Star Odyssey

Chapter 3195: A Losing Deal

Reversing time by one second meant that all of Lu Yin's injuries had been completely undone. The blood-red figure was also returned to its original position, which meant its sword was raised up high. While the figure seemed a bit confused, it also did not seem concerned at all. If one attack failed, another would settle things.

However, as the sword blade descended, the blood-red figure started to dissipate into particles of light. The dissipation started at the tip of the sword, spread down the length of the blade, continued down the figure’s arm, and eventually enveloped the entire blood-red figure.

The figure glanced around in confusion before its gaze finally locked onto Lu Yin. It met Lu Yin's eyes and, right before it disappeared, it gestured for silence.

It still seemed to be smiling.

The blood-red figure completely disappeared from the Mirari Realm.

Everything in the surrounding area returned to normal.

The mist started slowly drifting around again, the River of Time flowing once more. It was as if everything that had just happened had been nothing more than an illusion.

Lu Yin hurried over to Hongyan Mavis. "Senior!"

She was still laying on the ground with blood covering her entire body. Lu Yin quickly raised her up. "Senior!"

When she spoke, Hongyan Mavis sounded bitter. "Sorry, I wasn’t able to help."

Lu Yin shook his head. "No one could have predicted something like that."

Hongyan Mavis stared up at the sky, lost in thought. "When you first told us about the Lost Clan’s past, I didn't completely believe it. I thought, how could there be some invincible being? Even when Master was at his peak, there were clear limits to his strength, and all of us disciples were able to at least fight back a bit.

"Now, I believe it."

She looked back down at Lu Yin, her expression more serious than ever. "We've stirred up something very dangerous."

Lu Yin had the same feeling. "That wasn't Tian Fa just now."

"Tian Fa delivers heaven’s punishment, but what we just saw... that might have been 'Heaven' itself," Hongyan Mavis mused.

Lu Yin felt a bitter chill. Heaven?

Corpse God had endured for years, Ye Zhang had created the Giants’ Purgatory, the four Boundary Guardians’ existence, and the history of the Lost clan all pointed to the existence of something beyond the known limits of reality.

There was some being that could easily erase humanity.

This was not good news.

A howl of agony echoed across the area, instantly drawing Lu Yin and Hongyan Mavis's attention. It was Astral Anura.

The toad had also been wounded by a single slash of the blood-red figure’s sword, and it was clear that the wound was rather significant.

Down on the ground, Astral Anura's short legs trembled as he stared up at Lu Yin and Hongyan Mavis with wide eyes. "Look at what you've done."

Lu Yin looked down at Astral Anura, his eyes narrowing. "Are you seriously injured?"

"Obviously!" Astral Anura was about to curse when a chill ran down his back. He looked up at Lu Yin. "Hey, what are you thinking?"

Lu Yin rose to his feet. "All this time, you've helped Aeternus many more times than you've helped us, right?"

"That was just business..."

"Today, I'm going to make a deal with you—I'm going to buy your life." With that, Lu Yin used Inverse Step and charged at the toad. He had been waiting for an opportunity to kill the Dukkhan for a long time.

Astral Anura's multicolored skin grew darker as he swung his steel fork and leaped into the air. "Kid, don't think that you can bully me! Business is business, and anyone who mixes personal feelings into business deserves to die!"

With that, the fork thrust out at Lu Yin.

Despite his seemingly severe injuries, the attack felt incredibly dangerous to Lu Yin. The damned toad had been acting; his injuries were not nearly as bad as they appeared. At this moment, Hongyan Mavis was unable to help Lu Yin, and in a one-on-one fight, Lu Yin had no confidence in being able to kill the toad.

That thought caused Lu Yin to instantly retreat. "This is a losing deal. I'm not fighting anymore."

Astral Anura quickly moved right past Lu Yin, his skin instantly taking on a golden color. The coins around his neck clinked as he grinned at Lu Yin, while the toad’s eyes narrowed into slivers. "Mr. Lu, you really are wise."

Lu Yin smiled. "Of course. In the end, we’re comrades."

Astral Anura bristled at that, and he started glaring at Lu Yin. "Hey, kid, can you stop bringing that up? I had nothing to do with Tian Fa's death. You just want to blame me for it, don't you?"

Lu Yin stared at the toad. "Just tell me, did you attack Tian Fa, or not?"

Astral Anura clenched his jaw. He really wanted to stab Lu Yin with his fork, but the toad was not entirely confident. Despite being a Dukkhan, he was one of the weakest creatures who had surpassed the level of a peak powerhouse, and this was related to the toad’s strength when he had been a peak powerhouse.

Astral Anura had become a peak powerhouse due to the unique nature of his species, but when it came to pure strength, he had been far weaker than any of the Three Realms and Six Daos. Even after becoming an Ortuser, the toad had not been a match for the four Boundary Guardians or Ancient God. His only hope of surpassing his peers was to overcome Dukkha and become an Immortal.

Astral Anura glared fiercely at Lu Yin. The toad knew that, no matter what happened, the kid would force the Boundary Guardians’ enmity onto him. Given the situation, Astral Anura turned his attention to Hongyan Mavis. "What about the path to Immortality that you said is in here? Where is it? Tell me."

Hongyan Mavis scoffed. "Do you think that you're worthy?"

Astral Anura snapped. "I risked my life to help you fight against Tian Fa, and now you're going back on your word?"

"You were forced to fight. You didn’t fulfill any of the conditions of the deal," Lu Yin casually retorted.

Hongyan Mavis instantly followed up, "But I can still tell you."

Astral Anura was about to curse, but he froze at Hongyan Mavis's comment. The toad’s attitude instantly transformed, and he became almost fawning towards the woman. "Go ahead."

Hongyan Mavis's eyes turned cold. "Agree to one condition, and I'll tell you. Don't worry, this has nothing to do with fighting against the Boundary Guardians, Yong Heng, or even Gu Yizhi. This is something you can easily do. It’s very simple."

Astral Anura grew wary. "What's the condition? Let me hear it, first."

Hongyan Mavis spoke calmly, "No matter who asks you, you aren’t allowed to say a single word about Tian Fa’s death."

Astral Anura's mouth fell open as he stared at Hongyan Mavis in a daze. "You're too devious!"

Even Lu Yin was taken aback, as he had not considered this condition. Hongyan Mavis truly was quite cunning. This condition would force Astral Anura to side with humanity.

"I refuse! That’s impossible, absolutely impossible. If the Boundary Guardians ask me, there's no way I can stay silent," Astral Anura immediately rejected.

Hongyan Mavis sighed. "Then there's nothing we can do. You know very well that, when we first offered you the path to Immortality in exchange for your help against Tian Fa, you refused. It wasn't until Little Seven threatened your hoard that you were forced to help us. Isn't that right, Little Seven?"

Lu Yin stared at Astral Anura with a somber expression. "Business is business, and I can't help you with that. You're right, I haven't touched your hoard—all of it still belongs to you. However, regarding the path to Immortality, it looks like you’re not fated for it.

"However, you do have one other option."

Astral Anura stared at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin grinned. "Force us."

Astral Anura rolled his eyes. Despite Hongyan Mavis’s terrible injuries and the fact that Lu Yin was nothing more than a Semi-Progenitor, something about this offer felt off. Lu Yin had the courage to threaten a Dukkhan, and he had used Astral Anura to scheme against Tian Fa. Ths human’s audacity was unfathomable. Lu Yin was absolutely someone who should not be provoked, no matter what.

Suddenly, the toad thought of something, and he pointed his steel fork at Mr. Daheng's corpse. "You knew that I sent Daheng to the Sixverse Association, didn't you?"

Lu Yin sneered. "Did you really think that you could deal with me with that idiot? Toad, you really underestimate me."

Astral Anura clenched his jaw again, and he suddenly wished that he could revive Daheng, just so that he could kill the man again. That fool had been thoroughly manipulated by Lu Yin. If not for Daheng, Astral Anura would not have been forced into such a passive position. He would have rather never entered the Mirari Realm than be dragged into the mess of attacking and killing Tian Fa, especially after seeing that blood-red figure. That individual was utterly terrifying. The toad knew that the situation had escalated far beyond his level.

"Enough. Thinking about such things is meaningless at this point in time. Either you learn the path to Immortality and truly overcome Dukkha, gaining control over everything, or you deal with the situation on your own. Tian Fa is dead, and you fought against it. The four Boundary Guardians will figure things out eventually, and we can even share all the details of what happened. You won’t be able to escape responsibility. Of course, regardless of which path you choose, your hoard will remain yours. I might know where it is, but I won't touch it. You can even go ahead and move it. Now, make your choice," Lu Yin casually stated.

Astral Anura felt trapped. This was too much. Were all humans so cunning? The Aeternals were much easier to deal with. Why did negotiations with humans always involve so much deceit?

The toad felt deeply conflicted. It seemed that no matter which path he chose, he would be targeted by the Boundary Guardians.

There was no doubt that the blood-red figure would also get involved.

Cough, cough!

Lu Yin and the others looked over in surprise. Had the members of Second Life managed to survive?

This far exceeded Lu Yin’s expectations. When Tian Fa had unleashed its most powerful attack, even Heavenly King had been nearly broken, and Astral Anura’s protective leaf had been torn to bits. By all rights, no one from Second Life should have survived. How were they still alive?

Lu Yin distinctly remembered seeing them dead; the pool of blood from their corpses had been rather impressive.

In the distance, Second Zi was laying on the ground, lacking the strength to even stand. Beside her, Second Gu, Second Meng, and Second Shan were all sitting up, gasping for air. Their bodies had clearly been pieced back together, which was evidence that they had been in pieces just moments before.

"Interesting. That has to be some kind of innate gift," Hongyan Mavis remarked in admiration.

Lu Yin stared at the members of Second Life. These people had committed countless evils and all deserved to die, but that did not mean that they were entirely useless.

There was a loud clang as Astral Anura stabbed his steel fork into the ground and glared at Lu Yin and Hongyan Mavis. "Tell me where the path to Immortality lies, and I swear that I won’t say a word about Tian Fa’s death."

Hongyan Mavis nodded. "A wise choice. The path to Immortality is..."

Soon after that, the toad left. He felt resentful and helpless, and he simply wanted to put as much distance between himself and Lu Yin’s group as possible.

Astral Anura had already decided that he would not leave the Mirari Realm until he broke through and became an Immortal. What could the Boundary Guardians do, anyway? Were they capable of entering the Mirari Realm?

Astral Anura would cease to exist in the current megaverse. He would simply vanish and disappear.

"I would say that he’s planning to stay in the Mirari Realm forever," Hongyan Mavis commented.

Lu Yin chuckled. "That’s fine by me. He’s already caused us enough trouble. Things will be a bit quieter with this. Besides, if I ever need to find him again, he won't have any choice but to come with me. I still have a stone that will let me return to the Mirari Realm."

Hongyan Mavis frowned. "The problem is, even if you want to use that toad, he first needs to survive and leave the forbidden zone. I’ve already told you how terrifying that place is. I wouldn’t be surprised if that toad dies in there."

Lu Yin’s heart stirred. "The forbidden zone... Is there really a path to Immortality in there?"

Hongyan Mavis nodded. "That’s what Lassy told us. I told Astral Anura what I believe to be true, so I never lied. Even if what I said wasn’t true, I simply repeated Lassy’s lie."

Lu Yin realized that Hongyan Mavis might be a bit more scheming than he had initially believed.

With Astral Anura gone, Lu Yin finally turned his attention to Second Life.

They were already staring at Lu Yin.

Second Gang was still trapped within Heavenly King, but Shan Gu had fainted, which meant that Second Gang would remain trapped for the time being.

As the mist of time spread across the Mirari Realm, the members of Second Life grew wary of it, and they quickly moved closer to Lu Yin.

Lu Yin started walking towards them.

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