Chapter 532: The only way to overpower Ascendancy Power

As soon as the Spirit Ancestor finished speaking, a looming shadow appeared above them, blocking out the ambient light of the World Tree.

It was a man sporting a sharp goatee. He possessed hollow eyes and an indifferent expression. His right hand resembled an intricate circuit board, with energy blinking and coursing through its metallic veins.

"How did you mortals enter this sacred place?" the man’s voice boomed across the sky.

’Not good. That is the Paragon,’ the Spirit Ancestor’s telepathic warning surged through their minds. ’I will try to keep you all safe. Alan Benson, can you help me out?’

’I can,’ Alan replied as he shifted into a defensive stance. This specific clone of his stood at the eighth rank.

"Aren’t you the author of the Esper path?" the Paragon spoke with a look of surprise upon noticing Alan.

"I am Shroud Heaven. One of the Paragons," the man introduced himself, his tone laced with arrogance.

"What are your intentions in coming here, Shroud Heaven?!" the Spirit Ancestor asked in a husky, guarded tone.

"Why? It is simple. I am searching for a certain person."

Shroud Heaven looked at them calmly and projected a holographic picture into the air.

Immediately, Grey’s and Alissa’s expressions shifted.

The picture was of Lin Fang.

"I am looking for this man. He has been running from me for a while and somehow managed to enter this domain. I have been searching for him, but to no avail."

"And why are you searching for him?" Grey asked calmly, lacking an ounce of fear in his voice.

Shroud Heaven paused upon hearing this. He eyed Grey up and down, and a disgusted look crept onto his face.

"Fifth rank worm. Who allowed you to speak to me? You are not even worth an ant in my world. Even the dirt there possesses more strength than you do."

As he spoke, he casually waved his circuit-like hand. A translucent wave of power erupted from him, shooting straight toward Grey.

Seeing this incoming threat, the Spirit Ancestor and Alan acted. They both unleashed their respective powers and formed a layered barrier in front of the Paragon’s attack.

However, the Paragon’s attack bypassed the shield. The protective barrier remained intact, yet the translucent strike phased right through it and continued its trajectory toward Grey.

"My new clone can use a certain amount of Ascendancy Valor. Against it, your meager worldly forces are nothing. Your shield, created by those worldly forces, was bypassed by me." Shroud Heaven’s voice remained even as the attack rushed toward its target.

"Grey, dodge!" Alissa shouted. Seeing the lethal strike, her eyes widened in panic. She stopped time out of worry.

Everything in the world froze in place as she looked at Grey, who remained unaffected by her temporal interference.

"You are reckless. Why didn’t you use your time stop?" Alissa looked at Grey, then dragged him off to the side, shooting him a glare followed by a heavy sigh.

"Because I didn’t need to." Grey smiled as he lightly patted Alissa’s head. He buffed the time stop with his own temporal laws, increasing the duration of the frozen state.

"Did you forget that I can stop time too?" Grey teased with a soft smile.

For some reason, Grey felt warm on the inside. To think Alissa would react this way to him getting attacked. It showed that the usually indifferent and cold girl cared about his well-being.

"Looks like I owe you one, Alissa. I will take you out for food once this is over. Okay?" Grey smiled as the golden symbol of the Heavenly Mandate lit up on his forehead.

The last time he used it against the gods, it was only to suppress them. He didn’t use it for direct attacks; hence, he could still afford to execute a few moves with its remaining energy.

’Are we good, Fragment?’ Grey inquired in his mind.

[We are ready to go.] The Fragment’s eager voice echoed from his Lesser Heaven Space.

He didn’t wait for Alissa’s reply as the majestic heavenly force erupted from his body.

Boom!

The time stop shattered like glass as a pillar of golden light shot into the sky. The surrounding world began to shudder as the Fragment shot into the deepest depths of the universe. It merged with the Heavenly Dao, overtaking its control over the endless reality and the higher worlds above.

The Spirit Ancestor and Alan both froze when they witnessed the presence of the heavens descending and merging with Grey. He was bathed in golden light, radiating a suppression that weighed down on their souls.

’So this is how he took down the eighth rankers in the Immortal Sovereign Palace,’ the Spirit Ancestor thought, a look of realization dawning on his face. His own powers shuddered from the heavenly resonance rolling off Grey in waves.

"The old fragment of the Heavenly Dao, huh?" However, Shroud Heaven wasn’t amused. He treated the cosmic display as if it were a normal occurrence.

"You are naive if you think you can stop my Ascendancy Valor using the Heavenly Dao’s power, especially an incomplete one at that. It cannot access the Ascendancy Valor it supposedly holds. Hence..."

Boom!

A terrifying power burst out from Shroud Heaven. His circuit-like hands glowed with lethal energy as he unleashed a barrage toward Grey.

The attack shifted forms, taking the shape of a roaring dragon, a blazing phoenix, and a massive Kun as it tore through the sky toward Grey.

Seeing this, Grey didn’t panic. He stretched his hand forward and formed a golden barrier to intercept the beasts.

However, just then, the Fragment’s voice rang out.

[Not good, Grey. I do not think the heavenly power can contend against this Ascendancy Valor.]

"What?" Grey’s expression turned grim as he forcefully stopped time once more. The Ascendancy-powered projections rushing towards him halted in mid-air, frozen.

"Think, Fragment. If the heavenly power cannot stop it, what can?" Grey furrowed his brows in thought.

He was in a pinch. Once he restored the flow of time, the Paragon would resume moving, and so would the lethal projections. Because those projections were fundamentally made of Ascendancy Power, normal defenses would fail to stop them.

Then, an idea struck Grey.

It was a reckless idea. But he remembered the energy that managed to disorient the fabric of reality itself. The Axiom Power.

"Will it work?" Grey muttered to himself.

[What are you planning?] the Fragment asked in a disbelieving tone. [What makes you think it can help with this situation? My heavenly power cannot do anything, let alone this newfound power you possess.]

"Do you have any other ideas?" Grey asked while gritting his teeth.

[Yes. Running away?] the Fragment suggested. [We can use this frozen time to retreat.]

"Then what? Only for the Paragon to trace us to wherever we run to?" Grey argued. "The amount of energy you have left is close to none. A few more moves and your reserves will hit zero. How much of a distance can we cross? I bet we wouldn’t even make it out of this plane of existence before he catches us."

The Fragment fell silent upon hearing this logic.

Then, without waiting for the Fragment to respond, Grey prepared to unleash the time stop. It was a gamble, but his source, his mind, and his sharpened enlightened intuition told him that this Axiom Power could turn the tide.

"Focus your remaining energy on augmenting my Axiom Power. My current body will not be able to handle the strain on its own. You will have to power the process."