Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1245 1245: The fifth path -1

”...As for me, I see fifth cultivation path.”

”What did you just say?!” Neriʼs voice exploded like thunder within the spiritual domain, the intensity of her scream shaking the surroundings ever so slightly. ”What do you mean by the fifth path? Are you seriously referring to the four known alternatives that humanity has resorted to?!”

Robin gave a slow nod, his expression calm and contemplative. ”Back in the early days of my journey, when Alexander first broke through into the Martial Emperor Domain and unlocked that mysterious threshold for the rest of us, I was deeply unsettled. The issue he encountered—and the same issue faced by every other Martial Emperor that followed in his footsteps—was quite troubling. Despite their comprehension of fourth-stage laws, and even their ability to construct a solid foundational framework based on them, none of them could actually utilize those laws in combat or cultivation effectively.”

He paused, then continued with a wry smile, ”But with time, I came to understand that this wasnʼt a flaw in my techniques, but was, a universal problem—something embedded within the very nature of humans and their limitations in interacting with fourth stage laws. And it became clear that the cultivator community, across countless worlds and ages, had already recognized this problem and devised four primary alternative paths to address it. That realization was oddly comforting. It meant It wasnʼt a failure in my vision or my technique—it was simply the cosmos presenting an obstacle.”

”The first path,” Robin raised a finger and smirked, ”relies on the force of the soul. This one honestly amuses me the most. It essentially tells the internal energy cultivator to throw away their dreams of mastering energy through traditional means, and instead gamble everything on a completely different system—hoping the soulʼs abstract power will compensate for the bodyʼs inadequacies. Itʼs such a ridiculous compromise that I canʼt take it seriously.”

”Then we come to the second path,” he continued, his expression darkening. ”It is, in my view, the most brutal and disgraceful of them all. It demands the cultivator to abandon their human form entirely and undergo a transformation into a hybrid—a being thatʼs part human and part beast, in exchange for a permanent increase in their affinity with a specific heavenly law. As someone who takes immense pride in every fiber in my being, who honors his origin and dreams of attaining glory through his own efforts, I cannot—will not—consider that path. Not for myself, nor for any of my followers. If I willingly surrender my heritage and reshape myself into something else, what would remain of my ambition, my legacy? How could I face my reflection ever again?”

Robin shook his head slowly, visibly disturbed even by the idea. ”Just imagining the kind of person who conceived that path fills me with disdain.”

”Now, the third path,” he said, calming down. ”This one happens to be the path I ended up following with my subordinates—though unintentionally at first. It involves the careful and precise crafting of custom alchemical elixirs, potent enough to temporarily boost the bodyʼs affinity to such a level that it can safely host and harmonize with a heavenly law. Itʼs clever, functional... but Iʼve already explained its many limitations and pitfalls earlier, havenʼt I?”

”Finally, we arrive at the fourth and final known path. To me, this is the most short-sighted and foolish option. It relies on the so-called ʼLaw of Energy,ʼ which is, by its very nature, incredibly simple—far too simple to build anything stable upon. Using this law as a foundation is akin to preparing a grand banquet made entirely of salt. Thereʼs no depth, no nuance. Worse yet, I strongly believe that such a fragile foundation will utterly collapse when the time comes to face a World Cataclysm. Yes, it offers a shortcut past the Martial Emperor bottleneck—but at what cost? It cripples the cultivatorʼs future beyond redemption!”

”This is, as you mentioned,” Neri replied thoughtfully, her tone shifting to one of solemn understanding, ”an ancient and persistent dilemma. A dilemma no one—no matter how brilliant—has found a direct and reliable solution for. And it doesnʼt end at the Emperor Domain either. This flaw haunts every stage beyond that as well. If one cannot wield fourth stage laws without artificial assistance, how in the heavens would they expect to control fifth or sixth stages?”

”Indeed,” she added after a pause. ”There are a rare few—precious few—who walked down the third path with utmost precision. Using rare, high-tier ingredients as new energy cores, they managed to reshape their physical forms to such an extent that they could actually utilize fourth-stage and even reach toward the fifth. But even they, though theyʼve ascended to the rank of World Cataclysm, are the weakest among their peers. And worse still, they remain chained to an endless dependence on absurdly expensive elixirs just to survive major battles.”

(That, precisely, is why humanity has all but vanished as a power from the Middle Belt.) Neriʼs voice was low and laced with sorrow. She exhaled deeply, shaking her head ever so slightly. ”If you happen to stumble upon a human settlement or clan in that region, chances are theyʼre nothing more than vassals… offshoots protected by some stronger species. They lean entirely on the strength of others just to survive another day.”

Robin remained silent for a moment, but the anger stirred quietly beneath his skin, slowly rising until it showed in his clenched jaw and stormy eyes. Then, with a breath sharp as lightning, he looked up—toward the sky, as if demanding answers from the very stars themselves.

”Doesnʼt that bother you?” he said, voice tight, muscles tense. ”Doesnʼt that make you furious?!” His voice rose suddenly, trembling with restrained fury. ”Think about it. Aside from a few rare races like the Treants or the Demons, entities born for a fixed purpose… nearly all sentient creatures, at their core, stem from humans. Whether they are Hybrids or naturally Mutated... They all have our blood in their veins.”

He turned his gaze back to the mountainside, where symbols glowed like molten gold.

”Thatʼs why I chose to create another path.” His voice was steady now. Not angry, not sad. Just resolute. Like a blade that had finally settled into the grindstone.

Neriʼs breath caught. She leaned in, trying to see the pattern through Robinʼs eyes, her spirit scanning the formation. ”...What exactly is this?” she murmured. The complexity was beyond her, ”Are you telling me youʼve already… completed the Fifth Path?”

Robin gave a quiet, almost embarrassed chuckle. ”Not exactly.” He scratched the back of his neck, then gestured toward a point on the rocky canvas. ”Thereʼs still one last piece missing… quite literally.”

He pointed to a small, seemingly insignificant gap in the complex weave. But that gap, though tiny, was like a missing keystone in a grand arch. Everything hinged on it.

”What?! You mean… the entire thing, the whole Fifth Path, is held back by this tiny fragment?” Neriʼs voice cracked, and for a moment, even the surrounding aura flickered with her shock. ”Youʼre this close? Youʼre telling me that youʼre about to do what no one in all history has done?! And in only a few decades?!”

She wasnʼt exaggerating. Robin had already made his mark on history, carving his legend into every planet his feet had touched. His name echoed in places that still hadnʼt heard the sound of thunder. But this—this would make him eternal.

He would have given humanity back its future.

If he succeeded, he would join the ranks of legends—not by might, but by miracle. His name would be inscribed beside Interas, who started the expansion era, and Morphius, the Dreamer who made Soul Society.

Evergreen, of course, couldnʼt resist throwing in a jab. ”Aha~! See? I told you to let the Master do whatever he wants, you bossy little overseer—OW!!”

Robin didnʼt even glance her way. He continued, voice calmer now, almost wistful. ”The truth is… all of this?” he gestured around the entire mountain slope. ”I completed it over seventeen years ago.”

That made Neri freeze.

”Seventeen… years?” The words left her lips slowly, as if she couldnʼt comprehend them.

Seventeen years. Robin, the man who could create fourth stage laws in mere months, who discovered paths thought lost to time, had spent nearly two decades trying to find one missing puzzle piece. One.

”Since then,” he continued, ”Iʼve been running tens of thousands of trials. Iʼve tried every substitute, every conceptual anchor, every metaphysical constant I could find. But every time I insert something into that gap... the structure collapses. Instantly.”

Seventeen years of failure. Seventeen years of hope. Seventeen years chasing the light at the end of a labyrinth built from law, soul, and despair.

And yet... when Neri truly considered what this missing piece could mean—what would happen once the Fifth Path was complete—suddenly, seventeen years didnʼt sound so long anymore.

”Heeey~ At least give me a hint, okay?” Neri asked at last, surrendering to her curiosity. ”Tell me how you got this far, at least?”

Robinʼs answer was immediate. ”Raiden was the key.” His voice held a hint of reverence now, a memory painted with awe. ”Seeing how his blood instinctively formed lightning-based patterns the moment he needed to channel the law… it was a revelation. He didnʼt invoke the law—his very body became its pattern.”

He laughed softly, eyes gleaming. ”So I realized… if I could replicate that—not as an instinct, but as a design—then I could make something new. Something unique to humans.”

Then he smiled, just slightly. ”The final answer? It came from a strange mixture. The Demons, Aro, and the first heaven chosen!”