Nexus Ascension: My Comprehension Defies the Heaven-Chapter 359: It fled the scene

It was strange and confusing, to say the least.

Thinking back, the Great Dao had looked genuinely terrified for a moment when eyeing him. The very next second, it had severed all contact, effectively fleeing the scene.

"Was it you, Nexus Energy or the Chaos Lotus?" Grey’s lips twitched.

As far as he was concerned, there was nothing for a conceptual entity to be scared of regarding him personally. He was just a meager mortal who would die instantly if he didn’t fix his soul integrity.

There was only one culprit.

The Dao of Rebirth had directly surrendered its power after sensing True Perfection.

The thought alone was terrifying. Nexus Energy was the embodiment of perfection, and the Great Dao had yielded without even demanding a contract.

"Hey, Fragment. If I had actually formed a contract, how exaggerated would the price have been?" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"I am not entirely sure," the Fragment replied, floating closer. "From my fragmented memories, the Great Dao does not ask for blood, but it demands change. Sometimes it takes your emotions, stripping away your ability to feel joy or sorrow. Other times, it demands your identity, slowly erasing your memories until you forget why you started this path in the first place."

The Fragment paused, its flames flickering dimly.

"Or worse, eternal isolation. To gain everything, you might have to sever your connection to everyone you ever loved. Not killing them, but existing on a plane where you can no longer reach them."

"It varies."

Grey’s expression darkened immediately.

"And you sent me off to that place to make a contract? You damn fireball, I will throw you out into the void!"

The Fragment merely shrugged, unbothered by the threat.

"If you want to achieve power, you must eventually sacrifice something. Many leave their emotions behind to achieve greater results in the Immortal Path. In the Martial Path, people kill their way to success using the lives of millions."

Grey simply nodded. Indeed, after going through the memories within the inner space, he understood that reality better than anyone.

"Alright. The Shattering Realm is now fully complete."

Both Grey and the Fragment looked at the glowing projection of the Shattering Realm. Grey felt a surge of pride at his creation.

Now came the next step.

The Golden Integration Nexus Realm.

"What do you plan on doing for the Golden Integration Nexus Realm?" the Fragment asked as it revolved around Grey.

"I named it the Golden Integration Nexus Realm because, be it the Body or Energy path, this realm shares one similarity."

"A Golden Core."

"A Golden Tao Bone."

"And a Golden Sea of Consciousness born in the mind."

Three paths, and they all had one thing in common. A core made out of gold.

The gold represented a huge leap in one’s strength and was the mark of someone closer to divinity than to a mortal. It represented the early signs of transcendence.

However, Grey was not going to use the Main World’s method of Golden Core formation. He had already devised a superior method.

This Golden Core would act similarly to the Main World’s version but without the "Law Engraving" limitation. There would be no potential loss, because Grey’s path had already evolved beyond that.

In truth, a Golden Core wasn’t strictly necessary, but it provided an overall extra layer of protection and stability.

He was going to merge the golden aspects with the legendary realm of the Energy Arts cultivation.

It would consist of six levels.

The Pseudo-Level: Here, one forms the Golden Tao Bone, the Golden Sea of Consciousness, and the Golden Core.

Grey initially wanted to push for a Blood-Form Transformation, but it required good refinement. He decided he could make the process of integrating with the core complete from the Pseudo-Level itself. They would see the genetic limiter after that process was finished, undergo metamorphosis, and then step into the first true level.

Level One: Soul-Fire Transformation. After refining the three golden aspects of the body, mind, and energy, one would ignite their potential. Once it reached its peak, one would give birth to Soul Fire, constantly tempering the soul with it.

Level Two: Yin-Yang Transformation. One would comprehend the duality of Yin and Yang to forge a balance between the Golden Soul, Body, and Energy.

If they had already comprehended the law, they just needed to form the balance. However, forming that balance was difficult. It required a deep resonance which, in turn, would cause one to attune themselves with the world to reach higher heights of power. It did not require Minor Succession, just the understanding of the law. Attaining balance was more than enough. If one already knew the Yin-Yang Law at the Minor Succession stage, they could directly skip the comprehension phase of this stage.

Level Three: Three Elements Transformation. One would understand the triad essences of creation—Water, Fire, and Earth—and understand their essence to form a Union Convergence with each of them, undergoing the Three Phases Transformation.

Level Four: Space Transformation. Grey was going to implement Space early. And he knew exactly how to do so.

"Fragment, I am going to pay the Dao of Space a visit."

The Fragment just stared at Grey with a deadpan look. However, he did not object.

Without hesitation, Grey descended into the Domain of the Dao of Space.

The instant he entered, he was surrounded by pitch-black darkness. It was a void deeper than night.

Soon, a powerful, distorting presence descended. Grey recognized it immediately as the Dao of Space.

The instant the Dao of Space saw Grey, the entire dimension trembled.

Crack.

The next instant, Grey was back in the Creator Invocation space.

Dark lines formed on Grey’s face when he realized what had just happened.

The following moment, the void cracked open. A glitchy, silver-blue power erupted out of it and began to rush towards his conceptualized Golden Integration Nexus Realm, embedding itself into the fourth level.

"But I didn’t even state my condition," Grey said, his expression awry.

The Fragment just stared at the scene in pure speechlessness.

"I am starting to doubt whether you are the Son of the Heaven or not," the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao said with twitching lips.

Usually, when even a higher being dared to make direct contact with the Great Dao, they would be met with overwhelming pressure and thunderous rebukes.

"Are you courting death?"

"Do you no longer wish to live?"

Those were the standard greetings.

Yet here, the script had been flipped entirely. Why did it seem like the Daos were the ones afraid of courting death? It was as if they were terrified that Grey was the one who would end them, and were actively fleeing to preserve their own existence.

"Who would want to become your son? Stop praising yourself." Grey shot him a sharp stare.