Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1111: Soul essence

"(Will he be okay? The current is carrying him toward the abyss… If he falls in, he'll be reduced to nothing but ash.)"

Evergreen's voice carried a rare trace of concern as she observed Holak drifting away through Robin's eyes.

Robin, however, barely spared the man another glance.

"He'll be fine. If there's one thing more annoying than his sarcastic mouth, it's his cockroach-like ability to survive."

He waved dismissively before tapping his chin a few times, lost in thought.

Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, he turned back to Evergreen.

"Evergreen, do you remember? One time, you told me that I could escape from a World Cataclysm. I think back then, I had around 1,000 Soul Units, maybe 3,000 at most. But today…"

His eyes sharpened as he recalled the intense battle from earlier.

"I used up 60,000 Soul Units just to suppress the Shadow— who was supposedly as strong as a World Cataclysm. And yet… if the cube had contained even more energy, the Shadow might have won."

His voice lowered as he asked the critical question.

"So… what's the actual scaling here? Was the impatient woman's shadow way stronger than a regular World Cataclysm? Maybe at the peak of the Realm? Like… Level 59?"

Robin nodded to himself as if convinced by his own logic.

A power capable of shaking a planet the size of Néhari had to be at the peak of the World Cataclysm stage—or perhaps even half a step into Nexus state!

"(Oh… heavens above… How did you understand my words back then?)"

Evergreen sighed, shaking her head in his soul domain.

"(Did you seriously believe you could fight a World Cataclysm long enough until you manage to escape or he gets bored of you?)"

Robin's confidence wavered for a moment.

Evergreen continued with a hint of amusement, "(Technically speaking, someone with around 1,000 Soul Units and access to the Silver Domain can escape from a World Cataclysm. But that's only if they have a specific escape technique or a specialized device that runs on Silver Soul Force.)"

"(That said… there's no such thing as Level 59.)" She shot him a pointed look. "(Once you step past the Martial Emperor Realm, levels stop existing. Levels are just a way to measure your foundation's solidity— but in the World Cataclysm Realm, foundations no longer matter. Instead, the classification changes entirely:)"

Evergreen's voice became crisp as she listed the new terms.

"(World Calamity: Low, Mid, High, Peak, and Half-Step Nexus State.)"

Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah, just a different naming system. But at the end of the day, it means the same thing, right?!"

His voice carried an almost challenging tone.

"The Shadow I fought was clearly at the Peak of World Calamity!"

It wasn't a question— it was a demand for confirmation.

Evergreen, however, was unfazed. "(Could you let me finish my explanation first?)"

She quickly pressed on before Robin could cut her off again.

"(The World Cataclysm Realm is extremely unique, because their Energy Core doesn't just store energy— it holds something more.)"

She paused for emphasis.

"(That's why it's impossible to predict the strength of a World Cataclysm just by looking at their level. A Low-level World Cataclysm could be far weaker than expected, while another one could be far stronger.)"

Robin frowned at this information.

Evergreen smirked.

"(There's a saying: If a Soul Master wants to face a World Cataclysmm then every level within World Cataclysm equals roughly 200,000 Soul Units.)"

Robin's eyes widened slightly.

"(Because of their unique energy gathering center, you might find a Low-level World Cataclysm that you can defeat with just 50,000 Soul Units. But you might also find another Low-level World Cataclysm that you can barely survive against even with 200,000!)"

Her tone turned serious.

"(It all depends on what's inside their Energy Core. That's why fighters avoid clashing with people from major clans or Star Academies. The difference in quality within the same level can be terrifying.)"

Robin's expression twisted in disbelief. "No way!"

He refused to accept such an absurd explanation.

He practically shouted in frustration.

"I fought that Shadow with only 60,000 Soul Units! Are you telling me that it was one of the weakest World Calamities I could have faced?!"

His breath was heavy.

"That woman was using the Path of Destruction! That has to count for something! There's no way she was among the weaker ones!"

Evergreen, for the first time, let out a soft chuckle.

"(First of all… you weren't fighting her. You fought a mere Shadow— one that only contained a limited amount of energy sealed inside that cube.)"

Her smirk deepened.

"(What made it stronger than usual was the Soul Shard— which contained 30,000 Soul Units. If it weren't for that, the Shadow would have been far weaker.)"

She paused for a second. Then, her tone dropped slightly—almost teasingly. "(Secondly… and more importantly…)"

She let the words hang in the air before delivering the blow.

"(Your 60,000 Soul Units…)"

"(...weren't actually real 60,000.)"

Robin's brain short-circuited for a moment.

"...Hah?"

His hand instinctively moved to scratch his head.

"You are absolutely right about one thing—this woman is incredibly powerful. Her mastery of the minor heavenly law of Ashification is so refined that it feels as if it were cut directly from the Major Heavenly Law of Destruction with a razor-sharp blade. You can clearly see it in her combat style, in the sheer force compressed within that cube of energy. The composition of her energy core is anything but ordinary. There is no doubt that she belongs to the elite among the elite. Even that wretched shadow of hers should have required at least 170,000 units of soul energy to subdue, at a bare minimum, for you to achieve what you did."

Evergreen paused for a moment, still unable to fully wrap her mind around the situation. Then, she continued, sounding as if she were just as baffled as he was. "...And this is precisely why I tried to stop you from severing your soul domain. I knew you would fail, and I knew she would destroy you with one of those terrifying beams of energy. Even she dismissed you, sensing that you only had 60,000 units of soul energy. She didn't think you were worth her time and fully intended to obliterate you with a single strike… and yet, you survived. More than that—you emerged victorious."

Robin furrowed his brows, clearly skeptical. "And what exactly does that mean?" He was unwilling to accept the idea that sheer willpower alone had saved him.

Evergreen's voice turned thoughtful as she asked, "Owner, do you recall our conversation about the soul force you absorb directly from Initial Souls?"

"...?" Robin's mind instantly flashed back to the moment he had attempted to pierce through the shell of Hovenheim, shattering several of those white spheres inside his soul domain. The radiant white essence that had burst forth from them had been extraordinarily pure—dense and potent in a way that regular soul energy simply wasn't. When it seeped into the ground of his domain, it left behind a sheen of brilliance, reinforcing the very foundation of his soul domain.

"You told me before..." Robin murmured, his voice tinged with realization, "that the force extracted directly from initial souls is worth more than ordinary soul units... didn't you?"

Evergreen nodded. "That's right. When an initial souls is refined within a soul domain, it yields two essential components. The first is soul essence, which nourishes and fortifies the domain itself. The second component consists of the spirit's memories and consciousness, which condense later into a soul creature. Most soul masters consider soul essence a rare and valuable commodity because it is usually absorbed randomly and unpredictably when processing initial souls. However, you… you have essentially constructed your entire soul domain using pure soul essence."

Robin's eyebrows knitted together, intrigued. "And that means…?"

A small smile played on Evergreen's lips. "It means that, as reckless as you were yesterday—absorbing all those initial souls at once— you unknowingly crafted a soul domain that consists of approximately 90% pure soul essence. This is an unheard-of ratio."

She let out a small chuckle, then added, "Just as your adversary cannot be compared to ordinary World Cataclysm, your 60,000 soul units do not equate to 60,000 units from a regular Soul Master. They are exponentially more powerful."

Robin let out an amused huff, tilting his head back slightly. "Heh~ You started by promising to explain the power scale, but somehow, you've led me right back to square one. So tell me—am I strong, or am I weak in comparison to a World Cataclysm? Because right now, I genuinely have no clue." With a slight smirk, he allowed himself to drift back into a relaxed position, letting the molten sea beneath him carry his body.

Evergreen giggled. "Hehehe~ I suppose you'll have to figure that out for yourself… through experience!"

BZZZZT!

A sudden rupture tore through the very fabric of space above the molten sea, as a spatial portal ripped open. From within, Richard emerged— his body covered in wounds, his form battered and bloodied, exhaustion weighing him down like an unbearable burden. Yet, despite his condition, his gaze remained sharp, his soul senses stretching outward frantically as he scanned the scene with desperate urgency.

At last, his eyes landed on Robin.

"Father!"

Robin lifted a weary hand, waving lazily at his son as Richard rushed toward him.

"Father, are you alright? Can you still move?" Richard descended rapidly, his concern evident in the sharpness of his tone. At this moment, father and son looked strikingly similar—both bloodied, both battle-worn, both bearing the marks of an intense struggle. The only true difference was the color of their hair—one golden, the other stark white.

"Yeah, yeah… let's get out of here," Robin muttered, patting his son's leg as he allowed him to help him stand. However, just as Richard was about to fly toward the portal, Robin suddenly stopped him.

"Wait," Robin said with a lazy grin, lifting a finger and pointing in a certain direction. "There's someone over there who wanted to take a cold bath. Let's take him with us."