Nexus Ascension: My Comprehension Defies the Heaven Chapter 495: Take me to them, visiting the gods

As the next day dawned, the population surge reached an astonishing 5 billion, and the hustle and bustle intensified. While Julie, Miwa, and Alissa reveled in the Nexus Domain, Grey's parents had entered seclusion to meditate on the laws. The elves, after extending their respects, departed. However, before their farewell, they requested Aerin to remain. Recognizing Grey's prowess as a formation master, she expressed a desire to learn from him. Though Grey initially hesitated, Aerin's exceptional talent persuaded him to accept her as a disciple.

He had, admittedly, been neglecting his formations for some time.

Yet, before he could dedicate himself fully to these matters, it was time to return to the Blue Star. His mission was to bring everyone back and then merge the planet with the Nexus Domain.

Alternatively, he mused, he could transform it into a charming, smaller celestial body that would orbit within the Nexus Domain.

The Dragon Monarch spaceship cut through the vast expanse of space, its journey culminating at the Blue Star.

Upon arrival, a meteor streaked towards him with incredible velocity.

"You certainly stirred up quite a commotion while you were away," a familiar voice exclaimed as the figure launched into his embrace – none other than Valeria.

Without missing a beat, Grey bestowed a kiss upon her forehead. "I missed you too."

He followed this with another kiss, this time on her cheek.

"Stop it, the others are here," Valeria gently restrained him, halting his affectionate advance. Werner, his disciple Carter, and the rest of their companions had already arrived.

"Hm, where is Lia?" Grey's brow furrowed suddenly. "And where is Little Hong?"

"About that..." Valeria's expression grew somber. "Several days after you departed, Lia and Little Hong vanished without a trace. However, once Bai Yue utilized her ocular abilities, she detected a connection to divinity."

"It was a god, Lord Grey," Bai Yue added, her voice tinged with distress. "I sustained injuries in the process, but there is no doubt that the ones who abducted them were gods."

"Abducted, is it?" Grey's previously warm chuckle turned chillingly cold.

[What are your intentions, Grey?] Fragment inquired mentally.

"What else? Prepare yourself, Fragment."

[Understood.]

"Origin Will," Grey called out, having acknowledged Fragment's readiness.

Instantly, time halted, and the Origin Will materialized before him.

"I am unable to divulge any information," the Origin Will stated plainly, her gaze unreadable.

"The affairs of the universe... you understand that I cannot reveal them to you, correct? Tian Yuan also attempted to inquire, but I refused him every time."

Grey met her gaze with an unnervingly calm expression, so much so that the Origin Will began to feel apprehensive.

"Either you tell me, or I will unleash the power of the Heavenly Dao to eliminate you," Grey declared with a knowing smile.

"One is my girlfriend, and the other is my daughter. To me, they are far more important than you, a being who is ultimately replaceable."

"Divine traces are elusive, undetectable by conventional means. I am aware of this, possessing a divine essence myself. Tell me, where are they?"

"..." The Origin Will regarded Grey with a sigh.

"They are on the other side of the universe. In that other domain the Yellow Ancestor mentioned to you."

"Take me there," Grey requested, his gaze fixed on the Origin Will.

"Very well," the Origin Will relented with another sigh. "Just my luck. There's little I can do when faced with the threat of annihilation."

"However, I will remember this, Grey Lockhart." The Origin Will clicked her tongue in annoyance before snapping her fingers. "Do not harm them."

"That will depend entirely on how they are treating my girlfriend and daughter."

Grey found himself standing before a resplendent, glowing world.

It was utterly isolated, with no other celestial bodies in proximity. He had anticipated as much; gods should possess at least this level of capability.

Without a moment's hesitation, he ventured inwards.

The instant he crossed the threshold, several brilliant beams of light surged towards him, only to be effortlessly nullified by the myriad laws of chaos.

"Who are you?" A commanding voice emanated from within the world. A man appeared, possessing golden hair, golden eyes, and an aura of divine majesty.

"How did you discover this place, insignificant mortal?"

"Where is Lia?" Grey demanded, his gaze steady and unwavering.

"Insolence! You dare to address the God Empress of the God World so casually with such a common name?" The golden-haired man's features contorted in rage.

---

"What is occurring beyond our walls?" Inside a crimson palace, several beings were seated around a table. They were gods, and at the center sat Lia.

She too frowned, sensing the disturbance.

"Go ascertain the identity of the intruder," Lia commanded one of the gods present.

"As you command, God Empress." A god rose, unleashing his aura, which registered at the 7th rank. The other deities seated around the opulent golden palace possessed peak 7th or 8th rank auras.

Lia alone presented a 5th rank aura.

However, in the very next instant, space violently tore asunder, and Grey materialized within the palace, an unconscious god held firmly in his grasp.

Every being in the chamber froze, momentarily stunned.

"Grey?!" Lia gasped, her voice filled with disbelief.

"Who are you? What have you done to Aethel?" one of the youthful-looking gods, possessing an 8th-rank aura, questioned while scrutinizing the blonde man held by Grey.

All of them gazed down at Grey, who had dared to intrude upon a god’s sacred domain.

However, before they could make a move, Lia’s voice pierced the tension. "Everyone, halt. He is my partner. You are forbidden from harming him."

"What? Your partner?" One of the gods voiced his disbelief, a frown creasing his brow. "How can you, God Empress, have a partner? There exists no one in the entirety of the cosmos or any higher realm capable of being a suitor, let alone a mere mortal such as him. I detect no trace of superior power emanating from him."

"I concur. God Empress, it appears a full awakening of your memories is warranted. You seem to have forgotten the essence of divinity. We are pure beings, birthed from the boundless energetic manifestation. As its sovereign, you must not engage in such actions. The mortal realm has clearly corrupted you."

"Seize this imperfect mortal!" commanded another god, joining the chorus of criticism directed at Lia.

They perceived her association with a mortal from this lowly world, utterly insignificant compared to even the most inferior higher realm, as barbaric and a profound disgrace.

They, the gods, had once governed the higher realms. They were its absolute masters, alongside the true source beings.

Yet, before further action could be taken, Grey regarded them with an expression bordering on amusement.

He found their situation rather comical. They labeled him an imperfect mortal while proclaiming themselves perfect beings.

To him, the sole embodiment of perfection, it was an utter joke.

Then, in the very next instant, numerous Hell Portals materialized throughout the vast and opulent red palace.

From these openings emerged devils.

"Go forth, servants of the infernal god. Apprehend that mortal spawn."

However, the moment their gazes fell upon Grey, their expressions froze.

The devils were once celestial beings within the god kingdom, but those who defied the gods were cast down as fallen angels, giving rise to devils. The boundless hell was forged by the true devil who accessed the power of the Ascendant Domain, yet this boundless manifestation rendered them incapable of surpassing the gods' authority. They were eternally bound to serve the rulers of the gods as punishment for their disobedience to the very beings they were created to serve.

Nevertheless, in return, the devils became the true sovereigns of the Boundless Hell, wielding dominion over death and the world’s malevolence.

Yet, concurrently, devils possessed an innate ability to discern pure divinity.

At this precise moment in the chamber, the being with the purest divinity was not the God Empress.

It was Grey Lockhart, whose divinity had already been refined beyond a simple presence created by the so-called boundless manifestations.

The devils, all of them 8th-rank powerhouses, visibly trembled, collapsing to the ground as if they had narrowly averted committing a grave transgression.

And in the following moment, the devils took their own lives.

"What?!" The gods present in the room were visibly stunned by this turn of events.

"W-Why did they commit suicide? W-Why did they kneel before that man?" The gods collectively turned their disbelieving gazes toward Grey. Lia, too, was equally taken aback.

They understood the reasons behind the devils' actions, but the possibility of such a scenario being true felt impossibly remote.

"You know, I find it rather amusing. How you all deem me an imperfect mortal, when you are far more imperfect than I am."

The power of divinity erupted from Grey like an uncontainable torrent. In the subsequent instant, space itself fractured as the absolute authority of a god summoned devils to the mortal plane.

"I-Impossible. A Hell Portal?" The gods’ faces visibly drained of color.

"Then…" Did this not imply that the probability of the devils taking their own lives due to the individual before them possessing a purer divine authority was indeed real…?!

"You know, I generally treat others with kindness if they reciprocate it." Grey offered them a gentle smile, which gradually tightened into a cold glare.

"However, you gods, you are excessively arrogant. And before me, you possess no right to such arrogance."

Boom!

His Crown of Finality and his Saintly Halo flared to life, causing reality itself to warp and distort.

In the following moment, the red palace, seemingly constructed from the gods’ flawless incantations, crumbled as the Beast of Finality descended from his inner dimension; alongside it, the Nexus Angels also emerged.

By this juncture, all the other gods across the world had already sensed this profound shift. They hastened towards the palace with grim expressions, only to halt abruptly as the sky above tore open.

Golden light illuminated the world as the power of the Heavenly Dao surged.

Ancient Dao incantations and Buddhist scriptures began to resonate throughout the planet inhabited by the gods.

In the epicenter stood Grey, his gaze calm, fixed upon the trembling gods, hands clasped behind his back. Behind him, the Fragment pulsed with the full might of the Heavenly Dao, and below, a legion of 1,000,000 Nexus Angels awaited. Soon, even the devils were transformed, swelling the ranks of this divine army.

"I must admit, your arrogance was expected, gods. But since you compelled my hand, I had no other recourse," Grey stated, settling onto the back of the Beast of Finality, his Crown of Finality radiating absolute authority.

He cut a more imposing figure than any deity present.

"Who... who are you? Do you hail from the Ascendancy Domain?" one of the elder gods stammered, his voice laced with terror.

"I am quite certain my girlfriend has already informed you of my identity. Her boyfriend," Grey replied with a cold smile.

By this point, the others had also made their presence known.

"Who is that interloper? How dare he invade the gods' domain!"

"Why are the elders idle?"

Grey merely cast a vacant look their way, and in the subsequent moment, they collapsed to the ground as if swatting flies.

Their knees gave way, their bodies hitting the floor with resounding thuds as their heads struck the ground.

"Enough. Grey, please refrain from harming them," Lia pleaded, finally shaking off her astonishment. "Th-They are my people. I acknowledge their transgressions, but they were unaware of who you are or what power you possess."

"You will face retribution for this later, my dear girlfriend, understand? Do not interfere in this. I shall handle the situation," Grey said, flashing her a bright smile.

Lia's expression grew rigid upon hearing his words. She found herself at a loss for a suitable response.

"I am here to retrieve my girlfriend and daughter," Grey informed the gods casually. "Once that is accomplished, I shall depart, and we shall pretend none of this ever transpired. What say you?"

With a snap of his fingers, a fragmented axe materialized beside him.

Another snap, and the axe stirred, morphing into Little Hong, now considerably larger. She appeared as a teenager, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Grey..." Little Hong murmured, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What is occurring here?"

"Address me as 'Dad'," Grey instructed sternly, turning towards her. "You too are being disciplined for leaving without a word."

"It wasn't my fault, nor Lia's... Mom's fault," Little Hong stated, hesitantly referring to Lia as 'Mom'.

"These individuals abducted us during our transformation," Little Hong gestured towards the gods surrounding Lia, who stood frozen in terror.

"I warned them that you would come searching for us and that if you did, they would all perish. However, they chose not to heed my words," Little Hong added with a helpless shrug.

"But they did manage to find an additional Chaos Seal. Perhaps you might reconsider letting them go, Dad?"

"Hm," Grey responded, nodding thoughtfully.

His daughter had evidently matured, becoming more sensible. When he had first found her, she was an emotionless entity. It was a positive development.

"We beg for your forgiveness," one of the gods implored, his voice trembling with fear.

Initially, they had dismissed the axe's pronouncements as the childish ramblings of a being unaware of true perfection. However, observing Grey, who continuously emanated the immense power of the Nexus, their minds went blank with awe.

They felt an overwhelming sensation, as though they were in the presence of their creator.

"Oh, great being, are you the boundless expression responsible for our creation? Your divinity eclipses that of the God Empress who assumed the mantle of the Primordial God, Pangu."

"The boundless expression? Do not equate that entity with my father. It is unworthy of even being mentioned in the same breath as him."

"What?" The gods, upon hearing Little Hong's declaration, were utterly bewildered and unable to comprehend her words.