The Innkeeper

Chapter 2116: The legacy

Lex let out a deep sigh of relief the moment he exited the Primordial Garden. It was finally over! He was finally free from that insanely stressful party where each moment could have been his last. He only almost initiated four or five universal wars, and almost only died once.

All things considered, it was not too bad. Now he could finally rest and recuperate, not to mention there was that system reward. That should be good, right?

Unfortunately for Lex, it was not in his fate to relax.

The exact moment that he returned, and the tea party ended, Jack sensed a huge change in the flow of destiny of the universe! The Nexus event, which seemed like it was going to happen in the next dozen years, suddenly lost a lot of energy, and felt like it was still centuries away.

He could not understand how such a thing could happen. It wasn’t the fact that the Nexus event moved further away that shocked him, but the timing of it. It was too coincidental.

Unfortunately, before he could focus on that matter and investigate, he heard a series of system notifications. While this was not exactly something new for him, the final notification sounded different - ominous and unlike anything Lex had ever heard before.

Before he could investigate that, a black portal opened up in front of Lex and forcibly teleported him away. For the second time in his life, Lex was cut off from the laws of the universe, including those of the Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum. He was also unable to connect to Jack anymore. That, however, was the least of his worries.

*****

Marlo sat with his eyes closed, ignoring all the shenanigans of the kids around him. Ever since he got that letter from Lex scolding him, and even somewhat looking down on him, a fire had been reignited in his chest.

He may have become somewhat complacent along the way. It couldn’t be helped. After all, for so many years one of his greatest motivations was to heal his son, so when that was accomplished he lost a great deal of internal motivation.

After that, even when he faced many challenges and trials, Marlo continued to become even more complacent. Every time he faced death, the knowledge that he could escape to the Midnight Inn made him relax.

Somewhere along the way, he lost his edge. It was only after reading that letter scolding him - more importantly learning about his own predicted demise, did he reawaken somewhat.

He was reminded of who he was. He was the man who rejected the Midnight Inn. If he had joined it, his cultivation level would be far greater than it was currently, yet he felt no regret. That is because he was reminded of who he truly was, and what his ambitions were.

He was not someone who could be tamed with the promise of easy strength and a life of luxury. He was someone who wanted to claw his way to the top using his own two hands. While he could not reject, nor would he reject help from friends along the way, the actual climb had to be his own!

Suddenly his eyes opened as he sensed something.

"TO ME!" he suddenly roared, startling his son and all the others.

Giselle, who had stuck alongside the group at Lex’s request to take care of them, was the second to notice the danger. Without hesitation she unleashed her full strength, pulling Alexander, Larry, Rafael and the others around Marlo before summoning a Time-barrier around them - the strongest defense she could conjure.

No sooner had she done this that the scene around them changed. They were in the final stages of the Champions Tourney, and so were on a 3 Star planet - a particularly valuable place within the Origin realm.

Their task was to conquer the planet, taking it from the monsters that occupied it, allowing it to become a productive part of the Origin realm. Yet as soon as the barrier was erected, hundreds of portals appeared above head, and monsters started falling out of the sky.

"This is not normal," Giselle said. Of the group, she was not only the strongest, but she was also the one with the greatest exposure. A single glance was all it took for her to realize that the monsters falling out of the sky did not have the aura of the Origin realm on them!

Rafael’s expression turned solemn, for this sudden change was not a future he had foreseen! For the first time in a long time, he was facing a situation where he did not know the future. It was easy to lead an army when he knew what was going to happen, but in this case...

A hint of doubt crept into his heart, yet before it could take root a strong, massive hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Relax, it’s nothing I can’t handle," said Marlo as he looked out at the invading monsters. He was a mere Earth Immortal, and among those monsters were even Heaven immortals and Celestials, yet that did not deter him. He was going to change the future with his own hands.

Elsewhere in the Origin realm, Hiran madly controlled his power into one of his greatest treasures. The Origin realm had been invaded, and he never even saw it coming. It couldn’t be helped - the Fuegan had aligned themselves with all kinds of enemies of the Henali. Now, he had to make sure they didn’t destroy the chances of the realm maturing, or they would truly get to know the wrath of Hiran Kokan.

Across the universe, the Origin realm wasn’t the only one that suddenly got invaded. Countless other realms, mature and immature all came under attack.

In a certain ship, an unconscious apostle scribbled with blood on his bedsheets. Around him, his countless doctors channeled spiritual energy into the apostle so that he could endure through the coma that had gripped him. They could not focus on his words - only his master, who stood right beside him, could read the bloody text.

"The legacy of the warbringer has only just begun..."