. Xia Shang is not an easy opponent, and he’s also not targeting us because of me, but rather because of you. So tell me, should I use you to threaten him?"

Wang Xiaoyu's eyes turned cold. "I have never betrayed you, Ancestor."

Forgotten Ruins God’s smile chilled as well. "Which is why you should help me."

Progenitor Chen watched from a distance, surprised that Forgotten Ruins God would threaten him with Wang Xiaoyu’s life. "Wang Miaomiao, I won’t stop you. Leave the Rivers and Mountains Painting, Xiaoyu, the Nest, and you can leave."

Forgotten Ruins God gave Progenitor Chen a sly smile. "The only reason why you were able to find me is because of this mark that you left on my face. It disgusts me, Xia Shang. What you’ve done to me isn’t something that can be settled so easily."

"What do you want?" Progenitor Chen’s expression slipped.

Forgotten Ruins God inched closer to Wang Xiaoyu, leaning towards her face while gently stroking her hair. "Look at this girl. She once loved you so much, and she even saved your life. She would call out your name in her dreams. Don’t you think that you owe her something?

"The reason why you’re still alive is only thanks to her. Do you know why she betrayed the Fifth Mainland?"

Wang Xiaoyu shouted, "Ancestor!"

Forgotten Ruins God let out a little giggle. "Fine, I won’t say anymore."

She turned back to look at Progenitor Chen. "Xia Shang, you owe her more than what you can imagine."

Progenitor Chen stared at Wang Xiaoyu. "What’s going on?"

Wang Xiaoyu met the man’s gaze. "I’ve never regretted betraying the Fifth Mainland. I’ve cultivated divine energy. Aeternus is everything to me!"

Progenitor Chen shifted his attention back to Forgotten Ruins God. "Wang Miaomiao, what do you want? Just come out with it."

Forgotten Ruins God licked her lips, her smile gaining an edge once more. "Simple: go back to Burial Garden and stay there for a thousand years without ever leaving."

Progenitor Chen’s eyes flashed.

"What do you say? What I’m asking doesn’t harm you personally, and I’m also not forcing you to betray humanity. Quite simple, isn’t it?" Forgotten Ruins God spoke slowly.

Progenitor Chen stared at the woman. "I can’t agree to that."

Forgotten Ruins God’s eyebrow rose. "Do you no longer care about Wang Xiaoyu’s life? You should be willing to do anything for her."

"Give the Rivers and Mountains Painting and the Nest to Lu Yin. I’ll give you three attacks. I won’t resist, counterattack, or dodge," Progenitor Chen offered in a frigid tone.

Forgotten Ruins God laughed coyly. "No resistance? No counterattacks? No dodging? Xia Shang, are you trying to die?"

"Wang Miaomiao, this grudge between us has dragged on for far too long. It’s time to end things. The Heavens Sect had been reestablished, and I have no regrets even if I die. However, you must turn the Rivers and Mountains Painting and the Nest over to Lu Yin. After I survive three of your attacks, you must also tell me the details about Xiaoyu’s situation. Those are my terms. Do you agree, or not?" Progenitor Chen challenged.

"Hehe, is that even worth it? If you want to know about Xiaoyu, just ask me yourself. Are these things, this little Rivers and Mountains Painting and Nest, really worth your life?" Forgotten Ruins God’s eyes flickered, and she glanced over at Yan Gang. She felt that she understood Xia Shang, and she did not think that he was someone who sought death. In that case, why was he giving her such an offer? Were these two items really more valuable than the man’s life?

While the Rivers and Mountains Painting made sense, given that it was a sequence base that could potentially reveal the Spirit Nidus’s cultivation methods, how could the Nest be so important?

Progenitor Chen frowned. "Do you agree or not?"

Yan Gang trembled. He was too scared to make a single sound. This was not a situation where he had any say at all.

Forgotten Ruins God’s breath tickled the back of Wang Xiaoyu’s neck. "Xiaoyu, what do you think? Should I agree, or not?"

Wang Xiaoyu spoke calmly. "Can you kill him with three attacks?"

"That should be enough." Forgotten Ruins God’s eyes flickered with a cruel glint as she licked her lips.

Wang Xiaoyu stared at Progenitor Chen, who stared back. "It’s worth taking this opportunity to eliminate one of humanity’s greatest powerhouses. Even Lord Yong Heng himself has praised Xia Shang as the most talented fighter in all of history. He will always be a grave threat."

Progenitor Chen’s expression fell.

Forgotten Ruins God giggled again. "Xia Shang, did you hear that? Do you want to retract your offer?

"Wait, we probably shouldn’t antagonize him too much. He might end up losing hope and abandon his feelings for you. He might even take back his entire offer, hehe."

Progenitor Chen clasped his hands behind his back. "I’ve already made my offer, and I won’t regret my words. Give the Rivers and Mountains Painting and the Nest to Lu Yin, and after three attacks, tell me about Xiaoyu. Wang Miaomiao, do you agree or not?"

"Alright, I agree. Xia Shang, you are destined to die," Forgotten Ruins God said with a sneer.

"Give me the Rivers and Mountains Painting and the Nest first. I’ll endure your three attacks here in this universe," Progenitor Chen stated.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Forgotten Ruins God’s brow rose. "Give you the items first? What if you’re trying to deceive me?"

"You are controlling Xiaoyu." That one sentence was enough to convince Forgotten Ruins God.

If Xiaoyu did not matter to Xia Shang, he could have easily attacked and forcefully taken the Rivers and Mountains Painting and the Nest away. There was no need for him to use such an elaborate plan. Besides, the sequence base and the Nest were not vitally important; they were valuable, but not irreplaceable.

"You’ll get one item now, either the Rivers and Mountains Painting or the Nest. You’ll get the second after my third attack," Forgotten Ruins God stated.

Progenitor Chen's eyes flashed. "Agreed."

In the middle of a universe, Forgotten Ruins God stood in front of Progenitor Chen, accompanied by Wang Xiaoyu and Yan Gang.

"Give me the Rivers and Mountains Painting," Progenitor Chen calmly demanded.

The Heavens Sect had already destroyed many Nests, which meant that the sequence base was far more important to the Heavens Sect. The painting was one of the Spirit Nidus’s ten sequence bases, which made it invaluable.

Forgotten Ruins God sighed. "I’m already regretting this. This thing is one of the Spirit Nidus’s greatest treasures. Is such a thing really worth Xia Shang’s life?"

"If you refuse to agree, you won’t be leaving this place today. If you kill Xiaoyu, I’ll kill you as well. If it comes down to it, I’m willing to die with her. You already know that I don’t fear death," Progenitor Chen said plainly.

Forgotten Ruins God rolled her eyes. "Hmph, who doesn’t fear death? Still, since I already agreed, I won’t go back on my word."

With that, she waved a hand, and the Rivers and Mountains Painting was sent over to Progenitor Chen.

He accepted the sequence base and immediately tore the void open and pushed the Mountains and Rivers Painting through the spatial tear. It was connected to the Origin Universe.

Forgotten Ruins God did not try to stop the man, and she simply watched as the Rivers and Mountains Painting was sent to the Origin Universe. The treasure had been sent beyond her reach.

"First strike." Forgotten Ruins God raised a hand, and nine massive wolf heads appeared across the starry sky. They were her Sky-Devouring Nine Wolves.

This was a battle technique that Forgotten Ruins God frequently employed. Lu Yin and his allies were all familiar with this attack. However, none of them knew that her Sky-Devouring Nine Wolves had a second, hidden attack. Forgotten Ruins God rarely used the secret feature because it took too long to activate, and in an actual battle, no opponent would give her the time needed to use the attack. But at this moment, she was able to do so.

Above the vast starry sky, the nine massive wolf heads continuously flickered before they eventually merged into one.

"Wolfbane." The massive wolf head seemed to swallow the entire universe, and absolute darkness appeared as the wolf head shot towards Progenitor Chen.

Boom!

The nearby universe warped and shattered, exposing the Hollow. The damage spread out in all directions.

Progenitor Chen spat out a mouthful of blood. The Heavenly Wolf's Wrath continued to tear at his body. He could see nothing but darkness and blood.

The pain of his flesh being torn apart felt like being killed by a thousand cuts. The Heavenly Wolf's Wrath managed to pierce almost the entire way through the man’s body.

While the attack did not last particularly long, the agony that Progenitor Chen endured made it feel endless.

He gasped for breath as he stood in outer space. He looked down and saw that large portions of his flesh had been bitten off from his chest. He could clearly see his internal organs, and even his bones had shattered.

"The first attack." Progenitor Chen's eyes grew cold as he looked up at Forgotten Ruins God.

Far away, the woman’s lips curled up into a smile. "How does that taste, Xia Shang?"

"Enough talk. Bring the second attack," Progenitor Chen shouted, his voice rough.

Forgotten Ruins God ran a hand down her own face. "There was no way that attack would kill you, but it certainly brought about enough suffering. That’s the price for marking my face in the past, Xia Shang. Back then, you were invincible, and your nine clones allowed you to dominate everything. No one dared to challenge you when you were at your peak. Did you ever think that you'd eventually experience such pain at my hands?

"Emotions truly are humanity's greatest weakness. Even little Lu Yin shares that same weakness. It seems that I’ll have to adjust my approach for dealing with him.

"He's much more difficult to handle than you are."

As she finished speaking, her entire aura shifted. Once more, she gave the impression of a black rose blossoming in the depths of the abyss. The surrounding stars swirled about, as though circling the abyss. All that could be seen were black roses blooming throughout space.

Progenitor Chen looked up and stared at the dark, beautiful rose up above. His expression grew heavy.

This black rose was Forgotten Ruins God’s Progenitor’s world. It was a tool that she rarely used, even when fighting against the Fifth Mainland or the Sixverse Association. A person’s Progenitor’s world reflected their earlier inner world, and Forgotten Ruins God had kept her inner world hidden as much as possible.

At this moment, she had no choice but to reveal it. This was her second attack, and if possible, she intended to kill Progenitor Chen with it.

The black rose entered the man’s body, and Progenitor Chen closed his eyes. As he did so, dark petals bloomed within him. He dropped to one knee, holding himself up with the void. His pupils dilated as he gasped for breath. The sudden blossoming of the black rose was a  beautiful sight, but he was also overcome with the sensation of death.

He would not resist, counterattack, or dodge. He endured the full power of Forgotten Ruins God's Progenitor’s world, and Progenitor Chen nearly broke.

At that moment, he found himself envying Ku Jie. If Progenitor Chen possessed Ku Jie’s Extremes Must Be Reversed, he would not be able to endure just three attacks from Forgotten Ruins God, but rather thirty.

Ku Jie's defenses were truly monstrous.

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA