Nexus Ascension: My Comprehension Defies the Heaven

Chapter 577: Departure to Helios, Outlining 8th rank

Isolde could not believe it. She stared deeply at Grey, her eyes completely glazed over with shock. No matter how many times she looked at him, she still could not understand the logic behind this situation.

She had always seen the boss of Helios as a god. He had been entirely invincible since the day he became their leader, guiding other Helios members and helping her out immensely. To the other Earth transmigrators, he was like a living saint and their true, ultimate powerhouse.

Whenever any of them were in a pinch, he would come running to save them. That was because, despite him being one of the strongest in the universe, his powers far surpassed the lower planes of existence they currently resided in.

One day, a powerful being had even descended from a higher world, but their boss had dispatched them with absolute ease. Even while technically remaining a mortal, his sheer power could rival those residing in the higher worlds.

Yet now, a being who was only at the seventh rank stood right in front of her, completely capable of rivaling a Dao Generation expert and even suppressing them by force. This talent was almost dangerously close to their boss’s own legendary talent! And the person in question was also an Earth transmigrator! She simply could not wrap her head around it.

"Do you still want the Holy Corpse?" Grey came forward and asked calmly. "I did not harm you out of respect for your origin. But if you still persist, I do not mind killing you. You know I can easily do that."

"That Dao Generation Note inside you, I can plunge it right out," he added with freezing intent.

Isolde looked at Grey blankly. She did not doubt his words for a single second. This young man had immense, reality-bending strength riding right behind his back.

"I will leave," Isolde said, a heavy trace of humiliation coating her voice. "But do not think you can get away with this forever. I am but a half-senior. The real seniors of Helios will eventually come down to humble your arrogance."

"I highly doubt that can happen, Miss Isolde," the Spirit Ancestor stepped forward and spoke with a deep, weary sigh. "He has only been an evolver for a single year."

"Meaning, he was a completely ordinary person just like us back on earth a year back."

"Unlike the rest of us who began our evolution paths since a young age, Saint Grey did not have that luxury."

"No one is worthy to do that. They will just be humiliating themselves."

"What?!"

This time, Isolde could not stay still anymore. Her very own Dao Note, which she had meticulously cultivated to generate her supreme Dao power, began violently trembling at its foundations.

"Y-Y-Y-You!" She stuttered severely as she pointed a shaking finger right at Grey’s face.

"WHAT THE ****!"

"****!"

Isolde began throwing a massive myriad of curses, completely refusing to believe this reality. Was advancing through the stages supposed to be that easy? Of course not! People struggled, bled, and killed millions and trillions daily just so they could advance a single step. Some people thieved, others begged on their knees in the higher worlds, and yet...

"I thoroughly understand your shock, Miss. But Saint Grey... I am afraid he is on the exact same level as our boss. It is not even a debate anymore," the Spirit Ancestor said with a stunned look on his face.

Grey’s lips twitched violently seeing this. Why was she overreacting like this? It was not like this was some incredibly unbelievable feat, was it?

From what he knew, people of the higher worlds were born directly at the twelfth rank or something similar, because the ambient power there simply made it impossible for you to remain at the first rank. It was a place that existed in a higher space-time, with the pure power of the Dao and other grand presences supporting it. He wanted to visit that place eventually, and he would make sure to see it through.

"So, can I leave now?" Grey asked with a lazy look on his face. Dealing with a pop idol like her was a massive pain in the butt, if he was being completely real.

"How did you even do it?" Isolde could not help but ask, her voice hushed. "I do not think talent alone is ever enough to reach your current level in a single year. Unless you are an ancient being from the higher world who descended onto the mortal planes via star rebirth. But you are a confirmed Earth transmigrator, so that cannot be true."

Her mind and her Dao Note were still entirely frozen from the psychological shock as she spoke.

"Nanomachines," Grey replied with a blink.

"..." Isolde blinked blankly upon hearing this.

"You..." Isolde facepalmed, letting out a dry laugh. "You are still just a child."

Isolde might be one of the very few people in this entire universe who actually understood that specific pop-culture reference. Besides being an idol first, she was also an avid gamer back in her old world. She had naturally played a lot of games, hence she caught the reference instantly.

"You know what? I am not leaving," Isolde suddenly declared. "I want you to tell me exactly how you became this powerful."

She was now deadset on discovering how this man managed to grow this strong so unbelievably quickly.

"Suit yourself then," Grey chuckled. "I am going back to my planet. You are more than welcome to stay here out in the void."

"Hmph. That is exactly what I am going to do," she clicked her tongue as she spoke. "I know you did something incredible, and I will find it out myself."

She was someone who deeply pursued power as well, and seeing this guy rise to absolute dominance like this, she wanted in on the fun.

"Well, it might not be entirely impossible for you to reach my level eventually," Grey grinned. "The way I managed to reach this state is all thanks to the specific path I follow."

"The path you follow?" Isolde frowned.

She currently followed the leader of Helios’s path, and she had vowed long ago that she would never switch from it. The leader had saved her life once, and she secretly looked up to him, desperately wanting to stand on an equal footing with him one day.

"No need," Isolde shook her head firmly. "I promised the leader that I will never switch from his path."

"Oh, alright." Grey was just casually trying to see if he could recruit her to his side, and if she did not want to join, he was not going to force her. It was not like his path was lacking followers anyway. It would not be long before he unified this entire universe and made everyone cultivate his path.

Grey then turned around and went back into the protective tower once more.

"Grey, I think you should just give up this Holy Corpse power," his father, Anderson, could not help but say in deep concern the moment he walked in. This was the second time in a single hour! Two separate ninth-rank powerhouses had descended upon their home just to strip it away from him. Perhaps having this level of power was a bad thing.

"Do not worry, Mom, Dad. This power can easily make me reach the tenth rank if I wanted to, but I am forcing it to stay contained at the seventh rank so I can take my time," Grey reassured them.

Or rather, take his time to properly develop his path. Now that he had achieved the combat strength of the eighth rank, it was time to thoroughly study the structural rules of the eighth rank.

By now, Anderson, Angela, and Julie had naturally recognized Isolde from her Earth days. But Grey strictly instructed them not to show any signs that they knew about her past celebrity status; he did not want to put his parents or sister in any unnecessary danger until he personally visited Helios.

Isolde was still following him around like a plague. The other girls were naturally becoming more concerned about her presence. Especially Alissa, who became even more visibly agitated than Lia and Valeria. She, too, began trailing right behind them.

"Hey, I kinda have to go into the Creator Space right now," Grey’s lips twitched as he looked at the entourage behind him. Damn, this idol girl was pretty shameless, wasn’t she? But he honestly did not understand why Alissa was following him around so intensely as well.

"By the way, I want to go to Helios," Grey said, turning back to Isolde. "Can I come along with you?"

He genuinely wanted to see this establishment with his own eyes, a sanctuary where the people of his hometown gathered.

"I can easily arrange that," Isolde replied absentmindedly. She was already planning on bringing him back to the headquarters anyway.

A monstrous anomaly like him had to be protected with maximum security. The more powerful you became, the more widely known you would be. That was especially the case when you grew stronger in the lower realms, as your sheer might could not be hidden away unless you were residing in the higher worlds. Hence, the ancient Paragons would definitely take notice of Grey soon. She wanted to ensure he had proper protection.

Although it was a pity that she could not secure the Holy Corpse for her own advancement, she believed that fighting over it now was entirely useless. She swiftly contacted the headquarters with the Spirit Ancestor in tow, while Grey entered the simulation space to outline the foundations of the eighth rank.

He wanted to make the eighth rank as streamlined and accessible as possible for his future pathstriders. The eighth rank dealt entirely with inner demons, and he had already acquired a powerful technique to utilize as a base. The Holy Corpse had granted him the perfect template for it. Now, he just needed to fully complete the framework and merge it seamlessly with his path.

He also requested the other ancestors for further inspiration, gathering techniques from the Origin Body cultivators on how they personally underwent their internal inner demon cleansing.

The inner demon was a naturally occurring phenomenon; it was a psychological and spiritual tribulation that every single being who opened the eighth genetic limiter had to endure. It was the ultimate, absolute test of existence, and if you passed it, you would officially transcend the boundaries of a mortal.

Just then, he received a direct call from Isolde. It was time to leave for Helios.

She had arrived using World Breaking Source Power, so they were going to utilize that exact same energy method for their departure. Grey looked forward to seeing what lay ahead.