The Innkeeper

Unlike his first attempt at returning, which began instantaneously the way Teleportation usually worked, this time the process was slow and drawn out. A wave of energy spread out slowly, as if a viscous liquid were flowing down a slope.

This was the spatial energy which would form a barrier around them all, and it was slow and weak due to Lex's low cultivation realm. Already, before the teleportation had even begun, Lex needed to tap into the energy reserve of Lotus just to ensure the barrier was completed.

But, then again, the start of the teleportation was also the most expensive in terms of energy consumption, so it made sense.

None of the workers moved, as even though the barrier around them had not formed, they could feel the process had begun, and a heavy weight pressed down on them.

After an exaggerated few minutes, the barrier was complete, and all of them vanished.

The drain of the first instance of Teleportation nearly caused Lex to fall unconscious, but several medicines that he had taken in advance kicked in, and prevented it from happening.

Cassandra also began channeling her energy inside of him, while simultaneously healing him from his fatigue.

She should not have been able to do that, but then again, Lex could not comprehend the powers of Celestial immortals, even if enacted through a weak clone.

His already tiny body had withered visibly, to the point where he no longer had cute round cheeks. Instead, he was as bony as a malnourished child. It could not be helped, since Lex was to bear the brunt of this Teleportation.

In fact, if it were not due to how resilient his body was, he would have exploded just from the attempt.

But they had merely passed the first hurdle. The rest of their journey still lay at hand. Alone, it took Lex four days to reach the Inn. With over a hundred and forty thousand humans with him, he would not be surprised if the journey was lengthened to a few weeks.

But for now, all was well. Lex was receiving energy from two independent sources, and all the workers were geared up to survive this trip as best as they could.

Yet fate did not seem to be on their side, as they were hit by turbulence almost immediately. Although Lex had the worst of it, the others were not having an easy time either. They did not have his crazy physique to help them. Some, who had the Anachronistic Ignition bloodline could ignore the harm, but the others were not so lucky. They could only tough it out.

Cassandra looked at beyond them as she sensed something, and flashed her aura, imperceptible to Lex and the others. An invisible threat was deterred, as a space worm retreated back into the folds of space.

But their presence was much too prominent, and they attracted all kinds of unknown anomalies Lex had never even heard of. Most of them were not too harmful, although at one point Lex suffered two spontaneous lightning strikes!

Once, an invisible force struck the protective film around them, nearly killing all of them! Cassandra blared her aura once again, and was about to make a move when something unexpected happened.

Charles, the annoying doctor who fought the temple workers at every turn, used some unknown technique to drive the danger away.

The fact that Cassandra could use her techniques was still acceptable. But why could Charles?

Lex didn't have the mental capacity to wonder such thoughts at the moment, as he was doing his utmost to hold on and ensure the technique was not interrupted.contemporary romance

His entire being was in pain, and tears were dripping from his closed eyes. It was not that he wanted to cry, but that his young body did not listen to him, and naturally reacted to the pain.

But he had to hold on, for he knew the fate of everyone was in his hands.

What he didn't know was that everyone's condition was much worse than they anticipated. The journey had already gone on for an unknown amount of time, and everyone of the workers were reaching their limit. There was only so much pure willpower could do.

That's when it happened. Lex's Empyrean Resonance physique activated, and its aura traveled uninterrupted by the turbulent space around them.

In fact, the aura seemed to absorb the turbulence, drastically reducing it, before it began to caress the weakened bodies of all those within the protective film.

Soon, for reasons they could not comprehend, they started to feel as if the pressure on them was reducing. At first it was only a minor relief, but the longer this went on, the greater the benefit they received.

Even Cassandra was affected by it, and her clone underwent subtle changes. This was extremely dangerous, considering their precarious situation. The slightest disturbance in evolution would cause them to die, or at the very least suffer drastic repercussions. But there was nothing any of them could do about it. Lex did not even know it was happening, as all his focus was ensuring the technique didn't fail.

Then, the next moment, without any warning, it was over. They found themselves at the entrance of the Inn, on the welcoming platform. The protective film around them vanished, and most of them fell to their knees.

But while their bodies struggled to cope with the sudden return of gravity, their minds were filled with elation. They had done it! They had survived! They had returned!

Grins and sighs of relief filled the massive crowd, even as they knew that they would need many days of rest after this.

But only one person did not have such a reaction, for as soon as the teleportation ended, Lex collapsed. He was utterly spent and his already tiny body shrunk even more. He curled up into the fetal position, though that was pure instinct for Lex was already unconscious. For the first time since he had learnt it, Lex fell asleep without using the technique to protect him from divination.

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