Ch. 1271..1280
Chapter 1271 - – Dusk Wind Sect
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
Explosions devastated the landscape.
The headquarters of the Lightning Peak Sect had long since been reduced to ashes by the sudden assault.
Just like always, a Judge overlooked the fighting, but since this was a war and not a duel, he didn't protect the Lightning Peak Sect. This wasn't just someone from the Lightning Peak Sect battling with an outsider. No, this was the entire Lightning Peak Sect fighting against several other Sects.
The war had begun with a sudden attack by an Ancestor. The defensive Formation Array of the Lightning Peak Sect automatically activated, blocking the attack.
Then, several other Divine Gods attacked the Formation Array as the Lightning Peak Sect tried to muster a defense.
The attackers had only brought some Cultivators each, luckily. If they had brought everyone, the Lightning Peak Sect would have no choice but to surrender.
Silver Seer noticed the attack with narrowed eyes. He had already learned of their Core Plant's death many years ago, but he had been certain that the other Sects didn't know about it.
But now, it was obvious that they knew about it. Otherwise, they wouldn't have attacked in such small numbers.
If one wanted to take out another Peak Sect, one had to bring over their own Core Plant. The Core Plants were, with only one exception, the strongest entities inside the Peak Sects.
If the Peak Sects had attacked the Lightning Peak Sect with such a force while their Core Plant had still been alive, the attackers would have already all died.
Yet, even if one brought over their own Core Plant, things still wouldn't be easy. Plants had their own pride, and they only wanted to fight duels. In comparison to humans and beasts, plants had no interest in ganging up on others.
This meant that the attacking and the attacked Core Plants would enter a duel.
Then, the outcome of the duel would decide which Sect survived and which one perished.
Because of that, attacking another Peak Sect was an incredibly risky endeavor. After all, if your Core Plant died, you would lose your entire Sect.
So, since the other Sects didn't bring any Core Plant, it meant that they knew that the Lightning Peak Sect's Core Plant was no longer alive.
Silver Seer still had no idea how their Core Plant had died.
It should have been impossible!
The only thing he could think of was that a Heaven's Magnate had killed their Core Plant. After all, Silver Seer hadn't even felt a battle take place. This meant that their Core Plant had died without even being able to fight back.
Ever since that day, Silver Seer had known that the Peak Sects would invade at some point.
The Lightning Peak Sect was a Peak Sect without the foundation of a Peak Sect.
When the other Peak Sects attacked, Silver Seer and his most powerful comrades fought back.
The battles immediately ravaged the landscape surrounding the Lightning Peak Sect.
As Silver Seer attacked, Zero's Essence also arrived. She had promised to oversee the Lightning Peak Sect, and she would keep to her promise.
Zero's Essence was like a goddess of war. She alone represented the entire power of the Lightning Peak Sect.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
That's when four people surrounded her.
Zero's Essence didn't look at them and immediately unleashed a devastating attack.
Whooosh!
Yet, against all odds, Zero's Essence attack completely missed!
The four people surrounding her only smirked.
These four people were the Ancestor, the Sect Master, and the two Vice-Sect Masters of the Mortal Sect.
All of them knew the True Law of Emotions, and all four of them used that Law to mess with Zero's Essence's control.
She could ignore one of them.
She could deal with two of them at once.
She could attempt to fight three of them at once.
Yet, resisting four of them was simply too much.
Zero's Essence unleashed another attack, but it missed again.
After realizing that attacking from a range didn't work, she charged at one of them, but that person fled while the other three kept messing with Zero's Essence's control.
They didn't attack her, but she also couldn't attack them.
Zero's Essence was trapped like a dangerous animal.
With her taken out of the picture, everyone else battled with the members of the Lightning Peak Sect.
The Peak Sects didn't send many people, but their quality was still superb. Additionally, over half of the people were still only watching.
Individual duels broke out between the two sides. The Peak Sects wanted their members to temper themselves.
Whenever one of their members died, another, more powerful member attacked the winner.
If someone of the Lightning Peak Sect showed too much growth and potential, they were immediately killed.
The Peak Sects wouldn't allow their members to swallow more than they could chew.
The fighting happened with incredible speed, and in just a couple of seconds, every single Divine God of the Lightning Peak Sect had been eradicated.
That included Silver Seer and the other Vice-Sect Master.
Silver Seer had died to the Sect Master of the Lost Wind Sect. The battle had been brutal, but the Sect Master of the Lost Wind Sect had won in the end.
The Sect Master of the Lost Wind Sect had taken on an enormous risk by battling Silver Seer, but it had paid off.
The Sect Master had comprehended his second level ten Law and several more level nine Laws.
The Sect Master of the Lost Wind Sect was now as powerful as the average Ancestor, while his Sect still had another Ancestor.
The Lost Wind Sect had now grown to a level of power where they could even fight the Heavenly Divine Sect.
Speaking of, where was the Heavenly Divine Sect?
Not present.
The Lightning Peak Sect had called for help, but the Heavenly Divine Sect hadn't answered. They hadn't helped, but they also hadn't attacked.
They simply didn't involve themselves.
What about the Lightning Peak Sect's other ally, the True Life Sect?
They were counting their money at this very moment. They had been paid very handsomely by the Eternity Sect.
The Lost Wind Sect, the Eternity Sect, and the Mortal Sect were allies.
The Mortal Sect dealt with Zero's Essence.
The Lost Wind Sect risked their Sect Master by taking on Silver Seer.
So, of course, the Eternity Sect also had to make sacrifices. Because of that, they had been the ones to pay a ridiculous sum of resources to the True Life Sect.
The Eternity Sect wouldn't endanger its survival, but it had essentially crippled its own treasury. However, the resources they would get from the Lightning Peak Sect would make that sacrifice worth it.
The Mortal Sect would gain 40% of the resources since they essentially risked their entire leadership, while the other two would get 30%.
They had drafted their plan, and they had put it into motion with incredible success.
Except for Zero's Essence, all Divine Gods of the Lightning Peak Sect had died.
With all of the Divine Gods dead, the Formation Array broke down.
While Zero's Essence still tried to get out, everyone else looked at the Sect Master of the Lost Wind Sect.
"Go ahead. You wanted it, after all," one of them said to the Sect Master.
The Sect Master of the Lost Wind Sect gnashed his teeth in fury. For such a long time, he had needed to deal with this unending hatred for the Lightning Peak Sect.
He had waited for this day for way too long!
The shivering Ancestral Gods in the Lighting Peak Sect looked with fear at the Sect Master of the Lost Wind Sect.
'Please, no!'
'Someone help!'
'I'm sorry!'
'I don't want to die!'
'I don-'
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
An unimaginably powerful wave of Heavenly Wind turned the Lightning Peak Sect into dust.
The mountain was gone.
The Law Comprehension Areas around their headquarters were gone.
The people were gone.
Only a brown wasteland remained. Not even rubble could be seen.
The Sect Master of the Lost Wind Sect had proclaimed that they reclaimed the ownership of the Wind Element.
Wind belonged to them!
Silence.
The Lightning Peak Sect was gone.
"Let it be known that from this day forth, the Lost Wind Sect will reclaim its ancestral name," the Sect Master said.
"From today onward, the Lost Wind Sect will be known as the Dusk Wind Sect once again!"
Then, he turned to Zero's Essence.
"And you shall be our first enemy."
Chapter 1272 - – Present
The different Peak Divine Gods surrounded Zero's Essence. If Zero's Essence could fight without inhibition, she would have a chance at victory, but with the four people of the Mortal Sect, that became impossible.
"You shouldn't have accepted Silver Seer's favor," the Sect Master of the Dusk Wind Sect said.
Then, everyone unleashed their attack.
Zero's Essence was flung away, and she barely managed to survive the first wave, but the second wave immediately followed.
Zero's Essence knew that she would die if things remained this way.
She needed control!
Her entire mind focused on the concept of control, but no matter what she thought of, everything didn't work.
No matter what she did, it was impossible for her to gain control.
Shortly before her death, her conversation with Gravis replayed.
Acknowledging that one couldn't attain control was also an integral concept regarding control.
Back then, she hadn't fully comprehended it, but now, she did.
BOOOOM!
The world became silent.
The attacks paused in the air.
Shocked expressions appeared on everyone's face.
What was going on!?
They knew that Zero's Essence was incredibly powerful, but they didn't know which Laws she was missing to become a Heaven's Magnate. After all, she had always kept her Laws a secret.
Because of that, they hadn't even thought of the possibility that she might become a Heaven's Magnate during the battle.
After all, how many Heaven's Magnates appeared in the world?
There was like one every ten million years.
What were the chances of a Heaven's Magnate being born during these couple of minutes?
Yet, exactly that had happened.
Zero's Essence had comprehended the True Law of Control!
Her True Law of Control combined with the True Law of Suppression, Freedom, Danger, and Safety to create the True Law of Perceived Reality.
At this very moment, Zero's Essence saw the world in a different light.
She saw Energy in a different light.
And exactly that new perception allowed her to see how she had to combine her Laws.
Her True Law of the Complex Living World combined with the True Law of Perceived Reality to create the True Law of the True World.
The Law of the True World was a level twelve Law, and it strengthened all other Laws.
It became impossible to suppress her.
It became impossible to injure her.
It became impossible to stop her.
Her power had undergone a world-shaking transformation!
The members of the Dusk Wind Sect, the Eternity Sect, and the Mortal Sect looked with fear at Zero's Essence.
This wasn't possible!
At the same time, deep underground, Gravis had felt the change in reality, and Heavenly Senior had appeared at the same time.
This had been Heavenly Senior's present.
He was going to make Gravis' sister into a Heaven's Magnate!
Usually, the Heaven's Magnates wouldn't get involved in the creation of another Heaven's Magnate, but this time, everything was just too perfectly laid out.
Zero's Essence had received an integral piece of knowledge regarding the concept of control from Gravis.
Gravis had killed the Core Plant of the Lightning Peak Sect.
These two things already resulted in the perfect opportunity to create a Heaven's Magnate.
It only needed a slight push in the right direction.
Originally, the Heaven's Magnates still wouldn't have gotten involved. However, when Gravis had given them another Heaven's Magnate, they felt like they should do something for him.
And wasn't it just perfect that his sister was exactly the person that could become the next Heaven's Magnate?
So, in the end, Heavenly Senior talked with the others about the specifics.
He had been the one to kickstart this entire thing, and he wanted to know what everyone else was thinking.
The three old foggies had been members of the Twilight Council, the Eternity Sect, and the Lightning Peak Sect before.
The three of them didn't want to talk to Heavenly Senior. They hated him for killing their friend.
So, Heavenly Senior ignored them.
The Black Magnate had once been a member of the Lost Wind Sect. Heavenly Senior asked him what he thought about the plan.
The Black Magnate simply said that the Lost Wind Sect had nothing to do with him anymore. It had been too long since he had been a member, and the Sect no longer was the same.
Heavenly Senior could do with the Lost Wind Sect whatever he wanted.
Happy Springs had been a member of the True Life Sect, and when Heavenly Senior asked her, she only said that she didn't want her old Sect to be involved. However, she also wouldn't interfere.
End of Light had been the member of a Peak Sect that had already been lost to time, and she had no opinion on it.
Peaceful Serenity, the most powerful Heaven's Magnate except for Child of Heaven had once been the member of the Mortal Sect.
However, that had been a very long time ago.
When Heavenly Senior asked her, she only said that there was no reason for her to say anything. The world moved forward, and destiny would happen, no matter what she did.
Her intervention would only cloud the path of fate.
She knew what her destiny was. She knew the role she had to fulfill in this life.
Everything else wasn't relevant to her destiny, and she wouldn't force it to be relevant.
In essence, this meant that she wouldn't get involved.
That only left the Child of Heaven.
Heavenly Senior visited Child of Heaven to ask for his permission.
Child of Heaven was essentially Heaven's avatar, voice, and will. He represented Heaven.
Heaven discouraged Heaven's Magnates from getting involved in the Cosmos, and creating another Heaven's Magnate and destroying a Peak Sect could definitely be called getting involved.
Child of Heaven had only given a single condition.
Zero's Essence felt her newfound power, and she looked with a cold gaze at everyone around her.
All the members of the attacking Sects fell into an abyss of terror.
They were going to die!
Zero's Essence extended her right hand.
And then, a storm of Heavenly Zero enveloped everyone.
In an instant, every Peak Divine God had been frozen.
The Sect Master of the Dusk Wind Sect had been killed.
The two Vice-Sect Masters, the Sect Master, and the Ancestor of the Mortal Sect, had been killed.
The single present Vice-Sect Master of the Eternity Sect had been killed.
Zero's Essence hadn't even become a Heaven's Magnate yet. At the moment, she was still a Peak Divine God.
Yet, by just comprehending a single Law, she had become unparalleled.
The Law of the True World was simply too powerful.
The Peak Divine Gods had all perished in a single instance.
They had gone against Zero's Essence with the intention of killing her, and she wouldn't let them go for that.
However, just when she had killed everyone, her eyes narrowed.
She had intended to kill everyone present, but for some reason, everyone below the Peak Divine God Realm was still alive.
It was like an incredible power was protecting them.
"Sorry, that's the deal."
SHING!
Heavenly Senior appeared before her with a smile. "We helped you become a Heaven's Magnate, but in return, you're not allowed to kill anyone below the Peak Divine God Realm."
Heavenly Senior shot Child of Heaven, who had acted as a Judge, a polite smile.
Child of Heaven only nodded.
This had been Child of Heaven's condition.
Zero's Essence was forbidden from killing anyone below the Peak Divine God Realm after she had comprehended the Law of the True World.
Zero's Essence only narrowed her eyes.
"They are allowed to attack me, but I'm not allowed to attack them just because they are weak?" she said with a cold voice.
Heavenly Senior only had an awkward smile on his face.
Chapter 1273 - – Advice Of A Pawn
Heavenly Senior only awkwardly smiled. "I know it's a bit hard to swallow, but that was the deal," he said with a persuading voice. "We had to leak the death of the Lightning Peak Sect's Core Plant to give you this opportunity. Without that, you might have never become a Heaven's Magnate."
"However, Heaven gave us the condition that we were only allowed to do so as long as you didn't kill anyone below the Peak Divine God Realm. I know it's hard to accept, but that was the only way."
Zero's Essence only narrowed her eyes. "You give me your so-called present without even asking me if I wanted one. I never asked for your help, and if I had known it beforehand, I wouldn't have accepted it. You forced me into a decision without even thinking about what I want."
"I hate being suppressed, and this is a form of suppression," she said coldly.
"I know, I know!" Heavenly Senior said. "However, that is the only thing we could do. We still think it was the best course of action. We need your cooperation this time."
Then, Heavenly Senior released a deep breath. "Listen, I was the one that accepted the condition, and I have to be the one that has to ensure that the condition is fulfilled. I am going to protect these weaker Cultivators from you whether you accept or not."
"Sure, you can break into the Heaven's Magnate Realm now and become powerful enough to break through my protection to kill these people. Yet, if you kill them, I will be the one that had broken his promise to Heaven, which means I will be killed by Heaven."
"I'm sorry, but I can't sacrifice my life so that you can do what you want. I wanted to give you a present, and I've done so. However, if you decide to still attack these weaker Cultivators, I am forced to protect my own life, which means… you know."
Zero's Essence evaluated Heavenly Senior's words.
Heavenly Senior felt unimaginably powerful, and she could even tell that Heavenly Senior knew a kind of Law that was just as powerful as the Law of the True World. This meant that she couldn't possibly fight him, even when she reached the Heaven's Magnate Realm.
Yet, the choice was still difficult.
Zero's Essence hated being suppressed, and her mindset had a great affinity for the Law of Freedom. Being suppressed was very similar to death in her mind.
Because of that, it wasn't easy for her to accept her current situation.
Heavenly Senior had given her a so-called present without her consent, and he had made promises for her without her knowledge.
In her mind, he had vastly overstepped her boundaries.
"Sister."
Zero's Essence looked with surprise at the ground.
On the ground stood Gravis with a complex expression on his face. He was currently hiding himself with his Law of Perceived Reality. None of the present Divine Gods had any attention to spare. They were all focusing on Zero's Essence, and they were in fear for their lives.
No one would come to the idea to question their own perception and inspect some random Peak Ancestral God at this moment.
"I know it's hard," Gravis said slowly. "You know my story, and you know that I know how it feels."
"I've constantly received these so-called presents."
"In the middle world, I have received the present of being forced to fight the middle Heaven for Law Comprehension. I never wanted that present."
"In the higher world, I had to accept the present to fight Arc."
"In this world, I had to accept the special treatment regarding my Sin Aura."
"I also had to accept Arc's present of unveiling my identity to the public."
"I have received these presents time and time again. Every single one of them had been given to me to push me further to the top."
"I never asked for any of them, but I have received them regardless."
"People beyond my power constantly dictate the direction my life goes."
"It sucks! I know that it sucks!"
Gravis took a deep breath.
"However, if I want to change the world, I have to accept these presents. If I want to gain true freedom, I have to survive until I have the power to claim true freedom."
"And even if I don't want to admit it, these presents have pushed me far beyond a point that I can reach on my own."
"I don't want to accept it, but I have to. Because, in the end, it will result in me becoming even more powerful, and that means that I will come closer to true freedom."
"So, sister, please endure it just this time. Yes, you never wanted this, but you have been thrown into that situation regardless. You can throw away your life and preserve your perceived freedom and autonomy."
"Yet, when you decide to do just that, you will throw the opportunity to gain true freedom and autonomy in the future."
"Think about what you want to do," Gravis finished.
Silence.
Zero's Essence only looked at Gravis.
Several seconds of silence passed.
Then, she took a deep breath.
SHING!
She teleported away.
Heavenly Senior's smile widened when he saw her leave.
She had listened to Gravis' words.
Gravis released a sigh when he saw her leave.
He knew that it sucked. After all, he had been in similar situations several times.
In the beginning, these kinds of things hadn't happened. After all, Gravis hadn't been very outstanding or powerful at that time.
There had been plenty of people even more powerful than him in the earlier Realms.
Even when Gravis had fought the middle Heaven, there had still been Cultivators in the different worlds that had been even more powerful than him.
The only reason how Gravis had become so powerful was Heaven's present back then.
The suppression of the middle Heaven had pushed Gravis to the absolute limit.
Then, the Black Magnate's teaching of the Law of Control had pushed Gravis beyond the limit.
Ever since then, Gravis had received these kinds of presents more and more frequently.
The more outstanding he became, the more these peak powers were interested in his development.
They all wanted him to succeed and become powerful, and they all supported Gravis in their own ways.
The Heaven's Magnates had gotten involved.
Arc had gotten involved.
Orthar had gotten involved.
Even his mother had given Gravis a present.
Every single power that could be counted as being above the normal world had gotten involved…
Except for one.
The Opposer.
The only thing the Opposer had done was to protect Gravis from these same powers.
If he hadn't protected Gravis, the other powers would have pushed Gravis even further, essentially making him a pawn or a pet.
Everyone was trying to push Gravis in the direction they wanted.
Yet, the Opposer pushed the others away so that they could only influence Gravis from afar.
Today, Zero's Essence had been in Gravis' shoes, and she didn't like it.
However, she followed Gravis' advice and left.
The normal world was already beyond her, and she had joined a new world.
From now on, the normal world would never see Zero's Essence again.
Chapter 1274 - – Aftermath
After Zero's Essence left, Gravis released a heavy sigh and vanished into the underground again.
The Peak Sects were still searching for Gravis, and Gravis couldn't remain here now that Zero's Essence had left.
Heavenly Senior only smiled before he also teleported away.
They would soon get another Heaven's Magnate.
Two Heaven's Magnates only a million years apart.
It was great!
Heavenly Senior saw the power of change Gravis had, and he pushed that power even further.
With his actions, a new Heaven's Magnate had been created.
How many Heaven's Magnates could claim such an achievement?
Child of Heaven also left since the war was over.
Now, only the Elders and soldiers of the Mortal Sect, Eternity Sect, and Dusk Wind Sect were left.
It was still hard to wrap their head around the monumental changes that had taken place.
They had already known that today would be a big day. After all, the Lightning Peak Sect had died today.
Yet, the changes had been even more consequential than that.
A new Heaven's Magnate had been born.
The Mortal Sect had lost their Vice-Sect Masters, their Sect Master, and their Ancestor, essentially making them headless. The strongest surviving members of the Mortal Sect were the Elders.
The other Sects would ruthlessly suppress the Mortal Sect until they would lose nearly all their Law Comprehension Areas and God Stone mines.
Yet, as long as their Core Plant remained, the Mortal Sect wouldn't vanish.
They knew that they would have to undergo a long period of suppression and humiliation, but eventually, they would return.
The surviving members of the Mortal Sect looked at each other with discomfort and solemnity. They knew what was waiting for them, and they didn't look forward to it.
The surviving Elders decided to close the Mortal Sect's borders.
They had to concentrate on recovering, and they had to put their everything into creating a new Sect Master and Ancestor.
Everyone knew that this would take a long time.
The Dusk Wind Sect had reclaimed their name, and they had eradicated their fated enemy. Their Sect Master had died, but the two Vice-Sect Masters and the Ancestor were still alive. After all, they hadn't been at the frontlines.
The members of the Dusk Wind Sect returned to their Sect and told the Vice-Sect Masters what had happened.
The Vice-Sect Masters contacted the Ancestor, and they all talked for a long time.
In the end, it was decided that this outcome was better than having done nothing.
They had reclaimed their honor and their ancestral name. Sure, the Sect Master had died, but the Ancestor could lead the Sect until one of the two Vice-Sect Masters became powerful enough to become the Sect Master.
On top of that, they had gained a massive number of God Stone mines and Law Comprehension Areas by eradicating the Lightning Peak Sect.
They had received a heavy hit with the death of their Sect Master, but their foundation hadn't been damaged, and they had expanded a lot.
The Dusk Wind Sect would soon rise.
The Eternity Sect had lost one of their Vice-Sect Masters, and they had lost an insane amount of wealth by paying off the True Life Sect.
However, they had it the easiest.
Their Sect Master and their Ancestor were still alive, and they still had a second Vice-Sect Master.
As long as another Sect didn't declare an extermination war on them, they wouldn't even truly feel the absence of their Vice-Sect Master.
They gained a huge amount of territory, which made everything worth it.
The Eternity Sect knew that they would quickly give rise to a new Vice-Sect Master and another one after that with these new resources.
The Eternity Sect would rise!
The True Life Sect hadn't lost anything but had gained an unreal amount of wealth from the Eternity Sect. With a smile, they snuggled up to the Heavenly Divine Sect and strengthened their bond.
In the past, due to the Heavenly Divine Sect's power, their faction had had the advantage in power. After all, the Lost Wind Sect, the Mortality Sect, and the Eternity Sect couldn't deal with the Heavenly Divine Sect, the True Life Sect, and the Lightning Peak Sect at the same time.
However, with the Lightning Peak Sect gone, the other faction now had one more Peak Sect on their side.
The Heavenly Divine Sect was about as powerful as two Peak Sects, and the True Life Sect was an average Peak Sect.
So, at this moment, the two factions were of similar power for the first time in a long while.
The Heavenly Divine Sect could deal with the loss of the Lightning Peak Sect, but they wouldn't be able to deal with the loss of the True Life Sect.
The two Sects were now intrinsically connected, and their survival depended on each other.
Additionally, since the Heavenly Divine Sect and the True Life Sect hadn't lost anything in the war, they could steal some of the territories of the former Lightning Peak Sect.
They had lost their political advantage, but their inherent power had profited greatly.
Additionally, the Heavenly Divine Sect now finally had an actually dangerous opponent, and they could take the war seriously.
The Twilight Council also hadn't been involved. The only thing they would do was to claim some of the fringe territories of the destroyed Lightning Peak Sect, giving them a bit of wealth in the process.
So, all in all, what was the aftermath for all the Sects?
One Peak Sect had been destroyed, leaving six.
The Dusk Wind Sect was fine with the outcome.
The Twilight Council was fine with the outcome.
The Heavenly Divine Sect liked the outcome very much.
The True Life Sect liked the outcome very much.
The Eternity Sect liked the outcome very much.
Only the Mortal Sect hated the outcome.
What was the new status of all the remaining Peak Sects?
The Dusk Wind Sect and the Eternity Sect would aggressively expand and grow.
The Twilight Council, the Heavenly Divine Sect, and the True Life Sect would slightly expand.
The Mortal Sect would vanish from the eyes of the world and slowly recover.
Today, a Peak Sect had been destroyed, and the entire dynamic of the world had changed.
Gravis and Mortis returned to comprehending the Law of Heavenly Fire, and the Heaven's Magnates continued doing whatever they were doing.
And Zero's Essence?
"You've made the right choice," the Opposer said as he looked at his daughter.
Zero's Essence didn't answer and only released a sigh. After teleporting away, she had broken through to the Heaven's Magnate Realm and had come home.
The Opposer and the Economistress had proclaimed their pride in their daughter.
Zero's Essence was their first child that had ever managed to reach the Heaven's Magnate Realm.
"Is it the right choice?" Zero's Essence asked with furrowed brows. "Only you have ever managed to escape Heaven's control to this degree. Yet, you are still somewhat under its suppression."
"I sacrificed my perceived freedom and autonomy for a chance at true freedom in the future. Yet, does this chance even exist? If not even you can reach true freedom, how can I reach it?"
"I have sacrificed my own perceived freedom for a chance of true freedom that's infinitely close to zero."
"Was it truly the right choice?" she asked herself and the Opposer at the same time.
The Opposer only drank some of his coffee.
"It was the right choice," he repeated.
Zero's Essence looked at her father uncertainly.
"If it had been at any other point in time in the past, your decision would have been the incorrect one," the Opposer said. "However, you have reached the Heaven's Magnate Realm at the best time in history."
"The world is about to change."
"The entire Cosmos is about to change."
"Rules you take for granted will be abolished, and new rules will come into place."
"The eternal and unchanging fate of all the Cultivators in this Cosmos will be changed for the first time."
"Not even I know exactly what's going to happen. I only know approximately which direction it will take, but I can't foresee the exact result."
"There are still too many unknowns to make a concrete judgment."
"However, one thing is for sure. Everything will soon change."
Zero's Essence looked at her father in shock and a bit of nervousness.
If her father was taking things this seriously, it meant that truly the entire Cosmos would change.
But what was going to happen?
What would bring this change?
Was it her father?
"We only have to wait for him," the Opposer said as he looked in a certain direction.
Zero's Essence didn't follow her father's perception, but she subconsciously knew whom the Opposer was referring to.
"It all depends on him?" she asked.
The Opposer nodded.
"It all depends on Gravis."
"He will decide what will happen to us all."
Chapter 1275 - – Old To Young
Gravis and Mortis focused on comprehending the Law of Heavenly Fire again as the entire world underwent a massive reshuffling.
One of the Peak Sects had been destroyed, leaving six of them. One could even say that there were only five since the Mortal Sect had completely vanished from the perspective of the world.
However, Gravis and Mortis didn't notice any of that.
They simply continued comprehending their Laws.
Up to now, all the level nine Laws the two of them had comprehended had been special Laws that didn't require the watching of something physical. The only two exceptions were the Law of Heavenly Lightning, but that was a special Law in and of itself, thanks to their unique existence and the Law of Matter.
The Law of Matter had been the first level nine Law where Gravis had needed to actively watch to comprehend it.
So, how long did it take Gravis to comprehend the Law of Heavenly Fire, a level nine Law, the highest kind of naturally occurring Law?
With both of them working together, it took them 300,000 years.
Working on the same Law didn't double the speed since they were often trying to comprehend the same thing. Instead, it increased the speed by around 50%.
So, on his own, as a level nine Ancestral God, Gravis would need around 450,000 years to comprehend a naturally occurring level nine Law.
That was incredibly fast, even for a Peak Divine God.
Normal Peak Divine Gods needed around 800,000 to 1,000,000 years to comprehend such a Law.
That was also one of the reasons why there were such gigantic differences in power and age amongst the Peak Divine Gods.
A Vice-Sect Master of a Peak Sect was probably already ten to fifteen million years old, while a Sect Master was already older than 20 million years. Ancestors were all at least 25 million years old.
Usually, Peak Divine Gods focused on the Law of the Dead World and the Law of Life first. Depending on one's situation, these Laws took the least or the most time.
Most of the time, they took the least time.
When one had already finished the Law of the Living World, one had to focus on the Emotional Laws and the Laws of Perceived Reality. Comprehending these Laws couldn't be done by just watching some stuff. No, one had to go through different experiences and live these concepts.
Something like that was difficult for Peak Divine Gods. After all, they were as far away from normal as it got.
Because of that, most Ancestors were stuck in their Realm for a very long time. Most of them would eventually die to each other when it was time for their tribulation, but some of them would manage to survive again and again, becoming more powerful during that process.
However, some of them also managed to comprehend these Laws rather quickly.
For example, Zero's Essence.
Zero's Essence had finished her Law of the Living World when she had only been 17 million years old, and in just three million more years, she had finished every Law except for the True Law of Control.
And then, Zero's Essence had been stuck in that stage for nearly seven million years.
Seven million years without any progress.
This was the life of a Peak Divine God.
The beginning was easy, and after getting through all the easy Laws, a nearly insurmountable wall stood before them.
And when they managed to break through one wall, another wall would stand behind it.
The first few Emotional Laws weren't difficult since every person had a strong affinity for at least one Emotional Law, but it became tough after that.
Every person had at least three Emotional Laws that were incredibly difficult to comprehend.
Empathetic people would have trouble with the Law of Apathy.
Calm people would have trouble with the Law of Rage.
Confident people would have trouble with the Law of Humility.
That was why nearly every Ancestor was stuck with having comprehended two level ten Laws and a couple more level nine Laws.
The only exceptions were the people from the Mortal Sect. However, they had also worked extremely hard for the Law of Emotions, and they were still missing the Law of the Dead World most of the time.
The Mortal Sect was focusing on the hard part before the easy part, making them weak in the beginning but strong later on.
Sadly, their strongest people often died before reaching that point since the other Peak Sects knew that they couldn't allow a really powerful Ancestor to appear in the Mortal Sect.
After showing all of this, it would become far easier to see how fast Gravis' comprehension actually was.
These Peak Divine Gods were ancient in comparison to Gravis.
Yet, Gravis had comprehended the same number of Laws as an average Ancestor, and how old was Gravis again?
A bit more than four million years old.
Four million years compared to over twenty million years.
In the middle world, Gravis had once decided on a path for his life.
He had said that he would prepare himself fully before breaking into the next Realm.
He had proclaimed that he would become Old Man Gravis.
And that had been proven to be true. After all, Gravis had gone through a tribulation in the Immortal Realm. Over 90% of Immortals didn't reach their tribulation.
Then, Gravis had also spent over 200,000 years in the higher world, the age of an Immortal Emperor.
Gravis had also nearly reached his tribulation as a Star God, and now, he was reaching his tribulation as an Ancestral God.
He definitely could be called Old Man Gravis at this point.
Yet, all of this would soon change.
After being an old man for a very long time, Gravis would soon comprehend the remaining level nine Laws. It would only take a couple million years at most.
And then?
There was no then.
After comprehending all these Laws, there wouldn't be any point in waiting.
Gravis would directly become a Heaven's Magnate.
From an old Ancestral God, Gravis would soon transition into becoming the youngest Heaven's Magnate in history.
From an ancient existence, Gravis would transform into a young child amongst his peers.
All of this had been Gravis' goal.
For his entire life, Gravis had always taken his time. Instead of reaching the next Realm, he had always focused on working on his foundation.
He always focused on Laws for incredible periods of time.
He always focused on pushing his Will-Aura as far as he could.
When others shot through the Realms, Gravis was working on the foundation of his Laws.
Back then, the Opposer had told Gravis that the level one Laws were the most important Laws since they allowed a Cultivator to take the first step into the category of that Law.
Others were focusing on their main Laws. They focused on their Elemental Affinity, created some Form Laws, and comprehended some supporting Laws.
They didn't look at the Plant Laws.
They didn't look at the Matter Laws.
They didn't look at the other Elemental Laws.
Gravis had always focused on everything. Instead of only going with his lightning, he had gone with everything at once.
It had been a lot of time-consuming work, and Gravis' Realm had progressed slower than his friends' Realms.
But soon, everything would change.
After an eternity of being slower than everyone, Gravis would soon shoot forward with incredible speeds, breaking through all the impassable walls in one go.
After 300,000 years, the two of them had managed to comprehend the Law of Heavenly Fire.
300,000 years was terrifyingly fast.
Gravis' mad dash towards power had already begun.
With all of this said, only one common phrase came to mind.
Sharpening the axe didn't take time away from cutting trees.
Chapter 1276 - – Ready
After Gravis and Mortis were done with the Law of Heavenly Fire, they returned to Opposer City to focus on their Form Law.
Instead of using the level seven Battle-Laws, they were using the level nine Elemental Laws.
The level nine Elements already demonstrated pure perfection in their field, which meant that they already included the peak in all their aspects.
There was no Law of Heavenly Lightning's Speed.
There was no Law of Heavenly Fire's Explosiveness.
They were already at the peak.
Over the remaining years before their tribulation, the two of them focused on their Form Law.
Sadly, they only knew two of the nine level nine Elemental Laws, which made their Form Law lacking.
They didn't have the weight of Earth.
They didn't have the sharpness of Metal.
They didn't have the speed of Light.
However, they had the sudden explosive power of lightning and the sheer destructive potential of fire.
Lightning was the second-fastest Element, which meant that the speed of their attacks was still fine. It wasn't the best, but it was fine.
In the end, they managed to create two powerful Form Laws.
How powerful was their Form Law?
It was equivalent to a level ten Law.
This Form Law was just as powerful as the Form Law of the Ancestors of the Peak Sects.
The Ancestors knew all the Elemental level nine Laws, and by combining all of the aspects, they were able to create Form Laws that were equal to level ten Laws in power.
Gravis didn't have all the Elements, but he had the True Law of Emotions.
If Gravis had all the Elementals and the True Law of Emotions, his Form Law could reach the power of a level eleven Law.
A level eleven Law was equivalent in power to the Law of the True World.
After all, that Form Law would combine all the destructive Elements that a True World could unleash.
However, it would be missing the sustainability, the adaptability, the foundation, and the flexibility of the Law of the True World.
But that was something for the future. Right now, Gravis and Mortis had only condensed two level ten Form Laws.
After they were done, they looked at each other without saying anything.
They had prepared themselves for around 2.5 million years.
They hadn't seen their friends in 2.5 million years.
For 2.5 million years, they had been hidden from the world, just comprehending Laws.
And their time hadn't been wasted.
They had known only one level ten Law when they had gone into seclusion, and now, they knew four.
The Law of Emotions, the Law of Sentience, and their Form Law had been added.
They had undergone an unimaginable transformation.
After looking at each other and nodding, Gravis walked over to a table in his room and lifted a ring that had been placed there.
This ring had been there for over a million years.
Gravis' perception entered the ring.
Power!
Gravis saw an entire armory inside the ring, filled with spears and sabers.
All of them were black, and they exhibited unimaginable power.
Gravis recognized the materials these weapons were made out of, but the materials felt entirely different from the ones he had known.
These materials were made with the Law of the True World, and they had been forged with the most powerful Form Law for forging in existence, except for the two eternal, unapproachable beings.
These were Master Linus' promised weapons.
These were the most powerful weapons in the normal world.
These weapons had come from a place beyond the normal world of Cultivation.
These weapons had been forged by a Heaven's Magnate, who had dedicated his life to forging.
These weapons were so powerful that Gravis could even use them in a battle against a Heaven's Magnate.
No Sect Master had such weapons.
No Ancestor had such weapons.
These weapons didn't belong to the normal world of Cultivation.
When the two of them saw the weapons, they released a sigh of relief.
Why?
Because this had been the last unknown factor.
Yes, the two of them had several level ten Laws, but a jump of seven levels was unprecedented.
Not even the Opposer had been able to pull off a jump of seven levels when he had been young.
Just cutting through such an incredibly powerful body would need one's entire power, one's entire Energy, and incredibly powerful Laws.
And that was just the body. The opponent could also protect their body with Laws and Energy.
That's where the weapons came into play.
Without these weapons, the two of them could only leave superficial cuts on their opponent after unleashing everything they got.
This was why these weapons were absolutely imperative in their success.
Gravis and Mortis shared the weapons and put them into their Spirit Space.
Then, the two of them left Opposer City without saying goodbye.
There was no reason to say goodbye.
They wouldn't die.
They would return.
All of their work was for this moment, and they wouldn't even entertain the thought that they would die.
Right now, there were still around 40,000 years left to their tribulation, but that basically counted as no time to people of their age.
It wasn't enough to comprehend another Law.
After traveling for a while, the two of them stopped at one of the most isolated places they could find.
The Peak Sects still had them on their radar, but their search efforts had long since waned. If Gravis entered a powerful Divine God's perception, he would be found out, but the Divine Gods weren't specifically searching for him.
They were busier with trying to deal with the gigantic changes in the world of the Peak Sects.
For the Peak Sects, this was a grand age.
Battles broke out all the time.
To them, the world was a paradise of tempering and endless rewards.
Who cared about some Ancestral God they saw a couple million years ago?
That guy had completely vanished, and a lot of the Divine Gods weren't even sure if that guy even existed.
After all, how many living witnesses were there?
The Vice-Sect Master of the Mortal Sect was dead.
The Vice-Sect Master of the Twilight Council was dead.
Silver Seer was dead.
That only left the Sect Master of the Heavenly Divine Sect and the Vice-Sect Masters of the True Life, Dusk Wind, and Eternity Sect.
Four people.
Only four living people had seen this so-called unprecedented genius, and one of them seemingly didn't even care about him.
Sure, the Divine Gods would follow their orders, but they were really not sure if Gravis even existed.
Nearly all Peak Sects had searched the entire world for millions of years, and no one had seen even a sign of that person.
Did that guy actually exist?
Was this all some political event?
Was he created to motivate them?
Was he created to create a reason to go to war with another Sect?
Because of that, no one cared about Gravis' existence right now, and that's why Gravis had the courage to actually appear above ground.
This was the most isolated place he could find, which reduced the chances even more of being found out.
It was a gigantic wasteland with nearly no living being.
Gravis and Mortis floated in the air, and the two of them nodded at each other.
"Orthar," Gravis whispered. "We are ready for our tribulation. You can send it anytime you want."
Silence.
Orthar didn't answer, but Gravis had already expected something like that. After all, a tribulation was nothing special to Orthar.
However, even though Orthar hadn't answered, something incredibly shocking happened in a particular city at this moment.
Chapter 1277 - – Cindy
Shortly after Gravis had said that he was ready for his tribulation, a tribulation token was deployed in The Heaven Company.
People that were willing to undergo their tribulation earlier than planned could request a tribulation from Heaven. Heaven was always listening.
However, there were some caveats.
First of all, the longevity gained after undergoing the tribulation earlier than planned wasn't additive. It simply put the current longevity at the maximum for the Realm the person was at.
Second, one could only request a tribulation if less than 10% of the maximum longevity of the current Realm were remaining. This was to stop people from just getting tempering whenever they wanted.
Otherwise, people would just vanish from the face of the world and reach the peak without leaving their homes.
Third, the person requesting the tempering didn't have a choice on their opponent. A tribulation didn't always have to be found by Heaven. If someone found a fitting opponent slightly before the planned tribulation time, that opponent could count as a tribulation.
A good example was the Heaven's Trial Gravis and Mortis had gone to. Arc, as well as the young Opposer, had counted as their tribulation.
Lastly, the tribulation opponent would be able to gain some intelligence about their opponent. That allowed them to decide if they wanted to fight that opponent.
So, with all of that in mind, a tribulation request had been sent to The Heaven Company.
SHING!
"Oh?" a red-haired man uttered as he looked at the token that had just appeared in front of him. "A tribulation request?"
The man looked at the tribulation request and read the information on it.
Power: Extremely low.
Defense: Extremely low.
Speed: Low.
Adaptability: Unprecedented.
The red-haired man looked with shock at the tribulation request,
What were these values!?
He had never seen anything like it before!
The power was extremely low? That meant that the opponent would have to unleash nearly all their power to slightly scratch their opponent.
The defense was extremely low? That meant that one slight attack would kill them.
The speed was low? That meant that they were amongst the bottom 10% of speed.
However, the most surprising were the last two things.
Unprecedented adaptability?
That meant that they could counter literally every single enemy!
The man scratched his head in confusion. His enemy was incredibly weak, but they would be a perfect counter to him.
Was this someone trying to jump levels? That was the only explanation the man could think of.
Yet, the first three values were simply way too low, even for that.
After a while, the man frowned and threw the tribulation token away.
SHING!
After being thrown away, the token vanished into nothingness.
He had declined.
"I'm not fighting people trying to jump levels. That's a quick way to death," the man said with a snort,
SHING!
Meanwhile, another person got the request, and they looked over it before quickly declining it.
These values were simply too weird.
Another person declined.
Another one declined.
Then, someone that didn't immediately decline the tribulation request got it.
They looked at the request for a couple of seconds with narrowed eyes.
'The power of this person is too weird,' they thought. 'It's almost like they have an incredibly weak body and nearly no Energy. How many levels is that person jumping?'
Then, that person narrowed their eyes. 'Is that the person everyone has been searching for? It would make sense with these numbers.'
'If it's truly that person, I might get the reward that has gone unclaimed for several million years!'
'I have to try it!'
Then, the person broke the emblem.
SHING!
The person got teleported and arrived in front of Gravis. When they saw Gravis, they immediately realized that they had guessed correctly.
When Gravis saw his opponent, his eyes narrowed.
'This could be troublesome.'
In front of Gravis stood a small woman with long, white hair. Heavenly Light and Heavenly Darkness revolved around her as she took out a long bow,
She obviously was a member of the ftvilight Council.
Gravis looked at the bow with narrowed eyes. He hadn't fought anyone that used a bow before, which made things harder.
However, Gravis knew that the fight would revolve all around distance. Cultivators with bows could unleash devastating attacks from a range, but they would be under a severe disadvantage in melee combat.
"So, this is where you have been all this time," she said with a cold voice.
"Not really," Gravis answered. "I've not stayed in this place for such a long time. That would be boring."
The woman slightly pulled on her bow with a deep breath. "l almost can't believe it, but since this is a tribulation request, it means that Heaven believes me to be a fitting opponent for you."
"You feel so weak and fragile to me. I feel like I can eradicate you with a wave of my hand. I can't imagine how you can possibly close this distance."
"Let's cut the talk," Gravis said. "I'm Gravis, and I will be your opponent today."
"Fine," the woman said as her Laws revolved around her. "My name's Cindy, disciple of the 'IWilight Council."
Why had Cindy shared her first name instead of her title?
Because it didn't matter.
If she won, the only person knowing her first name would be dead, and if she lost, it wouldn't matter anyway.
SHING!
A man with green hair and white robes arrived beside the two of them. He would be their Judge.
When the man saw Gravis, his eyes widened in shock
WHOOOM!
Cindy activated her Will -Aura, Cindy was a level four Divine God, but her Will-Aura was equivalent to the power of a level five Divine God.
The Will-Aura ruthlessly suppressed Gravis, but he didn't mind.
Cindy pulled her bow back with all her power. Heavenly Light, Heavenly Darkness, and many other Laws fused into her bow, making it shake with sheer power.
If Gravis got hit by that, he would die.
And then, Cindy let go of her arrow..
Chapter 1278 - – Seven Levels
WHOOOM!
The True Law of Sentience was activated just when Cindy released her arrow.
All the Laws on the arrow vanished except for the Law of Heavenly Light. The Law of Heavenly Light was Cindy's Star, and that activation couldn't be stopped with the passive power of Gravis' Star.
To deactivate Cindy's Star, Gravis would need to actively use the power of his Law of Sentience, but if he did that, he wouldn't be able to use his own Laws. However, the passive effect of Gravis' Star still allowed him to use all of his Laws while restricting Cindy to her Star and her Form Law.
Cindy's eyes widened in shock.
Where had all her Laws gone!?
How was this possible!?
The sudden deactivation of nearly all her Laws had thrown her arrow out of its equilibrium, making it shoot wildly into the distance.
WHOOOM!
Suddenly, someone appeared beside Cindy, and an incredibly powerful Will-Aura pressed down on her.
What!? A second person!?
Also, what was this insanely powerful Will-Aura!?
Cindy's Will-Aura was eight levels above Gravis' Realm, and her Realm was also seven levels above Gravis' Realm. That created an unimaginable distance between the respective powers of their Will -Auras.
Yet, Gravis and Mortis closed that distance.
The True Law of Control.
The True Law of Suppression.
The True Law of Rage.
The True Law of Apathy.
All of these effects stacked on top of each other, making Gravis' Will-Aura reach impossible heights.
Cindy had been suppressed by over 60%!
Mortis had suddenly appeared beside Cindy, and he had taken her by surprise.
She knew that she couldn't block the attack since she couldn't use her weapon fast enough to intercept Mortis' attack.
SHING!
Mortis' attack missed as a flash of light consumed Cindy.
The Law of Heavenly Light was the fastest Element by far.
However, using it in such a manner consumed nearly 5% of Cindy's Energy. After all, to reach such incredible speeds, one had to use such an incredible amount of Energy.
Cindy appeared several million kilometers away again, and she targeted Mortis with her bow.
BANG!
She released her arrow.
SHING!
Mortis vanished as he became intangible, evading the arrow.
Cindy's eyes widened as she quickly turned her bow to a different direction, releasing another arrow.
BANG!
Cindy's arrow easily destroyed Gravis' Form Law, which had been unleashed from a distance.
SHING!
Mortis appeared beside Cindy again with another attack, but this time, Cindy had been prepared.
BOOOM!
Cindy carried an arrow in her right hand and attacked Mortis' saber with it.
Mortis' attack was stopped, but Cindys eyes widened when she noticed that her arrow had broken apart.
What!?
Her attack hadn't even been that powerful, but her arrow had already been destroyed!?
Were their weapons so powerful!?
However, Cindy had only been surprised for a tiny instance, and she quickly followed up with another attack. Mortis' physical power was incomparable to Cindy's, Because of that, his hands had been thrown up after Cindy blocked his attack.
Now, Cindy unleashed a kick towards Mortis.
SHING!
Mortis barely managed to avoid the attack as he vanished. If Cindy hadn't been so surprised, that kick would have hit him.
If Mortis got hit by that, he would have died.
Just a mere, careless kick could kill Mortis.
When Cindy unleashed her kick, she also readied another arrow and pointed it at Gravis.
At this moment, Cindy's rage exploded, and she let go of the arrow.
The arrow shone with Heavenly Light, and it moved at speeds Gravis couldn't even follow.
It was impossible to block or evade it.
BANG!
The arrow shot through Gravis' left shoulder, leaving a large hole behind as his entire arm was destroyed.
Cindy's eyes widened.
How had her arrow missed!?
Of course, this had been the doing of the True Law of Control and the True Law of Rage. Both things made it harder for the opponent to control their attack.
With a sword, losing a bit of control wasn't bad. After all, the sword would still slice through the enemy, even if it were at a different angle.
However, for an archer, control was everything. Just a slight slip-up would make the arrow miss by thousands of kilometers.
When Cindy had seen Gravis' rating in the emblem for the tribulation request, she had tried to think of a way how such a weak Cultivator could counter her. Gravis had an unprecedented adaptability, which meant that he could counter everything.
Yet, how would he actually accomplish that?
Cindy was many times faster than her opponent, and her opponent shouldn't even be able to react to her attacks.
This had been her confidence.
All plans and powers were useless if one didn't even have the time to use them.
But now, she knew how Gravis could counter her.
He directly attacked the control over her offense.
SHING!
Mortis appeared beside her again, unleashing another attack with his Form Law.
Cindy had already expected something like that and kicked Mortisi saber away,
SHING!
The front of Cindy's left foot was sliced off, but she had already expected that this would happen. She would rather use up 20/0 of her Life Energy than 50/0 of her Energy.
Yet, everything changed suddenly as her plan was thrown out the window.
First of all, some kind of power had cut off the concept of her left foot's front. It was like she had never owned that part to begin with, making it impossible to regrow it.
Cindy's mind had been shocked once again, but she couldn't even comprehend what had happened before something different happened.
Pain!
Unimaginable pain!
Cindy had never felt so much pain in her entire life!
For a moment, Cindy couldn't move due to the sheer pain.
BANG!
Gravis' Form Law hit Cindy from a distance right at her abdomen, leaving behind a shallow, bloody cut.
The power of Gravis' weapon could only be unleashed if it directly hit Cindy. From such a distance, the quality of the weapon didn't matter. Sadly, Gravis couldn't move quickly enough to Cindy to attack her from a close range.
So, Gravis had unleashed his Form Law,
The power of Form Law on the level of a level ten Law had only resulted in a shallow cut on Cindy•s body,
The difference in power between the two opponents was ridiculous.
Gravis' Form Law had also included the Law of Suffering and the Major Law of Death, and Mortis quickly followed up with another attack.
However, at this moment, Mortis' Law of Danger shouted at him, and he aborted his attack as he became intangible again.
SHING!
Bright and peaceful light shone out of Cindy's body: However, the peaceful appearance of the light couldn't be more deceiving.
If Mortis had been hit by that, he would have been reduced to ash.
Just a casual attack of someone so much more powerful than them would kill them.
Such a usage of one's Laws wouldn't even put a scratch on an opponent at the same level, but against them, it would be deadly.
Cindy recovered quickly, and she pointed her bow at Gravis again.
Mortis couldn't attack her while Cindy was surrounded by her cloak of light..
Chapter 1279 - – Endeavor
WHOOOM!
Cindy's arrow missed again as even the light vanished from her arrows.
Cindy's eyes widened in absolute shock. It was already strange enough that she couldn't use nearly all her Laws, but now she couldn't even use her Star!?
SHING!
Just at that moment, Mortis reappeared. With the light around Cindy gone, he could unleash another attack.
However, there was an issue.
Mortis couldn't use the Law of Time or the Law of Heavenly Lightning anymore to boost his speed, which made his attack incredibly slow in Cindy's eyes.
Mortis was moving in slow-motion in Cindy's eyes, and she quickly turned around to kick him.
SHING!
However, she interrupted her attack as a second saber appeared in Mortis' other hand. Initially, she hadn't paid any attention to Mortisi second hand, but it had also moved in an attacking position.
BANG!
Suddenly, Mortis' speed exploded, taking Cindy by surprise.
Cindy had seen that Mortis had suddenly unleashed several Laws, and she quickly made a connection in her mind.
'They can't suppress my light without also suppressing their ovvn Laws!' she thought.
DING!
Cindy unleashed a tiny beam of light, which threw Mortis' first saber to the side. This saber had been unleashed with Mortis' Form Law, and she couldn't afford to block it with her body.
CLANK!
Cindy quickly used one of her arrows to throw Mortis' second attack to the side. Since Mortis hadn't used his Form Law with that attack, Cindy's arrow didn't break.
Suddenly, Cindy turned around as she released another arrow.
BANG! BANG!
Cindy's arrow punched through Gravis' Form Law before decimating the left side of Gravis' torso.
At the same time, Mortis had become intangible.
When Gravis and Mortis saw Cindy's actions, they narrowed their eyes.
She had adapted to them.
She had known that Mortis would become intangible and that she couldn't injure him in her current state. So, after blocking the attacks, she had simply ignored Mortis and attacked Gravis.
The attack had been so sudden that Gravis hadn't even been able to activate his Law of Sentience to mess with the light on Cindy's arrows.
She was simply too fast.
The speed difference was absolutely unreal.
Gravis hadn't even been able to react to an attack launched from several million kilometers away.
Gravis and Mortis were already using the full power of the True Law of Time to improve their speed, but it still wasn't enough. The True Law of Time allowed them to move and think at ten times their normal speed, but it barely made a dent in the speed difference.
Additionally, Cindy was suppressed by over 600/0, slowing her down significantly.
Yet, all of that was still not enough.
Stopping time or slowing Cindy down with the True Law of Time was unreasonable. Gravis would need to spend over 500/0 of his Energy just to slow her down for one instant since she was so much more powerful than him.
Gravis quickly activated his Law of Sentience once more since Cindy was glowing with light once more to keep Mortis away from her.
Yet, everything was moving way too quickly.
All of this had happened while Mortis still dealt with the backlash from having his attacks blocked. So, even though Mortis was intangible, he still had to recover his equilibrium before he could unleash another attack,
With Gravis' attack blocked and Mortis out of the fight for an instant, Cindy had free reign.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Cindy quickly unleashed four arrows at Gravis.
Gravis barely managed to angle his body in such a way that the arrows only destroyed parts of his arms, legs, and torso.
How was Gravis suddenly able to evade the attacks while he had been helpless before that?
The reason for that was Cindy's Heavenly Light.
At the current moment, Cindy's Heavenly Light was suppressed by the Law of Sentience, which meant that she couldn't augment her arrows with it, making them a lot slower.
Cindy could also use her Form Law, but that wasn't relevant in front of Gravis.
Since Cindy had access to Heavenly Light, she didn't need to create a Form Law that increased her attack's speed. So, her Form Law was fully focused on offensive power..
Effectively making it useless against Gravis since Gravis would die with one good attack anyway,
Cindy knew that she could use her Heavenly Light again since Mortis was now using lightning again, and she quickly exploded into an aura of light.
The light hit both sabers.
BOOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOOOM!
Tvvo Lightning Crescents were triggered, swallowing the surrounding million kilometers. Luckily, thanks to the Judge, no Cultivator or mortal was injured.
The two Lightning Crescents moved towards Cindy, eating through her Heavenly Light.
WHOOOM!
Suddenly, Cindy lost access to her Heavenly Light.
Yet, the two explosions still continued!
Cindy tried to disrupt the explosions since they should have no will upon them anymore, but it didn't work.
It was like the Heavenly Lightning had a will upon it!
The explosion was incredibly fast for Gravis and Mortis, but for Cindy, it was still moving in slow-motion.
However, even if it was moving slowly in her perception, she couldn't outrun it.
Her weapons were too thin to block such a wide area, and she didn't use shields.
So, Cindy did the only thing she could think of and quickly spun in a circle, unleashing Energy from all of her appendages to consume the Energy inside the Lightning Crescents.
However, pure Energy had a lower quality than Heavenly Lightning, forcing Cindy to use up far more Energy than the Heavenly Lightning had.
If she had access to her Laws, she could deal with this explosion with no problem, but sadly, she didn't.
In this small instant, Cindy had been forced to use up around 20% of her Energy, but the good thing was that she didn't get injured.
SHING!
Just when the explosion passed, another saber shot through the last specks of Heavenly Lightning.
Cindy was taken by surprise since she had been certain that her two opponents couldn't remain inside such an explosion without dying. After all, the Cultivators weren't immune to their own attacks.
Cindy quickly noticed that she had regained access to her Heavenly Light, and she exploded into light again.
And this time, she would take Mortis down!
Cindy unleashed over 50/0 of her Heavenly Light in one single explosion, pushing its speed to the limit. Even if the True Law of Danger warned Mortis, he wouldn't be able to react!
BANG!
All the Heavenly Lightning around her vanished as Heavenly Light washed over the surroundings.
Yet, Mortis was gone.
Cindy gritted her teeth when she saw only a solitary saber floating in front of her. Due to the Lightning Crescents, she hadn't been able to keep watch over her surroundings. She had expected Mortis to attack her, but the saber had only been a decoy.
Mortis had seen Cindy's Law fragments, and he had been certain that she would try something like that. Because of that, he had baited her attack.
Every bit of Energy Cindy used was one step closer to victory.
Suddenly, Cindy turned around as she aimed her bow at the approaching Gravis.
During the explosion, Gravis had closed the distance between them.
It was a risky endeavor, but it was also the only way to win the fight.
Mortis had already used up nearly all his Energy, and Cindy kept consuming Gravis' Life Energy with her arrows. To an untrained eye, it might look like Gravis and Mortis were on the winning side, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Cindy still had around 650/0 of her Energy remaining, and she only had light injuries on her body.
Because of that, Gravis had to charge right into danger.
He couldn't let the fight continue playing out like this. The longer it dragged on, the worse.
When Gravis arrived close to Cindy, he slashed forward.
Sadly, Gravis was only relatively close. In fact, there were still a couple thousand kilometers between them before Cindy noticed him.
At the same time, Cindy unleashed an arrow filled with Heavenly Light.
Her arrow passed through Gravis' attack like it didn't exist.
BANG!
Gravis hadn't been able to evade the attack.
The blinding arrow shot through Gravis' head, completely annihilating it.
Cindy smirked, but then, her life was turned upside down.
She found herself in the body of her mother.
Yes, the attack Gravis had unleashed had been Samsara.
With the True Law of Perceived Reality, Gravis no longer needed to accompany his victims in Samsara, leaving him in the real world.
Shortly after Gravis' head had exploded, a new Gravis popped into existence.
The second Gravis had been in the first Gravis' Spirit Space, and when the first Gravis' Spirit was destroyed, the second Gravis popped out like a piece of loot.
Gravis quickly consumed the remaining body of his dead clone and sent an order.
BANG!
Around a million kilometers away, a spear imbued with an unfathomable number of lightning runes shot forward with insane speeds.
It was Mortality.
Cindy only had an absentminded expression on her face..
Chapter 1280 - – Confusion
Mortality shot directly towards Cindy.
Gravis unleashed another attack with his Form Law, blanketing a big area around hen
Mortis reappeared as he unleashed his own Form Law from close range.
Cindy's eyes were still absentminded as all the attacks closed in on her.
BOOOOM!
Suddenly, Cindy's eyes shot open in realization.
Cindy had comprehended the True Law of Danger just now, and the Law had pulled her out of her absentminded state.
However, Mortality was already too close to her.
Her Heavenly Light needed a tiny moment to take effect, and that tiny moment was already too much.
SHING!
Cindy barely managed to move a couple meters to the side. However, Mortality still hit Cindy on her leg. At least she managed to dodge Mortis' attack.
Cindy had expected the spear to destroy her leg, but for some reason, it only stuck in her leg without exploding.
WHOOOOM!
Suddenly, a black whirlpool came out of the spear, and Cindy felt herself being pulled into the whirlpool. Even more, everything the whirlpool touched stopped existing.
Mortality? This wasn't Mortality.
This was the Void Needle!
Gravis had only used that attack in the war involving the Myriad Sect, and he hadn't had an opportunity to use it again since then.
The Void Needle pulled someone into a vortex of Death, consuming their being.
Cindy immediately decided to move away from the vortex. After all, the pull of the vortex wasn't even that powerful. Yet...
BANG!
"ARGH!" Cindy suddenly shouted in pain. Gravis' Form Law had hit her, and it had included the Law of Suffering. On top of that, another long but shallow cut appeared on Cindy's body.
Cindy's concentration was broken, and the whirlpool continued to expand.
After the whirlpool reached a diameter of 30 centimeters, it stopped expanding and vanished.
The Void Needle could only consume so much Energy before becoming full, and the amount of Energy inside Cindy's body was incredibly high.
Because of that, the Void Needle had only managed to consume Cindy's right leg up to her knee.
Everything was too much for her.
Cindy had just returned from an out-of-body experience that had taken over 15 million years.
She hadn't been in control over anything for an insanely long amount of time just to be flung into a precarious life and death battle.
Her mind still tried to come to terms with the sudden shift
For 15 million years, she hadn't been in control of anything, and now, she needed to use every little bit of her control to survive.
Cindy's mind went wild as she tried to come to terms with the current situation.
If she weren't in such a precarious situation, she would feel elated. After all, she had comprehended two level nine Laws, the True Law of Danger and the True Law of Time.
The Law of Danger had saved her just now, but the True Law of Time was worthless since she couldn't even use it against her opponent.
Lastly, unreal pain assaulted Cindy's confused mind, making it even harder for her to come to terms with her new situation.
SHING! SHING!
Gravis and Mortis appeared on opposite sides of Cindy as they unleashed their Form Laws.
Cindy's instincts took over, and she activated her Law of Heavenly Light. Yet, she received a grim reminder that her opponents could stop the activation of her Laws.
In her confused mind, Cindy moved at incredible speeds, She turned towards Mortis, nocked an arrow, and shot it at him.
She hadn't been in a fight in over 15 million years, and her first reaction was to shoot an arrow out of habit.
SHING!
Mortis became intangible.
For an instant, Cindy's mind fell into more confusion again, but then she remembered that Mortis could do that. After such a long time, she had completely forgotten that her opponent had that ability.
CRK!
Suddenly, Gravis' body transformed behind Cindy. He transformed into a Black Demon with six arms. Several additional sabers appeared, and they all reverberated with Gravis' Form Law.
Gravis' new Form Law also included an attack with all six of his arms, and this was the best moment to unleash it.
Cindy saw Gravis' movement with her Spirit Sense, and she quickly tried to run away with her Heavenly Light.
Yet, in her confused mind, she had committed the same mistake again, and her Heavenly Light didn't activate.
However, due to the speed difference, Cindy still had time to react. Just like before, she quickly cocked an arrow and shot at Gravis' head.
BANG!
The knockback of the arrow threw Cindy into the distance, out of Gravis' melee range.
At the same time, Gravis' head exploded as the arrow destroyed it.
For a moment, Cindy couldn't believe her eyes.
Had she just killed her opponent?
Just like that?
And at exactly that moment, when she questioned her own perception, the truth was unveiled.
Cindy had completely forgotten that Gravis knew the Law of Perceived Reality.
So, what was the truth?
Gravis was still attacking, but his head had been completely angled to the side. He knew that Cindy's first reaction would be to shoot an arrow at his head.
Usually, Cindy wouldn't act that predictably, but due to Samsara, her mind was a mess right now.
Gravis finally managed to finish his attack, and six waves of Gravis' Form Law shot towards Cindy.
BANG!
All six hit Cindy's body, creating multitudes of shallow cuts all across her body. Sadly, Gravis hadn't been able to use the Law of Suffering since his Law of Sentience was active.
However, Gravis wasn't happy:
Yes, Cindy was injured, and she would continue to lose Life Energy, but that would take too long.
Every additional second allowed Cindy to return to her earlier peak.
Samsara only worked once, and Gravis had already used it.
He had already used up the surprise effects the first time, and now, he had used up the surprise effects a second time.
A third time wouldn't happen.
Mortis was still very low on Energy, and Cindy had managed to build some distance between Gravis and her.
Gravis had wanted to kill her in that offensive, but the plan had failed.
Cindy still wasn't injured enough to lose all her Life Energy.
Gravis gritted his teeth as he decided to go all-in.
If the fight continued to drag on, they would quickly fall into a disadvantage.
"You're responsible for controlling the battle," Gravis transmitted to Mortis.
Mortis only nodded while being intangible.
Mortis knew what Gravis had decided, and Mortis also knew that this was the only way how they could turn things around.
Cindy slowly managed to come to terms with being back in her body but moving around and using a bow was still a bit weird to her.
BANG!
Suddenly, Cindy felt an explosion of... something coming from one of her opponents.
She looked over, and her mind halted as she saw that Gravis was suddenly in front of her.
What was that speed!?
It wasn't as fast as her speed, but Gravis was definitely moving much faster than before!
Gravis' eyes had turned a deep black as a disregard for all existence shone from them. Only a tiny amount of black smoke rose out of his body since he also knew the True Law of Control now.
Gravis had entered the state of being an Avatar of Death again.
Energy and Death clashed inside Gravis, creating Brutality.
This was their last trump card..