Published at 5th of January 2026 6:09 am

Chapter 4012: Retreat

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Lu Yin laughed. That makes things easier for us! If they had agreed to destroy our human civilization first, wed already be finished. The Netherfiends have hoarded plenty of spirit treasures, so if they had worked together, combining Deathly Silences formation with Grandmaster Mins abilities, they could have finished and connected to the Death Megaverse in less than a century.

Awe Gate scoffed. Honestly, Id rather they joined forces, as that would at least mean that they see us as a threat.

Lu Yin arched a brow. They wont work together because theyre both fishing civilizations, but would it be possible for us to ally with one to eliminate the other? Of course, since we know nothing about either the Death Megaverse or Obscura. Its just an idea.

Greater Sancte Green Lotus had similar thoughts. Obscura left gates in our civilization, with the goal of luring others here to destroy us. We considered revealing what we know about Obscura to the entire cosmos so that other civilizations would attack them. But, Awe Gate sighed, That simply cant be done. We dont know anything about Obscura, and we dont even know where to find other civilizations. Even if we tried, wed only be exposing ourselves. The risks outweigh the gains.

Thats why Greater Sancte Mi Jin prepared a simple strategy for us: hide. Hide until we are strong enough to confront Obscura head-on. Hide until the day when we also become a fishing civilization.

Humanity rose to power through wisdom, and wisdom is infinite.

Lu Yins eyes lit up. Wisdom is infinite?

Awe Gate said, Greater Sancte Mi Jin once remarked that every jest in the cosmos can, in the end, be made reality through wisdom.

Lu Yin felt a surge of excitement. Those words were not spoken in arrogance, and yet they carried an unmatched grandeur.

There were countless jokes floating about the cosmos, to the point where even fishing civilizations had heard countless jokes. Was it really possible to turn all those jokes into reality with wisdom?

That was Greater Sancte Mi Jins vision.

After the conversation ended, Lu Yin turned his focus back to Meng Hui. The child was sitting down, still staring blankly at the place where Grandmaster Min had died, though he was now looking past it and into the distance.

Night had fallen.

Do you want to see the sunset?

Meng Hui did not respond.

Lu Yin waved his hand, bringing out his Setting Sun.

Meng Huis eyes widened at the sight of the sunsets glow. While he was still a child, his eyes contained endless years and weariness, even while his heart had remained innocent. Who else could have carried the weight of such innocence through endless years?

Meng Hui stared at the Setting Sun in a daze. Finally, he turned and gave Lu Yin a radiant smile. Thank you.

The childs body then started to change. He grew, no longer a child, but a youth now. He continued to grow, becoming older until his back finally bent with age. His clouded eyes glanced just once at where Grandmaster Min had died, and then Meng Huis body crumbled into dust.

He was gone.

In a single moment, he had lived an entire lifetime.

All that remained was the spirit seed of a peak Dukkhan.

Lu Yin silently put the spirit seed away. Every life was different, and at times it was not wrong to pursue ones own desires. But a life was not always something one could command.

He needed to rest for ten days before he continued rolling his die, and during that time, Lu Yin collected all the hidden spirit treasures that the Netherfiends had gathered.

The Netherfiends had been around for countless years. While their main focus had always been acquiring cultivated spirit seeds for experimenting with fusing with multiple spirit seeds, there were times when they also collected spirit treasures.

Given that Grandmaster Min had been the Netherfiends most skilled formation Grandmaster, he definitely knew where all of the spirit treasures had been hidden.

After ten days, Lu Yin returned to where he had fought against Zhi and resumed rolling his die.

In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.

Lu Yin had managed to roll Possession on seven different occasions, but he had not found an orb of light every time. He also did not dare to search recklessly, as he had a very limited amount of red energy.

He could only rely on luck and multiple attempts.

On four occasions, he succeeded in Possessing a Netherfiend, though each of the four had a rather shallow mastery over fusing with multiple spirit seeds. No powerful Netherfiend had been found, though Lu Yin had exposed several who had been hiding within various factions.

The Spirit Coalitions Artifex Clan and Aqualis Clan had both secretly been under the control of the Netherfiends. Both races were from foreign megaverses that had been destroyed, and while they had a deep resentment towards the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, those clans had had no choice but to feign loyalty to the humans.

For years, they had helped the Netherfiends acquire many plundered spirit seeds.

Both clans had their own sealed box, and while they had not gathered as many cultivated spirit seeds as the Autumnspring Slip, there was still a significant number of them.

Lu Yin and Awe Gate did not move against the two clans, because he had discovered an even greater hand pulling the strings behind them.

The Netherfiends alone could not have convinced the two races to risk complete annihilation to plunder cultivated spirit seeds. There had to be another reason.

Time continued to pass, and several more months went by. Lu Yins mind entered the dark space once again, and this time, he saw a bright ball of light. This one was at least as bright as the one that had represented Grandmaster Min, and it was comparable to the Netherfiend who had fused with two spirit seeds.

Lu Yin grew excited. Finally, he had found another expert.

He was eager to experience what it felt like to fuse with multiple spirit seeds again.

As his mind merged with the targets body, he opened his eyes to the same familiar darkness. However, this time, the Possessed body was not alone in the darkness, as it was accompanied by more than a dozen women.

Lu Yin stared blankly at the exquisitely beautiful women surrounding him. Their clothes were disheveled, and he was momentarily stunned.

He had Possessed many creatures over the years, but it was rare for him to encounter such a scene.

So do the Netherfiends also have these kinds of desires?

Memories then flooded in. A soft, pale hand dropped onto his shoulder as a voice whispered, My lord, continue

Lu Yin let out a helpless sigh. Leave me for now.

The women did not dare to speak another word. They only gave the man a few flirtatious smiles before leaving.

Once they were all gone, Lu Yin proceeded to carefully examine the mans memories.

According to his understanding, both the Aeternals and Netherfiends were cold, emotionless creatures, much like machines. How could this man harbor desire?

But he was precisely one exception. His name was Hua Wuzui, and he had once been a notorious independent cultivator whom everyone had sought to kill.

Before joining the Netherfiends, he had already been a notorious flower thief,1 preying on women at will. His cultivation was abnormally high, which made him untouchable even to the many clans and sects that waned him dead. The only reason he survived as long as he did, however, was his formidable senior brother, Huo Chong.

Huo Chongs name was not well known, and yet Lu Yin had seen him before. He was one of the seven elders who had emerged from the First Night Pillar.

Lu Yins interactions with those seven seniors had been quite limited, and Huo Chong had not even spoken a word the entire time. Still, Huo Chong had been the one to shelter Hua Wuzui, repeatedly saving him from death time and time again.

Both men had once fought in expeditions against foreign megaverses on the First Night Pillar. They shared a close bond, though Huo Chong had always envied Hua Wuzui. The junior brother lived a free life, without any cares and always indulging himself. In contrast, Huo Chong had always struggled tirelessly for his clan. He had cultivated relentlessly, but even so, his talent had been no match for Hua Wuzuis.

Despite his jealousy, Huo Chong had never turned against Hua Wuzui.

Even when Hua Wuzui joined the Netherfiends, Huo Chong still had not struck his junior brother down despite knowing about it.

Many years later, when Huo Chong saw Hua Wuzui again, the younger man had been as carefree and flamboyant as ever, while Huo Chong had aged and grown decrepit. By that time, he had already been approaching the end of his lifespan, and he had to remain on the First Night Pillar with Qin Wudi and Granny Three Heavens. He had nearly been overcome by decay.

Huo Chong had no longer been able to endure such a life. Ultimately, he had been lured to join the Netherfiends by Hua Wuzui.

Hua Wuzui had told his senior brother that only by cultivating the Netherfiends power could he live longer.

Huo Chong had wanted to live longer. He had not wanted to die. So, he had sought another kind of life.

To avoid being noticed by the Greater Sancti after he joined the Netherfiends, Huo Chong had refrained from cultivating the red energy.

After joining the Netherfiends, Huo Chong had neither helped them plunder spirit seeds nor hidden their gates. His sole mission was to provide the Netherfiends with a fallback, or rather, to provide a fallback for those who had joined but not yet cultivated the Netherfiends power.

Lu Yins eyes snapped open in realization. It was no wonder why the Spirit Coalitions Artifex Clan and Aqualis Clan were willing to aid the Netherfiends; they had been promised a chance to leave the Nine Odysseys Megaverse on the First Night Pillar. That Night Pillar was the Netherfiends escape route.

Huo Chong was only one of the seven elders staying on the First Night Pillar, and he was not even the strongest. He lacked the qualifications to be an Odyssey Commander, but with the Netherfiends help, he would not struggle to take control of the First Night Pillar.

Whenever the Netherfiends made their move and Obscura guided some other civilization to destroy humanity, the First Night Pillar would be used to escape far away.

The fact that the First Night Pillar was their fallback was the true reason why so many agreed to serve the Netherfiends.

If people were destined to live and die with humanity, how could they ever agree to side with the Netherfiends? Even those who feared death and chose to help would not be able to stay hidden for very long.

There had to be both a carrot and a stick to get people to take action.

While Huo Chong had not done much, he was more detestable than any other Netherfiend.

Senior, are you dissatisfied with this batch? If so, this junior will go find others, a voice called from outside.

At the moment, Hua Wuzui was in the Huo familys estate. While they were not a major faction, no one dared to offend them as their ancestor, Huo Chong, was living within the First Night Pillar.

Theres no need for that. Dont disturb me for the time being. I will be in seclusion for a while.

Yes, Senior.

It grew silent outside the door.

Lu Yin called Awe Gate, and a gate soon appeared in the room. He stepped through and arrived where he had fought Zhi, right in front of his own body.

There was no denying the convenience of Awe Gates methods. Without them, even if Lu Yin was able to Possess Netherfiends, he would have never been able to harvest their red energy. Without that, he would not have found so many of them.

While Lu Yin acknowledged that much of the credit for his success went to his die, he could have never succeeded without Awe Gates assistance.

He controlled Hua Wuzuis body to sit down cross-legged so that he could quietly experience what it felt like to have fused spirit seeds.

Hua Wuzui had successfully fused with two spirit seeds, which granted him a very high status among the Netherfiends.

Despite his power, his sole task was to watch Huo Chong. Because of this, aside from learning of Huo Chongs role among the Netherfiends and experiencing what it was like to fuse with multiple spirit seeds, Lu Yin would not be able to gain much more from Hua Wuzui.

The mans body soon arrived within five meters of Lu Yins own body. His mind returned, and as he opened his eyes, so did Hua Wuzui. Pure shock filled the mans gaze as the two locked eyes.

Hua Wuzui instinctively moved back, but Lu Yins consciousness descended: Heaven and Earth Lock.

Even without empowering the technique with Immortal matter, Hua Wuzui could not break free from the Heaven and Earth Lock despite being a peak Dukkhan.

Only those who were close to the limit of what was possible beneath the Immortal realm could even hope to escape, such as Qing Xing, the Great Master, or the Insect Lords.

Trapped within the Heaven and Earth Lock, Hua Wuzui could only stare at Lu Yin. You?

Lu Yin slowly smiled. So you do recognize me.

Hua Wuzuis eyes flickered as he tried to stay calm. Who in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse doesnt recognize you, Mr. Lu? The only thing I dont understand is why youve come after me. I dont recall ever offending you.

The man mentally raced through all the recent events, but he had done nothing. He had not even stepped outside of the Huo familys gates.

Not even when the Huo family had joined the war against the Nest civilizations bugs had he acted.

How did Lu Yin find me? How did he bring me here? At that moment, a deep dread filled Hua Wuzuis heart.

Lu Yin chuckled softly while raising a finger. One chance. You get just one chance to escape. Cherish it.

With that, he released his consciousness, and the Heaven and Earth Lock vanished.

1. Flower thief : A stock term in wuxia/xianxia fiction referring to a predatory cultivator who assaults or preys upon women. The literal phrase means one who steals flowers, with flowers being a metaphor for womens chastity. Depending on context, it ranges from libertine or lecher to outright rapist.

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