Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1269 1269: Raidenʼs Tales

”...Huh?!”

Robin tilted his head slightly to the side, his expression overtaken by sheer astonishment—almost as if disbelief itself had punched him in the face.

”Youʼre telling me the main planet of the Nine Paths Empire is considered equal to Nihari when it comes to energy density? And that Orlando has fallen below even Jura? Did you really make it to the Mid-Belt? Are you absolutely certain?”

Raiden nodded emphatically, not a shred of doubt in his voice.

”It was the Mid-Belt, without a shadow of a doubt,” he confirmed with conviction.

”I personally felt the suppression seal—its presence was unmistakable. I even experienced its effects firsthand.”

”What seal?!” Robinʼs voice rose slightly, his curiosity piqued and concern creeping into his tone.

”I donʼt know!” Raiden began explaining, ”It automatically applied to those who arrive from the Young Belt. I believe it functions as a kind of deterrent or punishment, meant to penalize those who rise too early. I felt it wrap around my soul domain.. It made sensing higher-stages of the laws —anything beyond the fourth stage— extremely difficult, almost as if they were deliberately being blurred or distorted. Even cultivation progress slowed drastically. The entire mechanism of the seal feels hostile, like itʼs rejecting us... like itʼs screaming at us to go back to where we came from.”

”Hmm...”

Robinʼs brow furrowed, a spark of recognition flashing in his eyes.

He had heard of something like this once before—Evergreen had mentioned it in passing during one of their long conversations.

”Could that same seal also be the reason your energy perception feels so hindered while youʼre there?”

Raiden shook his head immediately, refuting the idea.

”No, I havenʼt noticed any decline in that particular sense. On the contrary, some fools—self-important idiots in the imperial palace of Azakra—tried to mock us by saying we should ʼfeel the pure essence of energy in the airʼ instead of the filth we were apparently raised in. They were delusional. Perhaps in the past, there might have been a sense of rivalry between Nihari and Azakra... But ever since your excellency personally refined Nihari, the transformation has been staggering. The surge in energy density was nothing short of miraculous. Compared to Nihari now, even Azakra feels like a dried-up husk.”

”.....”

Robin leaned back into the cushioned chair behind him, his fingers slowly stroking his chin in thought.

”Fascinating... Truly fascinating.”

Based on everything he knew, a planet typically experienced three major surges of cosmic energy throughout its natural lifetime:

The first, when a cultivator finally appears and begins training in the laws for the very first time.

The second, when the planet is officially claimed and bonded with an owner for the first time.

The third, a monumental shift that occurs when the planet transitions from the Young Belt to the more powerful and dangerous Mid-Belt.

Azakra, the central planet of the mighty Nine Paths Empire, had unquestionably gone through all three of these transformative awakenings. In contrast, Nihari had only gone through two of them... and yet, somehow, Nihari now surpassed Azakra in terms of energy density and spiritual vitality?

This only further proved that Robinʼs title as a ”Galaxy Seed” was far from hollow praise. It was being validated, day after day, by tangible results.

”Tell me more about this ʼOrlandoʼ planet,” Robin said as he pointed at Raiden several times, now fully invested in the discussion.

”Surely it has an owner, doesnʼt it?”

Raiden shook his head.

”No. It did in the past. It was once under the control of a figure from the Iron Boar Empire... but that man was assassinated some time ago. Since then, the planet has remained unclaimed. No faction from either side dares to try and refine it in the current climate of war and instability. Whoever attempts such a thing would no doubt be targeted and eliminated before they even completed the process.”

Robin waved his hand dismissively.

”That detail doesnʼt really matter right now. I only asked to determine whether or not the planet had gone through the ʼownerʼs awakening.ʼ And according to what you just said, it clearly has. But then that raises a problem...”

He frowned slightly, his sharp gaze cutting through the air.

”Why, then, is its energy density still lower than that of Jura—a planet that has only undergone two of the three awakenings? That makes absolutely no logical sense. Jura isnʼt special in any meaningful way. Itʼs an ordinary planet in almost every sense.”

Raiden shrugged and raised his hands, his tone thoughtful but uncertain.

”I suspect the ongoing war has played a major role in that. When I first arrived on Orlando, around fifty years ago, its energy was just slightly weaker than Juraʼs current state. However, now that Iʼve returned to Jura, Iʼve discovered that thereʼs a clear and noticeable difference. That suggests one thing to me: Orlandoʼs natural energy density has declined over the past fifty years.”

”It declined?!” Robin repeated, his voice sharp and incredulous.

”Why would a planet lose energy density? That shouldnʼt even be possible under normal conditions.”

He stared down at the ground for a moment, then raised his head again.

”Think. Do you remember anything unusual happening during your time there? Some major event, a disruption... anything at all that happened, and after that, you felt—even the faintest—drop in the planetʼs energy?”

”Hmm...” Raiden paused, his eyes narrowing as he dived deep into his memory, arms folded firmly across his chest like a shield guarding a storm of recollections. ”If I had to pinpoint one event that stood out above all others... Iʼd say it was the Battle of the World Cataclysms. It erupted during the fourth year after I first arrived on the planet.”

His voice dropped slightly, heavy with the weight of memory.

”I wasnʼt close enough to be caught in the chaos, but even from the distance at which I observed... I could feel it. The atmosphere changed. The planet itself seemed to tremble. It wasnʼt like the sheer devastation of the Cataclysm Sealing Cubes, nor was it as soul-tearing as the shadow of the impatient woman who nearly split Nihari apart with a single blow. But still... the battle had a kind of... choking pressure. Like the planet couldnʼt breathe.”

”Choking?!” Robin immediately leaned forward, his posture snapping into alertness. The movement was so sudden that his weight nearly slipped from the edge of his throne. ”What do you mean by choking, Raiden?”

Raidenʼs jaw tightened, his tone sharpening with grim reverence.

”It was the sheer magnitude of energy they wielded. Not just the raw force, but the frequency—how many times they could launch those kinds of attacks. Each blow felt like it could flatten cities. Each clash caused ripples in space itself. Even here, in the Mid-Belt where mature laws exist in abundance, the fight felt like something that did not belong in this realm. It was catastrophic. Devastating beyond comprehension.”

He shook his head, shivering slightly despite himself.

”They call them World Cataclysms for a reason, Your Majesty. That title wasnʼt handed to them lightly. If just one of them turned their focus on us—and we didnʼt have someone of the same caliber on our side—weʼd be erased. No army, no defense, nothing would save us. Thatʼs the kind of terror they bring.”

Robin let out a long breath, his back sinking into the cushion of his throne as he reclined once more. A shadow passed through his eyes.

”...Iʼll start preparations,” he murmured. ”No wonder Rinara was shocked by the energy levels on Jura when she first stepped foot there. Itʼs becoming increasingly clear... the planets within the Mid-Belt that have been torn apart by warfare are in decline. Theyʼre bleeding energy. And now... perhaps Iʼve finally stumbled upon the truth behind our overwhelming abundance of power.”

He paused, thoughts racing.

Robin had pondered this mystery countless times before—the strange, inexplicable surge of energy that enveloped his planets.

Back before the refinement process, the ambient energy in Jura and Greenland had been more than adequate for training. Even at their worst, cultivators could always rely on energy stones or auxiliary tools to make up for the lack.

But after refinement, something had changed—drastically. The air was no longer just rich with energy... it was saturated. Overflowing. So much so, that no one needed to rely on external sources anymore. In fact, if they halved the current energy density, the average person wouldnʼt even notice a difference.

And Nihari? Nihari had become a storm of spiritual power—its energy several times greater than even Juraʼs.

Robin had asked himself repeatedly:

Why? Why was the universe being so... generous with us?

But now, after his exchange with Raiden... the puzzle began to form an image.

If a single battle between world cataclysms could trigger such an aftermath...

What would happen if a Nexus Being was cultivating on the planet?

Perhaps these planetary awakenings—the three energy surges heʼd heard of—werenʼt meant for the planet residence in the first place.

Maybe they were designed to prepare the environment for what is to come.

”So... whatʼs the reason, Your Majesty?” Raiden asked, clearly trying to draw more from Robin—though his tone suggested that it was curiosity for conversationʼs sake, not genuine thirst for knowledge.

”Forget it,” Robin dismissed with a wave of his hand. His eyes still glowed faintly with thought. ”I heard about your escape. Did anyone obstruct your path as you traveled here?”

”No,” Raiden said with a confident nod. ”I left in silence. The orders from central command were clear: a full retreat. But I made a different choice. I left my battalion behind in a defensive stance. Had I brought them with me, the planet wouldʼve fallen in a matter of days. Our standing with the Nine Paths Empire would have crumbled, and your name would have been tarnished. I... I made that call alone. Was I wrong, Your Majesty?”

Robin was silent for a breath, then shook his head with a proud, solemn expression.

”No, Raiden. You did the right thing. You made a commanderʼs call. Well done. Go now—have your tattoo engraved, and await new orders soon.”

He gestured toward the great gate at the far end of the chamber.

”Yes, Your Majesty!”

Raiden saluted sharply, then vanished through the doorway, leaving behind a subtle shift in the air as the doors closed with a deep, resonant thud.

For a long moment, Robin sat there in silence. Then he let out a short, amused breath.

”The Nine Paths Empire... heh~”

He whispered under his breath, the corners of his lips curling upward into a slow, thoughtful smile.