Lex shifted his gaze to Timorath, who was sitting in front of his towering black monolith, his presence as still as an ancient statue. Lex could see the change in Timorath's demeanor.
The restless ambition that once burned in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a profound serenity, a presence that felt both immovable and boundless, as though he had glimpsed the truth beyond mere power.
Lex's pupils glinted with intrigue as he sensed Timorath's true power. "He is about to touch the Quasi-Grand Law," he remarked.
The Quasi-Grand Law was the final bridge before the Grand Law. It was not simply about comprehension, it was about mastery, fusion, and evolution.
To even qualify for this stage, one had to push their primary law to the absolute limit of rank nine and cultivate several supporting laws to at least rank seven.
This is a feat that countless beings would fail to accomplish, a dividing line that separated the legendary from the forgotten.
But even that was not the true peak. To step into the Grand Law Realm, one had to do more than just comprehend. They needed to merge multiple laws into their new Godhead, fusing them into a new, indivisible force.
This was where true disparity was born. A Grand Law cultivator who had merged three laws could reign over countless realms. But those who had merged five? Seven? The difference was immeasurable.
Their mere presence distorted the flow of significant events in the universe.
Even among the mighty, there were still mountains beyond mountains.
Lex's expression was calm, but deep within his gaze, there was a flicker of something rare: expectation. Would Timorath step through the threshold? Would he become something greater, or would he lose his ambition when the time of Celestial tribulation arrives?
Lex's gaze then swept across the vast expanse of the Divine Realm, his eyes piercing through layers of space and time. He observed the Primordials, each engaged in their own pursuits, some schemed in the shadows, their minds weaving unfathomable plots.
Others clashed in earth-shattering battles, each strike capable of collapsing entire realms. Some guided their descendants, shaping the rise of powerful beings across the Divine Realm and beyond.
Others wandered the vast cosmos, seeking peerless treasures and blessed lands, eager to expand their dominion.
Yet, despite their so-called supremacy, Lex found himself unimpressed. "Predictable," he muttered to himself.
The Primordials, who hailed themselves as the apex of universe, were nothing more than prisoners of their own ambitions; trapped in an endless cycle of greed, conquest, and betrayal.
The more he observed, the more monotonous it seemed.
With a casual motion of his head, Lex shifted his attention elsewhere, letting his gaze wander across the universe. Far away, in the desolate regions of the cosmos, a seemingly insignificant planet caught his eye.
Its surface was barren, devoid of life, its skies empty, and its energy depleted, a stark contrast to the vibrant realms he had just observed.
He instantly understood the reason as he saw two colossal humanoid beings engaged in battle beyond the galaxy, their clash so devastating that it had drained the surrounding cosmic energy, leaving entire star systems withering in its wake.
The sheer force of their confrontation had warped the very fabric of space, their auras distorting the surrounding space and galaxies.
"Such destruction… over what?" Lex mused, his voice tinged with indifference. He peered deeper, his pupils glowing with unfathomable wisdom.
The once-thriving celestial bodies in the region now resembled mere husks, their vitality stripped away. Planets lay in ruin, countless creatures dead, stars dimmed, and entire galaxies trembled under the aftershocks of their battle.
Though the cosmic energy would eventually return, it would take millennia—an eternity to mortals, but a fleeting moment to the grand expanse of the universe and as for the dead creatures well they would remain dead.
He remained silent, his mind processing the scene before him. He had seen it countless times, the cycle of destruction and renewal, the endless struggle between power and survival. To many, this would be proof of an immutable truth: The strong dominate, the weak perish.
But Lex did not view the world in such narrow terms. Strength was not absolute, and fate was not so simple. If that were truly the case, then why did even the greatest empires fall? Why did the most powerful beings still fear the unknown? Why did even the Primordials, regarded as the pinnacle of the universe, continue to struggle and scheme like desperate mortals?
No, the truth was not that the weak existed to be trampled upon. The truth was that power alone was never enough.
Without wisdom, power was fleeting. Without balance, power was self-destructive. Without purpose, power was nothing more than a hollow force, destined to collapse upon itself.
Lex's gaze deepened, piercing through the cosmic battlefield. These two beings were they truly fighting for something meaningful? Or were they simply thrashing about in an attempt to justify their own agendas?
He stood up, his voice barely above a whisper. "This battle… does it hold purpose? Or is it just another meaningless display of arrogance?"
As Lex prepared to observe further, the Origin Ocean suddenly trembled, causing the universe to briefly shake. Then, just as quickly as it had begun, everything stabilized, and the trembling ceased, giving way to profound silence.
Suddenly, a deafening sound erupted from the depths of the Origin Ocean. At the bottom, the world tree seed had sprouted, and its emergence was the source of the noise.
Lex stood above the Origin Ocean, fully aware of the gravity of the situation.
This was an uncharted path, and he had no idea what the outcome would be. To improve his chances, he activated a technique to harness and amplify his luck, leveraging the fortune of the universe to facilitate the sprouting of something that would aid him.
The tiny sprout surged upward the moment it broke free, its growth defying all logic and natural order. In the blink of an eye, it expanded from a mere five centimeters to one hundred, then stretched to five meters.
But that was just the beginning.
In an instant, the sapling transformed into a towering colossus, thousands of miles tall within the span of a second. Yet its growth showed no signs of stopping.
After just three seconds, it had already reached a staggering height of one light-year, but even then, it had yet to breach the surface of the Origin Ocean. No, it had not even reached halfway through its abyssal depths.
After one minute, the tree's height soared to ten thousand light years, while its width expanded to three thousand light years. An hour later, the tree had grown so large that one of its leaves was the size of an entire immortal realm. After two days, the tree finally broke through to the surface of the origin ocean.
At that moment, Lex infused the tree with the fortune of the universe. A golden glow spread across its massive trunk and branches, radiating a divine brilliance.
The light shimmered over the Origin Ocean, reflecting like countless stars on its surface. As the tree absorbed the universe's luck, its growth surged once more, fueled by an unstoppable force. Leaves unfurled, pulsing with energy, while space trembled and time rippled around it.
After nine days, the tree's frenzied growth finally came to a halt. Lex gazed at it in awe, it was, without a doubt, the largest thing he had ever seen. Even his grandest creation, the Divine Realm, seemed insignificant, no larger than a single leaf on this colossal tree.
Its vastness was beyond comprehension. If a Primordial attempted to explore it, they would never reach its end. Even with their boundless lifespan, it would take them countless Cosmic Resets just to traverse half its expanse with their full strength.
And yet, this was only the beginning. With trillions of leaves, and each a world unto itself, this tree was more than a creation—it was an existence that defied all logic and scale. It was the axis upon which the universe's destiny itself would turn.
As Lex observed the World Tree, he sensed a faint consciousness stirring deep within its vast body. It was fragile, barely aware of itself, like an infant in its earliest moments of life.
"It would take countless ages before it can truly awaken, much less communicate." Lex thought.
Unwilling to wait, Lex made a decision. With a thought, he accelerated the flow of time around the tree, pushing it forward through billions of years in an instant.
The surroundings around it remained still, but within its domain, eras passed like fleeting moments, civilizations could have risen and fallen a thousand times over.
After three hours, the World Tree awakened. Its vast consciousness, once dormant, began to take shape. The very air around it trembled as its first true thoughts echoed through the universe.
As the World Tree awakened, a soft feminine voice echoed from within: "Master." The tree shuddered, sending ripples across the Origin Ocean.
Lex raised his hand quickly. "Calm down, don't get too excited."
"Yes," the young feminine voice replied in a dejected tone.
"I don't mean to reprimand you," Lex said, "but what you're standing on is my foundation, so please be careful."
"Origin energy! And this much?" the young voice exclaimed in surprise when it realized what it was standing on.
"So you're not clueless and possess memory inheritance," Lex remarked. Through Crolis's memories, he learned that some chaotic beings can inherit the memories of their ancestors, and world trees were among them.
He looked at the World Tree with a rare sense of satisfaction. Acquiring one was already an impossible feat, but obtaining one that had inherited memories in its infant stage was something beyond luck.
"How much memory inheritance do you have?" Lex asked, his voice laced with curiosity. A brief silence followed before the tree's young voice responded. "Not much. Some memories are sealed, and I cannot access them until I reach a certain level of strength."
Lex's eyes flickered with interest. "Sealed memories?" That was a treasure trove of powerful knowledge.
"Do you know who sealed them?" The tree hesitated. "I do not. But… I can sense that they are not meant to be unlocked by force. They are tied to my growth, meant to awaken naturally."
Lex understood that some knowledge was so dangerous that ignorance was sometimes a mercy.
He pondered for a moment. "What name should I give it? And… is it male or female?"
Although the voice he had heard was feminine, he wasn't sure of the customs of World Trees. It was better to be certain.
"Do you have a gender?" Lex asked.
A gentle, voice echoed from the tree. "I can be either or neither, the choice is yours, Master." Lex didn't hesitate. "Then, you will be female."
A name surfaced in his mind, drawn from memories of his past life. "Luna."
For a fleeting moment, he felt nostalgic, a warmth spreading through him as he recalled his younger sister's name.
But just as quickly, his "will" aspect activated, dulling the emotions, suppressing the sentimentality. He exhaled and refocused.
Standing before the colossal tree, Lex frowned. "I can't always speak to you like this." As if sensing his thoughts, the World Tree trembled slightly, and a soft glow emerged from its trunk. A tiny spirit fairy materialized, radiating the same aura as the tree itself.
"Master," the fairy spoke in a gentle, melodic tone. "This is my second body. It can follow you anywhere, and through it, we can communicate."
"Good." Lex nodded, satisfied.
Lex's eyes gleamed with anticipation as he asked, "What are your innate abilities?" He was eager to uncover what kind of fortune he had gained.
Luna's voice echoed softly, carrying a hint of mystery. "I currently have three abilities, but the others remain sealed."
Lex's expression darkened slightly. "Sealed?" His thoughts turned sharp. "Who dares to seal what belongs to me?" Though it was an instinctive reaction, a trace of possessiveness flickered in his mind.
Luna, oblivious to his internal musings, continued. "The three abilities I can use now are Cosmic Portals, Void Devouring, and Nihility's Embrace."