Master Wyatt's explanation cleared up the doubts in Zoran's heart.
This universe was indeed entirely different from the other worlds he had visited before; every place truly had its own unique laws and customs. Naturally, Zoran understood his current situation better than anyone else. His only actual concern had been Hetero-Energy, the unique, foundational power of this specific universe.
With over a hundred thousand years of wisdom and experience, Master Wyatt's reputation as a sage was definitely not just for show. Merely by sensing Zoran's current state and combining it with the vague concept of an otherworldly traveler, he had managed to deduce the overarching picture.
And for Zoran, that was more than enough. From this point on, he had no further qualms.
He had indeed come to this world to strengthen himself, but he had never needed to cooperate with any overarching factions, nor did he need to search for some specialized external technique. The truly strong seek power from within, and it is precisely through this inner exploration that they become invincible.
Particularly within the universe of the Ultra Beast Force, this principle was an unshakeable, eternal truth. The stronger one became, the less they relied on external things.
In truth, Zoran didn't require any external objects anyway.
This universe possessed Seven Parallel Universes, and each one, just like the world he was currently standing in, was packed with a staggering abundance of resources. Seven parallel universes also meant there were seven moons.
Of course, within the rules of this universe, aside from carrying a certain symbolic meaning, the moon was primarily a massive convergence point of Hetero-Energy. This was very much like Earth in this setting, which always remained the ultimate focal point of concentrated cosmic power in the boundless universe. Consequently, the other celestial body closely bound to the Earth-Moon system received a massive upgrade in significance as well.
For Zoran, this was a magnificent prospect.
Furthermore, he truly wasn't relying on anything external. Because to him, the moon had never been an external force.
As this thought crossed his mind, Zoran let out a resounding laugh, a flicker of genuine amusement surfacing in his eyes.
He looked toward Master Wyatt and said, "Thank you. As part of our transaction, I have already obtained the answer I needed."
Given enough time, it wasn't impossible for Zoran to thoroughly analyze the core nature of Hetero-Energy on his own, in fact, he could likely do it quite rapidly. But with only a few days remaining before the hundred-thousand-year reincarnation cycle triggered, he simply did not have that luxury. The combat power in the upcoming events was about to skyrocket to a dizzying level.
"Wait a moment." Master Wyatt raised his staff, his expression tinged with a trace of hesitation.
"What is it?"
"There is something... I am not entirely certain if I should say it," Master Wyatt murmured in a low voice.
"Speak freely," Zoran replied.
Master Wyatt nodded, turning his back to Zoran. After composing his thoughts for a brief moment, he finally spoke:
"When mankind's ancestors first crawled out of the oceans and onto dry land, their Hetero-Energy altered and strengthened because of that transition..."
"They grew limbs and evolved entirely new organs. It was exactly like... migrating from one world into another."
"Traveler from another world, your current situation is just like those primordial ancestors stepping onto dry land for the very first time. Once you begin this process, there is absolutely no turning back."
Master Wyatt brought his staff down gently against the floor, sighing deeply. "Adapting to Hetero-Energy is identical to evolution. Once a living organism begins to evolve, there is absolutely no possibility of devolution!"
Every single word out of Master Wyatt's mouth carried immense, unshakeable weight.
Judging solely by this warning, he was genuinely a decent fellow worth befriending. After all, he could have easily remained silent and left Zoran to figure out the consequences on his own.
"Actually," Zoran said, tilting his chin up slightly, "everything you have just detailed is something I was already well aware of."
"Oh?" Master Wyatt blinked in surprise. "Could it be that you genuinely intend to become a permanent part of our universe?"
To a certain extent, the world's acceptance also carried the weight of a shackle. Power is never a rootless, floating weed; in all things, to gain something means something else must be surrendered.
By mastering the specific Hetero-Energy allocated by this universe, the price that had to be paid was a portion of the inherent freedom one possessed as an otherworldly traveler. After all, the laws governing Hetero-Energy existed strictly within the boundaries of this universe, completely unlike the sovereign authority over gravity that Zoran fundamentally commanded.
It was a very simple concept.
For instance, if he were to return to the world of One Piece, or perhaps the world of Chainsaw Man, Zoran would still be able to firmly secure his absolute authority as the Moon Demon by relying on the inherent gravitational laws that naturally existed within those realms. Those forces were a foundational, native part of those worlds' operational rules.
But Hetero-Energy was entirely different. The world of Chainsaw Man, the world of One Piece, and even the original world of Jackie Chan Adventures did not possess a single shred of a concept known as Hetero-Energy within their universal laws.
At this very moment, if Zoran chose to accept the Hetero-Energy the universe was matching to him, it meant he had to fully assimilate into this world. Every ounce of power he gained here would use Hetero-Energy as its foundation stone.
The moment he departed for another world, all the power he had accumulated during this trip would instantaneously become a rootless, floating weed. It would mean that if he ever wanted to leave in the future, while his original powers wouldn't be negatively impacted, this entire journey would essentially amount to completely useless effort. He would have walked this path entirely in vain.
As for whether this universe possessed a conscious will of its own, and whether it would attempt to obstruct him when the time came to leave, that was a matter for another day.
Faced with Master Wyatt's silent inquiry, Zoran offered no verbal reply.
Instead, he merely extended his hand in silence. A near-purplish-black vapor, radiating an incredibly majestic aura, the Moon Demon Chi, suddenly began to diffuse and expand over his palm. With a faint twitch of his fingers, snapping them together tightly, the Moon Demon Chi instantly vanished from sight, completely concealed.
At this sight, Master Wyatt furrowed his brow, suddenly thoroughly perplexed as to what Zoran was trying to accomplish.
Zoran smiled faintly. While casually manipulating his hand, he spoke in a perfectly tranquil tone, "If one wishes to stride proudly across this realm, it is an undeniable truth that one must first assimilate into it."
"This Hetero-Energy... I will accept it." His words were profoundly decisive, completely devoid of the slightest hesitation.
"Hehe, it appears your mind is firmly set on becoming one of us," Master Wyatt stated, staring blankly at Zoran.
"No!" Zoran laughed, his tone carrying a subtle, mocking edge. "If the only drawback is being unable to utilize Hetero-Energy once I leave this place... that level of trouble doesn't even qualify as a minor inconvenience."
His laughter gradually became a touch more unrestrained.
What did it mean to be unable to use Hetero-Energy after leaving? He didn't understand the concept, and the system bound to the Moon Demon certainly didn't understand it either.
If worst came to worst, he could simply forge a permanent dimensional link. When the time came to leave, he could just siphon it directly from the Subspace... no, he could just straight up steal it from this universe!
As for the anchor point for this dimensional link, Zoran had already selected the perfect artifact in his mind.
But for now, at this exact moment...
What he was currently doing was fully concealing his own Demon Chi and sovereign authority, suppressing these two components that inherently belonged to him down to their absolute limits. By doing so, he was using his raw, fundamental life level as his staking chip to extract the maximum possible matched power from the universe.
Otherwise, he was genuinely worried that because his baseline existence already possessed far too much, the universe might skimp out on what it was willing to give him.
Compared to other existences, the amount of Hetero-Energy a human could generate varied wildly based on the sheer magnitude of their personal conviction. At its peak, it could easily exceed the force of a black hole; at its lowest, they were nothing more than an ordinary civilian. That was the scale of Hetero-Energy that the human life tier could trigger and possess.
So then, what about a Demon? An entity that existed as a literal fragment of another world's primordial source, a supreme being that had comfortably perched at the absolute apex of the evolutionary pyramid since the dawn of ancient antiquity...
For a living organism born inherently omnipotent and fundamentally immortal...
Exactly how high should its corresponding Hetero-Energy be?
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