The Innkeeper

While Lex's feat of killing with a single look was intimidating to most, it in no way made him out to be overwhelmingly powerful. For example, Trelops within their own territories, were vastly more powerful than their realm should allow. But the few Trelops here had been plucked from their territories and dropped in the middle of nowhere, putting them at a severe disadvantage.

Usually, even if a Trelop left their territory, they would at least be able to summon some support from their territories. Yet now that they were in this mysterious place, they were completely cut off, and were at their weakest.

But not everyone had such clear weaknesses, for example the few members of the Crystal race who were present. Similar to how the crowd gave Lex a wide berth, so too did they avoid those ridiculously overpowered beings. As a race with guaranteed immortality, they had countless geniuses who revolutionized cultivation, or really any field that they were interested in, and then continued to do so since they wouldn't really die.

Moreover, due to the biology of the Crystal race, they really never suffered from depression as a result of their long, never ending lives. Sure, they got bored from time to time, and they would treat that by sleeping for a few eons.

As such, the cultivation system of the Crystal race was extremely well developed and since they could transmit information extremely easily, each member understood how to cultivate perfectly. Basically, there was no such thing as a weak member of the Crystal race, only ridiculously strong freaks of nature, and geniuses among those who surpassed all common sense.

Then, there were always a few geniuses in every race, some of whom had made their presence known in the canyon. Suffice to say, Lex declared himself as a powerhouse with his single move, but he was not the only one. Not that Lex really even cared about any of that.

The barrier blocking the edges of the canyon was being heavily bombarded with countless attacks and weapons, so it was quite a lively scene - at least to Lex. Beasts and creatures of all kinds howled and screamed. Fangs and fists attacked the invisible blockade. Rocks, bullets and balls of energy were all hurled or launched at it, spreading chaos and carnage in the surroundings, but the barrier itself did not even ripple.

The calm and casual Lex seemed an anomaly amidst such madness, but he merely stood there calmly as he looked at the barrier right in front of him. None of his senses could detect the barrier, save his sense of touch when he pressed his arm against the barrier, and his left eye that saw a massive wall of flowing flog.

After probing the barrier with basic physical strength, then channeling his normal spirit energy into the wall, Lex decided to take things more seriously. He used Impervious Hands, and immediately felt the difference.

The fog, which previously acted as an impenetrable wall, immediately became soft. He could dig his fingers into it, and even pull some fog out, though as soon as he tried to do it, his instincts immediately screamed danger! Fortunately he stopped in time, and did not allow his impulsive thoughts to land him in trouble.

He tried to see if he could achieve something by digging his hand into the fog, but the same sense of danger crashed down on him as soon as he tried. Ultimately, Lex decided to let it be, and go investigate the tower. Hoping for a quick and easy way out was wishful thinking to begin with. If he wanted to exit, he would have to play by the rules of this place, though he did not understand them yet.

When he approached the tower, he discovered, through his left eye, that the barrier surrounding it was not made of fog. Instead it seemed like an intricate web which would react to each and every person or attack made contact with it.

He noticed that sometimes the complex web blocking everyone's path would sometimes thin in reaction to certain beings, but never enough to reveal a path. Instead, when it was attacked the web would thicken and multiply, increasing the complexity of the barrier.

It seemed that they were supposed to somehow figure out how to cross the barrier on their own. When Lex touched the web, it seemed to thin as well, yet not nearly enough to cross. So he tried Impervious Hands.

This time, he discovered that he could easily move the web with his hands as he wished, either creating an opening or making the barrier thicker and stronger. For a moment he considered whether to create a massive opening and let everyone enter, or just enter on his own.

He did not know what the tower held, so it was a risk. He could either be bringing reinforcements with himself if a terrible foe awaited them, or be bringing in competition if the tower led to some treasure.

It all came down to how much confidence he had in himself, and how much of a risk he was willing to take. He looked at Fenrir, as if asking the pup its opinion, and saw only excitement and eagerness.

"Well, I hope I don't regret this then," he murmured as he pushed aside the web just enough to create a small opening. Before anyone could notice, he grabbed Fenrir and jumped through the hole, passing through.

The moment his hands left the web, the hole disappeared and the web regained its normal appearance. Immediately, the millions of beings trapped in the canyon fixed their gaze on Lex, and countless beings jumped after him to try and follow him, but to no avail. A stampede occurred as everyone wanted to try for themselves.

Countless hateful and angry gazes fixed on Lex, as if he was stealing from their ancestors' graves. Yet none of that was of any concern to him, as he walked into the tower. A part of him was glad he had put on his new, defensive suit. Whatever was about to happen, at least he was glad he didn't have to worry about suddenly becoming naked again.