?882 Temple of Fasting
It was impossible to hide the news of the temple. Not only was it massive and easily spotted, hovering in between an endlessly growing Void that acted as an impassable trench, it was also actively drawing in energy. Normally this would not have mattered, but the amount of energy it was gathering was so monumentally massive that all the immortals within the Suera galaxy could sense it.
What was the most strange, however, was that the cosmic cloud that had encompassed the entire region began to disappear. This was a notable event because the cosmic cloud was so complicated and seemingly impossible to affect that the Fuegan had taken it as the perfect hiding spot, and the Henali had adhered to its rules and fought within it instead of trying to alter it in any way.
But now, it was disappearing. Moreover, the more energy the temple absorbed, the more of the cosmic cloud disappeared. It was not long before many noticed the correlation, and began to theorize the origin of the temple.
Many immortals surrounded the Void, and attempted to cross it to reach the temple, but it was impossible using ordinary means. Only the Void dwellers could tolerate the unusual environment inside the Void, regardless of how weak they were outside the Void.
The ironic thing about them was that they were much stronger within the Void, but sought to escape it regardless of the price they had to pay. In the present circumstance, that price became death!
The immortals that had surrounded the Void slaughtered the Void Dweller by the droves and used their carcasses to sew together an outfit that could allow them to traverse the daunting nothingness of the Void.
Celestial Immortals showed up to contain the expansion of the Void, for no other source could stop its spread. Unfortunately, they could not reserve it at the moment, though they were not inclined to do so even if they could. The mystery of the temple was too alluring.
Henali representatives showed up in person, though no one knew what they did afterwards. Many guessed that they secretly entered the temple, or that they were studying a method to enter it as it seemed impenetrable, but no one could say for certain.
Days slowly passed, and nearly half the cosmic cloud had disappeared, when a rumor took the Henali portal by storm. Someone unknown claimed to have identified the temple!
The temple was called the Temple of Fasting, and predated the arrival of the Henali in the Origin realm by billions of years. The purpose of the temple was unknown, but the person who spread the rumor claimed that the temple belonged to one of the three original deities of the Origin realm.
Who these three original deities were was no longer known, nor were there any records anywhere in the Origin realm to suggest the presence of any such entities. Either the person who spread the rumor made it all up, or all evidence of such deities was completely hidden across the entire realm!
There were many other theories, of course, but for reasons unknown, this particular theory seemed to gain the most followers. It was as if there was some mystical force, guiding the people into believing such a thing.
More days passed, and the tensions in the region grew. The Fuegan made an appearance. Not the Fuegan forces, or their many allies or servants. No, actual Fuegan appeared and clashed with the Henali in the Void.
More time passed, and the cosmic cloud was close to disappearing completely. Another rumor spread like wildfire, and was spread by the same person as last time. According to him, or her, deities from across the realm were secretly gathering around the temple. It was as if they could sense something extremely valuable within. Moreover, the rumor also stated that once the cosmic cloud disappeared completely, and the temple was fully recharged, it would disappear once again. It was not yet time for its secrets to be revealed.
More and more forces gathered outside, and many tried to gain entry, but none were successful. But they waited. They were hoping that once the temple absorbed enough energy, it would open instead of disappear, as the rumor stated.
Even the Fuegan were unable to gain entry!
That's when another rumor spread. Apparently, the appearance of this temple had something to do with the Midnight Inn. After all, it was the representative of the Inn who alerted the alliance about the anomaly on that planet.
Most of the Origin realm still had not heard of the Midnight Inn, but now they all raced to learn about it. Yet those who already knew of it were left feeling like there may be some truth to the rumors. After all, the golden keys which would always take their guests to the Inn without fail, stopped working!
No one was able to enter the Inn, although those inside could still exit. Although many defended the Inn, saying that for six months already they had announced that the Inn would close in advance, many still speculated, and looked towards the Inn with greed. Only those with something valuable would hide.
But it was pointless. Without the Inn bringing guests in itself, no one knew how to enter, or where to find it. But that only served to increase the mystery surrounding it.
While all of this was happening outside, within the temple, a beaten, battered figure groaned. Lex opened his eyes for the millionth time, but still found himself unable to move. With no alternative, he could only go back to sleep.
After all, during his sleep, his recovery was sped up exponentially. Before he closed his eyes one more time, Lex could not help but be grateful that he had merged with the blade of grass which contained the laws of regeneration. Or else he may have been left there for years, unable to move due to how devastating his condition was.
He had been reduced to a mass of flesh, resembling slime more than a human. It was only his inhuman tenacity which had kept him alive.
His mind, too fatigued, succumbed to sleep once more.