Chapter 4598: Guardian Artifact: The Yan Gate’s Seven Needles

When searching across the Lepidarch Continent, Lu Yin had seen mountains of white bones. Among them were the bones of that young man, who had long since been reduced to ash.

The mirebound artifact that the young man held had been a needle. If Lu Yin’s guess was not wrong, that should have been one of the Seventh Rampart's Seven Needles.

The Yan Gate’s Seven Needles had been the Seventh Rampart's invincible battle technique, as well as the Rampart’s guardian artifact. That young man had been holding a needle between his fingertips, and that needle had eventually ended up inside the Lepidarch.

It was no wonder why the Lepidarch had said that the mirebound artifact could disappear. No one understood the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles, but it would not be surprising to learn that they could disappear.

This also meant that the Lepidarch had hunted down his skeleton clone because it feared both that the needle’s presence had been discovered and the form of Lu Yin’s skeleton.

"You were not just hunting down a skeleton creature at that time, but also human civilization," Lu Yin said.

The Lepidarch’s voice dropped low. "I had forgotten about the creatures that look like you long ago. Too much time has passed since that battle, but as you kept slaughtering my colored butterflies, my memory was slowly jostled. Although it was just a skeleton, it possessed the exact same form as the creature who possessed that mirebound artifact. That was a human.

"I do not know what relationship that skeleton, or rather the civilization that represents death, has with that human. But no matter what, I could not permit any other creature to know of this matter."

Lu Yin's tone grew frigid. "Why did you fight Grand Clarity?"

"We encountered each other. There was no other reason. It was only later, after I sensed the presence of that mirebound artifact, that I truly attacked," the Lepidarch said.

Lu Yin thought of what the ferryman of the River of Aeons in the Grand Clarity ruins had said; the Grand Clarity Civilization had left, but later, creatures of that civilization had returned. They should have been the survivors of the war against the Lepidarch. They had returned home, but Grand Clarity had already departed.

In that case, where had those Grand Clarity creatures gone? Most of them had died, but it was possible that some were still around.

This entire saga was all connected to human civilization, but that period of history was too heavy.

Lu Yin shared what he had seen of the Lepidarch's past. Some people were unable to see what karma revealed. After he finished, he asked Master Qing Cao, "Is the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles guardian artifact one needle or seven?"

Master Qing Cao shook his head. "This old man is unsure, but since the name is the ‘Yan Gate’ Seven Needles,’ it should be seven."

Lu Yin looked back at the Lepidarch. The greatest problem at this moment was how he could retrieve that needle. It was still inside the butterfly. That young man's body had been completely reduced to ash and had completely vanished, but the Lepidarch had never used that needle. It had failed to obtain the needle even after so many years.

He asked why that was, as that was not something he could see through karma.

The Lepidarch gave the same answer as before, "Release me, and I guarantee that I will help you obtain that mirebound artifact. It must be a powerful treasure of your human civilization."

Lu Yin's expression turned cold, and he looked over at Master Qing Cao. "Senior, let’s try it. If it really is one of the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles, we might be able to lure it out."

Master Qing Cao nodded and moved to the edge of the Sea of Karma. He sat down cross-legged and proceeded to try using the Seven Needles.

Lu Yin also sat down and used the Path of Breathing.

As for the Lepidarch, releasing it was impossible. If releasing it were an option, Lu Yin would not have needed to cooperate with Green Lotus to share the increase to their karmic chains. Would releasing it not invalidate all of their efforts? Especially since the butterfly owed a blood debt to humanity.

Despite not knowing who that young man had been, the fact that he had been qualified to carry a guardian artifact like the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles clearly indicated that he must have been one of the Seventh Rampart's most important people. Perhaps he had even been a direct descendant of the Rampart Warden.

The Lepidarch had to repay this debt.

Cause and effect were perfectly embodied in the Lepidarch. Long ago, it had killed a person, and so much time had passed that it had even forgotten that person. However, no matter how much time passed, as long as the butterfly was alive, karma would eventually bring retribution down upon it.

In the end, it had to die at the hands of human civilization.

Complex thoughts filled his mind as Lu Yin gradually entered the Path of Breathing. Master Qing Cao had already done so, and he had even attacked the Sea of Karma with the First Needle.

Green Lotus and the others watched on in silence. The Yan Gate’s Seven Needles. If they could master this needle artifact, the Trio would possess four of the Nine Ramparts’ guardian artifacts. That defied the imagination.

It might truly be possible for the Nine Ramparts to reappear.

"Senior, the First Needle." Lu Yin released the Yan Gate’s First Needle using breath, which meant that the others could not see it.

At the same time, Master Qing Cao also attacked with the First Needle.

Two needles swept past the Lepidarch, startling it. It felt the mirebound artifact move within its body. Although the movement was less than minor, it was still more than anything it had accomplished across countless years.

As expected, this treasure belonged to human civilization.

It was unwilling to accept this. Despite so many years of effort, it had still failed to obtain this mirebound artifact, so why could this human civilization succeed so easily? Just what had it fought Grand Clarity for back then? Why had it killed that human? Why had it slept for so long?

The butterfly was unwilling to accept such a loss, and it wanted to resist, but Green Lotus instantly suppressed it. The Sea of Karma moved to surround it, preventing the Lepidarch from even moving.

"Senior, the Second Needle," Lu Yin said.

Master Qing Cao continued to coordinate with Lu Yin, and the two released the Yan Gate’s Second Needle in unison.

After that, the two maintained their synchronicity, repeatedly releasing the First and Second Needles in cycles.

They could also sense that something within the Lepidarch was being attracted by their actions. That feeling of attraction was very familiar, as well as very intimate.

As one attempt after another was made, that feeling of attraction grew ever clearer, until several years later, as the two released a First Needle at the same time, the needle pierced the void, emerging from within the Lepidarch to reveal itself. It flickered in and out of sight in outer space.

Lu Yin immediately understood why the Lepidarch had never managed to subdue this needle. Just as he had guessed, the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles excelled at sneak attacks. This needle appeared and vanished unpredictably, and it could also escape.

When it came to guardian artifacts, some were grand and majestic while others were sharp and piercing. However, the impression that he felt in regards to this needle was that it was cunning and slippery.

You cannot move. If you move, I will run, unless I am willing. That was precisely what Lu Yin felt at this moment.

Not even he and Master Qing Cao could forcibly seize this needle. Instead, they needed to lure it out with the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles.

Seeing the needle appear, the Lepidarch was left stunned. Just like that, it’s come out?

Countless years of effort failed to match a few months of humanity’s efforts. The butterfly suddenly felt pathetic. It did not understand that it was not facing an ordinary civilization, but rather the Nine Ramparts. What it had wanted to seize was also not an ordinary mirebound artifact, but rather a guardian artifact.

Master Qing Cao immediately stopped. "Lord Lu, continue."

Lu Yin also stopped. "Senior, it would be better for you to continue. Guardian artifacts do not belong to just one person, and this junior is also unable to control that many mirebound artifacts."

"You have multiple mirebound artifacts?" Master Qing Cao asked in confusion.

Lu Yin did not know how to explain his situation, but he had always felt that, no matter if it was his master's Cauldron, Chu Songyun's Red Umbrella, or the distant Manifest City, none of them felt like they belonged to him. This needle was the same.

He could use any of them, but he did not feel any kind of desire or belonging from deep within his soul. He trusted his own intuition.

It was impossible for a single person to obtain every benefit, and guardian artifacts could only belong to just one person.

"Senior, please continue." Lu Yin did not elaborate, but Master Qing Cao also stopped hesitating and again released the First Needle, attempting to draw the needle over.

As he continued, the needle gradually moved closer to him, and it eventually sank into Master Qing Cao's palm.

He let out a long breath. The Yan Gate’s Seven Needles? He did not know whether it was just one needle or seven, but the addition of even just this one greatly increased his combat strength.

It might even be possible for him to comprehend the rest of the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles through this guardian artifact.

Behind Lu Yin and Master Qing Cao, Green Lotus and the others also heaved sighs of relief. They had finally succeeded.

Lu Yin stood up and looked down at the Lepidarch. "That skeleton hunted you because you were always so close to that civilization that represents death. Another creature from that civilization explicitly ordered your death."

The Lepidarch was powerless and knew that it would die. "It seems that everything in the past was seen by that creature. It knew about this matter, and it also about the mirebound artifact."

This was precisely what gave Lu Yin a headache at this moment. Did Thousand Machinations know that the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles had been with the Lepidarch? Why else would the Abyssal have insisted that Lu Yin kill the butterfly? But if the bear did know, then what was supposed to happen after Lu Yin killed the Lepidarch if he did not hand over the needle?

Could this be a test for Lu Yin? If so, then when Thousand Machinations had been watching him fight against the Lepidarch, had they not only been watching Lu Yin, but also the Yan Gate’s Seven Needles within the Lepidarch?

But even if it had all been a test, Lu Yin still did not want to hand the needle over. The Yan Gate’s Seven Needles belonged to humanity. He did not want to ever again lose anything that belonged to humanity.

That even included the sword-testing stone and the steed of time that were still under the Death Megaverse’s control. Lu Yin was determined to find a way to bring them back, to bring them home.

There was a gust of wind, and the Lepidarch's head was severed from its body.

Just like that young man from so many years ago, the butterfly was dismembered. The cause exists, and as for the effect, I will deliver it.

Lu Yin's skeleton clone collected a small portion of the Lepidarch's body, but he did not immediately hurry back to Thousand Machinations' Abyss. That would be too fast. He needed to wait for a while.

200 years later, Lu Yin stepped out of the Aevum Inch. He took out a gate, stepped through it, and returned to Thousand Machinations' Abyss.

This had not been a lengthy excursion. Several hundred years was nothing more than the flick of a finger, but with Obscura’s gates, such speed was easy enough to justify.

At this moment, Thousand Machinations' Abyss was quite lively. Multiple black spheres floated about, each one containing a creature. There were skeletons, flesh-and-blood creatures, and creatures of pure black. Each one was attempting to reach the limits of their potential.

Lu Yin saw the spheres as soon as he arrived, and he was surprised to see them.

Thousand Machinations stood with their back to Lu Yin as they stared at the spheres. There were four.

Lu Yin marveled at the Death Megaverse’s foundations. How did it still have so many Immortals? Being qualified to attempt to reach the limits of one's potential also indicated that the creature was qualified to compete for the title of Abyssal. At the moment, there were two Abyssal positions open in the Death Megaverse, and there would soon be a third. These four could fill all of them.

"Devouring Trace is dead. It will be very difficult for the Death Megaverse to gain more Immortal beings easily after this. These few are very precious," Thousand Machinations commented. The bear then looked back at Lu Yin.

He glanced at the black spheres. One of them contained Ji. "Have you already decided upon the new Abyssals?"

"There has been movement from Obscura. That Cyan in the closeby Qi Megaverse has actually demonstrated their power. War is coming faster than expected."

Furball is truly effective. Lu Yin sighed. Back when his true body had joined Obscura, he should not have antagonized Furball. They were seriously talented.

He glanced back at the black spheres, looked away, and then removed the small portion of the Lepidarch's corpse from his cosmic ring. Thousand Machinations looked at it in surprise. "You really killed the Lepidarch?"

Lu Yin respectfully said, "How would I dare to fail to complete your mission, Senior?"

Thousand Machinations smiled. "How did it feel?"

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