Nexus Ascension: My Comprehension Defies the Heaven Chapter 634: Opening of a Chaos Realm

Grey turned back to the staff member who was still waiting nearby.

"I’m done browsing." He said with a nod. "Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything worth buying right now. I’ll come back another time."

The staff member’s smile faltered slightly, but she maintained her composure. "Of course, Elder. You are welcome here anytime."

Grey left the Myriad Technique Pavilion without spending a single Chaos Credit.

His comprehension had given him everything he needed for free. The pavilion’s techniques and spells now resided in his mind, ready to be used whenever necessary.

He walked through the glowing pathways of the Central Hub, taking in the sights once more. But something had changed since he entered the pavilion.

The atmosphere was different now. Evolvers everywhere were talking in excited whispers, their conversations all centered on one topic.

Naturally, they were talking about his path.

Grey’s lips curved into a faint smile hearing these conversations. His path had spread faster than he expected. The entire Central Hub was buzzing about it now.

Far away from the Central Hub, in the throne room of the Eternal Dominion, a powerful figure slammed his fist against his armrest.

Sovereign Kael’s face twisted with fury as he read the reports. "Who created this path?!" He roared. "How did such a powerhouse appear in the 12th Plane without our knowledge?!"

His advisors stood before him with pale faces, none daring to speak.

The Aether Evolutionary Path had appeared from nowhere and claimed the top position in the 9th rank category. Its creator remained anonymous, hidden behind the repository’s privacy protections.

This was unacceptable.

A force capable of creating such a perfect path should have been on their radar and their side. They should have known about it long before now.

Yet they knew nothing.

In another part of the 12th Plane, the leader of the Throne Alliance faced a similar situation.

High Lord Vaeros sat in his golden throne with a dark expression on his face. "Find them." He commanded his subordinates. "I don’t care how long it takes. Find whoever created this path."

Before anyone could respond, a communication crystal on his throne began glowing.

High Lord Vaeros’s expression shifted when he saw who was calling. He dismissed his subordinates with a wave and accepted the call privately.

A projection appeared before him, showing a figure shrouded in mist. This was Elder Tharos, an envoy from the Higher Realm stationed at the Central Hub.

"The time is right." Elder Tharos spoke without greeting. "I sense the opening of the Chaos Realm is inevitable. We should prepare to head there immediately."

High Lord Vaeros’s eyes widened at this news. "The Chaos Realm is opening?" He asked with shock. "Are you certain?"

"The signs are unmistakable." Elder Tharos replied. "The Chaos energy fluctuations have been increasing steadily. As a result, Chaos Mines have been popping up everywhere. It won’t be long now."

"How much time do we have?"

"I don’t know for sure." Elder Tharos said. "By the time the realm opens, the entire 12th Plane of existence will know about it. But we need to make sure that we are the first ones getting there."

High Lord Vaeros nodded with a serious expression. "I understand. I’ll begin preparations immediately."

The projection faded as the call ended.

Back at the Central Hub, Grey was planning to leave when he noticed a large crowd gathered nearby. Curious, he walked closer to investigate.

A gaming arena stood at the centre of the gathering. Two evolvers sat across from each other at a table, their hands moving across a three-dimensional board.

Grey recognized the game. He had heard about it quite a few times while taking a stroll.

Dimensional Conquest.

It was a strategy game popular among higher dimensional beings. Players controlled pieces that existed across multiple dimensional layers simultaneously, requiring them to think in ways that transcended normal spatial awareness.

Of course, most evolvers were not equipped with such progressive awareness unless they were an Esper or their path had an effect over their mind. Hence this game was directly ignored by those that didn’t strengthen their mind.

But it was still the most played game in the Central Hub.

The current match was intense. Both players were sweating as they manipulated their pieces through complex dimensional maneuvers.

While they fought, others were busy talking.

"The Aether Evolutionary Path creator must be a genius." Someone in the crowd said. "Only someone with incredible mental capacity could design such a perfect path."

"I heard the path enhances cognitive abilities just like the Esper Path." Another person added. "I’m really tempted. If I can get on that path, maybe I will have a better chance at Dimensional Conquest."

"Is this game that serious bro? It’s not that deep."

"IT IS THAT DEEP. This is played in the Higher Realms too."

"Or so I’ve heard."

"That’s also why people are so busy getting those Chaos Pills that enhance the mind matrix of higher dimensional beings from the Celestial Cauldron Pavilion. One of the Envoys also enjoys playing it and he even recently took on a disciple, promising her a seat to the Higher Realm."

"Oh yeah. It’s the young princess, Lyris from the Celestial Covenant that runs the Celestial Cauldron, right?"

"Yep."

Grey’s ears perked up at their conversation. An idea formed in his mind at their words.

The current match ended with one player emerging victorious. The crowd cheered as the winner stood up with a proud expression.

"Who dares challenge me next?" The winner called out arrogantly. "I’ve won fifteen matches in a row!"

Grey stepped forward. "I’ll play." He said calmly.

The crowd turned to look at the elderly man who had spoken. Some laughed at the sight of an old man challenging the current champion.

"Old man, are you sure about this?" The champion asked with a smirk. "This game requires sharp mental reflexes."

Of course, age was never an issue for mentality once you were a higher dimensional being. The guy was just making fun of him for looking old.

Grey sat down across from him without replying. "Let’s begin." He said with a faint smile.

The match soon started.

Grey’s hands moved across the board with precision that surprised everyone watching. His pieces shifted through dimensional layers in patterns that seemed random at first but revealed brilliant strategy moments later.

The champion’s confident expression began to crack.

Within minutes, Grey had cornered him completely. Every move the champion made was countered before he could finish executing it.

"Impossible." The champion muttered.

Grey made his final move. "Checkmate." He said with a faint smile while laughing like a typical old man from an immortal world.

He was having his fun.

At the same time, the crowd erupted in shock.

"He won! The old man won!"

"That was only five minutes!"

"His dimensional awareness is incredible!"

Grey stood up from his seat with a satisfied smile.

But before he could leave, another challenger stepped forward. This one was different from the others.

A young woman with silver hair and violet eyes approached the table. Her beauty was striking, enough to make several men in the crowd stare openly.

But it was her aura that caught Grey’s attention.

She was at the 10th rank, yet the combat power radiating from her felt like it belonged to a 12th rank expert.

"I am Lyris of the Celestial Covenant." She introduced herself with a graceful bow. "May I have the honour of a match?"

Grey raised an eyebrow at her politeness.

The Celestial Covenant was one of the major powers in the 12th Plane, rivaling even the Throne Alliance in influence. For someone of her status to show such respect was unusual.

"Of course." Grey nodded and sat back down.

The match began.

Lyris was far more skilled than the previous person. Her moves were much harder to see through.

But unfortunately, in the realm of brains and mind, no one could defeat Grey.

He countered her opening with a series of moves that forced her into defensive mode. She adapted quickly, shifting her strategy to account for his unexpected patterns.

The crowd watched in stunned silence as the two clashed across the board.

Minutes passed. Lyris made a brilliant move that would have defeated any normal opponent. But Grey had anticipated it three moves ago.

He responded with a counter that shattered her entire formation.

"I concede." Lyris said with a smile. "You are truly remarkable, Elder."

She stood up and bowed to him again.

"May I ask how you developed such sharp dimensional awareness? Your mind operates on a level I’ve rarely seen. I feel like you might have an awareness as high as my master."

Grey stroked his beard with a thoughtful expression. "I recently changed my evolutionary path." He said casually. "Ever since then, my mental clarity has improved dramatically."

"Oh?" Lyris leaned forward with interest. "Which path did you switch to?"

"The Aether Evolutionary Path." Grey replied. "Even as someone who changed paths midway, I felt more stable than ever."

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

"The Aether Evolutionary Path again?"

"Even an old evolver who switched paths felt improvement?"

Grey turned to address the crowd directly. "I developed this sharp mind because of that path." He said with a smile. "You should all consider switching too. The benefits are remarkable."

"Do you really follow that path?" Someone asked from the crowd.

"I do." Grey nodded. "And I recommend it highly."

Lyris studied him with curious eyes. "Perhaps the Celestial Covenant should investigate this path as well." She said. "If someone of your skill endorses it, it must have merit."

The crowd of over ten thousand important figures began discussing among themselves. Grey could see the seeds of interest taking root in their minds.

They would spread the word to their factions. And his path would grow even more popular.

Grey laughed inwardly at the situation.

He was recruiting followers for his evolutionary path without anyone knowing he was the creator. These people would return to their universes and convince others to switch.

His influence would spread across the entire 12th Plane with the help of Dimensional Conquest.

"You are quite impressive, Elder." Lyris said with a warm smile. "I hope we meet again someday."

Several men in the crowd looked at Grey with obvious jealousy. Lyris of the Celestial Covenant was famous for her cold demeanour. She never treated anyone with such kindness.

Yet here she was, smiling at an old man she had just met.

Grey nodded politely at her praise. "Perhaps we will."

Just as he was about to leave, something unexpected happened.

BOOM!

A massive explosion of energy erupted across the entire 12th Plane of existence.

Grey felt it immediately. The Chaos around them began swirling rapidly, churning with violent force that made even the Central Hub tremble.

His Chaos Sovereign Art activated on its own, responding to something in the distance.

His vision shifted as the Chaos Sovereign Art made it stretch deep into the Chaos.

Far away, a portal was opening in the fabric of Chaos itself. It was massive, stretching across dimensions in ways that defied normal understanding.

But that wasn’t what caught his attention.

There was a special power emanating from within that portal.