Chapter 3637: Bow Twice

"Who would have thought that the once glorious Hundred Grasses Domain would finally welcome its true ruler after falling so far? Nowadays, it’s not even possible to enter the domain as you please." Grandpa Fa sighed as he took a seat on the second deck, staring off into the distance.

Ah Nine sounded envious. "If we had chosen to settle down in the Hundred Grasses Domain back then, would we have also become powerful by now? Would people not dare to mess with us?"

Ah Five coldly retorted, "Or, we might be nothing but ashes by now."

Ah Nine protested, "Ah Five, can't you say something nice for once?"

Ah Three grinned, which enhanced his simple and honest appearance. "Ah Five is right. Boundless fought to obtain the Hundred Grasses Domain's current status. Before they arrived and established their dominance, living there would have ended badly for us."

Grandpa Fa said, "Don’t overthink things. People like us are too far removed from Boundless. If one of you kids ever manages to become a sequence powerhouse, you might be able to approach such powerful groups, but I have to warn you, be very careful about getting close to those kinds of experts.

"If those people ignore you, things are fine, but having them pay attention to you means that you hold value to them." He paused before solemnly adding, "And things of value are intended to be used."

Ah Three responded, "We understand, Grandpa Fa."

Nearby, the young man who had been given the name of Seventeen looked past the others to the distant Hundred Grasses Domain. Grandpa Fa’s right. If you didn’t have value that I could use, I wouldn’t be here.

The young man was naturally Lu Yin. He would never normally interact with people like this small group of independent cultivators, let alone join them and accept the name of Seventeen.

This was the only way for Lu Yin to sneak into the Gate of Laws, by maintaining a low-profile and appearing perfectly ordinary.

This was the plan that Old Tao had come up with, and he was confident that it would not arouse the Gate of Laws’ suspicions.

One member of the group, the dark-skinned woman who went by Ah Nine, was a descendant of the person whose grave Yi Shang was hiding in. That man’s name had been Ancestor Lin, and he had been an independent cultivator who had managed to become a sequence powerhouse. When he had approached the end of his lifespan, he had gone to the Gate of Laws to contribute to a sequence base. His only wish was that the Gate of Laws would find his descendants and pass his cultivation techniques down to them.

Unfortunately, the man’s descendants had not been found before he died, and only later had they been tracked down.

The battleship passed by the Hundred Grasses Domain and continued on into the distance.

One day, someone intercepted the battleship, and their arrival caused everyone aboard to become nervous.

Grandpa Fa’s expression fell. "Be careful! These people are experts."

Grandpa Fa was a peak Spirit Warrior, which made him the equivalent to a Semi-Progenitor. While such strength might seem impressive, cultivators who had reached that level were regarded as minor figures in the Spirit Nidus, especially in the eyes of the seven major powers, which saw peak Spirit Warriors as virtually worthless.

Of course, among independent cultivators, Grandpa Fa still carried a certain level of influence.

The group which had intercepted the battleship was one of the groups that Zhan Qianguhou had sent out to search for Ancestor Lin’s descendants. Several potential matches had been found, but Old Tao had ordered the Phantom Reach to interfere in the search. This had delayed the Gate of Laws’ people, allowing Lu Yin to join the group of wanderers.

The people went straight to the ship’s second deck. The man at the front scanned the independent cultivators before finally focusing on Ah Nine. "Finally, we’ve found you."

Ah Nine looked confused.

Grandpa Fa moved to stand in front of Ah Nine, though he gave the visitors a polite smile. "Might I ask what business you have with Ah Nine? We are only some minor independent cultivators, and we have never had any interactions with the Gate of Laws."

The visitors’ clothes clearly marked them as being from the Gate of Laws.

Independent cultivators’ instinctive reaction when confronted with an organization as powerful as the Gate of Laws was terror.

Ah Five, Ah Three, and even Lu Yin silently moved to stand in front of Ah Nine so that they could face the newcomers directly.

The man chuckled. "There’s no need for you to worry about anything. This young lady, Ah Nine, is the descendant of a respected senior, and we’re here to take her to meet Ancestor Lin."

Ancestor Lin was not a familiar name to most people, as he had not left behind any famous legacy. While he had succeeded in becoming a sequence powerhouse and had qualified to enter the Gate of Laws before dying, his name had always remained relatively unknown.

The Spirit Nidus was enormous. Lu Yin and others at his level could travel across it at unmatched speed and reach almost any location practically instantaneously. This was not because the Spirit Nidus consisted of small universes that had been connected, but rather because people like Lu Yin were so strong that, even in the Tianyuan Megaverse, distance could not limit them. Space held little meaning to such individuals.

On the other hand, for people like Grandpa Fa, things were far different.

Just a single domain separating two locations might as well be an insurmountable chasm, and Ancestor Lin had been separated from his descendants by far more than just one domain. Multiple generations, possibly even dozens, had passed.

While the independent cultivators did not trust the visitors, it was a fact that they were from the Gate of Laws, and there was no way for them to escape.

"Don't worry. The Gate of Laws has no need to fabricate stories to deceive you. If we meant you harm, who could stop us?" The man chuckled. He was a Spirit Ancestor and directly served the Garden of Passing.

Zhan Qianguhou was authorized to mobilize any who served the Garden of Passing, regardless of the task that he needed done.

The Garden of Passing had many cultivators, some of whom were even hidden powerhouses.

Grandpa Fa hesitated. "It's not that we don't trust you, it's just..."

"Ancestor Lin... is my ancestor?" Ah Nine asked, her doubt clear in her tone.

The man nodded. "Yes. As Ancestor Lin was reaching the end of his lifespan, his greatest wish was to meet his descendants before he passed away and hand down his cultivation techniques."

"How did you find Ah Nine?" Grandpa Fa asked.

The man glanced at Grandpa Fa. "You underestimate the Gate of Laws. Anything in the megaverse can be tracked down. Many seniors who are nearing the end of their lives have final wishes, and our duty is to carry those wishes out. Such tasks are not always difficult, but they are often tedious. Finding you was nothing too troublesome."

Grandpa Fa looked back at Ah Nine. This was not something that he could decide for her. These people also had no reason to deceive anyone on the battleship; they possessed nothing that was worth such deceptions.

They had survived for as long as they had by never competing with others and always yielding whenever it was necessary. They did not seek out ruins or chase after treasure. Aside from their modest level of cultivation, they had nothing of true value. Even if the people were merely impersonating the Gate of Laws, deceiving the people on the battleship was pointless.

Grandpa Fa was clear that the man was likely telling the truth.

That meant that it was up to Ah Nine to decide.

For someone to be allowed to await death in the Gate of Laws, they needed to be at least a sequence powerhouse. That was a level so high that it might as well be unreachable to Grandpa Fa and the rest. If Ah Nine could obtain a legacy from such an expert, her future would be limitless.

Ah Nine looked at the man and pursed her lips. "I don’t want to go."

The man was surprised, and Lu Yin arched a brow. This was unexpected. She isn't tempted by a sequence powerhouse’s legacy?

Ah Nine continued to say, "All we want is to live a peaceful life. We've never fought for anything. It doesn’t matter how powerful his inheritance might be, I don’t need it. Grandpa Fa, this is our way of life, isn’t it?"

Grandpa Fa smiled and nodded.

The man from the Gate of Laws was stunned. He had never encountered such a situation before. What cultivator did not strive to climb higher? Who could remain unmoved in the face of a powerful inheritance?

Grandpa Fa looked over at the man. "You don’t understand us. Rather than calling us cultivators, it would be more accurate to call us ordinary humans who have cultivated in order to survive. We live with normal humans, and we are happy doing so. We don’t want to get involved in anything."

"But this is Ancestor Lin’s dying wish," the man protested, unable to summon any other argument.

Ah Five suddenly asked, “Which direction is the Gate of Laws? We’ll bow a couple times. Just take it as a small show of respect.”

Everyone froze. Was that even an option?

Lu Yin glanced at Ah Five. This guy seemed as cold as a block of ice, but when he spoke, his boldness was surprising.

The man from the Gate of Laws sighed. "I was tasked with taking Miss Ah Nine to the Gate of Laws to meet her ancestor. Regardless of whether she wishes to comply, I am obligated to complete my task. I’m sorry, Miss Ah Nine, but you must come with us."

Ah Nine frowned. "I don’t want to go."

The man persisted. "I must complete my assignment."

Grandpa Fa’s tone darkened. "Aren’t you afraid that her ancestor will resent your actions?"

The man shrugged. "I answer to the Gate of Laws, and I am merely fulfilling Ancestor Lin’s last wish. Whether he resents me or not is none of my concern. However, I will compensate you."

Ah Three’s fists clenched. He was itching to attack.

The man from the Gate of Laws’ voice turned slightly harsher. "I’ve said more than enough. The world of cultivators is cruel. I’ve been polite enough to you, but do not force my hand. If you push matters, you will not receive compensation from my own resources, but rather suffering. You will have to endure that on your own."

The man then released a powerful aura. Grandpa Fa staggered two steps back as it surged forward, and Ah Three, Ah Five, and even Lu Yin’s expressions changed. All of them warily eyed the man.

His aura stank of blood, as well as of a sense of decay.

Further away, the other cultivators from the Gate of Laws watched. Each of them was a powerhouse in their own right, and even the weakest was a Spirit Warrior with a cultivation very close to Grandpa Fa’s.

"Fine! I’ll go with you!" Ah Nine shouted, afraid that they might attack.

The man's oppressive aura instantly vanished. "Good. I also didn’t want to fight you."

Grandpa Fa said, "We will accompany her."

The man frowned, but Grandpa Fa just stared at him. "I’ve heard that the Garden of Passing allows people to give offerings and perform rites for those entombed within it. I raised Ah Nine, and thus we are family. It’s only reasonable for all of us to visit her ancestor to pay our respects."

"We are only going to bow our heads twice," Ah Five stated coldly.

Ah Three grinned, his face making him look simple. "Sorry for the trouble."

Lu Yin said nothing, but subtly pulled Ah Nine back.

The woman felt warmth blossom in her heart. These people were truly her family.

The man considered the matter for a moment before agreeing. "Fine, but when we arrive at the Garden of Passing, you must follow the rules. You cannot wander about or stare around unnecessarily."

"Much appreciated," Grandpa Fa said gratefully.

Just a short while later, the cultivators from the Gate of Laws escorted Grandpa Fa and the others away from the battleship.

As the vessel disappeared behind them, Lu Yin's eyes gleamed. He was finally heading to the Gate of Laws. Yi Shang, this time, you won’t escape!

...

The Gate of Laws was located in the Arcanum Domain, which was undoubtedly one of the most mysterious of the thirty-six domains. It was perpetually shrouded in mist, though the density varied between different regions of the domain.

The location where sequence bases were built had the densest mist, followed by the Zhan family’s territory, the Garden of Passing, and then by the region that was used to store the various materials that the Gate of Laws had received. Some of those materials required special conditions to be properly stored.

It was much easier to see through other domains.

Lu Yin stared at the distant Arcanum Domain. This was his first time visiting the domain, and he did not know the exact location of the Gate of Laws, nor how many sequence bases might be hidden here. He was very eager to see the day when the mist was cleared away.

"That’s the Arcanum Domain... we actually made it here," Ah Nine commented excitedly. While she longed for a peaceful life, she was also quite young. How many people could fully resist the allure of the seven major powers? Upon arriving at the Gate of Laws, she was unable to suppress her excitement.

A rare gleam of anticipation could be seen even in the eyes of the usually cold and indifferent Ah Five.

Grandpa Fa gazed into the distance and let out a sigh. "I never thought that I’d live to see the Arcanum Domain again."

"You’ve been here before?" the Spirit Ancestor who had led the small group to the Arcanum Domain asked curiously.

Grandpa Fa replied, "I never entered the Arcanum Domain. I merely passed by it when I was young. I didn’t dare to stop here.

"By the way, may I ask your name, Senior?"

"Xu Shu."

"Xu? I thought that everyone from the Gate of Laws had the Zhan surname," Ah Nine muttered.

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