"Dear guests of the Midnight Inn, I am the Innkeeper, owner of this humble establishment," a deep, calm voice resonated across the Inn, providing a moment of peace amidst the turmoil and confusion.

Not all guests were ready to be up in arms - many had heard or knew of the Innkeepers reputation. Not just that, but it was somewhat of an open secret that Mary, who was seen walking around the Inn and working with the staff, was likely to be a Dao Lord.

But even an open secret is not known to all, and the reputation of the Inn alone was not enough to deter all guests because there would always be some who did not believe it, or felt that they had the backing to resist it. Most of all, there were just some guests who desperately needed to go back for various reasons, and had to do whatever it took, even if it put them in harm's way.

"Many of you may have heard about the ongoing issue preventing guests from returning to their respective realms. Understandably, many of you are concerned about this issue, all for various reasons. To start with, I would like to clarify that this blockade is not a result of the Inns actions, but is a result of external influences caused by an ongoing war that has spread across the universe."

The war was, once again, somewhat of an open secret. It was still better for Immortals who still had chances of being exposed to the news of war, but mortals basically knew nothing about the war. Most of them resided in the levels designed specifically for them, and they hardly had any involvement in matters related to Major realms. Heck, even immature realms were far outside their realm of influence. The only way they would get involved in the war was as collateral damage, or in the case someone carried out genocidal actions. "The Inn is currently working on methods to work around the blockade so that all guests may be able to arrive and leave as they please, but your patience and compliance is requested in the meantime," the Innkeeper continued. "As you have already been notified, until such a time that the Inn is able to openly allow entry and departure, your stay will be completely complimentary. If you have any other concerns, feel free to contact a designated staff member.

"The Midnight Inn always has, and always will give immense priority to keeping its guests safe and secure under all circumstances. That includes safety from external influences, such as the spreading chaos of the ongoing war, and safety from internal influences, such as any agents who enter the Inn in bad faith to spread confusion and chaos. Thus, rest assured that you will be well taken care of during this time."

The words ended, the Innkeeper's balmy and soothing voice slowly fading out, filling many of the listeners with a sense of loss. Although the effects of it were too slight, even from his very first speech after his enlightenment using Dao material the effects of increasing his Dao body percentage were beginning to show.

The reason was that while previously he was increasing his Dao body percentage, he had no idea of what that meant, nor did he know how to use it. Now, after Regix had somewhat shown him a path of how to control the Dao body, and approach the Dao using laws alone, Lex's subconscious corrections in how he behaved already began to show effects.

Previously, the Innkeeper's voice was always soothing and reassuring. This was a mix of Lex's own conscious decision of what kind of an innkeeper he wanted to be as well as the aid of the system.

Now, though, the effects had been pronounced merely in response to his intentions. He intended to reassure his guests, so he used even the small percentage of Dao material in his body to add reassurance to his voice. All those who heard it were not just calmed down because the system made the Innkeepers voice powerful and effective, but because there was a hint of Dao in his voice.

Similarly, Lex mentioned that the Inn would protect its guests from all, he had been indirectly warning guests not to cause trouble or they would be dealt with, regardless of the situation! For most of those who heard those words, they felt even more reassured, but the few guests who were getting agitated and felt like displaying their dissatisfaction, a certain chills gripped their hearts. It felt as if the Innkeepers eyes had locked specifically onto them, and was speaking to them directly!

Now, for the first time, a hint of Dao appeared in the Innkeepers voice, but the effects were so subtle and so effective that Wu Kong, the only actual Dao Lord inside the Inn was stunned. If he had been impressed by the Butter Knife, now he was shocked!

To do anything with subtlety when using the influence of Dao was so difficult, it was basically considered impossible. While the Butter Knife had been impressive, that was still used with force and power. This subtlety however was a level of control Wu Kong had simply never witnessed.

In truth, this was a result of Lex having no control over his own Dao body. If it was easy to control it, then it would not be considered impossible by the Dao Lord community as a whole. Even Lex, when using his Dao Body in the most indirect way, could not control it. Fortunately, the Dao Body was reacting to his intentions! If it caused some other issues, then he may have needed to enter seclusion for an indefinite period lest he accidentally start hurting people!

Lex realised this almost as soon as he was done speaking, and paused to consider how to overcome this obstacle. Yet he and Wu Kong weren't the only ones who noticed the subtlety of Dao in the Innkeepers voice.

All the Celestial Immortals, especially the Valkyries inside the Inn, froze in unimaginable horror and delight! This... this was an opportunity never before seen in the history of the universe! They could be exposed to the influence of Dao in a safe manner. Over a period of time, this could grant them enlightenment, greatly improving their chances of becoming a Dao Lord! This had never happened before, which could only mean one thing: the Innkeeper was doing this to compensate them for being trapped inside the Inn! Almost the very second the Innkeeper stopped speaking, every single Celestial Immortal present inside the Midnight Inn applied to become a worker of the Inn. They would wash dishes in the kitchen if they had to, but they had resolved themselves to never leave the Inn even if someone tried to drag them

out!