As soon as Ventura returned to his own realm, his casual demeanor and his relaxed appearance dropped. The owner of the universe's largest academy, and the being known to have surpassed the Dao Lord realm, suddenly started to cough, spitting out green, toxic blood as he did.

He would have taken some kind of medication to help him if it existed, but in this universe there was no medication that could help him - not until the universe advanced to the next step. Only then would the universe openly accommodate beings such as him, and only then could he find resources that suited him.

Of course, there was always the option of refining and creating suitable resources himself, if they weren't naturally occurring.

"Send word to all the professors. Get ready to face an invasion - there's a chance we'll be invaded as well," he said, once his coughing fit finally stopped. Whether he was actually challenged or not would depend on if anyone had discovered his state or not. Even if they had doubts, they would try to probe. He needed to eradicate all doubt. No one could suspect his state.

After passing his orders, Ventura quickly retreated to his most private chambers, and lay down in what looked quite similar to a hot tub. Only, this was filled with a liquid far, far rarer than water, and its temperature also could not be compared. Ventura submerged his entire body within, closing his eyes and suppressing his wounds.

Before he fell into a slumber, he could not help but think of the Innkeeper. He probably didn't need to go through the hassle of hiding his true strength.

*****

Hiran returned to the Origin realm, but his expression was not nearly as happy and relaxed as it had been back at the party. He could not let others sense his weakness. He had to project strength. Unfortunately, that strength also meant that others were looking to him for help, without being able to offer help themselves.

That accursed crystal dome had really messed everything up. Everyone was spooked, and all trust had vanished. Something like that could not have been made in secret, yet it was which only meant that someone was lying. Some very powerful forces were working in secret, propagating this war. The only issue was that no one could tell who was behind it all just yet. Perhaps most would never learn who was truly behind everything that was happening.

All that mattered was that suddenly, everyone had lost their trust in others, and were retreating instead of coming out and lending a hand. For the Origin realm, that meant that they were on their own. While the Henali were surely strong enough to protect their own realms, the Origin realm was special, and they couldn't afford any accidents.

If only he had someone strong like the Innkeeper to support him, this would be a lot easier. But since he didn't, then he needed to bring out all his reserves. Nothing could be held back anymore. No matter what happened, the Origin realm had to mature!

After leaving the tea party, there was one Dao Lord who quickly separated from the group and retreated to his own safe retreat. The Innkeeper was quite formidable, being able to see through all of his plans and plots. But in the end that had favored him.

If he hadn't been intimidated by the Innkeeper, and if he really had carried out his plans, it was unlikely that it would have escaped the notice of the Primordial Queens bodyguard, which would have prematurely ended his life.

However, since he had restrained himself, and now that he knew the Innkeepers and the Primordial Queens stance, he could proceed without worry.

The figure brought out a dark orb and grabbed it, using it to contact someone on the far side of the universe.

"The reconnaissance is over. Some of the plans need amending, but we're ready to launch for most things. Oh, and I'm withdrawing my name from any plans involving the damned Innkeeper. I can basically confirm that he's a Dao King candidate - I didn't sign up for this!"

After a few seconds, an unsure voice came out from the orb.

"What happened? Did the Innkeeper discover something?"

The figure sighed.

"Yeah, I think he did. But he's made it pretty clear that as long as we don't target his Inn, he won't target or interfere with us. I think it's best we don't involve him in our plans. After all, he is not affiliated with anyone, nor is his realm close to maturing. Anyway, whether you change your plans or not, I'm definitely not participating in anything related to him."

A deep, resounding silence filled the room for a long time where neither the figure spoke, nor did the voice from within the orb respond. However, such a state could not last forever.

"Fine. We will cancel all plans pertaining to the Innkeeper. But just so you know, there have been multiple information requests from within the Hall of Powa. It is likely that someone from the Path of Chaos has set their sights on the Innkeeper."

The figure snorted.

"If someone else wants to court death, let them. What do I care? Now, let's proceed with our plans involving the dragons. They've reacted just as we expected..."

*****

Within the Hall of Powa, Deakol continued his meditation, adapting to the changes in his body. While it would take him a few thousand years to be ready for his Dao tribulation, he could already leave meditation any time he wanted

now.

However, he did not rush. Instead, he continued to do his research on the Midnight Inn, the Innkeeper, and his target: Lex.

As far as he could tell, Lex was either using the influence of suspected Dao King candidate known as the Innkeeper to hide the presence of his system, or he

was directly being nurtured by the Innkeeper.

Regardless of which was the case, he needed to prepare so that when he acted, even the Innkeeper would not be able to find him. While that complicated things a bit, it was only a bit.