"Is there no way to stop the Abyss?" Grey asked with a deep frown.
"The people of Blue Star believe that once all the corruption fields are eliminated, the crisis will be over."
"That is nothing but wishful thinking." The Immortal Lady's voice carried a solemn weight, and a faint sigh escaped her lips. "Erasing the Abyss is not so simple. Even if you were to purge every trace of it from a world, it would return. Once corruption takes root, it is almost impossible to remove it fully. At best, a higher being can suppress it, but in all my long life, no one has discovered a way to cleanse it completely."
"No one?" Grey's purple eyes gleamed like crescents in the dim light.
"Indeed." Her gaze grew distant. "Abyssal energy is unlike anything else. It devours other energies outright. Our universe offers no force that can resist it."
Grey's expression turned thoughtful. "Then, in theory… if there existed an energy stronger than the Abyss, one capable of cleansing it, the corruption could be removed?"
The Immortal Lady studied him carefully, her ancient eyes narrowing. "If such a thing truly exists, then yes—it is possible."
Her instincts stirred uneasily. She felt as though he were about to unveil something that would shake her very understanding of reality.
Grey raised his hand. "Then I will show you. There is an energy within me… one that surpasses Abyssal energy."
He did not speak carelessly. He had hesitated, weighing the danger of revealing his greatest secret. But the Immortal Lady was bound to the Fate Holder. And the Fate Holder was the world's destined ally. If she could not be trusted, then there was no one in existence he could rely on.
With his decision made, Grey extended his palm. Nexus energy surged outward, then split apart. From it, the True Origin energy separated, leaving behind the union of Cosmic and Life energy.
Buzz!
A soft hum filled the air as a ball of light-grey radiance condensed in his hand.
The Immortal Lady fell silent. She gazed upon the energy with an expression rarely seen on her immortal face—an expression that questioned the very fabric of reality.
This was no ordinary force.
Grey's reasoning was simple. She had entrusted him with secrets of the Abyss and revealed how helpless the people of this world were before it. He, in turn, would show her hope. His Aetheric energy—born from Nexus—was fundamentally different.
Where the Abyss corrupted, Aether purified it. If Heavenly Tribulation was the bane of all energies, then Nexus was the bane of existence itself. Abyssal energy, being born from it, could not escape its restraint.
There was no way it could handle Aether energy, which was derived from Nexus energy.
All he lacked was a method to direct this power. With a proper cleansing technique, Aether could become the sharpest weapon against corruption.
"This…" The Immortal Lady's eyes trembled, her composure faltering. "This is not Cosmic energy, nor Life energy, nor any spiritual essence I know. It feels like the convergence of all energies, and yet above them… It suppresses all others. When it emerges, every lesser energy hides in its shadow."
Grey smiled faintly. "You once asked me whether I was the ally of this world. Consider this my answer."
Her lips parted, but only a whisper came out. "You… just what are you?"
In her endless life, she had encountered countless wonders, yet never had she felt such upheaval. An energy capable of suppressing Abyssal corruption completely—on a remote backwater planet like Blue Star!
Her gaze sharpened. "As I thought… you are no longer a mere human. Earlier, I felt it faintly, but now I am certain. You are caught halfway in a transformation, though something still binds you. Perhaps… your life level."
Grey's brow furrowed. "Life level? Transformation? What are you talking about?"
The Immortal Lady shook her head, her expression grave. "Do not press further. To speak of such matters is to touch the workings of Heaven itself. I would bring calamity upon both of us if I explained."
Grey could only sigh inwardly. If you cannot say it, then why even mention it… Now his curiosity burned even brighter.
But he forced himself to set it aside. The matter of the Abyss was far more urgent.
"That is not what we should focus on." He spread his hand, the grey light swirling. "Tell me plainly—can this energy cleanse Abyssal corruption or not?"
"I have faced pure Abyssal energy countless times. I can say with certainty—this force of yours stands above it." She raised her hand, and with a gesture, the world around them shifted.
The blank space dissolved, replaced by a vast library. Ancient tomes and runes floated across endless shelves, each radiating with profound power. Names etched in light flashed before Grey's eyes—Sky Splitting Rupture, Ninth Nirvanic Ascension, and countless others.
Grey swallowed hard, stunned. So many techniques, each with a name brimming with grandeur and mystery. With his comprehension, could he not become invincible overnight if he mastered them all?
The Immortal Lady caught the look in his eyes and shook her head. "Do not be tempted. Most of these require life levels far beyond your own. Even if you learned the words, your body and soul would shatter the moment you attempted them."
She waved her hand again, and a single rune appeared, glowing faintly in her palm. Cosmic Purge Technique.
"This art is used by Evolvers of high standing. It cleanses impurities from the land and from disciples, purifying their bodies of flaws. Though simple, it is versatile. In theory, it can be used with any form of energy. Which means…" Her eyes lingered on the sphere in Grey's hand. "With your power, it may indeed cleanse Abyssal corruption entirely."
The rune floated toward him, light spinning in delicate arcs.
"Take it," she said with quiet solemnity. "If it works, then even if you alone can wield it, it will be enough to turn the tide against the Abyss."
Grey received the rune, his gaze steady. "Do not worry. I intend to spread my evolutionary path across Blue Star. Anyone who walks it will eventually cultivate Aetheric energy. In time, countless people will be able to wield this cleansing method. The Abyss will no longer reign unchecked."
The Immortal Lady's face softened, but before she could respond, her figure wavered. She pressed a hand to her forehead as her form began to flicker, growing increasingly translucent.
Grey's eyes widened. "You—"
"I expended too much energy by stopping time," she said, her tone strained.
"But you said earlier that it cost you nothing—"
Her lips curved faintly. "A harmless lie. I wished to test you. Do you think it possible to halt time on such a scale without paying a price?"
Grey's mouth twitched, but he held his tongue.
"Do not dwell on it." Her figure dimmed further. "I only sought to confirm you were not one of the old monsters roaming the starry sky. Now, I have my answer."
She gave him one last look, her voice echoing faintly as the library faded into mist. "We will meet again. I will send Evan to you. When the time comes, I wish to see the evolutionary path that utilizes that energy you have forged with my own eyes."
Her figure vanished, and the world snapped back into place. Time flowed once more, leaving Grey back where he originally was.