Chapter 2881: Formal Acceptance  

Arrow Sage certainly feared Lu Yin, but he did not fear Bai Wangyuan. This was because Bai Wangyuan was currently relying on the Cyclic Universe.

Additionally, Arrow Sage did not believe the rumors about Bai Wangyuan’s strength. The man was hailed as one of the Origin Universe’s Nine Mountains and Eight Seas, and he had once been just as famous as Lu Tianyi. But so what? Were all of the Origin Universe’s Progenitors more powerful than the Cyclic Universe’s peak experts?

Arrow Sage was able to tolerate Lu Yin’s behavior, but he would not ignore things that were within his power to handle.

Bai Wangyuan's eyes flashed, and an overwhelming surge of power erupted. It caught Arrow Sage off guard, and the man was knocked back. The Sage lost his temper, and he aimed his bow at Bai Wangyuan while nocking an arrow.

At that moment, a flash of sword qi suddenly flew between Arrow Sage and Bai Wangyuan. The ground of the mainland was split open, and the attack drew the attention of several other people.

"Brother Bai, you should show some restraint when living under someone else's roof. This is not very becoming of you."

Bai Wangyuan stared at the newcomer with cold eyes. "Xia Shenji."

Far off, Xia Qin was surprised. Progenitor Shenji?

Bai Sheng and Arrow Sage also looked over. Xia Shenji?

Sure enough, none other than Xia Shenji had arrived and interfered. During the Tea Ceremony, he had been condemned to the Endless Frontier by the Great Sovereign, which meant that he had avoided the subsequent battle at the Tea Ceremony.

After that, he had not immediately left the Endless Frontier as his service was a punishment meted out by the Great Sovereign. If he left, there was no telling whether the Cyclic Universe would try to make trouble for his defiance. Thus, Xia Shenji had wanted to be sure that Lu Yin could protect him.

He had gained that assurance, given the Heavens Sect’s current strength.

The Great Sovereign and many others had all gone into seclusion to recover, and during that time, Lu Yin had led people to arrest Nutjob Lu and drag him away from the Cyclic Universe. On top of that, Wang Fan's shadow clone had been eliminated right on top of the Wall of Purity. Both of these incidents were blatantly provoking the Great Sovereign and the entire Cyclic Universe, but Lu Yin remained safe and sound. The Cyclic Universe had done nothing to him.

This meant that Xia Shenji could return.

The only potential issue he might face was criticism from the Lu family upon returning to the Origin Universe. After all, one of Xia Shenji’s clones had used the Prison Lock secret technique to trap the Lu family, and that action could not have been made through coercion. However, in a way, the current Xia Shenji had indeed been forced to use the secret technique, and on top of that, he had accomplished important tasks for the Lu family. Thus, his previous actions against them would not condemn him. The bottom line was that Xia Shenji did not want to remain on the Endless Frontier like Bai Wangyuan and the others.

Xia Shenji had already submitted to Lu Yin, which was equivalent to breaking away from Bai Wangyuan and the rest of the ruling powers. It was highly likely that the Cyclic Universe would not accept Xia Shenji, and the Great Sovereign most likely despised him. The only safe place for the Progenitor was either the Origin Universe or the Endless Frontier.

However, it was also impossible for him to remain on the Endless Frontier. If he stayed there, his luck would inevitably run out one day, and he would run into one of the Seven Skygods or suffer from one of Cheng Kong’s ambushes. The only option was to return to the Origin Universe.

No matter what, he had to return.

However, before returning, it would be best if Xia Shenji made a contribution. He had immediately thought of Xia Qin and intended to take her back with him; this way, two Progenitors would be joining the Heavens Sect. Xia Shenji felt that there was no way the Heavens Sect would not be moved by such an addition.

The Lu family dreamed of restoring the Heavens Sect to its ancient glory, and Lu Yin was even more ambitious. The temptation of having more Progenitors under the Heavens Sect’s banner would be enough to alleviate some of Xia Shenji’s past mistakes.

Even so, he had not expected to arrive at the Wall of Purity and see Bai Wangyuan wanting to attack Bai Sheng. Naturally, Xia Shenji had to intervene. It would be even better if he could also lead Bai Sheng to the Heavens Sect.

Bai Wangyuan shot Xia Shenji a frigid glare.

The two Progenitors’ eyes locked. "Brother Bai, how does it feel to live under someone else's roof?"

Bai Wangyuan's voice was as cold as his eyes. "You are not Xia Shenji. You are nothing but a clone."

Xia Shenji laughed. "You’re right, I am one of Xia Shenji's clones. You never even considered that I might still be alive after using the Prison Lock secret technique, as you wanted to kill me as soon as I used it. Fortunately, my main body secretly kept me alive, or else I would have died long ago. Actually, now that you mention it, I owe a favor to you, Wang Fan, and Progenitor Long for wanting to eliminate me. Did I fully repay that favor at the Tea Ceremony?"

Bai Wangyuan's voice dropped lower. "We should have realized the truth long ago. After Progenitor Long died, of us three survivors, you became the easiest for Lu Xiaoxuan to deal with, Xia Shenji. He had already arranged his plans back then, and he is most likely responsible for your escape from Shenwu's Sky."

Bai Wangyuan was completely wrong about this assumption, as the clone’s escape had been pure coincidence. But that did not mean that the clone had any intention of explaining this. "Brother Bai, this is the Wall of Purity. You are truly courageous to want to attack Bai Sheng here. I have no idea whether you can succeed, but even if you force Bai Sheng to leave with you, do you think that the Cyclic Universe will simply let you go? Will the Sixverse Association ignore your actions?

"The Wall of Purity is one of the Sixverse Association’s border warfronts, and yet you, one of the Cyclic Universe’s Nine Sages, are trying to attack a peak powerhouse who is helping to defend this universe. Such actions are forbidden. Have you truly contemplated the consequences of your actions?"

Arrow Sage snorted contemptuously. "Xia Shenji, the affairs of our Sixverse Association are none of your business."

Xia Shenji completely ignored Arrow Sage. The Progenitor was only concerned about not getting into a deathmatch with Bai Wangyuan. Arrow Sage might not understand Bai Wangyuan’s strength, but how could Xia Shenji also be that ignorant? Bai Wangyuan was truly powerful, and he had simply never revealed his true strength.

There was no denying that Bai Wangyuan was one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas; he had fought alongside people like Xia Shang, Ku Jie, and other such heroes. No matter what, none of the Nine Sages who had been granted their power by the Great Sovereign could compare to the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas. Fighting Bai Wangyuan would be a terrible challenge.

Bai Wangyuan stared at Xia Shenji for a long moment. "Given Lu Xiaoxuan's character, it is impossible for him to simply ignore and disregard all that you’ve done and welcome you with open arms. Do you really think that your past actions can be erased by submitting to him? Just wait. The day will come when he leads the Heavens Sect to its pinnacle, and at that time, you will die."

Xia Shenji's smile never changed at all, though a chill appeared in his heart. He could not help but remember Lu Yin's various plots and schemes, and the Progenitor hesitated at Bai Wangyuan's warning.

Lu Yin was not a kind person. He treated those loyal to him very well, but that kindness did not necessarily extend to those who had harmed the Lu family in the past, or to those whose loyalty could not be fully trusted.

Was submitting to Lu Yin truly Xia Shenji’s only option?

Xia Qin spoke up, asking, "Why do you want to submit to Lu Xiaoxuan?"

Xia Shenji's expression finally changed, and he turned to look at Xia Qin.

The woman was staring at Bai Wangyuan. "We simply want to go back. Regardless of how high our cultivation climbs, we still remain human beings, and our home will always be our home. We don't want to be abandoned by it."

"Exactly," Bai Sheng agreed. "If I need to join the Heavens Sect in order to return home, then I will do so. The Heavens Sect does not belong to Lu Yin alone. It represents the entire Fifth Mainland."

Bai Wangyuan looked saddened. "The Heavens Sect belongs to the Lu family, which means that Lu Xiaoxuan can determine the fate of anyone who belongs to the Heavens Sect."

"That's still better than being homeless!" Bai Sheng shouted back.

Bai Wangyuan grew furious.

Bai Sheng’s eyes were locked onto his senior. "The Celestial Frost Sect is still in the Fifth Mainland. Progenitor Bai, have you completely abandoned your own people?"

Bai Wangyuan trembled, and images appeared in his mind, particularly that of Bai Qi. His daughter was still in the Fifth Mainland, and she was under the Lu family’s control. Could Bai Wangyuan really abandon her?

Conflicted emotions filled his eyes.

Xia Shenji shook his head and let out a sigh. "Brother Bai, you cannot go back."

Bai Wangyuan clenched a fist, but then he turned around and left. He made his way towards the Endless Frontier.

If he could not return, then he would not try to do so. Instead, he would try to find a way to drive the Lu family away. They could not be invincible. There was no such thing as invincibility in the entire megaverse. Hadn’t the most glorious Heavens Sect once fallen as well?

Seeing Bai Wangyuan leave, Arrow Sage turned to look at Xia Shenji. "Why have you come here?"

Xia Shenji simply turned to look at Xia Qin. "Let's go to the Heavens Sect."

Xia Qin nodded, saying nothing.

Xia Shenji then turned back to Bai Sheng. "Will you go with us?"

Arrow Sage angrily shouted, "Xia Shenji, they are here to help defend the Wall of Purity! They cannot go with you!"

Xia Shenji answered in a mocking tone, "Arrow Sage, I think that you’re misunderstanding something. They are going to the Heavens Sect. Do you really want to stop them?"

Arrow Sage answered with open contempt, "Xia Shenji, you once begged my Cyclic Universe for mercy, and you were even willing to kneel before the Great Sovereign, abandoning all dignity just for the chance to receive her praise. That person has been replaced by a mere clone, and yet you want to cling to the thighs of the Heavens Sect and beg Lu Yin for mercy. How are you any different from your original self? Both of you are equally pathetic."

Xia Shenji glared at Arrow Sage, killing intent growing in his eyes.

Arrow Sage stared at the Progenitor icily. The Sage had indeed received his power from the Great Sovereign, but that did not mean that he would be humble before Xia Shenji. No matter what, Xia Shenji was a peak powerhouse, so why was he willing to beg for mercy? Such a person was too shameless.

Xia Shenji was not Lu Yin, and neither was Bai Wangyuan. No matter how badly they might want to take action, it was impossible for either of them to act brazenly at the Wall of Purity.

Ultimately, Xia Shenji left along with Xia Qin and Bai Sheng. To begin with, Arrow Sage was not capable of stopping them, but on top of that, the Great Sovereign had declared that the Origin Universe had to send half of its Progenitors to help protect the Sixverse Association. Since the Origin Universe had joined the Sixverse Association, Bai Sheng and the other Progenitors could freely choose to help defend either the Wall of Purity or the Perennial World’s rear battlefield. They were free to choose where they served.

Arrow Sage could not dispute Xia Shenji's logic, though deep down, the Sage did not want to offend Lu Yin and draw his attention.

Fortunately, the fight with Aeternus had been slowing down, which meant that Arrow Sage was able to protect the Wall of Purity on his own.

The greatest threat that he faced was still Cheng Kong, but it was practically impossible to guard against that person’s sneak attacks.

…

On Earth, a massive display had been erected beside the statue of Lu Yin, and countless people were focused on it.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the display. It was one of tens of thousands across Earth, and there were even more throughout the entire Origin Universe. This way, everyone could watch what was happening.

The Heavens Sect had released an announcement that a number of peak powerhouses were being officially accepted into the sect.

Drums echoed among the stars, and images of people stepping onto the Stairway to Heaven and climbing it appeared. All of them grew respectful as they faced the Origin Progenitor’s statue.

Lu Yin also appeared, and he looked down from the highest position. Directly below him were Big Sis, Mu Xie, the Progenitor of Bloodlines, Arch-Elder Zen, Shao Chen, Leng Qing, Master Shan, and the Heavens Sect’s other Progenitors. There was no particular order to their positioning, but beneath them were Kui Luo and the other powerful Semi-Progenitors, such as Highsage Grandmaster. There were people arrayed all up and down the entire staircase.

At the bottom of the stairs, beside the cauldron, He Ran was staring upwards. When she had first arrived at the Heavens Sect, there had not been this many peak powerhouses, but in this short amount of time, so many had come out. What’s more, none of the Lu family’s powerhouses, who remained in the Perennial World, or the people who were being officially accepted into the Heavens Sect had come out yet.

Just how many peak powerhouses did the Heavens Sect have at the moment?

The jiao roared, and the Ancestral Tortoise quivered. They were two Progenitor-level creatures, and they were absolutely massive.

"My Heavens Sect was born in a desperate situation. From the day of its inception, the number of powerhouses has increased day by day. However, our enemy has also grown stronger. Today, we officially accept a number of peak powerhouses.

"Where is Monarch Xing?"

A person stepped out in outer space. Her face appeared calm, but how could she really be calm in the face of so many Progenitors who all belonged to the Heavens Sect?

Monarch Xing had never seen so many peak powerhouses gathered together before. Even if the Cyclic Universe had its Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages, they had never all gathered at the same time.

Monarch Xing stepped into the Heavens Sect’s plaza, approaching the cauldron. As she moved, she looked up at the Stairway to Heaven, where Lu Yin was standing at the top. He was only a Semi-Progenitor, and yet he stood above all the Progenitors. Even so, in this place, no one could object.

"Where do you hail from?" Lu Yin's voice rang out. Progenitor-level experts were officially joining the Heavens Sect, and it was necessary to address them individually to show respect for such powerhouses.

At this moment, countless people throughout the Origin Universe were extremely excited. The Progenitor realm was the peak of human cultivation. How many Progenitors had their universe had just a few decades ago? When Xia Shenji had first arrived and attacked, it had taken the entire Fifth Mainland to resist him, and it had even necessitated all cultivators to be gathered together in a unified whole.

After just a few years, it was no longer too difficult to see a Progenitor in the Fifth Mainland.