Star Odyssey

Hen Xin stared at the plant-like insects that filled the universe in amazement. They looked like blades of grass. These were Sky Orchids, and they were certainly devouring everything nearby.

"Master, these are Sky Orchids. They can devour anything and reproduce in the Hollow. I never imagined that such creatures could exist," Hen Ye marveled from behind.

Someone had discovered the Sky Orchids and reported the bugs to the Heavens Sect. The ones closest to the reported location had been Hen Xin and his Team Resolution.

They were told to keep watch over the area and prevent the person with the Nest from escaping while they waited for a peak powerhouse to arrive.

The Heavens Sect could not afford to take the discovery of the Sky Orchids lightly.

"Not good! They’re about to escape!" Hen Qi warned, his voice sounding like scraping metal.

Far away, a man stood at the center of the Sky Orchids. His face was flushed red, and his eyes were fierce. After glancing around, he nodded in satisfaction. He waved a hand, and numerous Sky Orchids flew towards his Nest.

Hen Xin frowned. They could not afford to wait any longer. The people who controlled Nests were all extremely cautious, and they usually tore through the void in order to escape. If this person left, Hen Xin would not be able to excuse his failure to Lu Yin. There were already complications between Hen Xin and Lu Yin, and Hen Xin did not want to give Lu Yin any excuses to make trouble for Team Resolution.

This thought prompted Hen Xin to take a step forward. He was a Semi-Progenitor, and he released his domain as he instantly appeared in front of his target. The man looked startled, and that expression remained frozen on his face as Hen Xin attacked, holding nothing back.

The man was only as strong as a Hunter, which meant that he had no way to defend himself against a Semi-Progenitor like Hen Xin. However, right when Hen Xin’s attack was about to land, an indescribable pain shot through his body. The agony caused the man’s movements to stop, and his eyes went wide with shock.

The master of the Nest instantly returned to his senses. He had been careful and had spread multiple Thousand Shards about the area.

The moment that Hen Xin appeared, he had inhaled some of the Thousand Shards’ spines. Pain instantly took hold of him, and for a single moment, he was restrained.

It was during that single moment that the man controlled his Sky Orchids, sending them flying towards Hen Xin. At the same time, Lithic Drakes and Septastar Blades emerged from the Nest, and they also attacked Hen Xin.

The man let out a roar of pain, but he still managed to wave a hand. Wielder-realm battle force easily crushed the insects that surrounded Hen Xin.

Simultaneously, the Lithic Drakes moved together to form the shape of a flying dragon that slammed into Hen Xin. He retaliated with a powerful punch.

There was a loud bang as the Lithic Drakes shattered, one after the other.

10,000 Lithic Drakes were able to unleash the destructive power of a Progenitor, but there were only 1,000 present, which was not even close to the numbers needed to produce the power of a peak powerhouse. At best, these bugs could unleash the power of a Semi-Progenitor. With his Wielder-realm battle force, Hen Xin was a Realmbreaker. Even if there were 10,000 Lithic Drakes present, they might not have been able to withstand the man’s punch.

The master of the Nest was terrified. Hen Xin was an incredible cultivator. The man quickly retreated, protected by the jade butterflies. At the same time, countless Jade Wardens, Sentinel Waltzs, and Thousand Shards swarmed Hen Xin.

He endured the excruciating pain to continue attacking, destroying many of the insects.

Hen Xin had already experienced the agony that was needed to cultivate Wielder - Indestructible battle force, so while the Thousand Shards induced severe pain, it was not much worse than the torment that the man had already endured. He was only momentarily stunned and had already grown accustomed to it.

The man was surprised to see Hen Xin continuing to fight while enduring the pain from the Thousand Shards. Around the two men, Lithic Drakes and Septastar Blades were constantly being destroyed.

The Septastar Blades left many marks on Hen Xin’s body, but they failed to break through his Wielder-realm battle force.

In the distance, Hen Ye and the other members of Team Resolution spread out to surround the area. None of them dared to directly get involved. This was not only because of the pain that the Thousand Shards could induce, but also because the Septastar Blades could instantly kill any of them.

The Septastar Blades moved so fast that only peak powerhouses could detect the bugs’ movements. On top of that, every attack from the Septastar Blades might as well be a slash of a Progenitor’s sword.

Hen Xin was able to endure such attacks thanks to his battle force, but that did not mean that the others could do the same. If they joined the fray, they would be instantly torn apart.

This was the power of a Nest. Team Resolution had been renowned during the Heavens Sect era, and even in the modern era, they were regarded as a powerful team. Even so, they did not dare to approach a mere Hunter. One man, armed with a Nest, forced them all to maintain their distance as he fought against Hen Xin.

There was no denying the strength of a Nest.

This was also why Hen Xin and the others had not been in a rush to take action; too little was known about the Nests.

Fortunately, Hen Xin was able to hold his ground.

One by one, the insects were destroyed. The master of the Nest was unable to break through Hen Xin’s defenses, even with the full might of his Nest. Hen Xin might as well be the man’s nemesis.

The man was not going to be able to hold out for much longer.

Suddenly, Hen San let out a scream of agony, which caused Hen Xin to shift his attention to the member of Team Resolution.

The man’s eyes abruptly flared. “Let’s see just who dies first!”

Right after the pain from the Thousand Shards, the Septastar Blades flew toward Hen San and the others. They were unable to withstand attacks that might as well have come from a peak powerhouse.

Hen Xin hurriedly blocked the attacks, but the man had intentionally slowed the Septastar Blades to let Hen Xin get there in time to protect Hen San and the others. The man used that time to escape.

Killing Hen San and the others was not the man’s goal; he just wanted to escape.

However, he had underestimated Hen Xin. The Semi-Progenitor not only possessed Wielder - Indestructible battle force; he had also cultivated his domain to the Wielder realm, which granted him the ability to manipulate space.

The man’s attempts to tear through the void and escape before a master of a Wielder - Void domain were completely pointless.

The man did not even understand the implications of such a domain.

The Nest had granted him a great deal of power in a very short amount of time, but there was no way to give him the experience necessary to fully wield such power.

Even as he tore the void open, the man realized, much to his horror, that it was utterly impossible to leave.

Hen Xin gathered Hen San and the others in one area, and then turned to look at their target. Hen Xin clenched a fist while releasing his battle force. A solitary punch warped the void, destroying every insect before it. No matter if the attack met Septastar Blades, Lithic Drakes, or the shield formed from the Sentinel Waltzs, all of the bugs were shattered by Hen Xin’s punch.

The man stared blankly at the Semi-Progenitor. There was not a thought in his mind as he felt the shadow of death fall over him.

The universe fell silent. The man could still see Hen Xin. Huh? I’m not dead?

Far away, Hen Xin was similarly astonished. He’s not dead?

At some point in time, an old man had appeared beside the owner of the Nest, and he was examining an Sky Orchid in his hand with great interest. "This little thing really does devour everything. It even dares to consume my power. How interesting."

Hen Xin stared at the old man. "Senior, who might you be? I am Hen Xin, one of the Heavens Sect’s twelve gatemasters."

The old man ignored Hen Xin and instead focused on the owner of the Nest. "Are these bugs useful?"

The man stared at the old man in shock, as the old man was completely unaffected by the pain of the Thousand Shards. Not only that, but the nearby insects also seemed afraid of the old man, which allowed him to approach the man.

"I asked you if these insects are useful."

The question startled the man, and he quickly nodded. "Yes, they're useful."

"Heh, sending an ant like you to fight a Semi-Progenitor, and a Realmbreaker at that? Interesting. So this is a Nest. The Tianyuan Megaverse is truly unfortunate. My people haven't even arrived yet, but these people are already being forced to deal with these insects," the old man gloatingly commented.

Hen Xin’s eyes narrowed. "Senior, who are you?"

The old man finally glanced over at Hen Xin. "Did I give you permission to speak?"

Even as he spoke, Hen San, Hen Qi, and all the other members of Team Resolution exploded and died in the distance.

Hen Xin’s head turned, and he stared blankly at the sight of his companions instantly being reduced to blood. For a moment, he was too stunned to even react.

Team Resolution had followed him for many years, and they had succeeded in surviving both the first Divine Judgment, and more recently, the third Divine Judgment. Despite that, they had all died in the blink of an eye.

Hen Xin could not accept this.

"I am Yuan Qi. Go back and tell your Lord Lu that the Spirit Nidus can offer him a position if he cooperates with us. If not, we won’t need to even lift a finger—these insects will be enough to wipe this place out."

Hen Xin turned back and glared at the old man. The Semi-Progenitor’s eyes were dark and terrifying. "Yuan Qi?"

The old man was indeed Yuan Qi. He should have had white hair and a youthful face, but at this moment, even his face looked quite old.

Yuan Qi sneered, and then he stopped paying any attention to Hen Xin. Instead, the old man looked at the owner of the Nest. "Gather your insects and follow me."

The man did not dare to try to resist, and he immediately gathered all of his insects, returning them to the Nest.

Further back, the Rivers and Mountains Painting appeared, and the man entered it. Just as Yuan Qi was about to leave, Hen Xin spoke up. "Old freak, your name is Yuan Qi, right?"

Yuan Qi’s expression turned cold as he turned back to look at Hen Xin. "How insolent! I chose to spare your life and let you deliver a message, and yet you dare to insult me? I'll make sure that you won’t be able to live or die. This is the perfect opportunity to test just how much pain these Thousand Shards can induce."

Hen Xin clenched his fists. "Pain? There’s no need for you to give me that."

As the Semi-Progenitor spoke, a purplish-black substance started to break off of his body and spread out in all directions. A powerful aura that felt similar to battle force swept out. Hen Xin was triggering his breakthrough.

Yuan Qi was surprised. "Breaking through to become a peak powerhouse? I’ve seen this path before. This is the same as that Ancient God, right? Hmph, while this is certainly interesting, are you really trying to break through in front of me? Who do you think you are?"

The old man raised a hand, and it enlarged countless times. Hen Xin was completely surrounded, and the battle force that he had released was also captured. There was a sudden burst of force, and the void shattered. Hen Xin shattered along with the void, and blood scattered across the region.

"Ridiculous ant." Yuan Qi sneered with contempt before turning to leave.

Just as he was about to enter the Rivers and Mountains Painting, the universe around him changed. Yuan Qi spun around as a figure appeared in the distance. "Do you think that you can just leave after you kill my people?"

Yuan Qi stared at the newcomer, and a smirk suddenly touched his lips. "It’s you.

"Shouldn’t you be enjoying a peaceful life in the Heavens Sect? There isn’t not much time left for this Tianyuan Megaverse, Lord Lu."

Lu Yin had arrived. As soon as the report from Hen Xin and the others had been delivered and the Heavens Sect had learned that Sky Orchids had appeared, Lu Yin had immediately headed out. Sky Orchids posed a grave threat, and not many peak powerhouses were staying in the Heavens Sect. The Outer Eight Paths had all headed out to search for Nests, which left Lu Yin himself as the only suitable option.

Unexpectedly, he had arrived to find Yuan Qi, right as the old man had been about to enter his Rivers and Mountains Painting. While Lu Yin had not witnessed Hen Xin’s death, the mass of blood was enough to tell the whole story. Lu Yin had arrived too late, and he could not even reverse time with Lightstream to save them.

"I don’t know how much time this Tianyuan Megaverse has left, but your time is already up." Lu Yin attacked. His inner universe had already been released, enveloping the entire area and pushing back the laws of the universe. Earthen spears formed and shot at Yuan Qi from all directions.

The old man’s eyes grew cold. There was no one else around. It was just Lu Yin. Yuan Qi’s bloodlust spiked. If he could use this opportunity to eliminate Lu Yin, there would be no one else in the Tianyuan Megaverse who could unite humanity. Lu Yin’s death would be a critical blow to the megaverse.

Yuan Qi could choose to enter his Rivers and Mountains Painting and simply leave, but he was greedy, and his desire to kill Lu Yin caused the old man to move forward instead of retreating. Yuan Qi reached out towards the approaching spears, and one by one, they all shattered. None of them were capable of stopping the old man’s hands for even a moment.

"Veilparter! Even if my sequence particles can’t get close to you, I can still use my bare hands to tear you apart, child."

OMA's Thoughts

Translated By: OMA

Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox

TLC'ed By: OMA