Dwight had lived under Heaven and Earthâs rule for a long time. He had seen experts rise until they almost reached the very peak of the cultivation journey, but he had also witnessed his leaders suppressing them without exception.
Many of those existences had earned the title of monster in their generation, but even their incredible power couldnât do anything once Heaven and Earth made up their mind to suppress them. It was a mere matter of available energy and expertise. A single expert couldnât compete with the vastness of the rulers.
Only unique existences could make the rulers struggle to achieve their seemingly inevitable victory. The monster outside the sky, the dragons, and the old Heaven and Earth were beings that came from greater powers, so getting rid of them would require far more than a single battle against perfect counters.
The dragons were the last desperate attempt of a dying world to oppose the invaders. They were basically immortal since they existed as counters of Heaven and Earth, but the rulers were slowly gaining the upper hand in that endless battle.
The old rulers obviously were tough opponents since they carried the original power that had put Heaven and Earth on their throne. That battle was tricky and involved issues on multiple levels due to the shared knowledge between the two sides and the various problems that their influence could cause.
The empty monster outside the sky was the son of Heaven and Earthâs new approach to the cultivation journey. The rulers had created it, so it naturally expressed enough power to threaten them. Yet, it also naturally feared the whiteness due to the memories of the severing.
Only those three factions had enough power and foundation to make Heaven and Earth commit mistakes and make them face setbacks. That had been an immutable truth for eras. All the other existences that still managed to escape their counters were in hiding or had been lucky enough to find special methods to avoid attracting the rulersâ attention. Still, they werenât worthy of being real threats to the sky.
Yet, Dwight was witnessing the very exception to his belief. He saw a counter explicitly made for an existence fail to suppress its opponent.
Alexanderâs attack didnât destroy the cube, but it destroyed the counter created for his ability. The item endured the scorching heatwave due to the high quality of its materials. Its surface turned red and created a safe conical area behind it where Dwight could float. Still, it also failed to remain in its position. The scarlet energy was slowly pushing it back and damaging the sparks that connected its many pieces.
The red light shone everywhere around Dwight. The heatwave was large enough to fill his surroundings and leave only the conical area created by the cube as a safe spot. He could only retreat in that situation, but he didnât dare to move. The scene was tearing his belief apart, and he wanted to see it until the end.
The cube was a rank 9 weapon at the peak of the lower tier. Its many components could transform the energy in the world at will and create a perfect counter for each ability. Its attacks had limits due to its immense potential, but it remained perfect for fighting someone like Alexander.
The hybrid had accumulated countless innate abilities throughout his life. He could deploy them without experiencing losses of power. It didnât matter if their elements or nature went against Alexander. He didnât have limits to the number of techniques that he could use at the same time either.
It was evident that Alexanderâs power was incredible and his potential theoretically unlimited, but that didnât apply to his abilities. They would retain a set power even if he used hundreds of them at the same time. At least, that was what Heaven and Earth had believed when they created the cube.
The heatwave eventually dispersed, and Alexander blew on his scorching palm while wearing a beaming smile. The cube immediately deployed cold abilities to cool down its burning surfaces, revealing that it had barely suffered damage after the clash.
"You didnât beat it," Dwight whispered as a tinge of hope reappeared in his mind.
"Of course I didnât," Alexander snorted. "Heaven and Earth are dumb, but not bad at what they do. Also, Iâm still getting the hang of this."
Dwight wanted to question Alexander, but another wave of intense power surged from the expert and spread through the sky. The cultivator could clearly see that the energy wasnât "Breath" or other personal fuels created during the cultivation journey. It felt like a dense force capable of bringing harmony with its raging might.
That conflicting nature didnât seem to affect Alexander. Instead, his power continued to increase as he bathed in that energy. His existence had stagnated for a long time, but it was finally taking meaningful steps forward toward the destination that every expert wanted to reach.
"Let me try with lightning bolts," Alexander announced. "I want to see if I can get something better than Heaven and Earth."
Alexander raised his other hand and pointed two fingers at the cube. Sparks gathered on his fingertips, but no lightning bolt shot out of it. Instead, the small crackling mass continued to expand as different shades manifested inside its glow and fused to create a white color.
Dwightâs eyes widened when he watched that scene. The aura radiated by the sparks was dense and overbearing, but his surprise came from its shades. Its whiteness was almost identical to Heaven and Earth, even if the attack clearly didnât have any similarity with the rulersâ power.
The sparks continued to condense until they gained half-transparent properties. They seemed to go beyond their natural state and strive for a type of fabric that didnât exist in the world. They even expressed the deep desire to go forward and touch realms that no one else had ever witnessed.
"I think I get it now," Alexander announced through his deep growls. "Iâve spent so long relying and worrying about my many abilities that Iâve never focused on what could link them together. I have always been the connection, and you have made me discover my purpose today."
Alexanderâs power continued to increase as the sparks continued to thicken. His current cultivation level became unable to contain him and slowly expanded into the last known realm of the cultivation journey.
"Which is?" Dwight asked as genuine curiosity filled his mind.
The cultivator had long since fallen in a daze. His belief, existence, and purpose in life had vanished in front of that incredible scene. He felt utterly captivated and interested in that historical moment.
"Iâm the best hybrid to ever step on the Immortal Lands," Alexander explained. "Itâs only normal for me to express superiority in every aspect of the cultivation journey."
The sparks released their attack at that point. They seemed to vanish for an instant before materializing in the form of a long sharp needle.
A weak smile appeared on Dwight as his eyes went on the half-transparent needle. The attack had pierced the cube and his chest at the same time. It had been so fast that he couldnât even think about dodging it.
The needle released sparks that destroyed its surrounding laws. The sky cracked, the cube started falling apart, and a hole began to expand on Dwightâs chest. He became certain that death was about to arrive for him, so he didnât hesitate to voice the last doubt that still lingered in his mind.
"What about Noah Balvan?" Dwight asked. "He is artificial, but he remains a hybrid. Who is better between you two?"
"You are fools to consider Defying Demon only as a hybrid," Alexander stated, and the area around the needle vanished.
The laws touched by his sparks had crumbled to open fissures that led to the void in front of Alexanderâs superiority. His law made them unable to accept their inferiority, and that effect seemed to spread to Heaven and Earth since they didnât make any attempt to resurrect Dwight.
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Authorâs notes: I really appreciate your support. Itâs heartwarming seeing all of you so concerned about my health. Donât worry. Iâm doing my best to sleep enough even if I live at night. I just need to fix this schedule, and Iâm good.