"What's going on, Lu Xiaoxuan?"
Xia Shenji asked sternly as everyone stared at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin landed on the ground and calmly looked at the fragments. "The Eternals' plan is to use liquid to devour the astral source universe and then release the astral source and star energy. There's a problem with this newly absorbed astral source and star energy."
"You know about it?"
Bai Wangyuan raised his brows.
Lu Yin remained indifferent. "The Eternals want to use this plan in exchange for not destroying their astral door, but …" He paused and then looked at the four. "Can I agree?"
They all stared at Lu Yin with complicated expressions. Could he agree?
How could he? Even if Lu Yin agreed, they would not agree.
Destroying that giant scarlet eye meant that the Eternals would not be able to replenish their endless supply of Corpse Kings. From how nervous they were about that eye, it was obvious that it was very rare and not easy to create. Even if they could locate this space and bring back another giant scarlet eye, the Eternals would still suffer a great loss.
Under such circumstances, how could they give up this opportunity for the sake of an abandoned land?
There was too little time, and they did not know how powerful the Eternals' plan was. Perhaps this situation would only last for a short period of time, or perhaps it really could destroy the Fifth Mainland's cultivation civilization.
Lu Yin did not expect to get an answer from these people, as there would only be one answer: they would not compromise.
He lowered his gaze and looked at the fragments of the scarlet vertical eyes again.
Bai Wangyuan and the others landed as well.
All of a sudden, the fragments melted and turned into a red streak of light that shot towards his heart under Lu Yin's astonished gaze.
No one had expected this to happen. Lu Yin had not expected this, and neither had Bai Wangyuan and the others.
All they saw was a streak of red light shooting towards Lu Yin. Lu Yin's body was sent flying into the distance before crashing to the ground.
The Caged Wyrm's head looked in the direction that Lu Yin had been sent flying, and it was filled with confusion.
Bai Wangyuan and the others looked at each other fearfully, and then their figures flashed to where Lu Yin had been sent flying.
They saw Lu Yin lying on the ground with a pained expression on his face. His chest had almost been pierced through, and there was an unfathomably deep gorge in the ground.
Cough cough.
Lu Yin coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked at his chest. Fresh blood had dyed his clothes red; he hadn't expected the scarlet eye fragments to take the initiative to attack him.
Mu Xie had just arrived, and he squatted in front of Lu Yin to help him up. "What happened?"
Lu Yin clutched his chest in confusion. "Senior Brother, why are you here?
It's nothing, just a superficial wound. "
Mu Xie looked at Lu Yin's chest. The wound was very deep, and it could even be said that it had been pierced through. However, this sort of injury was not enough to kill Lu Yin, as there was no residual energy. Mu Xie heaved a sigh of relief and looked up into space.
Lu Yin followed his gaze, and his gaze froze. The Calamity Star had appeared, and its crimson light was glaring.
It was no wonder why Mu Xie had come. He had been keeping an eye on the Nightmare Star, and the gradual appearance of the Nightmare Star had forced him to stay close to Lu Yin in order to protect him.
"He won't attack me right now, will he?" Lu Yin sneered. He didn't look at Nightmare Star, but rather at Bai Wangyuan and the others. He didn't mention that Madman Lu was a Redback, as they wouldn't believe him unless he had proof.
Mu Xie's expression was solemn. "With me here, there's no point in attacking."
Lu Yin coughed again. "Senior Brother, help me back to the fourth base. Something's happened on the Fifth Mainland."
Mu Xie supported Lu Yin and left, leaving Bai Wangyuan and the others behind.
Not long after, Bai Wangyuan and the others headed off in four different directions, preparing to completely destroy the Eternals and reclaim the New Mainland. This was the first time that such an opportunity had appeared in the Cosmic Tree Realm.
Lu Yin was brought back to the fourth base by Mu Xie, and at that moment, he looked at his heart.
That Crimson Remnant was extremely powerful, and he had maintained his battle force at the Palm Realm, but it had still easily pierced through his body. With his physical strength and battle force, not even an ordinary Progenitor could compare to it, but it had still pierced through his body.
This was what Mu Xie, Bai Wangyuan, and the others had seen.
In reality, this ray of light was not as simple as it seemed. The moment it had struck Lu Yin, it had attempted to spread Crimson Remnant's power throughout his body. This was even more terrifying than Astral Source Countercurrent, as this was the power of a True God. If it couldn't control Lu Yin, it would destroy him.
Who in the universe could resist the power of a True God?
If not for the similarly tyrannical power in Lu Yin's heart, he would have been finished.
Lu Yin wasn't sure if it was the power in his heart that had neutralized the divine power, but even if it was, it didn't prove that the power in his heart surpassed the divine power. At most, it could only mean that there was too little divine power. After all, Bai Xianer had resisted the power in his heart in the Red Garden.
This was only one aspect of it. Another aspect was that there was a red dot near his heart that was the divine power.
He had only discovered this red dot when Mu Xie had brought him to the fourth base. He tried to use the black and white mist to neutralize it, but he couldn't do anything about it. The red dot didn't move at all, and it didn't resist either. It just stayed there, leaving Lu Yin helpless.
"Those are the people from the fourth base," Mu Xie said.
Lu Yin looked down and saw the Yao Emperor and the others taking the cultivators into their inner worlds. Only they could still use their inner worlds. Based on the strength of the Astral Source Reversal, even a Half-Ancestor like Lan Xian would be half-crippled.
Soon, Lu Yin found Elder Chan. The old man's face was slightly pale, but he seemed to be fine.
"You almost reversed the Astral Source Reversal in your inner world. If that happened, your cultivation would be half-crippled," Elder Chan said when he saw Lu Yin.
Among the four half-progenitors at the fourth formation base, Hen Xin was in the best condition. Although he also had a stellar source in his body, which was also reversed, what he truly cultivated was battle force and domains. Under the Mastery Realm battle force, his strength did not decrease by much.
With Wan Zhiyi overseeing the fourth base, it was fine.
Lu Yin had Elder Chan and the others bring the cultivators back while he rode the Prison Drake back to the Fifth Mainland.
Because of the Chaotic Stratagem, almost all of the cultivators on the Fifth Mainland were half-crippled, including those who had come to the Astral Trees. However, the local cultivators weren't affected.
When Lu Yin appeared on the Prison Drake, countless people cheered.
They were cheering for Lu Yin to lead the fourth base to the New World. They were cheering for the first time in decades that the humans had hope of defeating the Eternals.
The news of Lu Yin shattering the giant scarlet eye hadn't spread yet, but it would spread soon. When that happened, Lu Yin's reputation would reach new heights, whether on the Fifth Mainland or in the Astral Trees.
However, Lu Yin wasn't in the mood to think about this.
Not long after he rode the Prison Drake back to the Fifth Mainland, his expression sank.
When he came out of the New Void Corridor, he saw that the cultivators from the Fifth Mainland and the cultivators from the Astral Trees were half-crippled. No matter what their cultivation base was, as long as they absorbed star energy or Astral Source Reversal, it would reverse.
Some people would have problems even walking, let alone fighting, unless they had the strength of Elder Chan and Hen Xin.
He went through the Technocracy to the Innerverse and arrived at the entrance to the Starfall Sea. The allied forces that had attacked the Starfall Sea had yet to retreat, but they were now completely different from before. Even with the help of various external items, they still maintained a considerable amount of combat power, but it couldn't hide the fact that they were half-crippled.
Lu Yin saw Lu Buzheng, Cai 'er, and the other Half-Ancestors from the Fifth Mainland, including the Blood Ancestor. Even Gu Yan, a Half-Ancestor who had just arrived at the Fifth Mainland, was the same.
No one could escape this calamity.
This was the true Chaotic Stratagem.
It was at this moment that Lu Yin realized that although the liquid had devoured the Astral Source Universe and caused the Fifth Mainland to enter a period of stagnation, it had greatly benefited Lu Buzheng and the others when it had been released. The effects were even better than normal cultivation for decades.
Lu Yin had wondered why the Eternals were doing this.
They couldn't possibly be so kind as to help Lu Buzheng and the other Half-Ancestors.
Perhaps it had been a mistake, or perhaps something had gone wrong. He couldn't figure it out.
But now, he knew that the Eternals hadn't made a mistake. They didn't care about how Lu Buzheng and the other Half-Ancestors improved. Once the Chaotic Stratagem was activated, no one would be able to escape. Even Progenitors would be affected.
One should never underestimate the Eternals.
Lu Yin understood Mister Mu's fear of the Eternals, and he also understood why he was so eager to find out about the Chaotic Stratagem.
If things went wrong, the Chaotic Stratagem might very well destroy the Fifth Mainland's cultivation civilization.
Lu Yin rode the Prison Wyrm and searched the entire Fifth Mainland to see if there was a place that wasn't affected.
Unfortunately, he couldn't find any.
At this moment, the battle on the other side of the Astral Tree Domain was in full swing. Aside from the fourth base, the other four bases were constantly recovering cities in the New World, slaughtering Corpse Kings, and rescuing humans who had yet to be transformed. Good news kept spreading, as if the New World had already become the territory of the humans.
Half a month later, the wireless gu vibrated, and Lu Yin answered. It was Bai Wangyuan.
"Can you guys still defend the fourth formation base?"
This was Bai Wangyuan's first sentence. He understood the Fifth Mainland's situation, but so what? The Eternals had been beaten back, and their thoughts were constantly changing. At this moment, the Fifth Mainland's half-crippled state was beneficial to them.
Lu Yin could hear the pressure in Bai Wangyuan's words, but it was within his expectations. "What are you trying to say?"
Bai Wangyuan replied, "If you can't defend the fourth base, you'll be violating the agreement. You should know the consequences."
"Don't worry, someone will take over. We'll defend the fourth base," Lu Yin said before ending the call.
Lu Yin's expression darkened, as he hadn't expected the Eternals' Chaotic Stratagem to appear only now. Was it revenge?
The Chaotic Stratagem's appearance had caused the Fifth Mainland to be half-crippled, and the Eternals had been beaten back. The Four Way Scale's ruling position had been completely solidified, which was quite unfavorable for Lu Yin.
The West Mountain Tea King had warned him about this and given him time to consider it, but did he really need to consider it when facing the Eternals?
Humans should be selfish, but they also needed to have a standpoint. If Lu Yin allowed the Eternals to continue staying because of the Four Way Scale, he would never be able to forgive himself.
He didn't consider himself a magnanimous and selfless gentleman, but there were some things that he couldn't do. Regardless of whether he was a gentleman or a villain, everyone had their own standpoint.