The Innkeeper - Chapter 1227: Just getting started
It felt liberating to finally release the seal on his body, and at the same time extremely strange. He was suddenly… so much more. The range of his spirit sense increased by a hundred times, while simultaneously becoming much stronger. His thoughts began to flow faster. His body felt more firm. Even the reserve of spirit energy he had access to suddenly felt a lot greater.
He had, in the Nascent realm, reached such a state of immense power that it was literally impossible for him to exist in the realm any longer without seriously containing his power. Even with his cultivation technique, which was one of a kind, could not claim full responsibility for this. It was almost entirely a result of two things.
First, it was his bond with Lotus. As Lotus became stronger, the feedback it gave Lex was greater as well. If, ever, Lex should become significantly stronger than the Lotus, the reverse would be true as well.
The second reason was the absorption of the Amber Chaos Resin. Or, more specifically, the unexpected, yet somehow logical synergy that was formed between the resin and his bond with Lotus, and its immense feedback.
The Amber Chaos Resin was a treasure that was formed during the birth of a new realm, or more specifically, it was the source material that made up the realm, somehow left unused during the birth process. As something which was essentially a building block for an entire realm, the benefits it could provide were well beyond Lex’s imagination.
Genuinely, he had not expected just how much of a boost it would give him. It resulted in a massive phenomenon that was seen across the entire Midnight realm, and if he hadn’t promptly sealed himself with the help of Lotus, he would have triggered his tribulation right then and there.
But there were good reasons to keep his body sealed, and prevent his tribulation from occurring. Primarily, Lex did not think the Midnight realm could tolerate his tribulation.
From the very start he had always been different, and he had every reason to believe that his tribulation would be extraordinarily exaggerated, well beyond what a newborn realm can tolerate.
Secondly, it was so that the benefits can manifest properly. Lotus, formally known as World Seed Lotus, could give birth to a 5 star world with sentience. The resin, formally known as Amber Chaos Resin, was used to make a realm.
So when a World Seed Lotus, which had fused with a part of a newborn realm in an attempt to become something much greater, received reverse feedback from someone who just absorbed the Amber Chaos Resin, it would undergo a rapid evolution in status and ability.
Lex, who was only a conduit for that change, and had in no way actually surpassed Lotus in status of existence in any way, simultaneously received feedback from Lotus for its evolution.
It formed a temporary, self promoting cycle of feedback, evolution and growth. In summary, Lex was well beyond the level of being bonded to a planet, but not quite at the level of being bonded to an entire realm.
While his body spent a few years in a state of being sealed, it also experienced a period of growth and evolution of its own, even without releasing the seal or upgrading his realm.
This was all well and good… except for the fact, as per the suggestion of Pel, and various research he did, he was in an extremely unusual state, which was that an ordinary tribulation would not be good enough to give him maximum benefits.
Most people were aware of the fact that the tribulations killed countless cultivators, but were ignorant of the fact that the changes immortals experienced were a result of the changes those tribulations created.
Due to how immensely powerful Lex was, it was basically guaranteed that a normal tribulation would not even be able to make him flinch. He could enter the immortal realm, but he would be wasting a lot of potential.
But it was not like he could control the strength of the tribulation he triggered. After all, within a certain range, all tribulations were standards. So his research began, and he came up with two solutions.
First, he could trigger a tribulation in certain zones which naturally result in stronger tribulations. Second, he could involve others in his tribulation.
An immortal tribulation was meant to be taken alone, as it was a right of passage and a test. Yet if the target of the tribulation tried to get external help to pass his own tribulation, it would automatically result in a stronger tribulation.
While everyone in the Trial of Eternity felt immense danger, Lex felt like it was not enough. Since he was only taking an immortal tribulation to enter the Earth Immortal realm, even exacerbated by this strange place, his tribulation remained within a certain limit. It couldn’t be helped. The strength of each tribulation was limited by the realm that was being broken through.
So he took matters into his own hands.
Jeffery, who was still grasping what exactly was happening, was completely unprepared for the sudden increase in strength Lex demonstrated. Lex grabbed him by the hand, and as a result crushed the entire hand causing it to fall off.
Among the many things he’d imagined himself doing in life, accidentally cutting off the arm of an immortal was not one of them, and yet here he was.
Lex grabbed him again, this time careful not to cripple him, and raised his body high up above him, as if to protect himself.
As a result, Lex’s tribulation, which was still forming, suddenly grew larger.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jeffery roared as he tried to resist Lex. He used laws and abilities and techniques, but they flowed off Lex’s body as if he was throwing a bucket of water against a mountainside. It was barely worth notice. Instead, just through sheer physical force, Lex pinned the immortal down, and then chose his next target.
Lex did not teleport over. No, instead he reverse teleported hundreds of enemies all around him.
“What am I doing?” Lex repeated Jeffery’s words. “I’m just getting started.”