The Innkeeper

Chapter 1292  Carefully and considerately

”So, tell me a little more about how you want to have kids with my sister,” Lex said, focusing on the old geezer in front of him. Earth Immortals had no effective lifespan, living in perpetuity, and so the only way for an immortal to look older was that if they became immortal at an old age, if they went through significant life experiences which aged them mentally and therefore physically.

But even if Lex ignored both those reasons, the fact that he was at the peak of the Earth Immortal realm meant that he must have spent quite a lot of time cultivating. At the very least, even if he became an immortal on the day he was born, he had to have spent ninety years to reach the ninth level of the Earth immortal realm.

For such an old man to be coveting his sister who was barely in her twenties… okay, well, maybe she was nearing thirty now, but she was a cultivator and for them thirty is basically a teenager. The point was that it was gross.

The immortal finally felt the immense aura pressing down on him slowly abate, and finally he could react. His pupils constricted and he immediately tried to summon his energy, but he failed.

Lex was pressing down on the area with Domination, ensuring that no one could do anything he did not ordain. Perhaps if he had been back in the Trial of Eternity, he might face Earth Immortals with the strength to ignore his Domination. Maybe if he faced stronger races, such as elves of devils, he would encounter some who might find a way to resist.

But a mundane human, even if at the peak of the realm, could do nothing. He tried, but even the energy within his own body was unresponsive, locked under Lexʼs aura. He tried to use his tenet, but as if the hand of a deity was pressing it down, keeping it from acting, his tenet remained unresponsive.

Heck, the man could not even move his body. The only part of him that could move a bit was his face, and that was only because Lex wanted to hear him speak.

”Go ahead, tell me,” said Lex as he walked up to him.

”I-” the man began, his voice panicked and filled with fear, but he came to an abrupt stop. Lex plunged his hand into the manʼs chest, grabbing hold of his tenets.

”I donʼt care,” Lex said, and pulled his body closer, using only his grip on the tenet as a hold. ”What was it that you said? Accept your duty and place, right? Old man, now it is your turn to accept your duty and your place. Your duty is to serve as a warning to those who would seek to harm my family, and your place is that of a cretin.”

Lex channeled his tenet, manipulating the law of physical force, channeling it into his hand that gripped the tenet.

A tenet was not a physical thing, but as it cracked, the sound reverberated through even the vacuum of space around the facility they were in. It needed no atmosphere to carry it - existence itself was the medium through which it traveled.

It spread out to Liz, who was flying through space in a camouflaged escape pod. It traveled to the guards of the immortal, who were busy instigating war throughout the star system. The cracking sound spread out through space, and for some reason it reached all those who were in competition with that immortal to get their hands on Liz. No one knew what they heard or why, but they got a bad feeling.

The man wanted to scream, but under the pressure of Domination, he could not even do that. Lex was all but prepared to turn the man into an example, just as he had said, but then changed his mind. He was focusing on the wrong things. Instead of spending time here, working on these arbitrary things, he should be reconnecting with Liz.

He pulled out his hand from the manʼs chest, allowing him to fall to the ground on his knees. Naraka flashed, and the man was decapitated, his tenets crushed, his soul extinguished.

Lex was in an awkward position where ordinary Earth immortals were too weak for him, but Heavenly immortals too strong. Heʼd have to work on that.

Lex used his left eye, searching for a trace of where Liz escaped to, and then promptly followed her.

The next second he vanished, Harriet disappearing with him. The countless Nascent level soldiers all around them collapsed, unconscious. Lex could not be bothered to deal with them.

”Whatʼs this about some dolphin youʼre looking for?” Lex suddenly asked, appearing within Lizʼs escape pod, which suddenly became quite cramped with the three of them in there. ”By the way, that old guy wonʼt be bothering you anymore. Iʼve dealt with him.”

Liz looked at Lex warily, and then looked at Harriet who had his gaze fixed on Lex.

”What do you want from me, Lex? You might feel some connection with me, but you spent time with my clone, not me. We have nothing connecting us.”

Lex snorted.

”Iʼve heard a whole lot about those clones. Quite frankly, Iʼm not interested, and also, I donʼt want anything from you. You can go about the universe, doing as you please, looking for dolphins and mermaids, I wonʼt interfere.

”But I just want to introduce you to the Midnight Inn. Iʼve brought Moon there, and Iʼve dealt with everyone looking to use her. Within the Midnight Inn, I can offer you security as well. If you do not wish to live there, thatʼs fine. But if you ever encounter problems, you can come and rest there. Youʼll be safe.”

”Why? Because you feel some faint sense of responsibility due to our ʼblood connectionʼ? You do not need to. Thank you for your help back there, but I do not wish to burden you anymore. You can go on your merry way, and Iʼll just live my life the way I have been.”

Lex frowned. Lizʼs words sounded harsh, but he could see the emotions underneath. He could sense the turmoil within her mind. She truly did not feel safe in his presence. There was anxiety and fear clouding her mind. She did not believe that he was just helping her out.

But instead of feeling hurt or offended, Lex just felt more pissed at his parents. How tough must Lizʼs life must have been for her to become so untrusting of everyone? She was not like Moon, desperate for any connection at all. He could not expect her to jump at the chance of getting help. She had relied on herself for countless years, so now she could not imagine a reality where she could rely on someone else.

This was a delicate situation that required accepting the way she felt. It needed to be handled carefully and considerately, so that none of her past trauma would be triggered.

”Iʼm older than you, so you have to do what I say,” Lex said, doing his best to sound like he did when he was little. He grabbed Liz who was suddenly startled, and threw her over his shoulder.

”Youʼre coming with me to see Moon, and then youʼre going to give me a list of all the geezers chasing after you so I can kick their asses. Then we can start working on this attitude problem youʼve developed.”

Liz tried to resist by beating and slapping Lex, but he was completely impervious. He also softened his skin, so Liz wouldnʼt hurt herself hitting him. A few moments later, Lex, Liz and Harriet disappeared, returning to the Midnight Inn.

He hadnʼt completed his bonding of that planet he had visited with the Inn, but he couldnʼt be bothered.

Liz, who was thinking of ways to get out of this situation, was suddenly startled when she arrived at the Midnight Inn. Most people were alarmed by the pure spirit energy, or perhaps the amazing environment. Not her. No, she was startled when her body started trembling, reacting to the countless pureblooded, Mythic creatures nearby!

She had spent the last few years scouring the Origin realm, looking for any animal with even the faintest trace of a Mythic bloodline so she could finally activate her 100% Beast Master cultivation path, bringing it close to its true potential. Clearly, she had failed miserably.

Yet the moment Lex brought her to… what did he say? The Midnight Inn? The moment he brought her there, she felt her very bones aching to finally get in touch with these beings.

”Come on, weʼre going to see Moon,” Lex said, still carrying Liz over his shoulder, though he was pleased she was no longer resisting. ”By the way, I donʼt know what your Beast Master cultivation looks like, but I guess you like Beasts right? Let me introduce you to Fenrir and Little Blue. Theyʼre around here somewhere.”