Lord of the Truth

Chapter 2046 In exchange for sacrifice

”...?!” Robin furrowed his brows, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief. ”Why are you laughing, old man? Do you even realize how many planets were destroyed, are being destroyed, and will continue to be destroyed by the beasts you allowed to slip through? The scale of the devastation is unimaginable!”

”What do you want me to do then?” The Cosmic Elderʼs gaze drifted into the distance, as if staring through time itself. ”I did not have the power to activate another Great Ethnic Banishment Array. Secondly, none of them were an ancestor. The situation was manageable-and indeed, it has been managed. As you can see, all of them are fleeing from me now in the buffer zones after I hunted down a large number of them. The rest will be nearly impossible to locate unless they expose themselves willingly.”

Robin wanted to ask the question that had been gnawing at him: Why not create a new Great Ethnic Banishment Array now that you have regained part of your strength? But he already knew the answer deep down.

It would require an immense, almost unimaginable sacrifice for people who, in the Cosmic Elderʼs eyes, were of no real use... If it werenʼt for his promise to protect the backyard, he would never have ventured out to confront the adult space beasts, no matter how dangerous they were!

And even now... even though he had regained a significant portion of his power, it did not mean he wished to expend it recklessly.

Robinʼs gaze lingered on the Cosmic Elderʼs body for a moment, sharp and calculating. There were three new seals etched across his side, each one permanently locking away roughly 1-2% of his liver. It was obvious: they were Master Law Balance seals, at least fifth-grade, possibly sixth.

These were the exact cost of killing the three adult space beasts only moments ago-the physical price of wielding godlike power.

”What?” The Cosmic Elder noticed Robin staring, his eyes narrowing. He did not like it one bit. ”Do you pity me? One of the three strongest people in the universe? Have you lost your mind, boy?”

”Iʼm only trying to understand,” Robin replied steadily, locking eyes with the Elder. ”How can someone who needs to make sacrifices of this magnitude against adult space beasts... someone who could not survive even a single day inside the barrier... become happy seeing a passage to the other side and claim he wants to cross it again?”

”The comparison is flawed,” the Cosmic Elder shook his head slowly. ”I escaped last time with relative ease because I had already reached the miserable state of incapacity you witnessed before. Otherwise, I would have been able to kill the two ancestors and the rest of the beasts that were hunting me relentlessly.” He allowed a faint, wry smile to appear. ”Secondly, today I was forced to use sixth-stage balance to deal with the space beasts due to the dire situation that nearly destroyed the planet...”

”...But once I enter and am alone,” he continued, his tone calm but resolute, ”I will use only second or third-stage of Balance at most for combat and escape, even if it means increasing the scale of the sacrifices required.” He smiled faintly at Robin. ”You are already capable of healing me from second-stage effects... and I trust youʼll be able to reach third-stage very soon, right?”

”.....” Robin exhaled slowly, letting the weight of the situation sink in. ”What exactly do you intend to do once youʼre inside?”

”The last time I entered, I saw nothing but endless darkness and felt nothing but countless eyes staring relentlessly at me. No matter how far I ventured, I could not find a single glimmer of light. I could not locate another side. On top of that, the environment on the other side did not follow the laws we know-its space was dense, strange, suffocating, almost alive with a heaviness that crushed the senses. Even for me, someone who has mastered powers beyond most comprehension, I could not endure more than a few days of exploration at a time. This was one of the main reasons I surrendered the first time-I didnʼt yield simply because of the pursuit.”

He gestured toward the massive gate, which still continued to release nascent space beasts, one after another, like a relentless stream. ”Now, this... this has solved several of my problems in one stroke.” He raised a finger slowly, deliberately. ”First, I no longer have to make sacrifices to open the wall. The opening is permanent and stable without the need for extreme expenditure of life force.”

He raised a second finger. ”Second, the opening isnʼt large, yet adult space beasts cannot expand it as they did with my previous openings. Itʼs fixed. Any attempt to enlarge it will result in immediate collapse. The structure itself resists tampering.”

Then he raised a third finger. ”Third, itʼs large enough to allow nascent space beasts to enter, and this will benefit the universe over the long term. The controlled entry of these weaker, younger beasts provides opportunities and balance that would otherwise never exist.”

He raised a fourth finger. ”Fourth, the passage is stable. I can travel back and forth freely, confident that it wonʼt collapse. I also trust that neither the young nor the adult space beasts will destroy it-they are foolish, yes, but not that foolish. Their instincts will compel them to encourage more nascent space beasts to enter rather than sabotage it themselves.”

Robinʼs gaze dropped slightly, his thoughts turning over the implications. ”... Why do you say that letting the nascent space beasts enter will benefit the universe in the long term?”

”Think carefully,” the Cosmic Elder said, his tone sharp, serious, commanding attention. ”An event will occur in two million years, and at that time, vast numbers of space beasts on the other side just MIGHT seek entry into our

universe.”

”And...?” Robin raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue.

”And then,” the Cosmic Elder said, his voice rising with intensity, ”why not eliminate them before they have a chance to eliminate us?” He extended his left hand, grasping Robinʼs head and turning him to face the scene of the ongoing massacre. ”Look! Across the entire universe, at any time or in any era, has there ever been such a methodical, deliberate slaughter of nascent space beasts?” Robinʼs eyes widened as he took in the scene: seven more dead beasts, and nearly forty others caught in brutal, chaotic combat, thrashing and clawing desperately.

”They are like fat livestock being herded to slaughter,” the Cosmic Elder explained, a grim smile playing on his lips. ”Thick, thriving livestock, rich with potential from the tops of their heads down to the tips of their claws. Livestock -if exploited properly-can elevate their owner to a position of power they could never have imagined. Entire fates and fortunes can be built upon them.” Then the Elder chuckled darkly. ”Do you know of someone that can reap benefit from every single piece of those priceless bodies?”

”Hehe.” The laughter rose in the Elderʼs throat, low and amused, as he noticed something in the distance. Then he raised one eyebrow. ”One... is attempting to harvest their initial souls at this very moment.”

Robin paused, letting a slightly embarrassed smile creep onto his face. ”Letting them vanish now would be a complete waste.” He turned toward the Cosmic Elder, his tone more serious and deliberate. ”Let me make sure I have this right... You want me to keep the passage open for your sake, killing every nascent space beast that attempts to cross, to prevent them from entering and to reduce potential dangers to the universe in the possible future catastrophe. Meanwhile, you will enter and explore what lies beyond the barrier, returning every few days to breathe, resupply, and recover. Is that correct?”

”Yes!” The Cosmic Elder nodded emphatically, confirming Robinʼs understanding.

”And the reward for this task, for serving the entire universe, and for having my

imperial guards-or perhaps an entire army-dedicated to protecting the passage, is that I get to retain the corpses of every nascent space beast I personally kill. I can study them, learn from them, and perhaps even use them.

That is the reward, correct?”

”Exactly!” The Cosmic Elder nodded again, a wide grin on his face, his eyes gleaming with approval.

Robin exhaled slowly, taking a moment to absorb the enormity of the

responsibility and the strategy involved.

”What?” The Elder asked, noticing Robinʼs pause.