Chapter 4196: Traced

The instant the final stroke was completed, heaven and earth ceased to exist. Darkness swallowed Lu Yin’s vision, leaving him able to see nothing at all. It lasted only for a moment. Before he could think, color flooded the blackened firmament.

A colossal tree stood before him, its crown rising beyond sight. Multicolored radiance flowed upward from its base like countless rivers, converging at the canopy and cascading down as drooping branches.

Those branches shimmered with countless hues, breaking apart into drifting motes of light that fell slowly through the void, like fireflies in the night.

Lu Yin could not tell how far the branches extended. All he could see was color, replacing everything.

Lu Yin had seen this scene before. He was looking at exactly what he had witnessed when the red line had entered his star of divine energy. This was Obscura’s base.

His head abruptly turned to look to the side. His back was to the side of a cliff, whose wall was steep and dark. Branches hung down from the tree and blocked his line of sight. In the hazy distance, he could make out floating coffins, though he could not distinguish their colors.

He then looked downward. There were other coffins hanging there while beneath his feet lay a bottomless abyss. As the multicolored motes of light fell, he could vaguely make out some familiar shapes: gates. There were endless gates. The space beneath him was filled with nothing but gates.

Had he traveled to Obscura’s headquarters in person?

No. His body had not made the journey. What had appeared was the red floating coffin and his own consciousness.

It’s my consciousness, right? He clenched a fist. Yes, it was only his consciousness.

“The red coffin. It’s been a long time. I really miss seeing Qi Xu.” A voice echoed from somewhere. It drew Lu Yin’s attention, though he had no idea which direction the voice came from.

“Heheh, Qi Xu is already dead. It’s the child who’s just appeared here.”

“What kind of child?”

“A tender little fellow, with soft skin and everything.”

“Hahahaha!”

“Haha...”

Lu Yin remained silent. All of these voices belonged to Obscura’s powerhouses. He tried to tell them apart, as he wanted to learn just how many experts Obscura really had.

Qi Xu, Lan Meng, Hui, and Che had all been incredibly powerful Immortals. There was no such thing as a single simple character within Obscura.

The fact that Master Qing Cao did not have his own coffin meant that he was not a true member of Obscura. Was that because he was unqualified?

It was likely that the average Immortal did not even qualify to join.

“He’s just an Aberrant. It’s not like we’ve never killed one before.”

“Do not underestimate this little fellow. He is even able to teleport, and he took control of Qi Xu’s line and coffin. He is not simple.”

“Child... did you kill Hui?”

Everyone fell silent and quietly waited to hear Lu Yin’s answer.

He did a quick count. Five creatures had spoken so far. He had been able to distinguish five distinct voices, none of which belonged to Lan Meng. That meant there were at least seven beings hanging from the cliff, himself included.

Even if he did not consider himself, that meant six powerhouses. Right, Che hasn’t spoken yet, which means that there are at least seven powerful Immortals. It’s also possible that these are not all of Obscura’s Immortals.

“Child, we asked you a question. What’s wrong? Do you not want to answer, or do you not lack the courage?”

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. “I killed him.”

The cliffside fell silent.

“Interesting. You were able to kill Hui?”

Lu Yin replied, “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Hui is not someone a mere Aberrant such as you could cross cultivation realms to kill. Who helped you? The one who shattered the silver coffin was absolutely not you.”

“That was also me.”

“Child, do you take us for fools?”

Lu Yin could not hold back a chuckle. “You aren’t exactly brilliant.”

“Hahahaha! Old man, he got you. This kid’s got quite a personality.”

“Hahahaha!”

“Hmph! Child, do you realize that I have more than 10,000 ways to kill you?”

Lu Yin was unconcerned. “Are you ignoring the fact that I was invited to Obscura?”

“An invitation is merely an invitation. You have not joined Obscura yet.”

“The cosmos can attest to my sincerity regarding Obscura.”

Everyone was struck speechless.

“...Child, you-”

“Change how you address me. Call me Seventh Bro,” Lu Yin said in a casual tone. Master Qing Cao had told Lu Yin that his real body would not be sent to Obscura’s base, which made things far easier to handle. After all, nothing would actually happen to him.

The member of Obscura who had extended the invitation to Lu Yin had not said a word so far. It was clear that they wanted to see how Lu Yin would handle the group of old monsters.

Did Lu Yin care about the old monsters? Of course he did. No one in Obscura could be easy to deal with. Still, if he could coerce them into revealing their identities, that would be perfect.

There should be others who did not dare to visit Obscura’s base with their true bodies. If Lu Yin wanted to gain a better understanding of Obscura, he would need to use strong ploys. Taking things slowly might never get him anywhere.

There were a few matters that made joining Obscura a genuine problem. First, there was the fear that the invitation was just a trap. Second, the hatred that humanity held for Obscura mattered to him. Third, there were the missions that Obscura had assigned to their members.

Obscura’s goal was to annihilate other civilizations. Lu Yin had no personal interest in destroying foreign civilizations, but joining Obscura meant that he would have to accept those missions.

The sooner he learned about Obscura, the sooner he would be able to bring such days to an end.

Since these old monsters wanted to provoke him, he would see who succeeded in provoking whom.

“Child, you are extremely bold.”

“If you want to know just how bold I am, ask Lan Meng,” Lu Yin retorted.

Inside the blue floating coffin, Lan Meng opened its eyes. What did it have anything to do with what they were talking about?

“Lan Meng, has this little fellow always been so outrageous?”

Lan Meng ignored the question.

“Old man, not even Lan Meng can be bothered with you,” Lu Yin mocked.

“Lan Meng, how strong is this brat? It’s impossible that he was the one to kill Hui, right?”

Lan Meng was just about to speak, but Lu Yin interjected, “Lan Meng knows everything, but it simply refuses to talk. What can you do about it?”

“Lan Meng, answer me!” The creature was clearly growing angry.

Lan Meng felt helpless. What did any of this have to do with it? “Lu Yin, is it? Where do you think you are? This is Obscura. Watch your words!”

Lu Yin sounded surprised. “What do I need to watch out for? Aren’t you still here?”

“Are you two in cahoots?”

“How could that be possible? Lan Meng only ever wanted to bring its friend in. What was the name? Kuang or something? The moment this little fellow appeared, he took the opening. Lan Meng would love nothing more than to butcher this child. Besides, Lan Meng’s mission was to wipe out that human civilization, and now its mission has failed, hasn’t it? There’s not even any reward, haha.”

“Lan Meng, I heard that you waited a very long time for that reward, and you only went to investigate that human civilization after you weren’t able to wait any longer. You did manage to confirm Qi Xu’s death and became quite excited, but now that you’ve failed your mission, aren’t you quite disappointed?”

“I’m rather curious, Lan Meng. What kind of reward were you seeking?”

Lan Meng did not reply. These bastards!

Lu Yin had already gleaned something useful. Lan Meng had taken the initiative to check on the human megaverses because it was seeking a reward. If not for that, it would have never approached them.

This meant that, if not for that matter, Obscura still would not have cared about how Qi Xu’s mission had ended. How despicable. Lan Meng had deliberately gone looking to make trouble for them.

Also, completing missions comes with rewards.

There was one more detail: Lu Yin had taken Kuang’s place. That was important. Kuang was someone with the qualifications to join Obscura, which meant that they were undoubtedly a top expert. Having that position stolen might push the creature to seek revenge on humanity.

“Child, your name is Lu Yin? That’s an ill-fated name.”

Lu Yin shot back, “Then what is your name?”

“Ask me again once you actually manage to join Obscura.”

“Then why don’t I give you one. How about Furball?”

“You!” That creature became furious.

“Child, how did you learn to teleport?” another creature asked. Their voice was ancient, incredibly so. They sounded as though they might die at any moment.

Lu Yin replied, “Is it supposed to be very difficult?”

“Hehe, extremely.”

“It was very simple for me.”

“Tell us.”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“From what I know, there is only one species throughout the entire Aevum Inch that possesses the ability to teleport, and that species is not human.”

Lu Yin’s heart stirred. That species? Could that be the fishing civilization behind Luo Chan?

He decided to push to see if he could draw out more information about that civilization.

Feigning surprise, he asked, “There’s another species that can teleport?”

“Of course there is.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Then forget it.”

Lu Yin was left confused and speechless.

“Why did you kill Hui?” Lan Meng suddenly asked.

Lu Yin retorted, “Weren’t you the one who told me to?”

Lan Meng was dumbfounded.

“Child, you really take us for idiots, don’t you?”

“Hello, Furball.”

“You!” The creature was livid. What was "Furball"? The name sounded absolutely awful.

“Child, tell us. Why did you kill Hui?” another voice called out.

Lu Yin said, “I didn’t like their look.”

“You did it to avenge the Ninth Rampart, did you not?” that voice pressed.

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. The Ninth Rampart? Was that what Mister Mu’s megaverse was called?

The Seven-Treasure Anuras’ ancient monster had once said that, at the height of human civilization’s glory, the Nine Ramparts had stood across the cosmos. The Lost Clan’s megaverse was known as the Third Rampart, and Mister Mu’s was the Ninth.

If that was the case, then could humanity’s own civilization have once been one of those Ramparts as well? And what had happened to the others?

“Your silence is as good as an admission.”

Lu Yin slowly said, “I was just thinking about what name to give you.”

“Child, do not go too far. You are not even an Immortal yet. You could die at any time,” the ancient voice threatened.

Lu Yin shot back, “Whether I die or not depends on if Lan Meng agrees. Lan Meng said that they have my back.”

Lan Meng once more had no idea how to respond.

“Also, stop interrupting my train of thought! Do you like the name Second Furball?”[1]

“You!” The creature was beside themself with rage.

None of the creatures spoke for a moment. They all had the distinct feeling that if they opened their mouths, they would end up being saddled with names like Second Furball, Third Furball, and Fourth Furball, leading them to be mocked for the rest of their lives.

Cultivation was a circle, life was a circle, and even status was a circle.

When dealing with those who stood at the top, the methods used by those at the very bottom were often the most effective.

“This place is Vestigium, Lu Yin. I am the inviter. You may address me as Ba Se.”[2]

Lu Yin looked around, but saw nothing. Ba Se? So that’s who invited me?

“Within Obscura, we may see one another, or not. Vestigium is a place that you may travel to, or not. Obscura places very few constraints on each of you, but what it can offer you is essentially limitless.

“Whatever you desire, Obscura can grant you, provided that you can complete the corresponding missions.

“Inviting you does not mean that you can join us immediately. Every creature that joins Obscura must first complete a mission. You are no exception.

“For the mission required to join Obscura, an invitee is not allowed to personally act. You must use one group to deal with another. Behind every member of Obscura is a powerful civilization that they have knowledge of. Those powerful civilizations are not part of Obscura, yet they can all be used by us. The stronger the civilization that you use and the better that you complete your mission, the greater your reward will be.

“I hope that you can quickly find a civilization to use and that you will officially join Obscura.”

Lu Yin listened in silence, but he learned nothing new about Obscura. The civilization used civilizations to destroy other civilizations. So, each member of Obscura has a civilization that they can draw upon?

He would need one of his own as well.

1. In Chinese, prefixing a name with “二” (literally “two”) is often condescending rather than numerical. It implies foolishness, low status, or being a disposable nobody, similar in tone to calling someone “hey, you idiot” or “number two.” Lu Yin is deliberately using it to belittle and strip the speaker of dignity. ☜

2. Ba Se (八色) literally means “Eight Colors,” rendered as Polychrome. ☜

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