Ch. 551..560

Chapter 551 - 551 – Scattered Insight

Gravis felt incredibly satisfied. In the last 38 years, he had watched as Ferris understood one Law after the other, while he hadn’t understood even a single Law during that time. It had been very frustrating at the start, but as Gravis came closer to his goal, he realized that his progress wasn’t slower than Ferris’, well, as long as he ignored the level two and level three Laws Ferris managed to understand.

By now, Gravis understood that one’s knowledge about the world couldn’t fully be defined by the amount and levels of Laws one understood. Ferris had lived for way over 3,000 years, yet he hadn’t been very powerful for a level one Emperor. Did that automatically mean that he knew less about the world than more powerful level one Emperors?

No! Ferris had an incredible amount of scattered knowledge, which he had involuntarily learned just by living so long. Gravis guessed that Ferris was probably one of the oldest beasts in this world. How many beasts managed to die of old age?

Nearly none of them! Gravis was certain of that. As long as someone became a King, they had shown that their goal of supreme power was incredibly important to them. This meant that other Kings were way more likely to hunt other Kings to become more powerful.

Gravis remembered the Guild Master of the Lightning Guild in the middle-continent in the lower world and all his elders. This Guild Master, as well as his elders, had said that they were wasting away and that they had given up on the path to power. Even the elders in the Lightning Sect acted like that.

Gravis had met some Lords in this world that were not very interested in supreme power. Silva and his following were an incredible example of that. As Gravis thought back to Silva, he wondered how he was doing right now. Did he get his peaceful territory?

So, with all of this said, how many Kings had Gravis met that gave up on their path forward?

Not a single one!

All the Kings he had met wanted to become more powerful and become Emperors. This meant that they would kill someone if they got the chance.

After hearing all of this, one should now realize how impressive it was for Ferris to live for over 3,000 years. For a beast, according to the standards of this world, he was inconceivably old.

Had the 3,000 years of understanding nearly no Laws been a waste of time? Certainly not! If Ferris hadn’t had so many experiences, he wouldn’t have been able to create his level three Law. So, saying that more powerful Emperors than Ferris knew more simply because they understood more Laws was false.

In comparison, there was Gravis, someone that wasn’t even a hundred years old. How could his experiences compare to someone over 30 times his age?

The fact that Gravis managed to keep up with such an incredible beast showed that his progress was astounding. He had learned far more than just these seven Laws.

By understanding the Composition Law of Roots, Gravis managed to gain more insight into water and earth.

By understanding the Composition Law of Bark, Gravis gained insights into the wood element and Medium Pure Materials.

By understanding the Composition Law of Leaves, Gravis gained insights into sunlight, which was part of fire, and air.

By understanding the Composition Law of Flowers, Gravis gained insights into the wood element and, surprisingly, organs. The conversion of Energy, water, and air into wood element was similar to how the organs of beasts provided nutrients.

By understanding the Composition Law of Plant Organs, Gravis gained insights into water and blood. The water canals inside a plant transported nutrients from point A to point B, which was identical to how blood worked.

By understanding the Composition Law of the Wood Element, Gravis gained insights into earth, water, and soul.

Lastly, by understanding the Composition Law of Medium Pure Materials, Gravis gained insight into the Hard Complex, Medium Complex, and Soft Complex Materials.

Gravis’ gains were not only the Laws he managed to comprehend but all the other insights as well. The more Laws he knew, the more scattered knowledge about other Laws he received. This would speed up the process of learning Laws by a significant margin.

The perfect example was his comprehension of the Composition Law of the Wood Element. Had Gravis looked at the wood element before?

No, he hadn’t.

Gravis hadn’t even known what the wood element was before he had realized the truth. Yet, was knowing something the same as understanding something?

Obviously not.

So, wasn’t it weird that Gravis managed to understand a Law that he hadn’t even properly looked at? Previously, this would have seemed almost impossible to Gravis, but after seeing all the connections, he managed to realize how connected all the Laws were.

’My comprehensions of bark, life, materials, and the other plant components have all shown me different facets of the wood element. I hadn’t paid any particular attention to the wood element. Yet, by watching all the other things, I have accidentally observed nearly all possible abilities of the wood element. I haven’t looked at the wood element directly, but I have still seen it in its full glory,’ Gravis thought.

’The more I learn, the faster my future progress will be. This is the Law Comprehension experience that the Empress and the Grand Elder have talked about.’

Suddenly, Gravis smiled. ’Yet, I won’t become arrogant and say that all this is only thanks to me. The Grand Elder and the Empress have managed to open my eyes to this way of spending my time. Ferris has given me great insights into possibilities. Lastly, Meadow provided me with this incredible Law Comprehension Area.’

’If I hadn’t had this area, would I have comprehended all of these Laws? No! I would have needed to wander and search for all the different plants and maybe even kill them. Even when ignoring the problem of me not wanting to kill beings like that, I would still need to spend a ridiculous amount of time searching for them.’

Gravis looked at the forest. ’Every plant from this middle world is present here. I was able to completely concentrate on comprehension without being interrupted, and I had everything at my disposal. Yet, even with everything neatly laid out before me, it still took me 34 years. If I hadn’t had access to this forest, understanding these seven Laws might have taken me several hundred years.’ Gravis thought.

’However!’ Gravis thought as his smile transformed into a smirk. ’If I didn’t have a lot of knowledge, a lot of power, and some things worth trading, Meadow would have never given me access to this area. Every land beast can try to get in this area, but they better bring something that Meadow is interested in.’

Gravis also remembered the wondrous tree that had suddenly appeared at the crucial moment, allowing him to comprehend the Composition Law of the Wood Element. Obviously, this tree didn’t appear there without reason.

Gravis took a deep breath and released it.

"Thank you, Meadow," Gravis said with sincerity.

"Miss me with that shit!"

Chapter 552 - 552 – Goodbye To Meadow

Gravis only had to laugh when he heard Meadow’s answer. "Come on, just accept the thanks. You have helped me, and I won’t forget that."

"Oh wow," the harmonious but sarcastic voice returned. "Your sincerity nearly made me give a fuck. Congratulations! Sadly, you’re still a bit off the mark. That sure sucks."

Gravis only shook his head with a smile. Then, he searched for Ferris with his Spirit and found him looking at a tree. Gravis wanted to ask Ferris if he was ready to return to the Empire, but a different thought appeared in his mind.

Gravis turned to one of the trees.

SSSHHHH!

The entire tree completely vanished into nothingness. It started at its leaves and bark and didn’t stop until the entire thing stopped existing. Only when Gravis’ Spirit reached a connected root more powerful than all the others did he know that this was the spot where Meadow’s actual body began.

"Look at that," Gravis said with a smirk. "I can turn plants into dust with only a thought."

Surprisingly, no snark remark came for several seconds.

"That’s actually pretty impressive," Meadow answered. "If a part of a plant is destroyed, it can regenerate that part with its Life Energy. Yet, by annihilating the entire thing, all the Life Energy in the world won’t help."

Gravis was a bit surprised when he heard that. "Does that mean that you hadn’t paid attention to the Composition of plants yet?" Gravis asked.

"I never saw a reason in doing so. I can comprehend the Composition of plants anytime I want. I’m paying more attention to the general Life Laws. I was planning on understanding the Composition of Plants a couple thousand years from now," she answered.

"Speaking of," Gravis said as he smiled again. "I want to tell you some theories I have."

Meadow knew that some of these theories might help her immensely. As a human, Gravis had shown a unique perspective regarding Laws. It was like he was looking at them from a different angle.

"Why?" she asked directly.

Gravis laughed a bit. "For the same reason why you created that particular tree earlier. I see you as a friend, and helping friends should be natural."

Meadow thought back to when she had created that tree. At that time, she felt like helping Gravis. She hadn’t had any particular reason in doing so. She simply did it because she wanted to, which was weird and new to her.

Due to Meadow’s incredible power, it was hard for her to create genuine connections with beasts. Every beast was always insufferably deferential in front of her, which automatically made her despise them. Didn’t these beasts have any backbone?

Meanwhile, the very few beasts that were powerful enough to reach her level couldn’t deal with her unique way of expressing herself. In their eyes, Meadow was speaking and acting like some brute. Her aggressive jokes angered them, and her refusal to take anything serious made them look down on her.

In truth, Meadow hadn’t had a friend in a very, very long time. But now, Gravis considered her his friend, and based on her own actions, she probably also saw him as a friend.

For the first time in a long while, Meadow actually didn’t feel bored or apathetic.

WACK!

Suddenly, she used one of her roots and slapped Gravis away. "Fuck! Your pussy shit has infected me! Are you trying to attack me with your level three Law of Being A Little Bitch!?"

Gravis only laughed loudly as he sat at the bottom of a powerful tree. Obviously, the "attack" had only been playful and wasn’t nearly powerful enough to even hurt him.

Ferris perked up and looked at Gravis. After realizing that Meadow and Gravis were only bantering, he continued to look at more trees.

"I’ll take that as a yes," Gravis said while chuckling.

Meadow didn’t say anything.

"Anyway," Gravis started. "As you probably already know, one level one Law might open the path to several level two Laws. For example, there might be a Law related to how trees often use their branches as whips or something. Is there such a Law?"

"Yes, there is," Meadow answered curtly.

Gravis nodded. "You have probably already combined that level one Law with other level one Laws to create some kind of level two Law related to the offense of plants, right?"

"Yes, I did," Meadow said.

Then, Gravis smirked. "Yet, is that the end?" he asked smugly.

"There is nothing left in the plant world that I can combine with that particular level one Law, so, yes, I’m pretty confident that this is the end," Meadow answered.

"You’re right!" Gravis said. "You can’t combine it with any more Laws related to Plants, but what about other categories of Laws?"

"What do you mean?" Meadow asked. Surprisingly, she hadn’t made one of her offensive jokes in a while now.

"What about fire whips? What about concentrated water beams? What about wind? There could be Laws in these elements that are used similarly to your Law. If something is similar, chances are high that they can be combined into a new Law," Gravis said.

Meadow remained silent.

"Whips might not be the best example," Gravis said as he scratched his chin in embarrassment. "Let’s take something more obvious, spires! Earth can make spires. Wood can make spears. Icicles are spires. A concentrated fire beam might be a spire. Metal can become a spear."

Gravis smirked. "Doesn’t that sound like it could be combined into one thing? Imagine a spire with the hardness of metal, the durability of earth, the explosiveness of fire, and the flexibility of wood. That sounds like a level two Law to me."

Meadow still remained silent as she fell into thought.

"Just like bark, earth, and other materials from different elements can create the Composition Law of Medium Pure Materials, different element-specific attack or defense Laws might also be combinable."

"Look at Ferris," Gravis said as his head gestured to Ferris. "He combined soul with fire. If I hadn’t seen that, I wouldn’t even have imagined something like this to be possible. Just try to imagine what you could create!"

With these words, Meadow now looked at the world differently from before. What Gravis had said made a lot of sense, and Meadow might need to change her plan in understanding Laws. She hadn’t made much progress in the last couple of thousand years, and it might actually help her if she tried to concentrate on Laws from completely different elements.

"You have given me a lot to think about," Meadow said.

Gravis only smirked. "I’ll take that as a thanks."

Surprisingly, Meadow didn’t disagree. Gravis had already noticed that Meadow had started acting atypical ever since she had realized that she actually cared for Gravis. This whole situation was probably new and uncomfortable for her, making her uncertain on how to act.

"Alright, I’ll let you think in peace. It was great staying in your domain, but I need to leave now," Gravis said, trying to make the awkwardness disappear.

"You have helped me with your words," Meadow answered. "So, I guess, that it was nice of you to be here?" she asked, her voice becoming more and more unsure with time. She probably wasn’t used to saying such words.

Gravis only chuckled a bit. "Don’t worry. Before I leave this world, I will visit you again! We can chat all we want then!"

Meadow seemed to hesitate since some seconds passed without her saying anything. Gravis didn’t mind it and simply believed that Meadow was probably thinking about how to answer in the least offensive way.

Gravis walked over to Ferris. "You ready to go?"

Ferris perked up. "Oh? Yeah, since like 15 years or so. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I simply waited," Ferris said with quite some excitement. By the looks of it, he had truly been pretty bored for the last couple of years.

Gravis nodded. "Sure, then let’s go!"

Ferris nodded with excitement. "Sounds great!"

Gravis turned to the flower in the middle of the flower field. "We’re off now. See you later, Meadow!"

Meadow remained silent for some seconds. "You too, Gravis," she said quietly.

Gravis only smiled. Apparently, Meadow had many sides to her personality. Who knows, maybe Meadow was actually a sweetheart deep inside?

With that said, Gravis and Ferris flew into the distance. After a while, they left the forest and Meadow behind as they flew back to the Icy Pride Empire.

"Hey, Ferris," Gravis said with a smirk.

"Yes?"

"I’ve comprehended seven Laws."

Chapter 553 - 553 – Pit-Stop

Ferris looked with widened eyes at Gravis but then only smiled. "That’s awesome, Gravis! These Laws might not increase your Battle-Strength, but by understanding so many of them, you should have gained a ton of experience in understanding other Laws!"

Gravis smiled. Would he have felt better if Ferris were annoyed by him understanding so many Laws? Maybe a little bit. Yet, the fact that Ferris was genuinely happy for him without growing envious just proved how great of a guy Ferris was.

Then, Gravis told Ferris about all the Laws he had understood.

"Wait, so I didn’t understand the Composition of the Wood Element, but the Composition of Bark?" Ferris asked in confusion.

Gravis nodded. "The wood element is not the material but the ability to create a connection with others."

Ferris hummed for a bit. "That sounds a bit like my Soul Infusion Law," he said.

"Yep. The soul and the wood element are very closely connected. You might be able to understand the wood element in a short amount of time if you put your mind to it," Gravis explained.

Ferris shrugged. "Sure, why not, but that can wait. Where do you want to go next?" he asked.

"I want to return to the Empress first to show that I’m still alive. Additionally, I also want to know if there are any news about my children. After that, I intend to visit some Law Comprehension Areas for other elements," Gravis said.

"Why?" Ferris asked. "I thought you wanted to understand this Hard Complex Law or something."

"Well, staying in the forest and learning about plants has changed my mind a bit. In order to learn the Soft Pure Law, I only need some insights into air and other gasses. Yet, wouldn’t it be a waste of time to just stay there to comprehend the small bits I need for the Soft Pure Law? Why not just try to understand the whole element?"

Then, Gravis smirked. "Additionally, I’ve also realized that the elements themselves have connections."

"Oh?" Ferris uttered in interest.

"Learning about the wood element has given me insights into earth, water, and air. So, for example, understanding something like the Composition Law for earth might give me insights into metal and water. I don’t know yet, but if one element is connected to the others, the others are probably also connected."

Ferris nodded. "That makes a lot of sense. Sure, count me in! I’m also interested!" he shouted with an excited smile.

"I would advise you to concentrate more on how the other elements attack," Gravis said.

"How come?" Ferris asked with confusion.

"I just explained to Meadow that there are probably also attack Laws that can be combined with Laws from different elements. You can make fire spears, earth makes spears, icicles are spears, metal can make spears. These abilities appear so similar that they might combine into a level two Law, and even if they didn’t, you only spent some time to learn more about the world," Gravis explained.

"Ooohh!" Ferris exclaimed. "That sounds great! Why didn’t I think of that?"

Gravis only had to laugh when he heard Ferris, and they continued talking until they arrived at the Mountain of Pride.

"Oh hey, the Grand Elder is back," Gravis said to Ferris as he saw the white ape again. Last time, he hadn’t been present.

"You’ve been gone for quite a while, Gravis," the Empress said neutrally, as always. "I assume that you have gotten some gains?"

"Dude, you would be jealous of my gains," Gravis said with a smirk.

The Grand Elder looked with a bit of shock and confusion at Gravis. What did he just say?

Meanwhile, Ferris didn’t feel like this was out of the ordinary. Gravis had talked like this for the last 30-or-so years.

The Empress blinked a couple of times as Gravis realized what he had just said. He hadn’t thought about what he was saying! He had been talking with Meadow like this for years!

"I see you’ve met the Plant Ultimate," the Empress said neutrally, allowing the Grand Elder to finally realize why Gravis had said that.

Gravis rubbed the back of his long neck in embarrassment. "Sorry. I’ve been talking with Meadow like this for over 30 years. I didn’t mean any disrespect," he said carefully.

"I understand," the Empress commented, "but I would advise you to think about what you say. Not everyone knows the Plant Ultimate and her... unique way of expressing herself."

Gravis nodded to show that he had understood. "Any news about our kids?"

"No," the Empress answered.

Gravis became a bit nervous. 34 years was an incredibly long time compared to the age of his kids. No news in such a long time? "Is that bad?" Gravis asked nervously.

"No," the Empress answered. "If they had died, I would have been informed. It’s a major event if a Divine Beast Lord or King dies from my Empire. This means that they are still alive."

Gravis had seen the proof of how beasts saw their offspring time and time again. Yet, no matter how often he saw it, he always felt a little bit shocked when the Empress talked about her children with such apathy. Gravis might never understand such a mindset.

Gravis sighed again and shook his head. At least, his children were still okay. "62 more years to go, right?" Gravis asked.

"Yes, but it might be better to extend the time until you understand another level two Law. Of course, that will be up to your decision," the Empress said.

Gravis only smirked. "Oh, extending the time won’t be a problem. I haven’t understood another level two Law yet, but I have made incredible progress with understanding level one Laws. Guess how many I managed to learn in the last couple of years."

The Empress looked at Gravis without saying anything. Her unamused expression made the atmosphere become more and more awkward as the seconds ticked by.

"It’s seven," Gravis said weakly after the atmosphere became too awkward for him.

The eyes of the Grand Elder and the Empress widened. Seven Laws? That was way too much!

Suddenly, the Empress’ eyes narrowed. "You might have a frightening talent for understanding Laws," she said.

Gravis shook his head slowly. "Honestly? I don’t think so. Do you remember what you told me when I have asked you why you have chosen your current upper body? You said that this shape increases your connection to the Laws. It’s very possible that humans have a stronger affinity towards Laws than beasts. That would also allow them to close the strength gap against beasts."

Now, the Empress furrowed her brows. "This might be possible. We can’t make a conclusion yet." Then, the Empress nodded. "It seems like that your Law Comprehension experience is outstanding for a King. Finish the last 62 years, and everything should be okay."

Gravis nodded. "Sure thing! I’ll be inside different Law Comprehension Areas for these last few years. See you later!" Gravis said casually.

The Empress only nodded.

Gravis and Ferris quickly shot away again to get to their next destination.

Meanwhile, the Grand Elder rubbed his chin in thought. "He didn’t notice," he muttered.

"Apparently not," the Empress answered.

Chapter 554 - 554 – Air And Wind

Gravis and Ferris first decided to go to a Law Comprehension Area regarding wind. This wasn’t a Law Comprehension Area for the powerful kind of wind that was the equivalent of Punishment Lightning. This was a Law Comprehension Area for all different kinds of Wind Laws.

Gravis’ goal in coming here was to understand the Composition of Wind and Air. With his new knowledge about the difference between the wood element and bark, Gravis had already anticipated that the Composition of Air was probably a different Law to the Composition of Wind. Wind was an element, while air was a material.

Yet, by now, Gravis wasn’t sure anymore if he actually needed to understand the Composition Law of Wind to get the Middle-Tier Material Composition Law. There was a high possibility that he only needed to understand the specific materials instead of the elements. Maybe the elements were part of the Middle-Tier Composition Law, without the "Material" word.

That Law would be a level five Law probably. The level four Law was already vastly beyond his current ability to comprehend. How powerful would a level five Law be? Would he even be able to understand a level five Law in the higher world?

Yet, the power of the Middle-Tier Composition Law was probably awe-inspiring. The name of this level five Law showed that Gravis would need to understand the Composition of an entire middle world!

Just imagine, the entire Composition of a whole world!

Since the word "Material" was missing, it probably meant that this might even include living beings, including the Soul, Spirit, Will, Body, and Energy. If Gravis managed to understand such a Law, he could probably eliminate an entire middle world. This probably also included Gravity, Space, and Time!

Of course, all of this was only a dream right now. Gravis was way too far off. Right now, he only needed to concentrate on understanding one Law at a time. All of this would be far in the future.

After a day of flying, Gravis and Ferris arrived at the Law Comprehension Area. They could see a lot of mountains and cliffs piercing the cloud layer. There were also deep and mighty rivers going through the mountains. Even erupting volcanoes could be seen. Some parts were beneath the light of the sun, while other parts were shrouded in darkness.

This seemingly chaotic environment created a wide variety of different kinds of wind. Additionally, some of the winds were incredibly fast and violent. Some of them were so powerful that even Gravis would only barely be able to keep himself stable in them.

With one glance, Gravis noticed that there was only a tiny variety of gasses. Nearly everything was made of air, and only some different gasses from the volcanoes could be seen. ’I won’t be able to finish the Soft Pure Law here, but that doesn’t matter. One thing at a time,’ he thought.

Gravis could also see a lot of other beasts trying to comprehend different Laws about wind. Of course, these beasts completely ignored the arrival of Gravis and Ferris. Beasts constantly came and went, and none of them would care about any new arrivals.

Gravis and Ferris quickly split up. ’As always, I have my work cut out for me,’ Gravis thought.

Understanding the Composition of Wind was understanding how all the winds worked. Wind wasn’t some kind of physical material but a force that made air move. This made this whole thing way harder for Gravis.

Gravis began by going to one area after the other to feel the wind and air. He watched how the air acted and how its Composition changed when being moved by the wind.

Yes, apparently, the Composition of Air changed when wind got involved. It was almost like air became wind and stopped being air. This made it even harder for him to understand.

Gravis stayed in the first valley for nearly five years. He had had some minor insights into air and wind before but trying to differentiate the two was incredibly hard. There wasn’t just some spot where air became wind, and wind became air. The change of Composition was a fluid transition.

After having stayed in this valley for five years, Gravis went to the next one.

Gravis stood in this one for a bit over four years. Even though his goal was only to learn two Laws instead of seven, like before, understanding wind and air was way more challenging.

Gravis remained in the third valley for a bit less than four years. Slowly, he was starting to see a pattern.

The next valley took him about three years.

The one after that took him a bit more than two.

The last one took him a bit less than one year.

After 19 years, Gravis was finally done with the valleys. Now, it was time to look at the mountain peaks and crevices.

Gravis spent about eight years on the mountain peaks and then about five years on the crevices.

32 years had passed since Gravis had arrived here, and he felt that he was close to understanding both air and wind. He had experienced all kinds of wind and air, and he knew that he was very close to understanding them.

Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he wasn’t able to take the last step. He knew that he was incredibly close to understanding both of them, but he also felt like something was missing. This feeling frustrated him to no end.

There was something crucial missing!

There was some kind of concept that Gravis just couldn’t grasp!

Meanwhile, Ferris managed to understand two Laws related to wind.

’I’m stuck, and tempering won’t help,’ Gravis thought. ’Sure, if I have a life and death fight, my mind might be pushed to the limits. In that case, the chances are pretty high that I would understand both of them.’

’The problem with that is that I would need to be in a situation where I am required to make a breakthrough to survive. Yet, when I understand the Composition of Wind and Air, my Battle-Strength won’t increase. In that case, I would probably die. That’s why I can’t use tempering to understand these Laws. I can only try to understand them on my own.’

’The crucial concept that’s missing is the border between air and wind. The transition is just way too fluid,’ Gravis thought. Then, he remained silent and began to think about a new plan.

’I need to change Law Comprehension Areas. The phenomenon of the fluid transition can probably also be found in other things. Seeing something from a different element might give me the last push I need to understand the Composition of Wind and Air.’

Gravis made his decision and met up with Ferris. Ferris also had no intention of staying here anymore, so they quickly left for the next area.

By now, a total of 70 years had passed since Gravis’ Realm-Stop had started. He had 30 more years to go.

Their next stop was the Law Comprehension Area for fire. Gravis had said to Ferris that they would make a stop here anyway. Additionally, the different kinds of fire broke down and transformed one kind of matter into another. Gravis should be able to find a lot of different kinds of gasses in here. With that, he might be able to understand the Soft Pure Law.

After that, he would only need to comprehend the exclusive knowledge of the Hard Complex Law. If he managed to achieve that, his first goal would be complete.

"Fire, here I come!"

Chapter 555 - 555 – Memories

Gravis looked at the Law Comprehension Area for the different kinds of fire. Its appearance could only be described with the word apocalyptic.

Volcanoes exploded every couple of seconds, shooting an unreal amount of different kinds of toxic and black gasses into the atmosphere. Other places had some violently burning kinds of trees, which just didn’t seem to stop burning. It was almost like these trees could burn forever. Brutal storms of fire raged over the mountains while rivers of lava ran in the crevices.

Gravis could only "see" the Law Comprehension Area’s true appearance with his Spirit since everything was just filled with black gas. There were even some kinds of different yellow and purple gasses. Eyes basically became useless in this area.

Some spots were brightly illuminated by the firestorms, while others were utterly dark compared to the bright spots. Gravis guessed that any kind of beast weaker than a Lord would probably not be able to survive in there for more than some seconds.

"Finally, some fire!" Ferris shouted with excitement as his tail wagged crazily.

Gravis smiled. "So? Do you see a difference after learning a lot of other Laws?"

Ferris remained silent for some seconds as he looked closely at the Law Comprehension Area. "A little bit. There are some things that haven’t made sense to me before. A good example would be the gasses. Previously, I didn’t know enough about wind or air to accurately judge what these gasses do."

"Great!" Gravis said, "So, get to it!"

"Sure thing!" Ferris shouted as he charged into the Law Comprehension Area. It was almost like he was a child in a toy store, which made Gravis smile. Ferris was just too genuine.

Gravis also flew to the first area, which was a volcano at the edge of the Law Comprehension Area. Instead of flying right into it, Gravis only looked at it as he was lost in nostalgia.

"This reminds me of the time when I entered the lower world for the first time," Gravis said to himself with a sigh. "The start of my journey in the lower world was one of the worst times in my life. I had been constantly suppressed. Yet, when I see this volcano, I somehow miss that time."

Gravis thought back to his adventures in the lower world. Heaven had constantly schemed against him, trying to stop him from getting any enemies, trying to kill him, and many different kinds of hidden schemes.

His memories also made Gravis think back to a person he hadn’t thought about in a long time.

"Gorn," Gravis said to himself.

Gravis was now over a hundred years old, and he had learned much more. The situation with Gorn was not as simple as it had appeared at that time. Yes, Gorn had given him nearly everything, but he also hadn’t truly cared if Gravis remained who he was.

He had used all his resources to allow Gravis to increase his power but also hadn’t seemed to care about the lightning changing him. This showed that Gorn hadn’t cared about Gravis for Gravis, but because of his potential and power.

Yet, Gorn had still done a lot of things for him. He had provided a lot of help to Gravis while risking his life. Were the intentions behind an action more important than the action itself? If Gravis were younger, he would have said yes, but now, he saw that it wasn’t that simple.

Gravis thought about what had happened and also thought about what he was feeling.

Then, Gravis looked at the sky. "If you hadn’t known about the temperament of lightning, I would still regret your death heavily. Yet, you knew about the dangers of the temperament of lightning. You knew what could happen and have decided to take the risk."

"You have committed to that bet, fully knowing what could happen. Because of that, I don’t regret your death, but I regret that it was me doing it," Gravis said to himself.

Gravis thought some more about what he had gone through in the lower world. After some minutes, he also took out the pictures that his mother had gifted him on his birthday.

He looked at the pictures of his old friends for a long while. Yet, his emotions weren’t nearly as strong as before.

Time was kind and cruel at the same time. Time allowed people to heal emotional scars, but it also made connections appear more obscure. Gravis had last seen his friends from the lower world when he had been 23. Now, he was around 110 years old.

He still remembered them, but it felt less like they were still alive and more like they were dead. They hadn’t been a part of his life forever.

"I have changed drastically," Gravis said as he looked at the pictures and also at his new, inhuman appearance. "I’m not that cold and emotionless husk anymore. I even have three beautiful children now. You have probably also all changed tremendously. I wonder if we are still compatible, or have you become scheming people that I would despise?"

Gravis narrowed his eyes. "It doesn’t matter," he said. "The you from the past doesn’t exist anymore. If we ever see each other again, we can get to know each other again. Until then, I will remember you as you were back then."

Of course, Gravis wasn’t referring to everyone when he said that. The reason for that was that not all of his friends had been young and impressionable. Joyce, Nero, and Manuel had been relatively young, and their personalities could still change drastically.

Meanwhile, Aion and Old Man Lightning had already lived for long enough that their personalities were basically set in stone. Those two wouldn’t change much, and Gravis was sure that if he met those two, it would be like nearly no time had passed.

Skye probably also wouldn’t have changed since she was a beast. Beasts were very straightforward in general. Meeting her again would probably also be like they had never left each other’s side.

Suddenly, Gravis chuckled a bit. ’Well, it’s not like I don’t have any friends in this world,’ Gravis thought as he looked at Ferris, who was currently sniffing the air with curiosity. Gravis also thought about the Empress, the Grand Elder, and Meadow. These were four close friends that Gravis could meet whenever he wanted.

Then there were Orthar and Silva. Gravis didn’t know if Silva was still alive, but Gravis hoped he was. Orthar was probably having the time of his life right now. Was he also understanding Laws like crazy due to Gravis’ influence?

Of course, Gravis also wouldn’t forget about his three kids, Aris, Cera, and Yersi. As soon as Gravis would be done with his Realm-Stop, he would search for them. He couldn’t wait until he could meet them again!

Yet, Gravis didn’t only feel good emotions. As he continued thinking about his friends and family in this world, he started thinking about the time he would leave this world. He had stayed in this world for over 80% of his entire life! His emotions told him that this world felt more like home than his actual home.

His homeworld and his original family just felt so distant to him. Gravis had felt like he was a father to children longer than feeling like a child to two parents. The last time he had talked to his father, Gravis felt more like he was still a young child, but now, he felt like an adult.

Back then, he could empathize way more with his friends and other young people, but now, he could empathize way more with his brother Orpheus. Orpheus felt much closer to Gravis now, mainly because he was also a father and had decided to put family before his cultivation.

When he had last talked with Orpheus, Gravis couldn’t have imagined himself stopping his cultivation for any reason. Yet, hadn’t he paused his cultivation because of his children? Due to these experiences, Gravis felt like he was closer to Orpheus than ever before.

’I want to talk to Orpheus more when I return,’ Gravis thought.

Gravis continued thinking about his family and friends and about how everything had probably dramatically changed by now. His old life appeared so distant and unrelated to him. Returning to that life almost felt like it would never happen.

Suddenly, Gravis violently shook his head. ’Alright! Enough of this sentimental shit!’

Then, Gravis looked at the volcano below him.

’I’ve got Laws to comprehend!’

Chapter 556 - 556 – 100 Years Over

Gravis didn’t concentrate on anything specific. He simply looked at the gasses, the stones, the lava, the fire, and basically everything he could find. As long as he saw that he didn’t understand something, he started looking at it closely.

Other beasts and maybe even humans might think this was a waste of time, but Gravis didn’t think so. His goal was the peak, and to reach the peak, he probably needed to understand everything either way. Understanding it now or later made no difference. Additionally, he couldn’t know if something would be necessary for another, more battle-relevant Law before knowing it.

Gravis remained inside the first volcano for three years. Even though he only had 26 years remaining now, he didn’t mind his slow progress. Everything would fall into place later.

The second volcano only took Gravis two years to thoroughly check out. He had learned most of the things he could learn in the second volcano already in the first one.

Then, Gravis went to one volcano after the other, and when he was finished with looking at all the volcanos, another three years had passed.

During that time, Gravis not only learned about fire but also about the different kinds of gasses. Additionally, he also learned a lot about the earth element during that time. There were a lot of different kinds of stones he could find here.

Then, Gravis went to the lava rivers and checked all of these out. Yet, after only three years, he got interrupted.

BOOOOM!

Because he suddenly managed to comprehend a Law. Which Law was it?

The Composition Law of the Earth Element.

Gravis had learned a lot about earth when he had been in the first Law Comprehension Area. He had paid attention to the mountain, the materials on the mountain, the sand, the dirt, the silt under the river, and all different kinds of earth.

Then, he had learned a lot about earth when he had stayed in Meadow’s forest. After all, earth was an integral part of how plants worked.

Gravis smiled in excitement when he suddenly understood this new Law. Then, he put his hand on the ground.

SSSHHH!

And the ground turned to ash. When he saw that, he smirked. ’Individually, these Laws only give me a very specific and specialized advantage over certain opponents. Yet, if I learn all of them, I cover all my theoretical opponents with these Laws.’

’My Laws regarding Plants already give me a ridiculous advantage against any plant opponent. Then, I counter wood element cultivators with the Wood Composition Law. Now, I also counter earth cultivators. When I learn the Soft Pure Law, I will even counter all the metal cultivators. My lightning is a counter anyway.’

Gravis only continued smirking. ’There are ten kinds of opponents. Either they have an affinity towards one of the nine elements or no affinity at all. Lightning, earth, metal, and wood already counter 40% of all my opponents. If I meet a fitting opponent, these level one Laws can exhibit the power of a level two Law.’

’So, even though my Battle-Strength hasn’t increased overall, it has still increased tremendously against these kinds of opponents.’

Then, Gravis looked at the lava beneath him with fire in his eyes. ’Let’s go for fire next!’

With that, Gravis continued learning more about fire, and it took him a total of six years to get through all the crevices. Yet, before he went to the next spot, he got distracted by something.

By now, Gravis had continued looking at a wall for several hours now. He knew everything about the wall, and if one looked at it, one couldn’t see what Gravis could learn about it. Why was he looking at that wall?

The wall was at a particular spot where only one series of volcanoes could illuminate it. The chaotic outbursts and calming down of the volcanoes created quite a light show on the wall. Gravis was intrigued by this light show. He didn’t know why, but he felt like this was something he should pay attention to.

’It’s so interesting. I don’t know much about light and darkness, but this light show is just so weird. It’s difficult to see where light ends, and darkness begins. All the spots have a different kind of illumination. When is light light and darkness darkness?’

Gravis continued scratching his chin in thought. ’I mean, darkness is just an absence of light. So, there are not actually two things, but only one thing that has two sides. It’s a gradient.’

’Wait,’ Gravis suddenly thought as he stopped scratching. ’Where have I seen that before?’

Gravis thought back and tried to remember where he had seen something like this happen before.

Suddenly, his eyes widened.

BOOOOM!

BOOOOM!

Gravis immediately comprehended two Laws. What were these Laws?

They both had nothing to do with light and darkness. In actuality, these Laws were completely unrelated to these two elements.

Gravis had comprehended the Composition Law of Wind and Air.

’Of course!’ Gravis thought with excitement as his body shook. ’Air and wind are just like light and darkness! Air is the absence of wind! It’s just like the light and darkness on this wall!’

Then, Gravis laughed loudly. ’It was the right decision to go somewhere else! I wonder how long it would have taken me to understand this if I hadn’t gone somewhere else?’

Gravis smirked. ’Anyway, now I counter 50% of my opponents! This just keeps getting better and better.’

’Let’s continue! I’ve already managed to comprehend three Laws here in only 17 years! Sure enough, the more I learn, the faster my progress will be.’

Gravis left the wall and looked at the firestorms raging in the air. With his new comprehension of the Composition of Wind and Air, Gravis felt like this was the perfect next location. With his new knowledge, he would be able to filter out the knowledge he needed, which made trying to understand everything much less confusing.

Due to that, Gravis managed to go through the biggest territory, which was the firestorms, in just five years. Now, only the fires on the forever-burning plants remained.

Gravis went over to the burning forest and looked at the fire and gasses it produced.

And after two years...

"Finally!" Gravis shouted.

He had managed to comprehend the Soft Pure Material Composition Law. "Man, that seemingly took forever!"

Yet, he wasn’t done with looking at the fire.

One more year passed until Gravis was finished with looking at the Law Comprehension Area. Trying to understand the Composition Law of Fire would have been very difficult. Yet, by seeing how wind and air worked and how the wood element wasn’t really a physical thing, Gravis managed to make the leaps in logic to understand fire.

BOOOOM!

’And that’s the Composition Law of Fire done! Now, I counter 60% of my opponents!’ he thought with a smirk.

’Now, I’m only missing light, darkness, and water. Light and darkness are their own thing, and I don’t have enough time to learn their Laws probably. I think I should check out water next.’

’But first!’

Then, Gravis started standing motionlessly in the air. He was just not doing anything. It was like he was unconscious.

Two months later.

BOOOOM!

’Composition of Lightning done!’ Gravis thought. He didn’t need to understand the Composition Law of Lightning to counter lightning cultivators, but to make the set as complete as possible, he decided to look at it anyway now. Understanding stuff about lightning didn’t take long for him. After all, he only needed to look at himself.

’Water time!’ Gravis thought.

Then, he quickly went over to Ferris, who told Gravis that he managed to understand a level two Law regarding fire. Now, Ferris understood three level two Laws and one level three Law. With these Laws, he might even be able to fight level three Emperors as a level one Emperor, which was very impressive.

Ferris told Gravis again how helpful all his words and teachings had been to him. Ferris didn’t specifically tell Gravis that he would risk his life for him, but Gravis was absolutely sure that Ferris would do that. Gravis could almost feel Ferris’ loyalty physically.

After that, they quickly went to a Law Comprehension Area for water.

And only two years later...

BOOOOM!

Gravis learned the Composition Law of Water. ’Now, I counter 70%! Yet, I don’t have any time for light and darkness anymore. Additionally, I won’t have any access to any other Law Comprehension Areas anymore in five years. Wow, 97 years have already passed. It somehow doesn’t feel that long.’

For their last stop, Gravis and Ferris went back to the first Law Comprehension Area. There were a lot of materials around, and Gravis would use these materials to try to understand as much about the Complex Laws as possible. Differentiating the different Complex materials was difficult, and Gravis wasn’t sure if he would manage to learn enough about them in his remaining time.

And like this, the last three years passed.

Gravis hadn’t managed to learn a Complex Material Law, but he already had a lot of knowledge about them. Additionally, he couldn’t find all the relevant materials here. There were many Complex Materials that could only be found in the absolute core of the world. The materials here only went to around the Late Nascent Nourishing Realm. Gravis was missing an entire Realm of materials above these.

"Hey, Gravis!" Ferris shouted. "Time’s up! We need to return."

Gravis flew up and looked at the Law Comprehension Area one last time. ’My 100 years are up, and I should be about 160 years old now. But, hey, I managed to comprehend a total of 13 level one Laws in these 100 years. By now, my experience in Law Comprehension shouldn’t be lower than a level one Emperor,’ Gravis thought.

Then, he looked in the direction of the Icy Pride Empire.

"It’s time to become more powerful!"

Chapter 557 - 557 – Confusion

The time was up!

Gravis’ Realm-Stop was over!

Gravis threw one last glance at the Law Comprehension Area and then left towards the Icy Pride Empire with Ferris. It was time to meet the Empress again!

Yet, Gravis felt nervous. One hundred years had passed since he had last seen his children. There was a genuine chance that one or all of them could have died during that time. Tempering was dangerous, and a lot of his friends had passed while tempering themselves, even though they all had an incredible amount of Karmic Luck.

They were on their way to the Mountain of Pride, but before they could reach the mountain, they were interrupted.

"Aris! You disrespected and killed my comrade! Today, no one will be able to save you!" a violent shout suddenly came from the side.

Gravis grew excited when he heard that. Aris was here? Gravis looked around but couldn’t find him anywhere. He found the source of the voice, which was a long, green snake. Surprisingly, that green snake was a level five King.

Even more surprising was the fact that the green snake was looking at Gravis with hatred.

Gravis blinked a couple of times in confusion as the snake charged towards him. Then, he pointed at himself. "Me?" he asked.

"Don’t play dumb, Aris! Today, I will put you in your place! Your arrogant strutting around has come to an end!" the green snake shouted violently. "It doesn’t matter that you have already become a level three King! You might be able to fight a level above yourself, but two levels are between us!"

’Apparently, Aris has caused some trouble,’ Gravis thought. He wasn’t sure if he was annoyed or proud of Aris at the moment.

"Hey, you got the wrong guy," Gravis said. "Aris is my son."

These words seemed to take the winds out of the green snake’s sails, and it stopped in shock for a second. But then, it only sneered in disdain. "How weak! You see that you can’t deal with me and try to fool me! Your father wouldn’t have remained a level three King for such a long time!"

Gravis scratched his cheek in confusion. Yet, he could understand the green snake. Staying 100 years as a level five King or level five Lord was normal, but generally, beasts shot rather quickly through the levels in-between.

Gravis groaned. "Ferris, could you resolve this misunderstanding?" he asked.

"Huh?" Ferris asked like he hadn’t paid any attention. "Oh, yeah, right!" Then, Ferris turned to the green snake. "This is Gravis, not Aris," he said directly.

The green snake became even more shocked. Wait, this wasn’t Aris? Was this truly the elusive Gravis that nearly no one had seen in forever?

"Then, please show me proof," the green snake said, now much politer.

BZZZZ!

Gravis summoned some Punishment Lightning on his hand. "This should be proof enough."

The green snake looked with shock at the lightning. It had never felt any element even remotely as deadly as this one! Even it felt a great danger coming from this element, even though the snake was two levels higher than Gravis.

Suddenly, the green snake became fearful as it felt like a death God stood before it. Aris? That shouldn’t be a problem for the snake, but Gravis was something entirely different. Gravis had killed an Inquisitor as a level two King! An Inquisitor was more powerful than the green snake, and on top of that, Gravis was a level three King now!

If it had decided to attack immediately, it wouldn’t have known how it died! Yes, geniuses like Aris were terrifying, but Gravis’ Battle-Strength was unreal. Gravis was probably the most powerful King in existence! There was a gigantic gulf between the first place and someone that was just very good.

"Okay, you’re not Aris," the green snake said politely. "I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions."

"Eh, it’s alright," Gravis said as he waved the snake off. "So, you have news about my son? What has he been up to in the last century?"

The green snake released a nervous breath it had been holding for a while now. "Your son, Aris, has been going around challenging every genius he could find. He never targets average beasts but always only goes for the most powerful ones."

"Some years ago, Aris has convinced one of my companions to a life and death duel and then killed him. If this had been a normal duel, I wouldn’t care. Yet, Aris has used the mindset of my companion to his advantage and convinced him to accept the duel. This is not true tempering," the green snake said.

Gravis scratched his chin. "Hm, but if a mindset is exploitable, isn’t it a weakness? If Aris was able to convince someone into fighting him when they obviously had no chance of victory, wouldn’t that fit the style of the world? A weakness is a weakness, after all."

The green snake took a deep breath. "That may be true, but it is still my choice to avenge my companion. I have lost one of my companions, and, in my opinion, I’m entitled to retribution. Of course, only as long as I’m powerful enough."

Gravis continued scratching his chin. "Sure, why not?" Gravis said with a shrug, surprising the green snake a bit. "Enmities are enmities. There is no right and wrong in this world. If you want to do something, do it. Yet, keep in mind that just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you can do it without any possible retribution."

The green snake nodded. "I know the danger," it said.

Gravis also nodded. "Alright. Thank you for telling me about Aris," Gravis said with a smile as he waved. "I’ll be going now. Bye!"

The green snake was confused about Gravis thanking it. Why was Gravis thanking it?

"One more thing," the green snake said suddenly.

"Hm?" Gravis uttered as he looked at the green snake again.

"If you see your son, could you please tell him that he should return to the Icy Pride Empire so that I may properly stab him with my fangs?" the green snake asked.

Gravis nodded. "Sure, will do."

With that said, Ferris and Gravis continued traveling towards the Mountain of Pride.

While they were flying, Gravis smirked. ’Oh, Aris. I wonder, have you created this enmity on accident or on purpose? I don’t know how powerful you are now, but a level five King should still be incredibly dangerous towards you. Has your blind arrogance returned, or have you done this on purpose to put yourself under more pressure?’ Gravis thought.

’If you’ve really done this on purpose, I disagree with your methods. Killing someone weaker than you just to create a more powerful enemy is something I would never do.’

Yet, contrary to what Gravis was thinking right now, he smiled.

’However, you are you, and I am I. You don’t need to act like me, and you don’t need to share my morals. There is no right and wrong. So, if you want to become a monster that mindlessly slaughters the innocents, go ahead. Yet, I want you to accept any potential repercussions coming your way.’

Gravis’ eyes shone a bit. ’My children are now over double as old as I have been when I had fathered them. They are old enough to decide their own course of actions and morals. However you want to live your life, you can do so. Yet, if your bad decisions ever come back to bite you in the ass, I won’t protect you,’ Gravis thought.

Gravis felt horrible when he thought these things. In truth, he actually wanted to protect his children no matter what they did. Yet, that wouldn’t be true to his own path and morals.

If one of his children died, Gravis’ heart would break into pieces. If, by some scheme, one of them died without even being able to fight back, he would not rest until the offending party would die.

Yet, if they died during regular tempering or due to the repercussions of their earlier choices, he would only watch as one of his children died. This was Gravis’ bottom line.

If such a situation ever occurred, Gravis wouldn’t know if he could ever recover from the pain and guilt. However, his life was not all about his children. He also had to follow his own path, and this was the best compromise he could find.

’I hope they’re all still alive,’ Gravis thought with worry as he saw the Mountain of Pride in the distance.

Chapter 558 - 558 – Ferris' Path

Gravis arrived on top of the Mountain of Pride without any fanfare. Right now, only the Empress was present, but Gravis could feel the Grand Elder a couple hundred kilometers away. He was apparently busy with something else.

"So, you have returned," the Empress said as she looked at Gravis. "How much have you gained?"

"I’ve managed to comprehend a total of 13 level one Laws in the last hundred years!" Gravis said victoriously. "That should be enough experience for now, right?"

If the Empress hadn’t already heard about Gravis understanding seven Laws previously, she would have been shocked right now, but thanks to Gravis’ earlier pit-stop, she had been prepared for something like that.

"No level two Laws?" she asked.

Gravis scratched the back of his neck in a bit of embarrassment. "No, but I’m on the verge of understanding two, which should be the Composition Law of all Plants and the Composition Law of Physical Elements. Sadly, both of these Laws won’t increase my Battle-Strength as long as I don’t fight any plants or beasts with the specific elements," Gravis said.

The Empress nodded. "Understandable. You don’t have enough experience regarding Laws to understand level two Laws without sudden enlightenment or a tempering opportunity. Yet, your current experience should be enough. However, I would advise you to take, at least, one more break as an Emperor."

Gravis nodded. "I think so too. At some point, I will meet Emperors that know more than one or two level two Laws. If I don’t manage to retain my lead in understanding Laws, I will fall behind faster than I can notice."

Then, the Empress looked at Ferris with narrowed eyes. "Elder Ferris," the Empress slowly said. "I feel a bit of danger from you. I presume that your gains have also been bountiful?" she asked.

Ferris nodded respectfully. When he was in front of her, he always acted like a subservient Elder instead of his usual, excited self. "Since the last time I have come here, I have managed to understand another level two Law regarding fire."

"Another one, huh?" the Empress commented. "Remaining at your current Realm would only be a waste. I would advise you to search for tempering. It is time for you to ascend."

Ferris nodded solemnly. "Yes, Empress. I agree with that assessment. I have stayed a level one Emperor for far too long," Ferris said.

"Then we are in agreement. Which route do you wish to take?" she asked.

"Route?" Gravis asked.

"You don’t know?" Ferris asked, back in his usual excited self. "Oh, right! I forgot that you aren’t an Emperor!"

"Anyway," Ferris said as he started explaining. "There are four ways that Emperors can go about increasing their Realm."

"The first way is to stay under another Emperor leading an Empire. The beasts that choose this path follow the orders of the Emperor. Of course, due to their power, they are treated rather well and will be sent on fitting missions. This is for the Emperors that don’t want to bother with all that political stuff and potential land beast enemies that may suddenly attack them. After all, they would still be part of the land beasts."

"The second way is to create your own Empire. If you decide to do that, you need to fight another Emperor for their territory. The loser dies, and the winner eats the loser and rules the new territory. The advantage is that you can choose what you want to do, and you’re also still part of the land beast camp, which means that no random Emperors way more powerful than you will attack you. Of course, you still need to manage the entire Empire."

"The third way is to create a private territory. These territories are tiny, and you don’t need to fight another Emperor for them. Most Emperors have no problem with just giving you a mountain or something. The advantage is that no land beast will bother you as long as you remain in your territory. Yet, the disadvantage is that you can only temper yourself with the agreement of the land beast camp. This option is mainly for Emperors that want to live in peace."

"The fourth way is to go completely solo. You don’t join any camp, but also don’t have a private territory. This gives you the most freedom, and you can also attack any Emperor from any camp without the whole camp going after you. Yet, you are also not protected by the camp. This means that every Emperor can also go after you. This is the fastest way to the top but also the most dangerous one," Ferris said as he finished his explanation.

Gravis nodded and thought about it. Every way had its advantages and disadvantages. All four of them were viable to reach the top. Yet, it depended on how willing someone was to put their life in danger.

Creating a private territory was the safest way since one wasn’t required to fight anyone and could simply live their lives out to the end. Leading one’s own Empire was the second safest way, at least after one managed to kill another Emperor for their territory. After all, one would have complete control over what they wanted to do then.

The third safest way would be to stay in another Empire. Sure, the Empire wouldn’t mistreat them, but one would still have to follow orders in the end. The most dangerous way was obviously the last one. With that way, one basically would have no friends but a ton of potential enemies.

"So, what will you choose?" Gravis asked with interest.

"Well, I like to make my own decisions, but I also don’t want to bother with managing an entire Empire. On top of that, I want to ascend and not just remain here forever. So, I will choose the fourth way. I want to become a wild beast!" Ferris said to the Empress.

The Empress nodded. "Good choice. You don’t need to take any breaks for Law Comprehension anymore, so this truly is the best choice. I will inform the Ultimates of your decision and whatever happens, happens. However, keep in mind that if you require a safe place, you can come back to the Icy Pride Empire. I can’t accept you back into the land camp, but I can decide not to attack you."

"Thank you, Empress," Ferris said respectfully. "Ever since you’ve taken over this Empire, my life has been good. You allowed me to spend a long time comprehending Laws and never forced me to fight without my consent. I will remember this, and if the Icy Pride Empire ever has a problem, I will help!"

The Empress only looked neutrally at Ferris. "You’ve spent too much time with Gravis. You should know that you don’t need to tell me that."

Ferris laughed a bit in embarrassment. "I know," he said.

"Also," the Empress said, "I’m not your Empress anymore. Now, I’m only Azure to you," she said.

’Huh, Azure,’ Gravis thought. ’So, that’s her name. Quite fitting for someone that has the water element.’

Ferris nodded. "Yes, Azure," he said. "It was great being here, and I will leave now."

Azure nodded. "You will ascend," she said.

"I will," Ferris answered. Then, he turned to Gravis. "Well, Gravis, this is where we part ways."

Gravis smiled. "I’m going to miss you, Ferris," he said as he patted Ferris on the shoulder.

Ferris only laughed. "I’m going to miss you too, but don’t worry! With your mindset and power, I’m sure we will meet each other again in the highest world!" he said.

Gravis also laughed. "I’m sure we will. Take care, Ferris."

Ferris nodded one last time and left without saying another word. It was time for him to jump into danger and become truly powerful.

Gravis sighed as he saw Ferris leaving. Ferris had been a constant companion to him over the last century. Ferris was, by far, the being he had spent the most time with. One shouldn’t forget that Gravis had only spent about 17 years with his true family in the highest world. In comparison, Gravis had stayed with Ferris for an entire century.

Yet, Ferris was his own being, and he needed to follow his own path. On the path to power, different paths crossed and then split again. There was no way around that if one put their full commitment to achieving supreme power.

After some seconds, Gravis turned to Azure again.

"How are our children?" Gravis asked.

Azure looked neutrally at Gravis.

Chapter 559 - 559 – Reunion

Gravis always felt nervous when he asked the question of how his kids were.

"They’ve become Kings about 50 years ago and are currently stationed at a defensive line," the Empress said, making Gravis release a gigantic sigh of relief. They were still alive. Also, they were already Kings? Well, they are over a century old, so that was probably to be expected.

"So, this means I’m a grandfather now?" Gravis asked.

Azure only nodded. "Yes."

Gravis had no idea how to feel about that. A massive mix of emotions appeared inside his mind as he made several decisions.

’I can’t come into contact with my grandchildren,’ Gravis thought. ’My three children are already binding me to this world, and feeling a strong attachment to them can’t be helped. Yet, as soon as I start getting attached to my grandchildren, this world might become too attached to me to the point that I might not leave.’

Gravis felt guilty when he decided that. Grandchildren were obviously still family. Yet, due to his own selfish goal, he had to keep his love for them to himself, even though they fully deserved this love based on his outlook and morals.

’If I get too attached, I will end up like Orpheus. I can’t allow that to happen,’ Gravis thought.

After a while, he turned to Azure again. "Which defensive line? I want to see them," he asked.

The Empress remained silent. She was probably asking some random elder about the information. After some seconds, a map appeared in Gravis’ mind with one spot marked. This was probably the defensive line they had been assigned to.

"Thank you, Empress," Gravis said. "I will go there now."

"Gravis," Azure said before Gravis left. "After you’re done, return to me. I have a special task for you."

Gravis’ eyes shone a bit. "Oh? Okay, I will return quickly. It shouldn’t take me more than a week."

"That’s fine," Azure said.

Gravis nodded one last time to Azure and then flew towards the east. By now, Gravis was no longer unknown in the land beasts’ camp. Additionally, there were now also several other beasts that looked like him. Due to these reasons, he didn’t require a guide or escort anymore.

It wouldn’t take long for him to get to the marked defensive line, a day perhaps.

Yet...

"Aris! Today, you will die!"

Gravis got interrupted just a couple of hours after he set off. Apparently, he was being confused for his son again.

’Again? Really?’ Gravis thought in surprise. ’Aris is really creating a lot of trouble, apparently.’

This time, it was a level four King. Additionally, Gravis felt that this level four King even understood a level two Law. That was quite impressive.

"I’m not Aris. I’m Gravis," Gravis said simply as he summoned some Punishment Lightning to prove his identity.

The King received a shock but quickly calmed down again. "Oh, ok," he said as he returned to the Empire again where he had come from. Convincing this one was way easier than the last one.

With that short interruption over, Gravis continued on his journey.

"You dare come back here, Aris!?"

And another beast interrupted Gravis’ journey. ’Okay, this is becoming annoying.’

"I’m Gravis, not Aris!" Gravis shouted in annoyance as he demonstrated his Punishment Lightning again. This King also quickly returned to his Empire.

"Prepare for your death, Aris!"

And another one!

’Alright, seriously, what the fuck did you do, Aris!?’ Gravis thought.

Starting at that point, Gravis only traveled as a lightning bolt. Like this, no one would confuse him with his son anymore.

Finally, he managed to reach the relevant defensive line. Gravis transformed back and flew straight towards the defensive line.

"Halt!" a huge, red fox shouted as she appeared in Gravis’ path. Surprisingly, this one was a level four King.

Gravis stopped, and the red fox examined him with judging eyes. "I don’t see a Commander of a Striking Squad or a recruiter beside you, so you can’t be a new recruit to our defensive line. What’s your business here?"

’Finally, someone that doesn’t confuse me with Aris,’ Gravis thought with a sigh.

"Hello, I’m here to visit my children. They should be stationed in this defensive line," Gravis said.

First, the fox was confused, but then she narrowed her eyes. "Your children are not here," she said.

Now, it was Gravis’ turn to become confused. "But the Empress said that they should be here."

"Which Empress?" the fox answered.

"The Empress of the Icy Pride Empire," he said.

For some reason, the fox fell into thought when she heard that. "That’s weird. Yes, we have some beasts from the Icy Pride Empire here, but I don’t know of any children of yours that are here. Maybe the Empress misunderstood you? Because at least one of your parents should be here."

Gravis blinked a couple of times in confusion. He kinda doubted that the Opposer or his wife would be here. But then, Gravis’ eyes widened as he realized something.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Are there three of them, and do they look like me?" he asked.

The red fox nodded.

"Yeah, those are my children," Gravis said.

Now, it was the red fox’s turn again to be shocked. "What? But your Realm is lower! How can they be your children?" she asked.

"Oh? They already became level four or level five Kings? That’s great! Can I see them?" he asked.

Gravis’ genuine reaction surprised the red fox, but based on his reaction, he was probably speaking the truth. How weird it was that the parent was weaker than their children. Wait, weaker?

Then, the red fox remembered who the father of her three comrades was. Gravis, weaker than a level five King? Then, she also realized why Gravis was still being a level three King. He was concentrating on understanding Laws now since he couldn’t find any tempering anymore. So, it made no difference if he became a level four or level five King.

"You’re Gravis, right?" the red fox asked.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself," Gravis said as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. When it concerned his children, Gravis acted like the usually embarrassed father instead of his normally cold self.

The red fox nodded. "Wait here, I’m going to inform them."

"Thank you," Gravis said, confusing the red fox a bit. Yet, the red fox left anyway.

After waiting for some minutes, Gravis saw his three kids enter his Spirit Sense. When he saw them, he felt incredibly proud.

All three of them had the aura of a level five King on them. His kids had already become so powerful.

Aris nearly looked identical to Gravis. The only difference was that his chest was even wider than Gravis’ in relation to his size. That also explained why everyone was confusing Gravis for Aris. They simply looked too similar.

Cera looked very different from before. Her standing position had changed, and she now walked on four legs. She still had her hands, and her arms definitely looked different from her legs, but her arms had changed so that they could assist in running. On top of that, she had two additional long and thin claw-like arms growing out of her back.

Gravis saw the potential in this setup and nodded. Cera could run faster by using more limbs. Additionally, she could still grab her enemy with her arms. As soon as she grabbed them, she could use these flexible spikes on her back to attack them.

Yersi also looked very different. Her neck was several times longer, and Gravis could sense venomous fangs hiding inside her mouth. Her two hands had also transformed into spikes filled with venom. She was now basically a venomous snake with deadly limbs.

Gravis could see their fighting styles reflected in their appearances. Aris was still going for a dominating fighting style that he used to clash with his opponent openly. Cera’s body was set up to come close to the opponent and keep raining attacks on them without a pause. She was basically a meat grinder. Yersi fell back into her one-shot-kill fighting style. With her body, she risked injuries, but she would only need one good hit to kill the opponent.

Gravis was so incredibly proud when he saw them. If he were still a level two King, one of them could have proved to be a real danger to him, well, as long as they wouldn’t have the lightning element, at least.

The three arrived in front of Gravis. Gravis smiled at them happily.

Yet, his three children only looked at him with confusion and even a bit of disgust.

Chapter 560 - 560 – Familial Love Among Beasts

Aris, Cera, and Yersi looked at Gravis with cold eyes. Gravis noticed these cold eyes and could already take several guesses at what these meant.

"You don’t seem as impressive as everyone makes you out to be," Aris said coldly.

’So, it’s that, huh? Sometimes, I simply can’t get beasts,’ Gravis thought. Saying that he didn’t feel anything when he heard these words would be a lie. To humans, as long as a family member didn’t prove to be a dick, feeling familial love would be natural. Yet, to beasts, even familial love needed to be earned.

To Gravis, it didn’t feel very pleasant that his children would only care about him as long as he proved himself to be powerful. This kind of felt impure to him. Yet, what could he do? They were beasts at heart, and that was just how beasts were.

"Does it really matter if I’m impressive or not? If I were the weakest level three King, would you simply despise me?" Gravis asked.

Gravis watched his kids to see their reactions. Aris didn’t show any reaction, just like Cera. Yet, Yersi appeared to be a bit unsure. ’So, they are not pure beasts. At least, Yersi still seems to hesitate. Interesting.’

"If you were so pathetic, you wouldn’t have any right to be our father," Aris said coldly. Cera also agreed with that. Yersi kept silent.

’Ouch, that stings,’ Gravis thought. ’Well, it doesn’t matter much. They are still my kids. If every parent immediately stopped loving their kids just because their kids said once that they hated them, no one would have any parents left. It’s not great, but that’s just how it is.’

"So," Gravis said, "You’re saying that I need to beat some sense into you?"

Aris narrowed his eyes as he looked at Gravis. "No one jumps levels against me. Instead, I’m the one jumping the levels. I haven’t fought an Emperor yet, but I’m sure that I can fight one."

Gravis believed Aris’ first statement, but the second one was just pure nonsense. Starting at the Law Comprehension Realm, every beast was a Divine Beast. This meant that a level one Emperor had a body 16 times more powerful than Aris. This wasn’t impossible to beat, but the true power of an Emperor was their Laws, not their body or Realm.

Even Gravis doubted that he could take down an Emperor, even if that Emperor was one that would be countered by one of his Composition Laws. As for Aris? Aris wasn’t even a bit dangerous to Gravis right now.

"Have you fought anyone yet that managed to comprehend a level two Law?" Gravis asked.

"No, but I want to," Aris said.

"Do you want to feel the power of a level two Law?" Gravis asked with a smirk.

WHOOOOOM!

Gravis released his Will-Aura, as well as his Law of Suppression. Their three bodies seized when they felt the incomparably domineering pressure. Moving their bodies became incredibly difficult under Gravis’ Will-Aura.

Aris looked at Gravis with narrowed eyes. He had definitely underestimated his father. Yet, this suppression wasn’t enough to stop him. He was still several times faster than his father.

"This is the power of a level two Law," Gravis explained. "Yet, the power of this level two Law, on average, is a bit weaker than an average level two Law. Of course, that weakness is being canceled out by its other advantage. Keeping this Law going costs me absolutely nothing. I can keep this suppression up for years."

Aris’ eyes glowed coldly. "It’s powerful, I have to give you that, but it’s not enough to overpower me."

Gravis only chuckled a bit. "Don’t forget that I’m a level three King. Now, imagine if I were a level five King. Do you think you would still be able to move?"

Aris was no longer an inexperienced child. Due to that, he could judge very well how powerful this Law would be if Gravis were a level five King.

In the beginning, it didn’t seem like Aris had changed at all. Yet, that wasn’t true. Instead of doubting Gravis’ words, he accepted them. Aris had accepted that he had been mistaken and that if Gravis were a level five King, Aris would be helpless against him.

Back then, Aris would have denied this fact, but now, he accepted that he had been wrong.

"It seems like fighting a level five King that has comprehended a level two Law is still too difficult for me," Aris admitted. "I concede the fact that I would be helpless against you if you were a level five King."

"Yet, you’re not a level five King," Aris said.

Gravis smiled. "I’m happy to hear these words. You’re finally able to accept when you’re wrong. In the beginning, I had thought that you fell back into your mindlessly arrogant self, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I’m proud of you, Aris." Gravis said.

Aris didn’t want to admit it, but he felt something when Gravis said that he was proud of him. Something deep inside of him felt happy when Gravis said these words. Yet, his mindset as a beast still took priority.

Father and son were not two equal positions. If Gravis were only Aris’ brother or companion, Aris would have no issue with accepting Gravis. Yet, by Gravis being his father, Gravis needed to prove that he was more powerful than Aris, and not just on his same level.

Suddenly, the pressure disappeared.

"Actually," Gravis said with a smile. "I’ve never had the opportunity to truly show you my power. Back then, you all were still too weak. So, this time, let me show the true difference between us both."

Gravis’ smile transformed into a smirk. "I’ll show you that I don’t even need this Law to completely suppress you. I also won’t use my special affinity towards lightning. I won’t even use my Will-Aura."

"I’m not using my three most powerful weapons against you. Yet, I’ll also show you that I don’t need them to suppress you, someone who is two levels above me."

Aris’ eyes sparkled coldly. If he still were back in his youth, he would have thought that Gravis was disrespecting him, but now, Aris knew that Gravis was just very confident in his power.

Cera and Yersi moved to the side to let the two fight.

Aris immediately returned to his true size, which was over a kilometer tall. Meanwhile, Gravis only became 50 meters tall.

BANG! BANG!

Lightning exploded behind Aris as he shot forward with incredible speed. Then, he punched Gravis with his full power. Yet, he didn’t hit Gravis, but something hard.

Gravis had summoned his shield and armor. These were created with Peak Nascent Nourishing Rank Materials and crafted with the Hard Pure Material Law. As long as Aris wasn’t able to release the power of a level two Law, they wouldn’t break.

Gravis got shot to the distance, but he quickly righted himself again. Meanwhile, Aris was shocked that Gravis didn’t even receive an injury. Additionally, he hadn’t seen the armor before. He almost couldn’t recognize his father anymore.

"Quite fast, Aris," Gravis said from a distance. "Do you want to see true speed?" he asked.

BANG!

Gravis used his full speed.

He put all his power into his body to kick himself forward. At the same time, he also used his Pulse to increase his lightning to the maximum and made it explode behind him. Shortly after that, he took all the power out of his body and shoved it into his lightning. This made his body incredibly light. Then, he used the Law of Lightning Speed to its full effect.

Aris’ eyes widened when he saw Gravis. If Gravis hadn’t been so far away, Aris would have barely been able to react. One had to remember that Gravis was only a level three King. Yet, Gravis had shown that he was just as fast as Aris, a level five King Divine Beast that was very proud of his speed.

BZZZZ!

Aris released a tremendous amount of lightning, which quickly created some kind of net around him. Gravis knew that this was a Law, but he hadn’t seen that one yet. Was this some kind of Law regarding Lightning’s defense or something?

Nevertheless, Gravis moved in.

SSSHHHH!

The lightning net was reduced to Energy, which simply vanished into the surroundings. Gravis had used his Composition Law of Lightning. His will was many times stronger than Aris’, which allowed him to not only weaken his lightning but make it disappear entirely.

Aris’ eyes widened in shock as he saw his lightning net vanish. How did his lightning suddenly vanish!?

Aris had expected that his lightning net would, at least, slow Gravis down. Yet, for Gravis, it didn’t even exist. He didn’t even need his special control over lightning to do this. This was just the suppression that the Composition Law of Lightning had over lightning.

Aris readied himself for a counterattack. There was no way for him to dodge or block Gravis’ attack since it was already too close. So, he decided to just take the hit and deliver a powerful counterattack. His powerful scales would protect him.

SHING!

Gravis’ saber entered deeply into Aris’ torso, which was to be expected. What could these scales do against such a powerful and sharp saber? This saber was basically a Realm higher than Aris.

Aris gritted his teeth but punched downward at Gravis’ head.

BZZZ!

Gravis simply summoned a shield on his back and quickly fused it to his armor. Now, it was like he was wearing a turtle shell. On top of that, Aris’ fist was too big to only target Gravis’ head. This meant that Gravis only needed to lower his head, and the fist would hit his back first.

BANG!

Gravis was hit on the back, and he felt his insides shake. Yet, his body was specifically designed to resist blunt force attacks. Due to that, he only got some minor bleeding, which would be healed in a matter of minutes.

SHIIIIIIIING!

Gravis kept his hands at his saber and used the downward force from the strike to slice up Aris’ entire side. This created a gigantic gash, and the resistance of the cut also made Gravis slow down before he hit the ground.

Aris felt incredible pain as his organs nearly started falling out. Yet, he wouldn’t drop his guard.

BZZZZZ!

Except that he had dropped it for just a minuscule moment when he tried to deal with the pain. Gravis immediately used his acceleration again and shot at Aris. In that short time, Gravis arrived at the previous cut and entered it. Aris was many times bigger than Gravis, and this allowed Gravis to enter the cut.

Aris felt horrified when Gravis entered his body through the cut. Aris had never had an opponent enter his body! Yet, that was only natural. After all, if someone managed to enter his body, Aris would undoubtedly die.

Aris felt a burning pain going through his body as Gravis shot upwards through it. His organs and muscles were not powerful enough to resist him.

"Did you know that we humans associate love with the heart?" Gravis transmitted to Aris.

"I’m currently touching your heart. Does that mean that I now also have your love?" he asked smugly.