"Mary, I'm starting now. Keep track of time for me."
There was no longer any point in delaying. Lex closed his eyes and focused all his attention on sensing the spatial anchor. Since he now knew what to look for, and his affinity, perception and spatial control were all boosted beyond his max, it should be much easier now.
True to expectation, Lex was able to quickly feel a certain kind of pull towards a direction he could not sense. The pull did not have any force behind it, and was just there. But he could also tell that if he channeled any energy into that feeling, the force of the pull would become significant.
For the sake of security, he spent some time feeling the pull, ensuring that the connection did not randomly disrupt, and that he was sure that it really was the registry. After several hours, when he was sure that the connection was stable, he began.
In the way that he had been doing almost every day for the past few months, he focused in on the 'coordinates' he wanted to Teleport to, and activated his ability. The only difference was that, as an anchor, the 'coordinates' provided him with some extra help.
Everything was familiar. Everything was following the same process he had been through thousands of times.
Space unfolded around him, as if opening up to let him into a deeper layer, usually closed off. Time seemed to fade alongside the effects of gravity. His body, just a moment ago, sitting in the meditation chamber, entered a strange place without color.
When traversing through space, it did not matter if one was sitting or standing. What was more important was the incredibly thin layer of protection around the body which was a part of the Teleportation ability which protected the user from the chaotic influence of the deeper layers of space.
But the effects of that protection were limited, which is why long range teleportation is not recommended for low leveled cultivators.
This early into the journey Lex felt nothing. Instead, he focused solely on the anchor and its pull. Teleportation was thought to be instantaneous, but that was not the case. Some of the perception was due to the strange behavior of time whilst teleporting, while the rest was because it was usually very fast. But when traveling such an absurd distance of no doubt countless galaxies, it would still take a long time.
Lex did not know why the Inn could always provide seamless and quick teleportations, his level was not so high yet. All he knew was that currently his ability seemed to be working. The drain on his spirit energy was not monumentally massive. The greatest expenditure happened at the initiation of the ability, while only a small amount was used up to maintain the ability while it was happening.
But as time went by, regardless of how much was going by since Lex could not tell, his levels started to deplete. It was expected, and he was ready.
Lotus began supplementing him with energy, and the teleportation continued uninterrupted.
Then, for the first time, Lex experienced natural spatial turbulence. It was absolutely horrible and was much worse than anything Cassandra had put him through. But his resilience was not to be underestimated, and he withstood it without much actual harm.
Then, without warning, the ability ended, and Lex fell on the floor, the effects of gravity too much for his exhausted body.
He had not even felt the strain on his body while he was teleporting, but as soon as it ended, the entire exertion hit him all at once like a bus. He tried to pick himself up, but found his arms completely drained of energy.
He looked around with squinted eyes as he got used to light and colors again, and found himself lying in the lobby of the Midnight manor. It seemed to be night outside, and no one was around.
But he was back at the Inn! He had done it! Here, he didn't need to use his body. Instantly, his body disappeared, reappearing in his new luxury apartment, inside his personal Recovery pod.
"Mary, how long did it take?" Lex asked in his mind, for his body was genuinely too drained to obey him at the moment.
"You began your teleportation four days ago."
In his mind, Lex fist pumped. It was possible. If he did it once, he could do it again, and this time with the others. It would by no means be an easy or pleasant experience, but he was confident in bringing everyone across alive.
After that, if they were weak or wounded, they could enter the Recovery pods, like he had. Regardless, the main pressure of teleportation would be borne by him, no one else.
"Mary, I'm going to rest for a bit. If I don't wake up before then, wake me up in a couple of days. I can't waste too much time."
Even without thinking about it, Lex used the divination protection technique and allowed himself to fall asleep. The sleep that followed was deep and extremely restful. Even though the temple had been great, there was just something about being home that it could not replace.
As it turned out, for once, Lex did not need Mary to wake him up. His body had grown much stronger and his recovery had improved as well. That, alongside the aid of the Recovery pod, meant that he was ready to go back in just under ten hours.
Before returning to the temple, Lex deposited the missiles back in their place, as well as all the weapons he had been carrying around with him. It was not exactly the best idea to go on risky trips through space carrying around extremely volatile weapons that made even Cassandra nervous.
It had been so long, he felt a little reluctant to leave the Inn. But he had an important task, so he could not delay. In a single instant, he teleported back to the temple. It was time to bring everyone back with him this time.