Star Odyssey

Chapter 2437: The Three Monarchs

"Is this place called the Heavens Sect?" Attendant Wu asked nervously.

Lu Buzheng's lips curled up. "Come inside, we’ll talk there."

Attendant Wu immediately attacked. Enter this sect? What a joke! How could he enter when they had two such enormous monsters? He had to return to Shenwu Continent and go back through that passage at any cost.

A tricolored stream of energy shot toward Lu Buzheng like a twisting dragon. The Semi-Progenitor’s expression fell. "So, you're a visitor with dark intentions? Then you can’t blame me for no longer being polite!"

As the man spoke, he raised a hand and slapped at Attendant Wu. A terrifying strength scattered the tricolored energy and sent Attendant Wu flying backwards. The man could not believe his eyes; that counterattack had nearly killed him!

"A Demi-Monarch?" Attendant Wu's face was aghast, and he did not dare to attack again.

"Oh, so where you come from, Semi-Progenitors are known as Demi-Monarchs? In that case, are Progenitors referred to as Monarchs? You clearly think quite highly of yourselves," Lu Buzheng commented.

Attendant Wu stared at Lu Buzheng. "I'm merely passing by, so why are you being so aggressive towards me, Sir?"

Lu Buzheng gave Bei Hong a pointed look. "That's not what Shenwu Continent has told us. You owe a debt for harming Ming De and the other ministers of the empire there. How do you intend to pay us back?"

Attendant Wu gritted his teeth. He had been tricked! This universe was clearly far more powerful than what he had been led to believe. While it appeared that there were no true experts in this place, it had all been nothing more than a ploy to lure him to this sect. These scoundrels were absolutely despicable! "I can compensate you for that matter."

"Enough talk. The Dao Chosen is already waiting for you, and we don't keep him waiting." Lu Buzheng took a step forward and stood directly in front of Attendant Wu. "Unless, you wish to challenge me?"

Attendant Wu swallowed his saliva and finally gave in. "I'll follow you."

Not everyone could remain as arrogant as Lu Yin or Qing Ping when facing a Semi-Progenitor-level powerhouse. Such experts were rare, even when looking down the long river of time. Even an expert who approached the Semi-Progenitor realm would struggle to challenge an actual Semi-Progenitor. On top of that, Lu Buzheng was someone who had become a Semi-Progenitor during the Heaven Sect era and had even been recognized as one of the gatemasters of the Twelve Heavenly Gates. Beyond that, Lu Buzheng had barely been affected by the problem that the Fifth Mainland was facing with its stellular energy.

Lu Buzheng led Attendant Wu and Bei Hong into the Heavens Sect.

The closer Attendant Wu moved to the Heavens Sect, the clearer the jiao's terrifying power became. Every breath that the beast took caused Attendant Wu’s heart to lurch. Fear of being eaten by the creature nearly paralyzed him. It was a suppression that he had only ever experienced when facing a Monarch. Were both of these two monsters Monarchs? If that was true, then this Heavens Sect might truly be the legendary land of divine beings that he had heard of before.

An expression of absolute reverence appeared on the man’s face as he and Bei Hong followed Lu Buzheng in.

Attendant Wu carefully observed the Heavens Sect, observing the surroundings. After a while, he let out a sigh of relief. This place was not nearly as terrifying as he had initially imagined. Much like the other places in this universe that he had passed on his way to the Heavens Sect, most of the people here had surprisingly little strength. This was likely because this universe’s resources were allocated to only a select few, which allowed them to raise several absolute monsters. That was quite similar to his own universe.

This was good, as it meant that this Heavens Sect was indeed just a replica.

By this time, the three men had already arrived at the Heavenly Stairway. Destina slowly descended the stairs, lost in thought.

Lu Buzheng instinctively shifted his body to avoid the woman.

Destina completely ignored Lu Buzheng, as her mind was completely occupied with the Book of Destiny that Lu Yin possessed. She had been consumed by her desire to obtain that book for herself.

As Attendant Wu approached Destina, he felt a pressure from the woman that was similar to what he felt from Lu Buzheng. Another Demi-Monarch!

After climbing the stairs, the three men arrived outside the Heavens Sect’s main hall. The Progenitor of Bloodlines stepped out and nodded at Lu Buzheng before disappearing.

Attendant Wu stood rooted in place, a look of horror decorating his face. How was that anything other than the pressure of a Monarch?

The moment the Progenitor of Bloodlines looked Attendant Wu straight in the eye, the man had received the same feeling as when Monarch Mu had gazed upon him. Was that man a Monarch as well?

Attendant Wu's pupils fluctuated, his mind blank.

Monarchs and Demi-Monarchs were completely different concepts. Even if Attendant Wu was met by the sight of a hundred Demi-Monarchs, it still would not compare to the shock of encountering a single Monarch.

"Keep moving," Lu Bucheng prodded.

Attendant Wu kept swallowing. For the first time, his gaze toward the sect’s main hall held both fear and obedience. He adopted a look of submission, and this posture appeared far more natural than his previously regal bearing. In fact, submission seemed to practically be innate to the man, as though it was engraved into his very bones.

By the time he stepped into the main hall, Attendant Wu's previous demeanor had been completely erased. He slowly moved forward, his eyes fixed to the floor like a pilgrim on the way to meet their god.

A clear voice rang in his ears. "Raise your head."

The voice was youthful, yet it held absolute authority. The tone contained a compelling power that made Attendant Wu feel as though obeying this command was the most natural thing in the world.

Attendant Wu slowly lifted his head to see a young man looking at him with open curiosity.

Upon seeing the young man, Attendant Wu quickly bowed. "Greetings, Senior."

The sudden shift in the man’s overall demeanor left Bei Hong terribly confused. Just a short time ago, this same man had been arrogantly strutting about Shenwu Continent, boldly claiming that he would rule over the entire Fifth Mainland. But as soon as he saw Lu Yin, the same man instantly dropped to his knees and bowed like a servant. He looked more like a slave than anything else.

"Greetings, Dao Chosen," Bei Hong said respectfully.

Lu Yin acknowledged the greetings with a nod. "There’s no need for such formalities."

As Lu Yin spoke, he took a seat, and he also noticed that Attendant Wu's eyes dropped to the floor once more. This was rather amusing.

Lu Yin had already heard about everything that had taken place on Shenwu Continent. This man was quite interesting, especially since he had no understanding about the current situation in the Fifth Mainland, but had immediately wanted to become its ruler.

"Sit," Lu Yin said.

Attendant Wu quickly replied, "This small one dares not."

"If I tell you to sit, then sit," Lu Yin commanded.

Attendant Wu looked incredibly nervous as he glanced at a chair. He slowly lowered himself into it, and even then, he remained perched on the very edge of the seat.

Lu Buzheng was completely baffled by the man’s odd behavior. He was an Envoy who was close to becoming a Semi-Progenitor, but he was acting like a slave.

"Bei Hong, take a seat as well," Lu Yin said.

Bei Hong bowed deeply. "Dao Chosen, this small one…"

"Enough. Sit down," Lu Buzheng interrupted the man before taking his own seat one step below Lu Yin.

Bei Hong took a deep breath and then also cautiously sat down, acting just like Attendant Wu.

The Shenwu Continent was less than a speck in the scope of the entire Fifth Mainland. Bei Hong had served four emperors, from Ming Zhaotian to Ming De. On Shenwu Continent, he was someone whose status was second only to Ming De’s, and he was a true leader of the continent. Even so, he had never imagined that he would one day sit in the main hall of the Heavens Sect.

Bei Hong’s son, Bei Qing, had left Shenwu Continent long ago to follow Lu Yin, and he had become a rather prominent figure among Lu Yin's followers. Even so, Bei Qing had never once set foot in the Heavens Sect’s main hall. Being given such a rare opportunity, the man could barely contain his excitement. The more he considered his current situation, the more appreciative he grew of Lu Yin.

Lu Yin suddenly addressed Attendant Wu. "Speak. You should already know what I want to hear."

Attendant Wu hastily rose to his feet, though his eyes remained fixed on the floor in front of Lu Yin's feet as he answered in a respectful tone, "I come from the Three Monarchs Universe, and I arrived in this universe by pure chance while evading my pursuers. I implore you to forgive my intrusion."

"Is that all?" Lu Yin calmly asked. There was no pressure in his voice, nor any indication that he believed what he was hearing. He already knew about the Three Monarchs from the inscription at the bottom of the Tower of Resonating Light. Grandmaster Gu Yan had also asked Lu Yin about them. It turned out that “Three Monarchs” was referring to a parallel universe.

Attendant Wu's eyes flickered. "There's more."

His fingers curled. "This small one was tasked with watching the space-time passage between this universe and the Three Monarchs Universe. As soon as the passage opened, I was ordered to immediately deliver a report to the Three Monarchs."

"You’ve heard the name ‘Gu Yue’ before, haven’t you?" Lu Yin asked.magic

Attendant Wu glanced over at Bei Hong. Attendant Wu had not been careful with his words at all when he was in Shenwu Continent, and Bei Hong and Ming De had both heard everything. Naturally, all of that information had already been delivered to Lu Yin.

"That passage was discovered by Gu Yue and a senior from my Three Monarchs Universe by using coordinates that they obtained from Aeternus," Attendant Wu replied.

Lu Yin stared at the man. "Tell me more about that."

Given his current circumstances, Attendant Wu decided that it was best to keep hidden from Lu Yin. The man slowly shared a bit of history that no one in the entire Fifth Mainland knew about. Even Grandmaster Gu Yan, Gu Yue's master, was ignorant to this story, as it had all started after Gu Yue arrived in the Fifth Mainland.

As for why Gu Yue had visited the Fifth Mainland from the Perennial World, Grandmaster Gu Yan had never explained, and Attendant Wu only knew what had happened after Gu Yue accidentally entered the Three Monarchs Universe, as those events were not a secret to him.

"After Gu Yue arrived in our Three Monarchs Universe, he spent a hundred years traveling around and making friends. During that period, he never revealed that he was from another universe, until his friends found out for themselves. At that time, he admitted that he had happened to obtain the coordinates of his own dimension from Aeternus and that he was able to relocate it. No one knows what happened between them, but shortly after opening the passage, Gu Yue sealed it once again with his mastery of sourcebox arrays. Not even the Three Monarchs were able to reopen it, which is why they ordered me to keep an eye on it.

"It was only yesterday that I discovered that the passage could be opened, so I went through it. As this small one mentioned earlier, I'm being pursued."

Lu Yin's expression changed. Coordinates? Seal?

"Where are those coordinates located?"

Attendant Wu replied, "This small one doesn't know, but they are definitely not in my universe, or else the Three Monarchs would have visited this universe by now. They should be saved near where I first arrived."

Lu Yin looked at Bei Hong. "Look for something that appears to be a large seal inside the Tower of Resonating Light."

Bei Hong quickly rose from his seat and bowed in acknowledgment of his orders. He then immediately exited the hall, as he recognized that there were certain matters that were beyond what he was qualified to know. This was the best moment for him to take his leave.

Lu Yin looked back at Attendant Wu. "So, Gu Yue didn't seal Shenwu Continent away with the five sealing planets for no reason. He was really sealing away your Three Monarchs Universe, right?"

Attendant Wu respectfully answered, "That should be the case."

"In that case, give us an introduction to your universe," Lu Yin said with a bit of interest.

Attendant Wu nodded. During the entire course of the conversation, his eyes had not once drifted away from the floor. "A long time ago, our Three Monarchs Universe had a different name, but no one remembers it was. Its current name comes from the three powerful Monarchs that rule our universe: Monarch Luo, Monarch Mu, and Monarch Xing. They are Monarch realm powerhouses and are also married. They have ruled our universe for many years, and everyone answers to them. Even the terms used to determine our cultivation realms and the energy that we cultivate come from the three Monarchs."

"They’re all married?" Lu Yin was puzzled.

Attendant Wu explained, "Monarch Luo is a man, while Monarch Mu and Monarch Xing are his wives."

Lu Buzheng was shocked. "Such a situation actually exists?"

Lu Yin asked, "Is this that surprising?"

Lu Buzheng explained, "Monarchs are what they call Progenitors."