Chapter 2882: Permitted

This was the Heavens Sect, and the Heavens Sect protected the entire Fifth Mainland. This was Lu Yin's Heavens Sect.

Lu Yin was the one who had gathered all of these powerful cultivators together, and he had also been the one to bring about an unprecedented sense of safety.

Everyone was staring at whatever display was closest to them, excited and amazed. They all looked at Lu Yin, who stood above all others, and shouted, "The Dao Monarch is invincible!"

"The Dao Monarch is invincible!"

…

No one led the cheers. It was a spontaneous eruption of passion that poured out spontaneously from the masses. It was their support for Lu Yin.

There were also people from the Sixverse Association who had come to watch, and they stared on in shock.

Peak powerhouses were rare in the Sixverse Association, but it seemed that they were rather common in the Heavens Sect. Why were there so many?

People from the Transcendent Universe, the Voidforce Universe, the Arboreal Realm, the Lost Clan, and even the Cyclic Universe all came. All of them arrived in the Origin Universe to observe this ceremony. However, they were left speechless when they saw the current Heavens Sect.

He Ran stood beside the cauldron, in the open and revealed for all to see. Lu Yin no longer cared if people saw her in the Heavens Sect.

He had the confidence to expose what he had done.

He had already repeatedly offended the Cyclic Universe, and he had no need to hide his deeds from anyone. He was Lu Yin, the master of the Heavens Sect and the Dao Monarch of the Origin universe.

At the bottom of the Stairway to Heaven, Monarch Xing bowed. "This one is from the Three Monarchs Universe."

"Why do you wish to join the Heavens Sect?" Lu Yin asked again.

Monarch Xing remained silent for a moment. "To protect my family."

A smile spread across Lu Yin's face. "Are you willing to join the Heavens Sect, protect mankind, and share in all of the struggles and tribulations that we may face?"

Monarch Xing took a deep breath. "Yes."

Lu Yin nodded. "Permitted."

The moment Lu Yin spoke, an invisible wind blew by, confusing Monarch Xing. The moment Lu Yin spoke that word, she felt an inexplicable sense of intimacy with the Origin Universe. What had just happened?

She did not give the sensation too much thought and instead started climbing the stairs, heading towards the level where Kui Luo was standing. Once she passed by him, she reached the level where the peak powerhouses were all gathered.

On this day, there was no hierarchy or order to the positions of the peak powerhouses. Whoever came first stood at the front. Though if they were standing according to power, there was no doubt that she would stand at the rear.

"Where is Chen Le?"

Chen Le stepped out, revealing himself in outer space. He took a deep breath. This day had finally arrived. Even though he had already joined the Heavens Sect long ago, he had actually only submitted to Lu Yin and had little connection to the Heavens Sect.

Starting from this day forth, Chen Le would officially be a part of the behemoth that was the Heavens Sect. This organization could ignore the Cyclic Universe and even dare to arrest one of the Nine Sages in the Cyclic Universe. The Heavens Sect would undoubtedly become the most glorious place for humanity in the future.

Chen Le felt as though he had glimpsed the future as he stood before the Heavens Sect. This day would become a legend for future generations.

The more the Monarch thought about it, the more excited he became.

Lu Yin stared at Chen Le with cold eyes. If not for the current magnificent display of power from the Heavens Sect, Lu Yin would not want Chen Le to join the Heavens Sect. In fact, Lu Yin would rather imprison Chen Le like he had done to Monarch Mu. Chen Le was simply too rebellious.

Even so, that did not matter. Joining the Heavens Sect did not mean that Chen Le would receive his acknowledgement. Lu Yin would treat the man completely different from Monarch Xing.

Chen Le approached the bottom of the Stairway to Heaven, and he offered a respectful bow. He appeared far more submissive than Monarch Xing, and he fully treated Lu Yin as a superior. "Greetings, Dao Monarch."

Lu Yin asked solemnly, "Where do you hail from?"

"Dao Monarch, this one hails from the Three Monarchs Universe."

"Why do you wish to join Heavens Sect?"

"I wish to serve the Dao Monarch until death. I submit myself to the Dao Monarch and will be loyal to the Heavens Sect!" Chen Le shouted. He had considered his answer for a long time, so he shouted it when it was finally asked.

The Progenitor of Bloodlines and the other peak powerhouses all gave the Monarch odd looks..

The countless people watching the ceremony let out more wild cheers. What did it matter if a person was as strong as a Progenitor? Even they had to declare their loyalty to the Dao Monarch. Even Progenitors had to serve Master Lu Yin to death. This was what people yearned for most. At this moment, the shouts grew even more fanatic, and they filled the universe.

The entire Origin Universe felt like it was about to collapse from all the cheers.

On Earth, Zhou Shan smiled bitterly, even as he admired the people's enthusiasm for Lu Yin. Their reactions showed just how much Lu Yin had done for mankind. He deserved everyone's praise.

How many years had it taken for Lu Yin to reach these incredible heights? Would he ever return to Earth?

Lu Yin arched a brow at Chen Le’s pointed demonstration of absolute loyalty. "Are you willing to join the Heavens Sect, protect mankind, and share in all of the struggles and tribulations that we may face?"

Chen Le answered even louder than before, "I am willing to live and die with the Origin Universe! I am willing to live and die with the Dao Monarch."

"Permitted."

"Thank you, Dao Monarch." Chen Le grew excited. He looked up the Stairway to Heaven and then proceeded to climb up until he stood behind Monarch Xing.

Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. "Aeternus has always been the greatest enemy of our Heavens Sect, but once in the past, I also faced a great enemy known as the four ruling powers…"

Lu Yin proceeded to recount the enmity and grudges that had built up between Lu Yin and the four ruling powers. As he spoke, the Heavens Sect remained silent.

Everyone listened to the story that Lu Yin shared, and their hatred for the four ruling powers grew even stronger than ever.

Countless people screamed for the four ruling powers to be destroyed in order to avenge Lu Yin.

"Today, the four ruling powers have been dissolved, and not even their name exists any longer. However, our Heavens Sect looks to the good of all mankind in the war against Aeternus. Even if the four ruling powers are my enemy, as long as they lay down their hatred of me, I, Lu Yin, am still willing to accept them into the Heavens Sect so that humanity can gain greater strength and be united against the Aeternals.

"Where is Xia Shenji?"

Xia Shenji also appeared in outer space. The day had finally come.

It had been a bit of time since he had led Bai Sheng and Xia Qin back to the Heavens Sect as a demonstration of his sincerity to Lu Yin. All three of the Progenitors had wanted to return to the Origin Universe. Upon meeting them, Lu Yin had asked them to wait for an official ceremony to join the Heavens Sect, as two more people would be joining them. Xia Shenji had considered a great number of things over the last two months. He really had hesitated because of Bai Wangyuan's words, but what of it? Regardless of whether he wanted to rely on others for protection or wait to be hunted down by the Heavens Sect, Xia Shenji would inevitably eventually return to the Heavens Sect.

He was a clone who had already cooperated with Lu Yin, not Xia Shenji’s true body. Regardless of how severe his punishment might be, he was sure to survive.

These thoughts drifted through Xia Shenji’s mind as he approached the Stairway to Heaven and looked up at Lu Yin. Behind Lu Yin stood the statue of the Origin Progenitor in all of its great majesty. Lu Yin represented the Origin Progenitor. A junior who had once been complimented by Xia Shenji was now gazing down at him, ready to deliver judgment.

"Xia Shenji is present."

"As the master of the four ruling powers’ Shenwu's Sky, do you have anything to say about how the four ruling powers once persecuted my Lu family, resulting in humanity falling to a disadvantage in the war with the Aeternals?" Lu Yin asked.

Xia Shenji grew solemn. "Yes."

He had already known that Lu Yin would ask this question, and he had naturally prepared an answer.

"Speak."

…

Countless voices echoed in the Progenitor’s ears, and an incredible pressure beyond what Xia Shenji could bear descended. Was this the pressure of the entire Heavens Sect? No, Xia Shenji might not understand what this pressure was, but it was clear that it did not come from any of the sect’s Progenitors. Where was the pressure coming from?

He clenched his fists. "The four ruling powers were wrong."

"How were they wrong?" Lu Yin shouted.

"How were they wrong?"

…

Xia Shenji answered in a low voice, "We should not have targeted the Lu family. That was our first mistake. We should not have cooperated with the Cyclic Universe to weaken the Origin Universe, which was our second mistake. We should not have gone after the Dao Monarch after learning of his peerless talent, which was our third mistake. After the Heavens Sect was reestablished, the four ruling powers did not work with the Heavens Sect to fight against Aeternus, which was our fourth mistake. The four ruling powers and I have made all of these mistakes.

"My Shenwu's Sky committed these wrongs.

"I, Xia Shenji, also committed these wrongs.

"I beg the Dao Monarch to deliver justice." Xia Shenji bowed low after he finished speaking and even dropped to a knee, startling everyone, including Lu Yin.

Xia Shenji was a powerful Progenitor who compared himself to the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas, and yet he had willingly bent a knee to a junior like Lu Yin. This was something that would surely go down in history and be spoken about by countless people for generations to come.

It was easy for people to imagine how ridiculed Xia Shenji would be in the future. At this moment, was he even still the master of Shenwu's Sky? How could Shenwu's Sky accept a master who would kneel to Lu Yin?

Xia Shenji had once knelt in worship to the Great Sovereign, but there was a fundamental difference between the Great Sovereign and Lu Yin. To begin with, the Great Sovereign far surpassed Xia Shenji in terms of seniority.

Lu Yin was still a junior.

Kneeling humiliated both Shenwu's Sky and the Xia family.

The four ruling powers were disgraced by this act.

With this single gesture, Xia Shenji had submitted himself to Lu Yin in a manner that was even more subservient than Chen Le’s actions. All the dignity that a Progenitor should possess had been cast aside.

However, it was also true that, by kneeling, Xia Shenji had caused Lu Yin’s originally planned punishment to be dismissed.

Punishment was no longer necessary, as there was nothing that Lu Yin could demand from the man that would be more demeaning or humiliating than kneeling to Lu Yin in public.

Lu Yin stared at Xia Shenji for a long time. This man’s desire to survive had surpassed Lu Yin’s expectations. Xia Shenji’s name would be stained with this humiliation for the rest of his life.

Big Sis watched with contempt, and Leng Qing watched on indifferently. In his eyes, Xia Shenji was not worthy of wielding a blade. Arch-Elder Zen's eyes grew contemplative as he observed Xia Shenji perform before countless ordinary humans.

If the fact that Chen Le had publicly submitted to Lu Yin and declared his loyalty had allowed everyone to see Lu Yin's ability to lead peak powerhouses, then Xia Shenji's kneeling essentially made Lu Yin look like a god. A Semi-Progenitor had caused a Progenitor to willingly kneel in obeisance. It staggered belief. It was something that would leave a permanent mark in human history.

Beyond the Stairway to Heaven, Wang Wen and Wei Rong glanced at each other. "He’s a lot smarter than I thought. He is not kneeling to the current Dao Monarch, but to the Dao Monarch a few years into the future."

Wei Rong's eyes flickered. "Progenitors can live for a very long time. In a few years, who will remember that Xia Shenji knelt to Dao Master Lu when he was a Semi-Progenitor? All that anyone will remember is that Xia Shenji knelt down to the ruler of the Origin Universe, a man destined to reach the peak of all of humanity. Will someone think that there’s a problem with kneeling to someone like the Origin Progenitor?”

"While he’s temporarily destroyed his reputation with this, he’s bound himself entirely to the Dao Monarch, which will only benefit him in the end. He’s willing to wait for the day when the Dao Monarch becomes invincible, as who will dare to mock him then? Most people will merely praise him for his foresight. On top of that, he just eliminated the punishment that he was about to receive.”

"Most people can only see the present, but Xia Shenji places his hope in the future, preferring to act as the Dao Monarch’s dog. As everyone knows, when a person ascends into heaven, even their chickens and dogs go up with them. How a dog is treated depends on who its master is."

"The man is very tolerant. It’s no wonder that a clone was able to suppress and replace the original body. Xia Shenji's original self can’t compare to his clone."

At the bottom of the Stairway to Heaven, Xia Shenji silently waited for Lu Yin's response.

The Progenitor was not at all concerned about what others thought of him. He knew that Lu Yin was destined to lead all of humanity. If ordinary humans could kneel before such a person, then why not him? Once Lu Yin became a Progenitor, what would be the difference between him and Xia Shenji? It would be like the one between a normal Progenitor and a normal human. Xia Shenji was looking to the future.

Lu Yin stared at Xia Shenji. This kneeling meant that Xia Shenji would never betray him, because no one would ever want this Progenitor. It was possible that even the Aeternals would look down on him for his actions. "Xia Shenji."

"Here." Xia Shenji bowed his head.