The Innkeeper-Chapter 2159: The seige

Lex did not usually enter any one of his three forms - the Lotus form, Dragon form and Jorlam form - casually. Only faced with special obstacles or enemies would Lex enter one of his forms. Generally, there was no specific reason for this hesitation - it was just an unnecessary use of energy to stay converted. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

However, ever since he had visited Regix that had changed, at least for his Dragon form. Truthfully, his Dragon form was on the verge of becoming redundant. It offered him better and stronger manipulation of laws, and it maxed out his defense, but that was all. As far as upgrades to his strength, the Jorlam form did that better, and the Lotus form’s limitless energy manipulation was a unique experience on its own.

Yet things were very different now. Dao Intentions was the name he gave to his Dao Body, on its own, adding an additional level of law manipulation to everything and anything that he did. As long as Lex did not seal his tenet, his every action, his every thought would experience the augmentation of the Dao via law manipulation, and that was dangerous. In his Dragonform, where his control over laws was enhanced, the power of Dao Intentions was further magnified!

During his thirteen month retreat, Lex had done his best to learn how to control Dao Intentions - to turn it on and off as he wished, but he had failed. He had not made even a spec of progress. If controlling laws came to him easily - so easily that he learned to do it before he even became Immortal - then manipulation the Dao was completely beyond him.

To be fair, Lex understood why it was so tough. Even actual, full fledged Dao Lords could not control their powers, so how could he learn to control the Dao so easily?

So, in short, Lex was in a constant state of suppression due to sealing his tenet, or in a super state where everything he thought and did experienced an enhancement at the minutest levels of Dao.

Fortunately, sealing off his tenet was only an inconvenience and not a total handicap since Lex knew other ways of manipulating laws.

At the same time, since then, whenever Lex continued to train his Dao body, although the progress was slow, he did his best to convert his left eye first! His left eye could allow him to see and understand laws in a much more detailed way. He imagined that if it was enhanced, then maybe it could help him learn more about the Dao.

"Does being the best constitute as a plan?" Paul asked after a very long time, somewhat confused. Yet in response, Lex only chuckled. This was not something that could be explained easily. Paul, bless his heart, was too weak to understand the depth of Lex’s strength.

Then again, could he be blamed? Even Lex himself did not understand his full strength yet.

"We’re here," said Lex, moments before they turned from their karmic form back to normal. When he came to, all Paul saw was darkness. He sensed nothing, nor did he hear anything.

It was to be expected, since the Insectoid army was trying to create a black hole. Their method was not to cause a star to collapse in on itself - such a mundane method would not work in the face of Celestial Immortals, who would be able to pluck the star right out of the sky.

No, their method was to use a formation which nurtured a black hole, creating it artificially, until it was in a mature state.

That explained why Paul could sense nothing. The fledgling black hole, which was still in the process of forming, had already sucked away all the light. That was no hindrance to Lex, though.

His eyes saw through more than just light - they saw through the laws of the universe. His spirit strength was like a force of its own, and his instincts could guide him through almost everything.

In front of him was a massive planet - one so large it should not have existed. Its size was greater than that of the sun, and it gave off a presence which immediately alerted Lex to its speciality.

He could not be sure, but if he had to guess then the star rating of this planet would be 5.9 - just on the verge of becoming a 6 star planet! That was something Lex had never experienced before!

The surface of the planet was a mix of grey and blue, without any visible plant life whatsoever. Instead, the entire planet seemed to just be rocks. Yet whatever those rocks were, they were especially valuable.

But even that was insignificant in front of the massive hole in the surface of the planet, which led into the core which was shrouded in a darkness even Lex could not peirce. Whatever the secret of this planet was, it was hidden within that hole - not that it mattered to Lex too much.

What he cared about was the ongoing battle. From afar, he could see the distribution of the battlefield. The planet was being protected by the Evergreen Lancers, who were only defending.

Their forces, which were typically formidable, currently could only defend in the face of a hundred Celestial Immortals mounting an attack. All around the planet was an endless wave of insects that looked like large, mutated grass hoppers.

Far off, in one corner, Lex could see the black hole being built within a formation of its own. A few teams were flanking the insectoid army, but their numbers were meager, and they could, at most, cause a minor distraction. There was no hope of them ever stopping the black hole or rescuing the lancers.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be a whole lot more complicated than just a rescue mission?" Lex asked himself as he grabbed Paul. In this situation, keeping him safe would be quite a hassle, so Lex used the Back of Atlas to put Paul... well, inside his back.

To Paul, it felt like he had been transported into another Minor realm, but a very tiny one. In front of him was a screen that showed him what Lex could see, and there were speakers to allow him to hear what Lex could hear.

Paul gulped, unable to say anything, as he prayed that Lex had a proper plan. Well, Lex did have a plan. He’d been in enough fights and tough situations to know that going in blindly would result in him suffering.

As for what Lex’s plan was? It was to find out what happened when a black hole exploded.

Lex let loose the restriction on his tenet, and transformed into Dragon-Lex.

A deep, terrifying aura spread across space, gripping all who felt it, and filling them with a feeling of existential dread. An unquestionable majesty rose in the air, filled with a heaviness that only Primordial beings had.

But before Lex could proclaim his arrival in a fashion befitting Dragon-Lex, a hidden Minor realm nearby ruptured under the might of his aura, revealing within a hidden being that had been observing the fight in secret.

Suddenly, a new aura erupted - one that caused even Dragon-Lex’s expression to change.