Forgotten Ruins God indifferently replied, "She is one of the Three Realms and Six Daos, all of whom are the Origin Progenitor’s disciples. By completing their training with him, they have obtained a power far above all their peers. During the Heavens Sect era, even Ortusers could do little against them. If not for the fact that their cultivation was restrained by the Origin Progenitor, they would have long since entered Dukkha."

Wang Xiaoyu asked curiously, "Why did the Origin Progenitor restrain them?"

Forgotten Ruins God shook her head. "I don’t know the answer to that. If the Three Realms and Six Daos weren’t able to break through, then neither could people like us. The ruin of the Heavens Sect era... Well, the Origin Progenitor bears much of the responsibility for what happened."

She turned and smiled at Wang Xiaoyu. "Haven’t you gone through something similar yourself?"

After Wang Xiaoyu betrayed the Fifth Mainland and instigated the war between the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands, she had joined Aeternus. Even then, she had only become one of the Twelve Marquises who focused on the Perennial World’s rear battlefield. Despite having the potential to break through and become a Progenitor, she had repeatedly held herself back, all the way until Lu Yin rose to power. Only once several of True God Guard captains died had Wang Xiaoyu finally been allowed to climb higher.

Another one who had been similarly restrained was Hui Wu, Progenitor Hui’s son who had also been known as Marquis Wu.

"Let’s go. The boundary gate is closed. We can only fight our way out or wait for the right opportunity." Forgotten Ruins God stretched out lazily, exposing a graceful figure.

Wang Xiaoyu frowned. "The Tianyuan Megaverse has been united beneath the Heavens Sect. Will an opportunity ever arrive?"

Forgotten Ruins God smirked. "Of course it will. I have always believed in one truth."

Seeing Wang Xiaoyu’s confused gaze, Forgotten Ruins God’s expression grew deep and serious. "I have always believed in one truth.

"The future of a megaverse is predetermined. Each megaverse has a person of destiny who can alter that fate. The Origin Progenitor, True God, and Lu Yin are all such people. Even the Great Sovereign, Progenitor Hui, and a select few others share that same potential. Not all of them will rise to the top, but they all have the potential to do so.

"Such individuals share a defining trait: they can determine the course of wars. Some do so through overwhelming power, while others rely on unparalleled strategy.

"Now, many of these figures have either perished or departed. That has left a void in the Tianyuan Megaverse—one that is destined to be filled by someone new."

Wang Xiaoyu stared off into the distance. "There are still many powerful people in the Heavens Sect, including some of the Three Realms and Six Daos. Can’t one of them be that person?"

Forgotten Ruins God shrugged. "Who knows? However, I believe that your beloved is far more likely."

Wang Xiaoyu did not respond.

Forgotten Ruins God smiled. "Someone will always step up to alter the megaverse’s future. It might take a bit of time, but we can wait. Let’s see what happens to this Tianyuan Megaverse after it loses little Lu Yin and those others. Let’s go. Our time will come."

Woof.

Insects filled outer space in one of the Tianyuan Megaverse’s parallel universes. Some of them were familiar, such as Jade Wardens, Sentinel Waltzes, and Septastar Blades, but others were completely unknown, having taken on bizarre and unique forms.

Countless insects swarmed the universe to produce an ocean of bugs.

At the center of the swarm lay a planet. The civilization there was still developing their technology, and they had only recently acquired steam power.

The sharp crack of gunfire rang out intermittently. A city had become a battlefield.

Smoke shrouded the entire place, blocking out the sunlight. The puddles on the ground looked black, though people were constantly stomping through them. Some were chasing, while others were fleeing.

Nearby, Yu Leng sat within an ancient building, swirling the wine in his glass while watching the war unfold with amusement.

Suddenly, a group of people approached the ancient building, and they even attempted to force their way in. Yu Leng’s eyes grew icy. A Septastar Blade flashed at the doorway, and the intruders instantly vanished. It was as if they had never existed.

Despite eliminating the would-be intruders, Yu Leng's mood did not improve. His eyes remained frighteningly cold. "They're on our trail again. At this rate, they’ll find this place within half a year."

From behind him, a melodious voice asked, "Are we moving again?"

Yu Leng turned around, and as he did so, the coldness melted from his eyes, replaced with warmth as he apologized, "I'm sorry. You;ve only just become accustomed to this place, right?"

There was an absolutely stunning woman in front of him. Her features were delicate, and her skin was snow-white. She looked like she had been sculpted from a piece of crystal. Her beauty was utterly flawless, with the sole exception of her eyes; there were no pupils, and they were entirely white.

Her name was Mo Bai, and she was a Verdant Sage.

Decades had passed since Lu Yin had left the Tianyuan Megaverse. During this time, despite taking many precautions, Yu Leng had still managed to nurture a Verdant Sage.

He had always assumed that a Verdant Sage would be another insect, but the appearance of Mo Bai completely shattered all that Yu Leng thought he understood.

This Verdant Sage was actually a human. Mo Bai was a person, and she was indistinguishable from any other human. Her only uniquely non-human trait was her eyes. They were pure white and flawless, and the sight of them mesmerized Yu Leng.

No matter how dire the situation might be, seeing Mo Bai would make Yu Leng go soft.

"That’s not important. As long as I’m with you, anywhere is fine," Mo Bai replied. Her voice was gentle, though also frigid.

Yu Leng was very familiar with her, and this was the most affectionate thing that she had ever said to him.

He smiled. "Let’s leave now."

"So soon?"

"The Heavens Sect is gaining experience. They’ve already found some of the insects that I left behind, which means that they’ll soon seal off all of the nearby universes. They’ll find us quickly. Even if I estimate that they’ll need six months, they might find us in just two."

Mo Bai walked over to a window. "Is the Heavens Sect really that strong?"

Yu Leng replied, "We must avoid any sort of direct contact with them. They have too many powerful experts. While I know that your cultivation talent is peerless and that you can almost instantly master anything, caution remains the best choice."

Mo Bai nodded and turned back to look at Yu Leng. "I'll listen to you."

She then looked up to stare at the starry sky.

From his perspective, Mo Bai’s beauty mesmerized Yu Leng. He reached out, wanting to touch the ethereal pale beauty that haunted his dreams, but he did not dare to actually do so. He was terrified of defiling that perfection and shattering this fragile dream.

After staring at the woman for a bit, Yu Leng forced himself to look away and turned to leave. However, after just a few steps, he turned back around to look at Mo Bai again. He was curious about something. "Why do you keep looking in that same direction lately?"

Mo Bai lowered her eyes to meet Yu Leng’s. "Habit."

Yu Leng nodded and asked nothing further. There were some things that needed to be done to prepare for their departure.

Once Yu Leng was gone, Mo Bai looked back up at the same direction in the sky. The feeling was growing clearer and clearer. Master, is that you?

While Lu Yin had left the Tianyuan Megaverse, he had not forgotten about the lingering threat of the Nests.

For that reason, he had made sure to leave behind a swarm of insects. The bugs were sheparded from one parallel universe to another, constantly searching for nearby Nests. This was the strategy they used against the Nests, as it was the only way the Heavens Sect could locate and eliminate them.

While it was very time consuming, there was no other option. There were certain things that needed to be done regardless.

Yu Leng had continuously expanded his swarm of insects, yet he had been found by the Heavens Sect on multiple occasions through this method. If not for that, he would have gained far more insects, and his swarm would have exceeded the imagination.

At the same time, Tuo Lin had returned to the Origin Universe. He had visited numerous universes while retracing Lu Yin’s paths. Finally, Tuo Lin had returned.

However, instead of returning directly to the Heavens Sect, he visited Earth.

Earth was where Lu Yin had taken his first step onto the path of cultivation. It was also a place that he always longed to return to. Despite Earth’s close proximity to the Heavens Sect, Tuo Lin had only had one opportunity to visit the planet. He treated the place with devout reverence, and thus, even if it was possible to reach the planet with a single step, he would not do that.

After arriving on Earth, Tuo Lin noticed how much had changed since Lu Yin had first started cultivating there. However, the changes were limited to people’s lifestyles. The planet’s geography remained untouched. It was still Earth.

Tuo Lin slowly walked across the land, traveling the same paths that Lu Yin had once walked. Eventually, he reached Jinlin, where he saw the colossal statue.

"Master is too great! We can’t even see his shadow.

"Really? Can I see Master’s shadow? Thank you, Little Ruyu. That means everything to me. However, the truth is that you are the one who can really see Master’s shadow. Don’t be modest, I know you can.

"The people around us? What’s wrong? They’re pointing and whispering? That’s fine. Leave them be. They also worship Master, so we must learn to be tolerant."

"You are so kind, Little Ruyu. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it this far. No, you don’t need to thank me. He is Master. This is how it should be.

"How long will we stay here? I don’t know... Perhaps, until Master returns. He will definitely return..."

Tuo Lin stared up at the massive statue of Lu Yin. Many nearby people were staring at him, as he was still carrying the statue of Lu Yin on his back.

Over the years, many had tried to gain the Heavens Sect’s attention through acts of extreme devotion, hoping that Lu Yin might accept them as disciples. However, as more and more attempted such things, their actions had lost all meaning. No matter how devout someone might be, they could never draw Lu Yin’s attention. He simply lived too high above them.

Eventually, people had stopped trying altogether.

"Brother, what you are doing is pointless. Dao Monarch Lu is no longer here," someone said, their voice reaching Tuo Lin’s ears.

He turned around in surprise. "Jiang Chen?"

Jiang Chen frowned as he stared at Tuo Lin for a moment before recognizing the man. "Are you Tuo Lin?"

Tuo Lin smiled. "It really is you, Senior Jiang Chen. Tuo Lin greets his senior."

Jiang Chen waved a hand. "Don’t call me senior. I’m not even married yet. You’re making me sound old."

Tuo Lin spoke earnestly. "You are Master’s close friend, so it’s only right to call you senior."

Jiang Chen chuckled. "I never thought that Brother Lu would have such a polite disciple. You’re much better than that Hui Can kid, haha."

Tuo Lin responded humbly, "My junior brother has his own merits. We simply haven’t seen them yet."

"So, just what are you doing here?" Jiang Chen gave Tuo Lin a strange look. While the two had never met before, Tuo Lin’s face was known to various people throughout the Tianyuan Megaverse. Also, it was only natural for Tuo Lin to recognize Jiang Chen, as he was Lu Yin’s friend.

Out of everyone, Tuo Lin understood Lu Yin’s history the best.

Tuo Lin shifted the statue on his back. "I am following Master’s footsteps."

Jiang Chen looked confused. "So... exactly what are you doing?"

"Following Master’s footsteps."

"And that means...?"

"Followi-"

"Stop, I understand. You’re a good kid. When Brother Lu returns, I’ll make sure to praise you thoroughly to him."

Tuo Lin smiled. "That’s not needed. I’m merely doing what a disciple should do."

Jiang Chen sighed. "Hearing you talk like that almost makes me want to accept some disciples of my own. Seriously, the longer I look at you, the more I like you. Do you want to take a trip to Whitecloud City? Your master’s been there as well."

Tuo Lin’s eyes lit up. "Can I?"

"What’s stopping you? Let’s go. If we’re lucky, you might even meet my elder sister. Her relationship with your master... tsk tsk."

"’Tsk tsk’? What does that mean?"

"It just means tsk tsk."

"My apologies, but I’m too dumb to understand... What? You don’t understand, either? I guess we’re both too dumb. We clearly haven’t reached Master’s level yet."

Jiang Chen gave the other man an odd look. "Who were you just talking to?"

"Little Ruyu."

Jiang Chen glanced around. "Are you talking to someone else? Don’t try to mess with me. I’m a cultivator, you know."

Tuo Lin thought for a moment. "You’re right, there’s no one."

Jiang Chen continued to look at Tuo Lin oddly. "Is there something wrong with this guy’s head? When Brother Lu comes back, I’ll need to talk to him. If this guy’s sick, we need to treat him."