Chapter 2788: Hard To Move
Each of the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages had their own responsibilities. Sovereign Dou Sheng focused on fighting on the Endless Frontier. Sovereign Ninth Lotus freely traveled between the Sixverse a.s.sociation and the Endless Frontier, seemingly without any responsibilities. Sovereign Shao Yin was the Great Sovereign’s problem-solver.
The same was true of the Nine Sages. Sage Bodhi oversaw Proximity and was the commander of the Endless Frontier. As for Evergreen Sage, he was responsible for the Heavenly Gate.
Those who wished to pa.s.s through the Heavenly Gate were not allowed to enter without forcing their way past a guardian. The guardians varied according to the cultivation of each challenger, and it was extremely unusual for Evergreen Sage to personally take action.
Being blocked by Evergreen Sage was no different from informing a challenger that the Heavenly Gate was sealed to them. No one had ever forced their way through the gate when they were blocked by Evergreen Sage.
That included no less than five peak powerhouses.
Evergreen Sage was not even a human being, but rather an Evergreen Tree. He had been enlightened by the Great Sovereign, and his roots had spread everywhere. No one had any idea what the Sage’s combat strength was, as he left the Heavenly Gate. However, no one had ever managed to make Evergreen Sage budge.
Not even once.
Food Sage"s eyes blazed, as Evergreen Sage was the opponent whom Food Sage wanted to challenge the most.
Was it impossible for Food Sage to push Evergreen Sage aside? He might truly lack the necessary strength, but unfortunately, it was impossible for Food Sage to find out. He was allowed free entry to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and Evergreen Sage had always refused Food Sage’s challenges.
Arrow Sage’s eyebrows rose high. If Evergreen Sage was personally taking action, then did that mean that none of the Heavenly Gate’s guards were strong enough to challenge Lu Yin, or did it mean that the young man was being barred from pa.s.sing through the Heavenly Gate?
Lord Xu’s eyes narrowed. The Great Sovereign truly did not like the Lu family. The young man was being challenged again and again. He had first been tested by Sovereign Ninth Lotus, but he had been able to retain control of himself, just like Chu Jian. This was the reason why Junior Sister Rou admired the Junior Sovereign so much. However, with Evergreen Sage blocking the Heavenly Gate, Lu Yin seemed to be finished.
Not even the most powerful peak powerhouses could push Evergreen Sage aside. This was not because of the Sage’s strength, but rather because he was a tree. The Sage had taken root in the Cyclic Universe itself and was connected to the earth. How much strength would it take to push such a being aside?
Only a peak powerhouse with Lord Xu’s level of strength could accomplish such a thing.
Throughout the entire Sixverse a.s.sociation, only a few people could hope to push Evergreen Sage aside, and Lu Yin certainly was not included in that number. The youth was still nothing more than a Demi-Immortal, and even if he became an Ascendant or a peak powerhouse, he still might not be able to push Evergreen Sage aside.
Lu Yin and Evergreen Sage were only half a meter apart. A single step was all that Lu Yin needed to pa.s.s through the Heavenly Gate. However, it was a step that was impossible to take, as far as everyone watching was concerned.
A person with the strength of a Progenitor was standing before Lu Yin.
"The Great Sovereign has asked to see me," Lu Yin stated.
Evergreen Sage said nothing and simply stood there, blocking Lu Yin"s path.
Lu Yin arched a brow. This man had not revealed a trace of his strength, so Lu Yin could not determine how strong his opponent was.
Was it really necessary to push this man aside to enter the Heavenly Gate?
After thinking about it, Lu Yin used Heaven’s Sight to observe Evergreen Sage.
At that moment, Lu Yin saw a tree standing in front of him. The tree looked quite common, but its roots spread throughout the entire earth. What the h.e.l.l? A tree?
Lu Yin was surprised. "Are you really a tree?"
Evergreen Sage"s eyes flickered, and he finally looked at Lu Yin, but he still remained silent.
Lu Yin frowned and looked downwards. The roots were endless, and they spread throughout the earth, both inside and outside the Heavenly Gate. Just how deeply did they extend? Did Lu Yin really need to push a tree aside to get through?
"Do I need to push you away to get through?" Lu Yin asked.
Evergreen Sage still said nothing, calmly staring straight ahead as he blocked the Heavenly Gate.
Lu Yin slowly raised a hand and set it on Evergreen Sage"s shoulder. According to Heaven’s Sight, Lu Yin’s hand was on the trunk of a tree.
Evergreen Sage did not move and allowed Lu Yin to do as he wished.
The Lu family"s strength had been famous throughout the Heavens Sect. Just like the Mavis family, the Lu family had dominated with pure physical might.
Out of everyone present, Bai Xian"er had the best understanding of the Lu family, but given the fact that someone as powerful as a Progenitor was blocking Lu Yin’s path, Bai Xian’er believed that the Great Sovereign had already taken the Lu family’s incredible strength into consideration. This person would not be easy to move.
"One hand? He wants to push Evergreen Sage aside with just one hand? What an idiot!" Snack Sage mocked Lu Yin.
Food Sage slapped his son on the head. "At that level, what difference does one or two hands make?"
Snack Sage felt wronged, and he muttered, "Then why do you have me arm wrestle people?"
"I’m saying that there’s no way he can push his way through," Food Sage retorted.
Snack Sage felt quite confused, and he believed that he must have missed something.
Outside the Heavenly Gate, all the kneeling cultivators trembled as ripples appeared in the void. They started from where Lu Yin"s hand rested on Evergreen Sage’s shoulder and spread out from there. There was a barrier within the Heavenly Gate that prevented any of the ripples from pa.s.sing inside the gate, but from the reactions of the people outside, a significant amount of strength was being used.
Food Sage"s pupils dilated slightly. "You can actually see the power being used. This kid is very strong."
Snack Sage licked his lips. "I really want to challenge him."
While the two were impressed, the strength that Lu Yin was using was not enough for either of them to feel too impressed. Many cultivators were able to manifest their power visibly, and even Snack Sage was capable of doing that.
Evergreen Sage did not move at all.
Lu Yin looked back down. Evergreen Sage"s roots in the ground had trembled for the briefest moment when Lu Yin had released his full strength. In that case, it was time to increase his strength.
The Immovable Heavenly King Elephant appeared behind Lu Yin, causing his strength to spike sharply, and after that, a purplish-black substance appeared, spreading across his hand and arm. The appearance of Wielder-level battle force caused Lu Yin’s strength to rise even further, and Evergreen Sage’s roots in the ground started to break one after another. The void trembled so violently that everyone could see it.
Food Sage"s expression changed. "What amazing strength."
Snack Sage saw the same thing, and the cultivators outside the Heavenly Gate felt so much pressure that they were forced to retreat, even the Ascendants among them. This was beyond Snack Sage’s abilities.
As Xuan Qi, Lu Yin had only ever used his own physical strength when challenging Snack Sage; he had never used battle force or a visualization method. At this moment, Lu Yin was exerting his full strength with all his enhancements.
This was the same level of strength that he had used to challenge the Progenitor-level corpse king atop the rainbow wall. While Lu Yin had eventually fallen to a disadvantage, his opponent had been a Progenitor-level corpse king that had undergone a Corpse King Transformation. Humans could not normally compare to the physical might of such a monster.
Evergreen Sage"s eyes focused on Lu Yin"s face. He had not expected a junior who was not even an Ascendant to be capable of pulling out his roots. Evergreen Sage had taken root in the ground, reinforcing his strength with the Cyclic Universe’s mainland itself. As long as that mainland did not move, Evergreen Sage would not move. However, that was merely speaking theoretically. If his roots were all pulled out, he would be separated from the mainland.
Even after all these years, who had ever managed to pull out his roots?
No less than five peak powerhouses had tried, but all had failed. Food Sage was famous throughout the Sixverse a.s.sociation for his strength, and he had always wanted to challenge Evergreen Sage, but Evergreen Sage knew with utter confidence that Food Sage could not move him. This was not a matter of mere strength.
This junior in front of me has done an amazing job, but unfortunately, with just this much power, he will never be able to push me away.
Inside the Heavenly Gate, Food Sage squatted down and solemnly placed his hands on the ground.
Jiang Qingyue frowned. Her cultivation was not particularly high, but even with her strength, she could tell that Evergreen Sage had not been particularly affected. Was Lu Yin"s strength ineffective?
Lu Yin"s arms started to wither as he used Extremes Must Be Reversed.
When force was used, there would be a reaction, and Lu Yin used Extremes Must Be Reversed to absorb the reaction from Evergreen Sage into his withered arms. This helped further strengthen Lu Yin’s push.
There was a soft sound as the void exploded and Evergreen Sage"s shoulder shook. His expression finally changed. Does he still have more strength? No, he’s countered my own power. What is going on?
Sovereign Ninth Lotus took a step forward, staring at Lu Yin"s withered arm. What is that?
This was the first time that Lu Yin had used Extremes Must Be Reversed in the presence of any of the Sixverse a.s.sociation’s powerhouses. This was a magical ability that Progenitor Ku had developed.
However, this was not the first time that the Sixverse a.s.sociation had seen this ability.
Lord Xu exclaimed, "It"s that battle technique!"
Sovereign Ninth Lotus revealed a rare level of seriousness. "The Origin Universe will always give rise to unbelievable people. I had thought that this battle technique had disappeared with him, but it has actually reappeared."
"It appears that Sovereign Ninth Lotus has sent someone to search for him," Lord Xu said with a smile.
The woman replied, "Have you never searched for him, Lord Xu? How many people can remain unimpressed by such an amazing battle technique?"
The Voidlord smiled but nothing as he gazed at Lu Yin with open admiration.
Neither Food Sage nor Arrow Sage understood anything that was said, as they did not have the necessary knowledge. As for Lu Yin, he did not hear the conversation.
He had used Extremes Must Be Reversed in an attempt to counter Evergreen Sage and push him out of the way in one go, but unfortunately, while the tree’s roots continued to break, the Sage remained immovable, and most of his roots remained firm.
Even so, it was highly unusual for anyone to even be able to shake him. That was something that not even the peak powerhouses who had challenged him had managed to accomplish.
However, that was the extent of Lu Yin’s abilities.
With even Extremes Must Be Reversed proving insufficient, Lord Xu and the others a.s.sumed that Lu Yin was finished. How could he possess any power or ability that surpa.s.sed Extremes Must Be Reversed?
"It"s over." Food Sage stood up. "His power is falling, and he doesn’t have anything else that he can pull out to maintain this level of strength."
Arrow Sage commented, "What he’s done is already extremely rare throughout all of history. Even I might not be able to shake Evergreen Sage.”
"I definitely can"t," Food Sage bluntly replied.
Arrow Sage did not argue.
Junior Sister Rou heaved a sigh of relief. He did well, but in the end, he’s just an arrogant piece of trash from the Origin Universe. How could he ever be better than Brother Chu Jian?
Little Lian felt disappointed. "What a pity."
Jiang Xiaodao also let out a sigh of relief. "What a freak! He managed to move Evergreen Sage despite only being a Demi-Immortal! Luckily, he wasn’t able to push through. I don’t know if even the Junior Sovereign could push through."
"He can"t," Snack Sage instantly replied.
Junior Sister Rou stared at Snack Sage, but while she wanted to argue, after thinking for a moment, she decided not to say anything. It really should be impossible for Chu Jian to push past Evergreen Sage.
Lu Yin’s hand slowly fell. He had apparently given up.
Everyone felt relieved that it was finally over.
Bai Xian"er looked over at Jiang Qingyue and gave the woman a small smile. "I’ve never met you before, sister. Might I ask which senior you study under?"
Jiang Qingyue and Bai Xian"er looked at each other. "I am not from the Sixverse a.s.sociation."
Bai Xian"er was taken aback. "So you’re from an outside universe."
Dragonturtle whispered in Jiang Qingyue"s ear, "Young Mistress, just ignore her. It’s easy to see that she’s not easy to mess with. Master has said that the more beautiful a woman is, the more dangerous she is."
Bai Xian"er ignored the comment despite clearly hearing it.
Jiang Qingyue looked back out at Lu Yin. "If he can grasp aura energy, he might be able to succeed."
Dragonturtle shrugged. "That shortcut is unique to our universe. Young Mistress, please don’t share it with others."
Lord Xu sighed. Lu Yin would not be able to pa.s.s through the Heavenly Gate, which meant that he would not be able to see the Great Sovereign. Thus, he was destined to not become the ruler of the Origin Universe, and there was nothing that could be done about it. As long as the Great Sovereign did not want to let Lu Yin in, it would be difficult for the young man to do so.
While Lu Yin"s performance had been truly amazing, it would not be enough unless he could force his way through.
Just as Lord Xu was about to say something, someone else appeared outside of the Heavenly Gate, accompanied by a violent energy that swept through. Just that wave was enough to cause the cultivators kneeling outside the gate to cough up blood and collapse in shock.
Sovereign Ninth Lotus and the others all turned to look. Was it him?
Lord Xu frowned as he turned to look. This person was so violent that the Voidlord could only a.s.sume that this was the new Sage Stone, the man known as a madman.