The Innkeeper

Chapter 2414: The Forgotten Age of Heroes - Song recommendation Moonlight Sonata Epic Trailer Version from Hidden Citizens

Author’s Note: Guys, please do try to find the right version of the song. It’s on youtuibe and spotify :)

Lex found a secluded corner of the Joro realm to create a temporary abode for himself wherein he sat down and did a thorough self analysis. It had been many years already since he lost his body and had been living as a necklace.

The absurdity of the situation needed no extensive elaboration. When he had stepped onto the path of cultivation, he never imagined himself as a fairy, let alone a necklace. And yet here he was.

Once, abstract concepts of the universe confounded him and stopped him, but with experience and exposure he opened himself up to the limitless possibilities of the universe which is actually why he was able to even create a fallback for himself such as this necklace.

Yet even in the abstract, and even in the limitless possibilities of the universe, there was a rule book that governed all of reality - even if he didn’t understand all its complexities just yet. He wasn’t just referring to the Ruling laws, but something deeper and more fundamental that controlled even them.

He had no idea what it was, but he was certain it existed. Lex remembered that the first time he saw a statue of the Human Kings within the Temple of Fasting, he heard a voice telling him about other lists, other ranks than the Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum. Back then he had no idea who had been speaking to him, or why, but he knew now.

The voice had belonged to Nuwa, and she had told him that only by adding his name to one of the other rankings in the universe could he actually become a real performer - a real player on the universal scale. Well, even now, he wasn’t sure his name was on any of the lists she had been talking about back then - surely the Celestial Apex list, or the highest bounty list weren’t the types of lists she was talking about.

Regardless, Lex had a feeling that these lists and ranking controlled and governed the universe just as much as the ruling laws, just in different ways. That’s why there was so much emphasis on Elder and Sage races, while other powerful races disdained to join them altogether - such as the Celestial list.

All of this reeked of secrets he did not know yet. The reason he was thinking about all of this now was because... he had a massive obstacle in front of him. He needed to not only find his real body once more, after his stalker had made it increasingly difficult to find it, he needed to regain control of his body.

The irritating competence of his stalker made that task incredibly difficult. Difficult did not, however, mean impossible.

The images of a few different figures flashed through Lex’s mind. From Nuwa, to Eclipse, to various other extremely dangerous beings that came in the form of Mythical beasts, monkeys, dragons and so on... all powerful beings, all of whom he had met under various identities. In meeting them, regardless of which identity he used, Lex formed karma with them, regardless of how deep or subtle it may have been.

For various reasons, the source of that karma was hidden, whether it was by his system or someone else. That didn’t change the fact that it existed, and it was fused to his karma!

He wasn’t thinking of all their specific names because he was now back in the main universe and he did not want to attract their attention for not all of them were on such good terms with it. That didn’t change the fact that they had a connection, no matter how hidden that connection was.

So why was Lex thinking of that connection now, while also thinking about the mysteries of the rules that governed the universe?

He looked up, and though he saw the ceiling of the abode he had temporarily created, what he was actually looking at was his impending tribulation. It would not trigger until he reached his main body, but how could the universe differentiate between his lesser forms and his main body?

Heck, why did he exist as a human and a fairy, both with different cultivation levels at times? They had the same soul, so shouldn’t the cultivation realm be the same as well? If the necklace that fused with his soul could also act as his body because of the unique nature of his soul, why didn’t the universe itself treat the necklace as the main body, and was instead waiting for him to return?

Lex did not have a specific answer to those questions. What mattered, however, was that those distinctions existed, and the universe not only acknowledged them, but functioned according to them.

The reason his Major tribulation was not being triggered was either because the universe couldn’t identify where his main body was, or because the growth of his soul hadn’t yet synchronized with his real body. Yet the very fact that the universe was waiting also proved that his body still existed, and that there was a deep, intrinsic connection between his soul and his main body which could not be cut off by his stalker no matter how well he hid it.

Lex closed his eyes and dismissed the projection of his body, leaving only a single necklace floating in the air. A swirl of energy began to form around the necklace as he gathered his energy, allowing that swirl to slowly and gradually become larger and larger. He did not care about being discovered.

Everything he did now need not be hidden. In fact, he was depending on it being as obvious and evident to everyone as possible. Though no words were spoken, this would be a message to the Humanoid Alliance as well.

A small, black Go bead appeared above the surface of the necklace, as if deliberately placed there. When the entire universe itself was a massive Go board, placing the bead upon his necklace was a purposeful move.

The swirling energy around the necklace tore through the roof of the abode as it turned into an energy storm, gaining a momentum that transcended simple energy. What Lex was gathering now was not just the entire sum of energy that he could control - no, he was gathering the total sum of his karma, regardless of where or who it came from. Even the karma forcefully hidden for various reasons had to contribute the weight of its existence today.

Honestly, Lex himself did not know just how massive his karma was. He had met too many powerful beings, encountered too many secrets, ventured into too many forbidden zones. The seal on his forehead was one thing he had forgotten about - who was to say there weren’t more of such things?

Far away, Nuwa looked towards Lex and for once... for once, she was not exasperated by him. That was because he was not making a mistake, or doing something unintentionally. He was fully aware of the risks, and was taking action boldly.

She did not cover for him, nor did she try to interfere. Instead she only watched, even though her gaze seemed to transcend the boundary of time and look back upon a period that had, once, been known as the Age of Heroes. Now, with its history forgotten, it was called the Primordial Age.

It seemed like alongside that history, the universe had collectively forgotten what it meant to be a hero. For all the endless troubles Lex had caused her, this one single moment that reminded her of that forgotten age... was worth it.

Nuwa was the first to notice Lex, but she was far from the only one.