Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1038: Nexus state

BOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOOM!

The thunderous blaring of trumpets shattered the air, heralding the arrival of reinforcements surging in from the northern expanse. Ten mighty generals, each a master of strategy and war, led over 120,000 soldiers into the fray, their banners fluttering like a storm-tossed sea under the crimson-tinted sky. The Great Serpent Empireʼs forces were a sight to behold-a living tide of discipline and power as they split into battalions, each spearheaded by one of these seasoned commanders.

However, the absence of a unified leader-a marshal to orchestrate their movements-left a vacuum of central authority. Coordination between the generals was disjointed, a patchwork of individual decisions. Yet this seeming disarray gave rise to an unpredictable and highly adaptable defense. Each general operated autonomously, their actions dictated by the immediate threats before them. The moment a breach appeared in their ranks-a weak point exposed by the relentless, savage onslaught of the demonic hordes-the general in charge of that sector acted without hesitation, plugging the gap with reinforcements and countermeasures. Meanwhile, their counterparts elsewhere focused solely on holding their own sections, their strategies unfolding like isolated yet harmonious movements in a symphony of war.

The battlefield itself was a hellscape of chaos and fury. Already, over 40,000 demons jumped onto the already blood-soaked ground, their grotesque forms twisted by malice and rage. Yet the torrent showed no sign of abating. From four massive instant space portals, they continued to flood the field, an unending tide of horror pouring forth as if from the depths of an inexhaustible, infernal wellspring. The air reeked of sulfur and the coppery tang of spilled blood, while the cacophony of clashing steel, guttural roars, and the cries of the wounded created a deafening symphony of destruction.

Back and away from this nightmare, Amon hovered in midair, his imposing form wreathed in a faint, shimmering aura of energy. His vigilant eyes scanned the scene below, locking on the four portals that served as the demonsʼ gateway to the battlefield. He circled them like a vulture over carrion, his presence a sentinelʼs deterrent against any attempt to disrupt these critical nexus points.

From his vantage point, the battlefield stretched out like a vast chessboard, with each general a piece in a deadly game of strategy and survival. Yet this grand view provided little comfort to Amon. The scale of the conflict was utterly skewed, the demonsʼ relentless advance threatening to overwhelm even the formidable defenses of the empireʼs army. There is nothing he can do now but follow the orders he had received from Supreme General Sakaar, leaving him a passive observer of the chaos.

Robin shouted loudly, ”This is impossible-absolutely impossible!”

What he was hearing seemed like pure fantasy. It wasnʼt as though the idea hadnʼt crossed his mind before; in fact, every sage on every planet must have considered it at some point. Who wouldnʼt want an unrestricted energy center free of patterns and constraints, containing solid energy that could be used in any manner desired? But all had eventually concluded it was an unattainable dream.

As Robin had discovered- likely as every wise person before him had-The Internal Cultivation System is inflexible. The energy center was designed to function in a specific way, evolving alongside the planetʼs inhabitants. The energy center was an organ like the lungs or eyes, with a predetermined role and manner of operation.

If laws were required to solidify energy within the center, then one had to abide by those laws, just as organs must be treated according to their purpose. Trying to use the energy center in any other way would be akin to attempting to breathe through oneʼs ears.

”Hahaha! I knew that would be your reaction!” Pythor slapped his thigh, laughing heartily. ”I responded the same way when I first heard about it. But thatʼs just how it is. The human race is greedy, always attempting the impossible to reach the next level in anything. After being given millions of years to research, how could they not find one or two solutions to this problem?”

” .” Robin calmed down, rubbing his chin for a few moments as he nodded. ”Please, continue teaching me. Tell me more about this fourth cultivation path.”

Pythor grinned, still chuckling. ”With pleasure! The matter is this: the World Cataclysm Realm stumped all beings in the universe for an incredibly long time. After reaching the peak of the Martial Emperor Realm, it becomes impossible to build solid pillars or foundations again, and those who attempt it perish when their energy center is destroyed. Transitioning from the Emperor Realm to the World Cataclysm Realm took intelligent races an exceedingly long time to decipher-longer, in fact, than it took to discover the path from the World Cataclysm Realm to the Nexus State, or what you like to call the False Gods.”

Robin nodded, unsure how this related to the fourth path, but it was a fact. He had noticed it ever since he wrote the technique for reaching the Emperor realm and Alexander used it on himself: the Martial Emperor realm must be the limits of the human body.

And is the realm above the World Cataclysm called the Nexus State? Well, thatʼs new... Pythor continued, ”Anyway- When the problem of advancing to the World Cataclysm Realm was finally solved and experts from non-human sentient races began advancing to it, enhancing their advantage over humans who rely solely on soul power, one of humanityʼs Truth Chosens emerged. He used the method of advancing to the World Cataclysm Realm as a basis for solving the problem of the human Emperorsʼ inability to use the fourth stage of the heavenly laws.”

Baithor leaned forward slightly, engrossed in the explanation. ”To save time, I wonʼt go into the boring details of how to break into the World Cataclysm Realm. The breakthrough is nearly impossible, and whoever thought of it in the first place must have been insane. Since youʼll die today anyway, thereʼs no need to burden ourselves discussing the exact details...” He continued, ”All you need to know is that breaking into the World Cataclysm Realm requires you to destroy your foundations and use them as one of the elements to form a solid core. This core becomes the anchor and foundation within your energy gathering center. Around this anchor, you can store energy in a liquid state with incredibly high density, far beyond your imagination. As your level increases and the anchor grows, the amount and density of energy you can store also increase. All the energy I carry in my body now, at level fifty, is just a drop in the ocean compared to those bastards. Itʼs said that the strongest among them hold energy within their bodies comparable to small planets!”

”....?” Robin raised his eyebrows, his attention completely captivated. No wonder Baithor called the person who thought of this method insane. Destroying all the solid foundations? Even cracks forming in them during the Saint realm nearly sent him into shock and almost killed him. What would happen if they all collapsed?

And what about using them as one of the elements to form a heavy core? What other elements could even enter the energy gathering center in the first place?!

”The point of bringing this up,” Pythor said, ”is that because the newly formed core acts as the anchor of the gathering center without completely enclosing it like foundations, the surrounding energy is no longer confined by it. Thus, starting from the World Cataclysm realm, you can use any heavenly law you wish. Of course, using other heavenly laws will never reach the quality of the original law with which the core was built, but the important thing is that the restrictions are lifted!”

A passionate gleam appeared on Pythorʼs face. ”And thatʼs when that Truth Chosen emerged among you humans. He said, ʼIf the restrictions can be lifted from the World Cataclysm Realm onward, I will lift them for everyone from the very start!””