Chapter 4447: An Explanation

Twenty-Fifth raised an armor plate. “Ancestor knew that there would one day be a separation. ‘Immortality? What immortality truly exists? Only in theory can immortality be truly unchanging and eternal, as no being can truly live forever. From the moment the Blacklight Civilization was defeated, the countdown to my separation from my species already began.

“‘I truly cannot bear to leave, children. The colorful lakes, the emerald lotus leaves, and your innocent smiles all make it hard for me to part with you. Only when I look at you do I feel that I am alive. Unfortunately, this day must ultimately still come. Ah, and that mischievous little Sixth... how I wish to see you one last time before I die.’”

Twenty-Fifth blinked. “That is all.”

Lu Yin took the armor plate back. “Is this the record of your ancestor’s reluctance to part with the Seven Treasures Anuras?”

Twenty-Fifth nodded silently. When they spoke, their voice dropped. “We were also unwilling to part with Ancestor.”

Lu Yin patted the toad’s head, but said nothing more.

Soon, Twenty-Fifth took out the second armor plate. “This is a coordinate.”

A coordinate?

Twenty-Fifth translated it for Lu Yin, and he drew it in air while recalling the partial coordinates to the location of possible invincibility that Ancestor Shan had left on another plate of armor. With the two combined, they formed accurate coordinates, and yet it was still incomplete.

The first portion of the coordinates indicated a line while the second portion indicated one point of another line. The second line was still incomplete, and the full location would only be revealed at the intersection of the two lines. With what they had, it was impossible to determine the second line.

One piece of the coordinates was still missing.

A single location had been split between three plates of armor, which went to show how much Ancestor Shan had valued it. This had not been done to guard against Lu Yin. When Ancestor Shan had been trapped within the Darksky Seal, he had actually been trying to protect his legacy from the Blacklight Civilization and Obscura, which was why he had spread his inheritance across the plates.

That was all. The reason why Ancestor Shan had died was because someone had set their sights on him. Perhaps he had sensed that from the very beginning of the war against the Blacklight Civilization.

As for the details, Lu Yin did not know and could only speculate, but clearly, these 100 black armor plates could not be gathered by anyone in a short amount of time.

Twenty-Fifth then took out the third armor plate. “There is only one line on this one.”

As they spoke, they hesitated briefly. “Did Ancestor go mad?”

Lu Yin grew curious. “What’s written on it?”

Twenty-Fifth coughed. “I will translate it for you, but do not think that these are my words. I am far too composed to say such things.”

Lu Yin looked at the toad as they stared at the armor plate. “‘There truly does exist an invincible technique in this cosmos. We were all wrong. That person, who had been laughed at his entire life, threw a supremely invincible punch. With one punch, he destroyed a fishing civilization.”

Lu Yin went wide-eyed, thinking that he must have misheard. “What did you say?”

Twenty-Fifth stamped their foot. “I did not say it! Ancestor said it! I am not so shallow.”

“Repeat it.” Lu Yin’s expression turned solemn.

Twenty-Fifth translated the message a second time and then hurriedly added, “Let me emphasize again—I did not say this! Someone as steady as me would never say such things.”

Lu Yin blankly stared at the armor plate. Was this real? Had one punch destroyed a fishing civilization? That sounded like a joke.

That was a fishing civilization. Even for Ancestor Shan, it had not been easy to defeat the Blacklight Civilization. That one battle had nearly cost him his entire karmic chain, and even then, some survivors of the Blacklight Civilization had managed to escape.

Who could it have been? Who could be so terrifying that a single punch could destroy a fishing civilization?

Wait, a punch? Lu Yin was suddenly reminded of the Star Fist. Chen Jian’s masters had all claimed that the Star Fist was an invincible battle technique, and his masters had all been from the Nine Ramparts. Could it be true?

Before dying, Second Furball had also claimed that the Tai’a Star Fist was invincible.

But that could not be. LuYin himself had unlocked the Starfist Manual. The Star Fist was indeed powerful, but it was better suited to be a civilization’s legacy. It was the fist technique of a civilization, not of an individual.

The technique of a civilization? An invincible method.... Perhaps this is the true path to invincibility?

The power of an individual was ultimately limited. Only with the support of an entire civilization could one become invincible.

Could that truly be the case?

Lu Yin stared at the armor plate. The short passage recorded on it had altered his understanding. Ancestor Shan would not have left nonsense behind, which meant that there truly existed an invincible technique. Someone who was ridiculed all his life?

There were far too many legends in the era of the Nine Ramparts. Lu Yin wished he could travel up the River of Aeons to return to the era of humanity’s ultimate brilliance, witnessing the birth of countless outstanding powerhouses and seeing those dazzling universes.

“There is one more plate. Should I translate it?” Twenty-Fifth asked.

Lu Yin put the armor plate away. “Continue.”

Twenty-Fifth coughed again. “This time, I will write it down.”

After speaking, they began writing in the air as Lu Yin watched. “Every being has the right to choose. Every civilization has beings capable of regressing to the ancient era, but can regressing to the ancient era truly change the fate of a civilization?”

Lu Yin took a step forward while staring at the writing in the air. Regressing to the ancient era? It’s finally mentioned here.

He had always kept this phrase in mind.

During his breakthrough to the Ortuser realm, he had also traveled up the River of Aeons, and he had even managed to catch up to someone. However, that person had sent him back, saying that it was too early.

From what Lu Yin had learned, there truly were people who had regressed to the ancient era yet were unable to return. Mirebound artifacts were likely assistance sent downriver to later generations by those people.

There had even been a time when Lu Yin had considered the possibility that mirebound artifacts might be able to contact those who had regressed to the ancient era. If such people were able to return, human civilization would completely transform.

However, if that was true for humanity, other civilizations might also have such beings, and yet there had never been any records of any such being returning.

What Green Lotus knew was also rather limited. He was confident that he could regress to the ancient era, as he was a two-law Immortal. However, if he left, he would have no assurance of being able to return.

The truth about regressing to the ancient era remained unclear.

“Regressing to the ancient era, regressing to the ancient era. That single word, ‘regression,’ contains all suffering, and that suffering will ultimately be borne by the civilization.

“My karmic chain is complete, and in regards to regressing to the ancient era, I have no choice but to abstain. Whether the path is right or wrong, I only hope that future generations will receive an explanation.” Twenty-Fifth stopped there.[1]

Lu Yin frowned. “Is that all?”

Twenty-Fifth nodded. “That is all.”

Lu Yin looked at the words written in the air. Was that it? What was that excerpt’s tone? Hope? A conflicted choice? It did not explain anything at all about what regressing to the ancient era truly was.

He had thought that he would learn the truth through Ancestor Shan, but it appeared that even that ancient toad had not known.

He had clearly possessed the ability to do so, but because of his encounter with the Blacklight Civilization, he had completed his karmic chain and had therefore not stepped onto that path.

Otherwise, given Ancestor Shan’s strength, he might have been able to return. A being aligned with three cosmic laws was rare throughout all of history. No matter how difficult the path might be, it might not be able to stop such a powerful figure.

What a pity.

But what did that last sentence mean? The one about future generations receiving an explanation. It felt as though there was some deeper implication.

With all four armor plates translated, Twenty-Fifth left. They found this human civilization to be quite interesting and understood why Astral Anura had been willing to stay.

Lu Yin looked at the armor plates before putting them away. With a total of twenty armor plates, the defensive power of his Manifestation Beyond the Pupil would increase yet again.

He found a place and laid down within the red coffin to enter Vestigium.

“Who all is here? Come out and talk,” Lu Yin called out.

The Immortal Lord heard him. They had always been present, but they also knew that Lu Yin was not looking for them.

“I am here.” It was Black.

Ever since discovering that Lu Yin could create star charts extremely quickly, Black had changed their attitude towards him. They had once ignored him entirely and said nothing, but now, as long as Lu Yin was willing, Black could talk endlessly.

“Black, have you ever heard of an invincible fist technique?”

“An invincible fist technique?”

“The Star Fist,” Old Man Hehe’s voice echoed out.

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. “Old Man Hehe, you know of it?”

“Hehe, of course. Throughout history, the only thing that could ever truly be worth calling invincible is that punch. Did Second Furball not say the same before dying?” the ancient voice replied.

Lu Yin asked, “Is the Star Fist truly invincible?”

“Hehe.”

So it really was the Star Fist. But if that punch was truly invincible, why had the Starfall Megaverse only warranted a two-star mission? Lu Yin could not make sense of that. After all, the Shattered Dipper had produced the Starfist Manual for him. Even if it was difficult to cultivate, since he had succeeded in accessing the manual, there was a chance of succeeding. That meant he had been given the possibility of achieving invincibility.

How could that be worthy of only a two-star mission?

Something was very wrong. There had to be something off.

“Ba Se, was the Starfall Megaverse really only worth a two-star mission?” Lu Yin asked.

Ba Se replied, “Yes.”

“Why? You can’t possibly be unaware that the Star Fist is there.”

“No comment.”

Lu Yin frowned. Obscura would not help him out of kindness. Could it be similar to You Che’s plan? Perhaps the other members of Obscura were unable to learn the Star Fist themselves, and so they wanted Lu Yin to learn it and then take it from him.

No, that was not possible, as if he truly mastered an invincible Star Fist, who could take it from him? If it was invincible, then no one could take it.

Ba Se must be hiding some purpose.

“Child, why are you suddenly asking about this? Could it be that you have learned the Star Fist?” Old Man Hehe asked.

Lu Yin bluntly replied, “That’s right.”

“Interesting.”

“Old Man Hehe, do you not care?”

“Why should I care?”

“Didn’t you say that it’s an invincible technique?”

Old Man Hehe laughed. “Child, is the word ‘invincible’ not rather unbelievable?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, what is there to worry about? If even you find it unbelievable, that means that it should not be possible. As for the Star Fist, I can use it as well.”

Lu Yin arched a brow.

“Any civilization that fought in the war that destroyed the Nine Ramparts knows that technique, and yet no one has ever managed to successfully cultivate it. This technique is indeed capable of achieving absolute invincibility, but it is also impossible to truly cultivate it,” Old Man Hehe explained.

Lu Yin understood. No wonder Ba Se had not cared about the Starfall Megaverse. If everyone knew the Star Fist, what was there to hide?

Chen Jian had spent so many years in the Starfall Megaverse and had not been able to cultivate the Star Fist to an invincible level.

Lu Yin also understood why the Starfall Megaverse had not been targeted by Obscura. It was possible that the civilization had been under observation to see if anyone could cultivate the technique in a special way, but after the fall of the Nine Ramparts, the strongest user of the Star Fist had only been Chen Jian. Nothing of significance had been achieved.

There was no doubt that Ba Se knew that the Shattered Dipper contained the fist intent of the Star Fist. They had been part of the war that had destroyed the Nine Ramparts, so why would they care about such a broken, nearly vanished trace of fist intent that lingered countless years later?

“Which rampart is the Star Fist from?” Lu Yin asked.

“The Sixth,” Black answered.

Lu Yin understood. That meant that the elegantly dressed man who had fought against the Ten-Eyed Divine Crow alongside Rampart Warden Hong Shuang and the elder from the Seventh Rampart had been the Rampart Warden of the Sixth Rampart.

Then the invincible punch must have been thrown by that Rampart Warden.

1. The character “逆” carries layered meanings such as reversal, defiance, regression, and going against the natural/current order. The line intentionally plays on both “regressing to the ancient era” and the broader concept of rebellion against the flow of time and fate. ☜

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