Lin Yu did not have his clones merge, as their strength was sufficient to handle the situation. He intended to keep the merge skill as a trump card for later.
When the nine thousand clones, each comparable to a demigod, appeared, the monster army fell into a state of panic. They were vanguard troops sent by a deity to explore this realm. They had expected to reign supreme on Blue Star, but they had never imagined that the defenses of this world would be so formidable.
Even the beast with a wolf's head and a bull's body gaped in astonishment. The clones soared into the sky, forming a semi-circular encirclement that half-enveloped the monster army.
Lin Yu projected his consciousness into one of the clones and spoke, "You have invaded our realm and slaughtered our people. Do you offer no explanation?"
His voice was not loud, yet it was clearly audible for a hundred miles. The fleeing humans from the West immediately halted, looking up at the sky filled with clones. Seeing the clones clad in armor that obscured their faces, a figure immediately sprang to mind.
"I know, those are Lord Lin Yu's clones!"
"Yes, I was fortunate enough to see his heroic figure online. His clones all wear similar armor and cover themselves completely."
"At a glance, there are thousands of them, at least ten thousand!"
"Holy cow, I'm so envious. How great would it be if I had ten thousand clones?"
"You can forget about it. He's able to become so powerful because he has destiny on his side!"
"You've read too many novels. There's no such thing as destiny in this world."
"Hmph, believe it or not!"
"........... "
The onlookers gazed at the figures in the sky, their expressions varying – some grateful, some envious, and some gritting their teeth, regretting their own weakness. However, they all felt a sense of relief. With Lin Yu's arrival, they were saved. This was a territory they had invested a vast fortune in building. If it were to be occupied by monsters, they didn't know where they would go. This branch of humanity had wandered for centuries, surviving as mercenaries for various races, and had long desired a place to settle. Now that they had finally found a home, only to be invaded before they could even establish themselves, it was an unbearable situation for anyone. Reality was harsh, and those who had endured the hardships of wandering understood this, so they could only flee. Their initial feelings of loss and despair were replaced by excitement and gratitude, as if God himself had descended upon them with Lin Yu's arrival. This was human nature.
At this moment, the monsters were in discussion. Lin Yu's demand for an explanation seemed reasonable to them. It had to be said that the monsters from this foreign realm were quite polite.
Niu Lang pondered for a moment and said, "I killed their people. I will bear the cost!" The other monsters nodded in agreement. It was a principle they had learned from the deities: one does the deed, one takes responsibility.
"What price will you pay?" a monster with a sheep's head and a tiger's body asked. The other monsters were equally curious and stared at Niu Lang.
Niu Lang sighed, "I killed a million humans, a grave sin. I don't know how to appease them, but I can collect the souls of the deceased humans and ask my master to send them to the underworld to exist as spirits." He continued, "Furthermore, as a token of my apology, I will bestow my cultivation method upon them!"
The other beasts were greatly shocked.
Yang Hu said, "This is the foundation of your clan. To give it to a human just like that..." His concern was not unfounded. For beings of their kind, cultivating their ancestral methods to the extreme could lead to godhood, although the probability was minuscule, with perhaps one in hundreds of thousands of years. Thus, their cultivation methods were incredibly precious and rarely given away. Niu Lang offering his own cultivation method as atonement was seen as a great sacrifice by the other beasts.
"Alas, I have no treasures, only this ancestral cultivation method that holds some value. Moreover, in millions of years, no one from my clan has ever become a deity. I no longer hold any hope for this cultivation method."
As he spoke, the other beasts fell silent. His words struck a chord with them. Their own clan's cultivation methods, some tracing back two million years, had also failed to produce a deity.
The beasts sighed, "Very well, we will not stop you. But maintain your politeness! Do not shame the dignity of our polite nation!"
Niu Lang bowed and said, "Rest assured, I will uphold politeness."
After the beasts concluded their discussion, Niu Lang departed.
In the sky, Lin Yu's clones maintained their semi-encirclement, holding the beasts in the center. At this moment, Niu Lang flew out. It first bowed, then spoke, "May I explain the reasons behind this beforehand?"
"Yes!" Lin Yu nodded.
Niu Lang then recounted its conversation with the humans after its arrival. When it finished, Lin Yu was stunned. He hadn't expected the humans from the West to be so greedy. Unfortunately, their attempt to deceive had backfired, leading to their own downfall. Moreover, given their colossal size, it was their greed that had clouded their judgment and led them to make such a probing move. They deserved their fate! This was Lin Yu's judgment in his heart. However, among the million humans who died, there were many innocent ones.
"Among the million humans, many were innocent. What explanation do you offer?" Lin Yu demanded.
Niu Lang's voice was filled with apology. "My deity told me that all sentient beings should be polite, and those who are impolite may be slain! In a moment of blinding rage, I lost my reason and mistakenly killed a million people. I am guilty! I should have killed only the ringleaders but instead killed the innocent!"
Lin Yu was momentarily taken aback. Was this monster so reasonable? He was curious about the world behind it. However, dealing with the current situation was paramount.
"How will you compensate?"
"I will gather the souls of the million deceased humans and allow them to enter the underworld of my realm. Though they have lost their physical bodies, they can continue to live as spirits. The underworld, apart from its somber hues, is no different from the mortal world. You can rest assured about this."
Underworld? It seemed the opposing world was quite complete. With an underworld, a world's energy cycle would form a closed loop, preventing energy loss that could lead to a decline in the world's level over time.
"This method is excellent! I agree!" Lin Yu nodded.
Niu Lang breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "This cultivation method shall be a gift of atonement!"
Lin Yu accepted the cultivation method and glanced at it. He was immediately astonished. This was a cultivation method that could lead to godhood. He recognized its preciousness and carefully put it away.
"Hmm!"