Published at 20th of July 2026 5:50 am

Chapter 4403: Shackles

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Roar!

After a roar rang out, countless strange creatures charged forward, rushing towards Lu Yin and Chen Jian as though courting death.

The older mans eyes grew colder and colder. Right when he was about to attack, Lu Yin flicked a finger. The tip of that finger struck the void, and ripples spread out from that point to cover the entire universe.

Every creature that came in contact with those ripples shattered, crushed by an irresistible force.

"Senior, I understand the anger that you carry in your heart, but your karmic chain is already quite long, isnt it?"

Chen Jian's gaze trembled, and he subconsciously looked down at his wrist.

"Wouldnt it be better to preserve your usefulness and continue protecting humanity? I will handle this battle. Consider it my apology for trespassing into your Starfall Megaverse," Lu Yin calmly stated.

Chen Jian frowned. "You should bear an even smaller karmic chain than I. Matters of the Starfall Megaverse should be handled by me."

Lu Yin smiled at him. "I am not an Immortal."

With that, Chen Jian watched in stupefaction as Lu Yin charged at the megaverses massive Immortal creature.

A world-shaking roar echoed across the universe, only to be quickly followed by shrieks and wails. Chen Jian stared in shock as Lu Yin pierced the Immortal's body with a single finger, ignoring both Lifeforce and Immortal matter as if they were nothing. The younger man attacked without restraint while every attack launched against him might as well be paper, given how effortlessly he tore them all apart.

The monstrous Immortal was not particularly strong, but it was still undeniably an Immortal with an unseen world.

Even so, it was not even able to mount any sort of meaningful resistance against Lu Yin.

As Lu Yin stepped forward and past the Immortal, a crisp cracking sound echoed through the universe. The enormous Immortal froze in place while the Champions' Stage Purgatory appeared beneath it.

The creature fell into the Champions' Stage Purgatory, adding to Lu Yin's Karmic Dao.

After the war against the Mudwater Dominion and the one against the Plume Immortals, ordinary Immortal beings no longer seemed too different from non-Immortals in Lu Yin's eyes. This monstrous Immortal was very similar in strength to the Nest civilizations droplet-shaped Verdant Sage, but that meant that it was weaker than any of the Immortals that Lu Yin had faced while fighting in Obscura's wars.

On the other hand, the ease of Lu Yins victory was an immense shock for Chen Jian. A non-Immortal had just beaten an Immortal like a dog. It was too shocking for words.

With the support of the Shattered Dipper, Chen Jian himself was no weakling, and yet he had never left the Starfall Megaverse. He had always stood guard over his megaverse, and therefore knew far too little about the Aevum Inch.

He only knew about Obscura because Obscura had once come into contact with the Starfall Megaverse, which had left the man deeply wary of that civilization. But the Obscura that he was familiar with was still not the true Obscura. If it were, the Starfall Megaverse would have vanished long ago.

Lu Yin's actions might as well have opened the door to another world for Chen Jian, a world that he should have belonged to all along.

After taking care of the enemy Immortal, Lu Yin peered across the universe. There, he saw a remnant of the Mother Tree, wreathed in flames. Who knew how long the tree had been burning for? Surely these monsters had not intentionally ignited the universe that held their Mother Tree.

He absorbed the green lights, causing the Mother Tree to vanish.

When he returned to Chen Jians side, the way the old man looked at Lu Yin had completely changed. This young man was capable of easily killing Chen Jian as well.

That made sense. After all, Lu Yin had expended no visible effort in taking Chen Jian to the monsters megaverse. The young mans speed was too quick for Chen Jian to even react.

"In your Human Trio, what level does your strength represent?" Chen Jian asked.

It was a question difficult for Lu Yin to answer. If he answered honestly, it would sound like he was boasting, while a more humble answer might not be believed. After thinking for a moment, he could only say, "There is no ranking between humanitys Immortals."

Chen Jian understood and sighed. "Yes, with our karmic chains, we cannot truly spar, though I believe that, even if you are not the strongest in your civilization, you certainly cannot be far from it. Your name is Lu Yin, correct?"

"Yes."

"If you were the one guarding my megaverse, what would you choose? Would you fight these creatures and destroy the gate, even at the risk of attracting Obscura, or would you do as I did and maintain the same situation, unchanging for thousands or tens of thousands of years, hoping for some miracle that might allow this human civilization to rise?"

Lu Yin looked at Chen Jian. "Many people have asked me similar questions, but I am not the same as everyone else. To be honest, I quite admire you. In order to eliminate your weaknesses, you severed all bonds and emotions. That is something that I cannot do."

Chen Jian's expression turned bitter. It was not something that he had wanted to do either, but there had been no other choice. If one had weaknesses, enemies would find ways to exploit them. But after his choice, if any enemies wished to deal with him, they could only do so by relying on overwhelming power. That was something that could not be avoided, so he had done everything he possibly could. He did not want to see any enemies dismantling the Starfall Megaverse through other means.

"You wish to know what I would choose?"

Chen Jian nodded.

Lu Yin looked toward the Champions' Stage Purgatory as karma continued to accumulate. He slowly answered, "The Trios most difficult period was far harsher than what your Starfall Megaverse faced. We risked being destroyed at any moment. There was more than one blade hanging above our necks. My choice was this: if you cant beat them, join them.

"I forgot to tell you, SeniorI am a member of Obscura."

Chen Jian's eyes trembled as he stared at Lu Yin in shock.

Lu Yin let out a deep breath, his expression turning solemn. "I do not know how much you understand about Obscura, but for us, we understand Obscura as both our mortal enemy and something impossible to defeat. Obscura is simply too powerful. Not only are they powerful on their own, but they can also use other civilizations to destroy our human civilization. We once faced utter despair. If we had not joined Obscura, who knows what would have become of the Trio by now"

Chen Jian clearly could not accept that Lu Yin was a member of Obscura. That knowledge forced him to connect Lu Yin with the gate that had long threatened his own megaverse.

But that gate had not truly connected to Obscura, just the megaverse that they were currently standing in. Chen Jians earlier misunderstanding had actually led to the correct conclusion, but the reasoning behind that truth was entirely unexpected.

He quietly listened as Lu Yin spoke. In the young mans words lay the helplessness of the Trio and the unwillingness of a human civilization. Lu Yin did not try to conceal anything. He even openly discussed Qing Cao's past and ther current concerns regarding Chen Jian.

"Let me ask you the same question: if you had been in Qing Caos shoes, what would you have chosen?"

Chen Jian closed his eyes and answered in a low voice, "Given my character, I would have chosen the same as him."

Lu Yin replied, "And that is precisely our concern. Fortunately, the current Trio is relatively stable for the time being, and Obscura is not an active enemy. To be honest, if the day comes when we must go to war with Obscura again, the first thing that we will do is either ensure that you and Qing Cao are firmly on our side or make it impossible for you to betray us."

"Very honest words." Chen Jian's expression relaxed considerably, and he even smiled at Lu Yin. "Thank you."

He was not thanking Lu Yin for taking the Starfall Megaverse into the Trio, but for placing shackles upon him. Those shackles would prevent the old mans own character from dragging him into an abyss.

Chen Jian could not say what would happen if he had to face Obscura in the future, but he understood his character and knew that he could be easily swayed. These restraints offered him peace of mind.

As for Lu Yin joining Obscura, Chen Jian saw that as being very similar to his own choice to allow those foreign monsters to fight the human cultivators of the Starfall Megaverse for so many years. Both men had made choices without any real alternatives. Lu Yin could understand Chen Jian, and he could also understand Lu Yin.

In truth, he did not harbor any sort of deep hatred toward Obscura. What he felt was fear of the unknown, as well as a sense of caution born of guarding his megaverse.

"So how much do you know about Obscura, Senior?" Lu Yin asked. Chen Jian had refrained from attacking the gate precisely because he knew that it belonged to Obscura.

The old man replied, "I do not know anything specific, but I do know that human civilization once had an era where it stood at the peak. I know very little of that era. In fact, the only thing that I know for sure is that humanitys fall is connected to Obscura."

Lu Yin did not interrupt and simply observed Chen Jian as the man thought back. "My wariness for Obscura comes from deep within, as I inherited it from my masters. Before they died, they all warned me to be cautious of Obscura. Thus, Obscura has become my nightmare. It feels as though the moment Obscura appears, the Starfall Megaverse will be destroyed."

Lu Yin was taken aback. "Your masters?"

Chen Jian nodded. "I once had four masters: two were Immortals, and two were peak Dukkhans."

Seeing Lu Yin's confusion, Chen Jian explained, "My masters lived for an extremely long time. I myself am already quite old, but I was born here in this Starfall Megaverse. My masters were not. They never told me where they came from, but before dying, they merely warned me to beware of Obscura."

Lu Yin looked away. It sounded like Chen Jian's masters had likely been part of the bait cast out by the Nine Ramparts. If they had truly belonged to one of the Nine Ramparts, this megaverse would not have even lost the word Rampart from its history.

Had Chen Jians masters avoided mentioning details of the past because they hated that they had been used as bait, or because they wished for their descendants to sever themselves completely from that past to preserve this civilization?

Given what Lu Yin had seen of Chen Jian's character, the latter seemed more likely.

"Aside from you, did your masters have no other disciples?"

"No. As you can see, I have an extremely cautious personality, and I am actually ill-suited for fighting with fists. However, this civilization is founded upon the Star Fist, so physical combat is what we must cultivate. To be frank, I possess the greatest talent seen throughout the entire history of the Starfall Megaverse. My masters exhausted every method to help me reach the Immortal realm, and they succeeded. However, because of my character, I only managed to go this far. Without that limitation, the Star Fist would have flourished in my hands." Saying this he looked out at the starry sky. "Take me to see your megaverse."

Lu Yin nodded. "Let me finish dealing with this Immortal first."

After some time, his karma stopped increasing. He released the Immortal from his Champions' Stage Purgatory and then swiftly and decisively executed them.

No reason was needed. Even if the monstrous Immortal had not attacked a human civilization, this was the nature of the Aevum Inch. Mercy could only be preserved for one's own kind.

Lu Yin and Chen Jian passed back through the gate and were met by Jiang Feng and Qing Cao. The battlefield had already become peaceful. The monsters had been wiped out. The war of the Starfall Megaverse was over.

Taking the people of the Starfall Megaverse to the Human Trio would not be easy. Lu Yin demonstrated his ability to teleport to Chen Jian, and the innate gift completely stunned the old man.

Given his level, an ability like teleportation was beyond shocking. Lu Yin still remembered how astonished he had been when he had first encountered Luo Chan's ability to teleport. At that time, the Trio had struggled to come up with a counter to deal with the bug.

Now, teleportation had become routine, mainly because the Trio had killed even Plume Immortals.

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