Ch. 621..630

Chapter 621 - 621 – Mixed Elements Complete

As long as Gravis was so big, he didn’t truly feel like a human. Another problem was that his Battle-Strength was severely affected by this new form.

This new form of his had basically crammed everything of his old body into this one, making it feel bloated. His normal form had much more space with a longer and broader neck and wider chest. His arms were also much bulkier than normal. Additionally, one shouldn’t forget that his legs had a very different shape.

Gravis’ whole body felt bloated like his insides and muscles wanted to spill out. He was pretty sure that the skin on his arms would explode if he tried to punch something. Moving his legs also felt awkward with the stretched and constrained muscles.

Lastly, one shouldn’t forget that a human’s body was not as combat-focused as Gravis’ beast body. Right now, properly fighting in his human body felt very uncomfortable.

’Well, it was nice to look at myself as a human again. Surprisingly, I also don’t feel like my connection to the Laws has been increased. I think it’s not the human form that increased the connection, but a human’s Spirit. I expect that since I already have a human’s Spirit, I already have this closer connection to the Laws.’

Gravis looked at the ground. ’I shouldn’t forget that I managed to learn a ton of Laws in only about 300 years or so. This is obviously far too abnormal for a beast. I’m probably pretty good at learning new Laws, but I doubt that I am the best one out of all beasts with that huge of a margin. My guess is that I already have the closeness to the Laws that normal humans have.’

’Well, no sense in staying in this form,’ Gravis thought.

BZZZ!

Gravis transformed into lightning and transformed back. His lightning immediately created his usual beast body again since this was his proper body. As soon as Gravis returned to his old body, he stretched himself in comfort.

’This feels much better,’ Gravis thought. ’I will get my real human form either way when I become an Immortal. At that point, it shouldn’t feel awkward and bloated anymore.’

Gravis cracked his neck as he readied himself to get back to work. ’Back to the Mixed Elemental Laws. I’m still missing two.’

SSSSHHHH!

Gravis violently moved the air around to create a mighty wind. Then, he threw some Destruction Lightning into the wind and looked at what would happen.

At first, nothing special happened, but after a while, the lightning seemed to become fainter. Meanwhile, the wind also changed. It slowed down a bit, and it became harder for Gravis to move it with his Spirit. Yet, since Gravis had control over one of the two prerequisite elements, he could control the new kind of wind with his affinity.

The new kind of wind moved around as a white hue could be seen. Gravis scratched his now hairless chin in thought and inspected the new kind of wind. ’Interesting. It’s moving slower than the normal kind of wind, but it feels more powerful. Let’s try it.’

Gravis willed the new kind of wind to shoot at a mountain.

BANG!

The wind hit the mountain, and the mountain was cut into two pieces. After cutting through the mountain, a lot of Energy left the new kind of wind, but there was still a lot of Energy left in the wind. Gravis willed the new kind of wind to return to him and inspected it.

’Just as I’ve thought. The power of the Destruction Lightning has been incorporated into the wind’s cutting power, enhancing it. This means that this kind of wind is slower than normal wind but more powerful. On the other hand, it’s faster than Destruction Lightning but not as powerful. Just like with the other mixed elements, it combines the attributes of both of them.’

’Let’s get right to it,’ Gravis thought.

Five years later. Gravis had been in seclusion for 135 years.

BOOOOM!

’Got it!’ Gravis thought. ’My speed is also increasing as I understand more Laws.’

His speed was increasing? But didn’t he also take five years for nearly all the other Mixed Elemental Laws?

That was not entirely true. If one thought back to the fusion between metal and water, one would realize that this one had taken 15 years. The reason for that had been that the creation of liquid metal had taken a lot of time. Gravis could only properly learn about the element when he managed to create it.

The same thing was true here. Creating the Cutting Wind, as Gravis called it, also took some time. Yet, instead of needing 15 years, he only needed five years this time. One reason for the faster speed was that he was very familiar with one of the two elements, while the other reason was his experience in the other Mixed Elemental Laws.

’Only one more!’ Gravis thought as he grabbed some magma. Then, he broke it apart into stone and fire and threw the stone to the side. After that, he started fusing the fire with his lightning.

SSSSS!

Something quite peculiar happened. The fire seemed to burn the lightning. Slowly, over time, the lightning changed its color until it had a reddish hue.

Gravis willed the new kind of lightning to move around and inspected its properties. ’Interesting! This is very different from the other mixed elements. Instead of combining the different attributes, it basically weakened nearly all attributes but increased the offense.’

Gravis searched for a mountain, which was not so easy since he had destroyed a lot of them already. After some seconds, he found a mountain a hundred kilometers away and used the new kind of lightning to attack it.

BOOOOOOM!

An explosion mixed with fire and lightning appeared. The red lightning bolt had been far slower than usual, but it had an insane attacking power for a level one Law. The entire mountain and its surroundings were decimated.

’If there were a level two Law equivalent of an element, this would probably be it,’ Gravis thought as he scratched his chin. ’Of course, that’s only when I look at it from an offensive standpoint. It has no kind of defensive properties, and its speed is even slower than fire. But, hey, if someone can hit with it, it would exhibit the destructive power of a level two Law.’

Three years later. Gravis had been in seclusion for 138 years.

BOOOOM!

’And with that, I’m done with the Mixed Elemental Laws,’ Gravis thought with satisfaction. ’I learned ten Mixed Elemental level one Laws and the Law of Heat by experimenting with the elements. Let’s see which ones I can actually use.’

BZZZ! BZZZ! BZZZ!

Gravis summoned different spheres of Destruction Lightning and willed them to change.

One of them transformed directly into a white wind.

Another one automatically absorbed the moisture in the air until it was surrounded by water.

Another one absorbed heat from the atmosphere until it became incredibly hot as the surrounding atmosphere further away became freezing.

Earth shot out of the ground as it fused with another bolt until the lightning bolt seemingly vanished.

The last lightning bolt got absorbed by a piece of metal, but lightning bolts were still coming out of it.

Gravis looked at the five different kinds of mixed lightning in front of him. ’A fast blade, a sphere of lightning encased by water, a slow but overpowering explosion, a hidden lightning bomb, and a medium that can unload lightning. Five different kinds of weapons. On their own, they are not powerful, but if I use them appropriately in conjunction, they create a great asset of different weapons.’

The Cutting Wind was a fast attack for fast and less defense-oriented opponents.

The Loaded Water would mainly be used for healing, which took care of regeneration.

The Heated Lightning would be effective against slow and defensive opponents.

The Loaded Stone would be useful for fleeing, surprising, or stunning an enemy.

The Lightning Metal would be used as an opportunity-oriented attack when the opponent let their guard down.

Gravis looked at his new weapons in satisfaction. ’Sadly, they’re not very useful since I can’t use Punishment Lightning with them. Yet, this is only the start. Every level one Law is a gate to a cavalcade of more powerful Laws.’

’Next, I should try to understand the level two Law associated with the Mixed Elemental Laws. I’m sure, with so many level one Laws as a requirement, the level two Law of Mixed Elements is far more powerful than a normal level two Law.’

With that, Gravis tried to comprehend the level two Law of Mixed Elements.

Yet, he had no idea what was in store for him.

Chapter 622 - 622 – Mixed Elemental Law

Gravis entirely concentrated on the level two Law of Mixed Elements as time passed.

10 years after starting his comprehension, he saw that he had learned a lot.

20 years after starting his comprehension, he saw that he was still learning a lot.

After 30 years, he was still learning a lot.

By now, Gravis frowned. He had comprehended ten level one Laws, which should all be associated with this Law. Why was there so much to learn?

After 40 years, Gravis was still absorbing a seemingly endless sea of knowledge. How powerful was this level two Law!?

After 50 years, Gravis felt like he was getting somewhere.

After 60 years, Gravis realized that he had been mistaken and that there was still so much more to learn. Was this truly a level two Law?

After 70 years, the gathering of knowledge still didn’t end. Could a level two Law even have so much knowledge!? Why was there so incredibly much to learn about it!?

After 80 years, Gravis finally saw the full scope of the Law. It was humongous!

After 90 years, Gravis felt like he was truly closing in on the end.

After 100 years, Gravis thought he was nearly there.

After 102 years, Gravis reached the threshold of understanding the Law. Only one more step.

After 112 years, Gravis stopped comprehending.

’This is not a level two Law!’ Gravis thought. ’This is definitely a level three Law! There’s no mistaking it! I have been at the threshold of understanding it for over ten years, but I’ve made zero progress during that time. I’m just missing that one last step until everything makes sense.’

’I know that I have the ability to understand level two Laws without having to resort to tempering, but I just can’t get this one to work. Additionally, the ridiculous amount of knowledge I need on top of already having understood ten related Laws is not something that a level two Law should have.’

Gravis opened his eyes, dispersed the different kinds of mixed lightning, and looked into the sky.

’I finally reached this point, huh?’ Gravis thought with nostalgia. ’Back then, understanding a level three Law was so far out of my reach. Even level two Laws seemed to be almost impossible to understand. The Hard Complex Material Law by itself has taken forever to learn. But now, I’m on the cusp of understanding a level three Law.’

’I can feel it. I am ready to understand the Law, but without a push, I’m not able to take the last step. When I understand this Law, I will count as a proper Ascender. When I manage to understand this Law, I will have managed to learn a level three Law all by myself.’

’My experience in understanding Laws is no longer below-average, average, or above-average. Right now, I have even more experience than the Ultimates. Only Meadow has more experience in regards to Laws than me in this world. Well, she and Heaven, I guess.’

Gravis remained silent as he looked at the sky. ’I have been in seclusion for 240 years, but I don’t feel like I got rusty in battle. I think I have been battling for so long that I have no problems with staying so long without one.

Gravis took a deep breath as he relaxed and laid back on the ground. ’I should take a break from comprehending Laws.’

Like this, two hours passed.

BANG!

Gravis jumped up again. ’I can’t sit still! I want to take a break, but I want to learn more!’ Gravis thought with excitement. ’There’s so much to do, so much to see. What’s wrong with- Oh hey, Morus is over there.’

Gravis looked over at Morus, who stood silently several kilometers away. Sure enough, Morus had become a level three Emperor.

"Morus, have you learned a new level two Law?" Gravis asked.

"Yes, Master. I have comprehended the Law of-"

"Stop!" Gravis said, making Morus stop speaking. "I don’t want to hear it. How long have you been there?"

"For about 48 years, Master," Morus said.

Gravis nodded. "You will need to wait some more years, but the wait will be worth it. Just stay near my vicinity."

"Yes, Master," Morus said deferentially.

Gravis nodded and concentrated on something new as he left Morus. ’I think I have enough experience to learn the level two Laws of Pure Elements. Let’s get right on it.’

Gravis closed his eyes and gathered all his knowledge about the pure elements. Then, he looked at each of them very closely. As he inspected them one at a time, he remembered the things he had learned in the last 112 years. The mixing of the elements took a considerable amount of knowledge about the Pure Elemental Laws.

Because of that, Gravis managed to extrapolate one aspect of the Pure Elements after the other.

BOOOOM!

BOOOOM!

And only one hour after starting, Gravis managed to comprehend both level two Laws of the Pure Elements.

Gravis was shocked when he realized that he had managed to learn two level two Laws in only an hour. This was insanely fast!

One of the level two Laws was comprised of earth, water, metal, and wind. This was the Elemental Matter Composition Law.

The other level two Law was made out of light, darkness, lightning, wood, and fire. This was the Elemental Force Composition Law.

Gravis’ 112 years of trying to comprehend the level three Law of Mixed Elements had proven to be invaluable. Thanks to such a long time of comprehension, Gravis had already learned all the concepts of the pure elements on accident.

Gravis narrowed his eyes. ’I see. I have already comprehended both of these Laws, but since I haven’t tried to put them into a singular concept, I have only managed to comprehend these two Laws now. On the plus side, I have two new level two Laws now. On the downside, I have learned nothing new in the last hour.’

Gravis thought about the Mixed Elemental Law but realized that he was not one step closer. He was still on the cusp of understanding it.

’I see,’ Gravis thought. ’This is the same thing that has happened with the Pure and Complex Material Laws. I had expected that there were two paths, but there is only one path. There is no level three Law of Pure Elements. At least, there is not an overarching one. The level three Laws of Pure Elements are simply the individual Elements.’

’Instead, the Law of Elemental Matter and the Law of Elemental Force require all the individual Mixed Elemental Laws to create one singular level three Law. That should be the Law of Elements, and as far as I can see, this is a terrifying level three Law, probably one of the most powerful level three Laws in existence.’

’Just the level two Laws of Elemental Matter and Elemental Force are already incredible. Instead of weakening the elements of my enemy by one level, they are now weakened by two levels. This means that the elemental attacks of a level three Emperor are now as powerful as the elemental attacks of a level one Emperor.’

Gravis smirked. ’I have become immune to the elements of any opponent that is fightable by me. They can only hurt me with their bodies now.’

Gravis narrowed his eyes as a cold gleam could be seen inside them. ’I’m ready to fight an opponent four levels above me as long as they have an elemental affinity.’

Yet, Gravis took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. ’But there is still more I want to learn. I’m only halfway there.’

Gravis looked at the sky. ’Now, it’s time for the more exotic Laws. First, I will check out the Law of Cold. Then, I will check out the Law of Gravity. Lastly, I will check out lightning once more to increase my speed.’

’After that, I will return to the world. Then, I will be ready to ascend. I no longer need to focus on any other Laws in this world when I’m done with the ones I want to learn now.’

’When I return to the world, I will fight a level three Emperor and become an Emperor myself. At that point, only the Ultimates can serve as tempering, but there are not many left. Additionally, the two remaining sea Ultimates have helped me. I don’t want to kill them.’

’This means I will search for some level four Emperors until I become a level three Emperor. At that time, I will try to take on a Strider.’

Gravis’ eyes narrowed. ’Then, it’s your turn, Heaven!’

Chapter 623 - 623 – Stars

After planning his next course of action, Gravis shot into the sky. If the world became hotter the further down one got, the world should also get colder the higher one got. Otherwise, how could the normal world have a normal temperature if there was no cold temperature that equalized the heat?

In comparison to the lower world, the ceiling of this middle world was far higher up. Back in the lower world, after only some tens of kilometers, one wouldn’t even be able to feel any Energy anymore. Yet, in this world, the Energy was even present at the height of over a thousand kilometers.

After 1.000 kilometers, Gravis could already feel the cold. Air was no longer present, but he didn’t need air anyway. The tearing force of the vacuum was also absolutely negligible. Something like that would be an issue for Spirit Beasts, but not for a King.

After 5.000 kilometers, even Lords would have issues surviving. The temperature was just far too low.

When Gravis reached the height of 10.000 kilometers, even he had issues surviving. Parts of his body quickly froze over, but he used Heated Lightning to warm his surroundings. Gravis was immune to lightning, but Heated Lightning also had fire in it. Typically, if he used the Heated Lightning so close to his body, he would get burned.

Luckily, since Gravis had comprehended the Law of Heat as well, he could reduce the heat of the Heated Lightning to such a degree that he could keep himself alive. Of course, Gravis didn’t make the temperature normal. If he didn’t feel the cold, he couldn’t comprehend it. Because of that, he kept the temperature at such a point that he would use up just enough Energy that his regeneration could keep up with it.

Yet, there was nearly no Energy that far up. If there were no Energy that Gravis could absorb, he couldn’t regenerate his Energy storage. Thankfully, Gravis found a way around that.

What did Gravis use to regenerate Energy?

It was his Life Ring.

His Life Ring automatically absorbed Energy from the surroundings to keep the miniature world inside it going. This meant that it was also a massive storage for Energy. Sadly, Gravis couldn’t absorb the Energy faster than usual. After all, it was just another atmosphere filled with Energy. There was no difference in absorbing this Energy and the Energy of the outside world.

Of course, that was only true when the outside world had as much Energy in the atmosphere as the Life Ring. Right now, in this area without Energy, Gravis could regenerate just as much Energy as if he were on the ground.

The Heated Lightning moved around his body, heating up the parts of it that were about to freeze and die. The rest of his body was exposed to the cold.

Being exposed to such insane temperatures created enormous pain, but physical pain could not bother or annoy Gravis. He had grown so used to it that it made no difference to him if he constantly felt this small bit of pain or not.

Like this, Gravis stopped in the darkness. Of course, darkness was only relative in this case since the sun directly shone upon him. All his surroundings were dark, with the exception of one impossibly bright spot.

Yet, one thing surprised Gravis. The sun had become many times bigger in his vision. This meant that he had closed in on the sun. ’Interesting. I thought that the sun would be further away, but it’s actually not that far away. Maybe only 20.000 kilometers more, and I can even touch it.’

At the same time, Gravis also noticed something else.

The stars were moving at quite some rapid speeds. This meant that he was also very close to the stars.

’Okay, this interests me,’ Gravis thought as he increased the power of his Heated Lightning. Then, he shot at one of the rapidly moving stars.

After only 2.000 kilometers, Gravis reached one of the stars. Surprisingly, it was only around 20 kilometers wide, far smaller than he had thought.

By now, Gravis was using up more Energy than he regenerated, which meant that he couldn’t remain here indefinitely. Yet, his interest in the stars was just too intense.

Gravis looked at the glowing orb and extended his hand. His hand entered the star without any issues, but Gravis was shocked when he felt the essence of the star.

’It’s Energy!’ Gravis thought with shock.

The star was a concentrated ball of Energy. It even had a far higher density than the Energy at the core of the world.

Gravis’ mind went wild with possibilities. There had to be some use to these stars. Heaven didn’t create useless things. Gravis was very sure that Heaven didn’t create these stars simply because they looked pretty.

After some seconds, Gravis reached a possibility that made far too much sense.

’This is the world’s Energy storage!’ Gravis thought with excitement. ’Creating a Strider takes an absurd amount of Energy. I saw three Ascenders absorbing several Striders at the same time, but the Energy density of the core of the world only dropped by a little bit. Normally, one Strider should have enough Energy inside it that the density should drop noticeably if a new one was created.’

Gravis’ eyes shone as he scratched his chin. ’So that’s where Heaven keeps all the backup Energy. Additionally, no one would notice some stars vanishing when a Strider was killed. After all, everyone would focus on the death of the gigantic Strider.’

Gravis’ gaze moved over all the stars. Then, he flew around some more to see if he missed any. His Spirit Sense didn’t reach so far that he could encompass the entire world, which was why he had to use his eyes to look at them.

After some minutes, Gravis was sure that he found most of the stars. ’I need to do some calculations,’ he thought as he compared the Energy inside a Strider with the Energy inside the stars.

’There are enough stars to create about ten Striders. So, together with the already existing ten Striders, this world has enough Energy to keep 20 Striders alive without it affecting the Energy density of the world. That’s why I only felt the Energy density drop after nearly all Striders had been absorbed.’

Yet, instead of being happy that he found out about a secret of the world, Gravis frowned. ’That’s a problem,’ he thought. ’When I become a level five Emperor, I would need to eat a total of 40 Striders to become an Immortal. That would even empty out the Energy storage of the entire world.’

’But there must be a way. Heaven wants me to become powerful. Even if it tried to do something like that, my father wouldn’t have sent me here. He knows far more than me, and he has surely foreseen my Energy requirements and how much I would need to ascend.’

’This means that I can become an Immortal in this world. Additionally, even if there were no way for me to become more powerful, father would simply call me back. After all, I shouldn’t forget that he is not Heaven. He is not bound by any rules. If he so wanted, he could kill all my enemies, and there would be nothing that Heaven could do about it. After all, isn’t it normal that a father would help his son?’

’He only keeps himself out of my life to grant me tempering. Yet, having no Energy to progress is not tempering. If there were truly no way for me to become an Immortal in here, he would simply call me back, but I don’t think that this will happen.’

’This Heaven keeps fanatically to the rules. Therefore, it must give me a way to become an Immortal. I’m guessing that this Heaven will lower its own cultivation to give me enough Energy to become an Immortal.’

’As far as I know, this Heaven should also be one level higher than a typical Ascender, just like in the lower world. This means that this Heaven should be a level two Immortal if there actually are levels in the Immortal Realm. I don’t know the specific progression inside that Realm yet,’ Gravis theorized.

Gravis did some calculations.

’This means that Heaven should have enough Energy inside it to create around 64 Striders. That’s enough for me.’

Gravis looked at the stars again. ’Anyway, there’s no Law I can comprehend by looking at these stars. If I wanted, I could also create something similar. It’s just pushing Energy together. The only reason why I can’t create something as dense as these stars is because of my cultivation. Heaven should be a level two Immortal and can therefore exhibit more force when compressing Energy.’

Gravis left the star and went back to his old position. Now, he was no longer distracted and could concentrate fully on comprehending the Law of Cold.

What about the sun?

Trying to reach the sun with his current power was a fool’s dream. Gravis was not sure if the surroundings would become even colder or hotter if he closed in on the sun, but it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t survive either way.

If it became even colder, Gravis would freeze to death before he was even close to it. If it became hotter, Gravis would still freeze to death before he could reach that area. Additionally, the heat of the sun was transferred via beams, not surrounding heat. This meant that his front would burn while his behind would freeze. He would still run out of Energy that way.

Concentrating on the Law of Cold would be more effective. If he managed to comprehend it, he could maybe reach the sun.

Thus, Gravis started his comprehension of the Law of Cold.

Chapter 624 - 624 – Element Neutral Temperature Laws

Many years passed as Gravis tried to comprehend the Law of Cold. He already had an excellent base to comprehend it since he had comprehended the Law of Heat, the Composition Law of Water, and the Composition Law of Darkness, surprisingly. Gravis hadn’t thought that the darkness element was related to cold, but it was, apparently.

Thanks to these three Laws, Gravis could extrapolate a lot of workings of the Law of Cold.

Yet, his progress was still slower than his progress when he had comprehended the Law of Heat. The reason for that was that, back then, he had been able to create heat. Here, he couldn’t create cold. He could only observe the already existing cold.

After 20 years, Gravis still found a lot of new facets of the Law of Cold.

After 40 years, Gravis was sure that he could see most of the Law.

After 60 years, Gravis saw that he was close to understanding it.

BOOOOM!

And after 65 years, Gravis managed to understand it.

Every other beast would become envious if they heard that Gravis managed to comprehend a level two Law in only 65 years. This was not a Law that had level one Laws as a base, but one which had to be understood all at once. The same thing was true for the Law of Heat. Just because Gravis managed to produce it with fire and wind didn’t mean that it needed these two Laws to be understood or created.

’Finally, I got it!’ Gravis thought with excitement. ’It took quite some time, but this should be the base for a level three Law. I expect that the Law of Heat and Law of Cold can fuse to become the Law of Temperature.’

’The Law of Cold is not much more useful than the Law of Heat since it simply does the same thing, just in an opposite way. The only effect it would have on an enemy is that they would need to spend a lot of Energy to keep themselves warm.’

Gravis scratched his chin. ’I mean, sure, if I fought someone two levels above me, this Law would be terrifying, but I’m not fighting someone only two levels above me. Sure, it would also have a restrictive effect on someone four levels above me, but I need to use Energy to keep the Law running. In such a fight, I can’t spare that Energy. I need all of it for my speed and offense.’

’Well, it doesn’t matter,’ Gravis thought with a smirk. ’I’m not here to immediately increase my Battle-Strength, but to give me a solid foundation for the future. With this Law, a new path has opened before me. Now, I have the prerequisites of understanding another level three Law.’

Gravis looked at his surroundings. ’Though, I still need to use up a lot of time to get to the threshold of understanding the Law of Temperature. I have already been in seclusion for over 300 years. This seclusion has been so long that I have been in this seclusion for 60% of my entire life. It sounds terrifyingly long, but somehow, it doesn’t feel that long. It’s like I have only entered seclusion like 50 years ago.’

’It actually feels weird. I have only spent about 17 years or so in the highest world and only around six or seven years in the lower world. Yet, I have been in this world for over 480 years by now. This contrast is absolutely insane.’

Gravis looked down at the ground. From up here, he could see insanely far into the distance. He could even see the end of the continent.

Gravis looked at the world for several minutes until he turned his gaze to the sun. ’I should be able to reach the sun now. My Law of Cold allows me to weaken the cold around me. But first, I need to load up my Life Ring again. I’ve used up nearly all the Energy inside it.’

After going back to the ground and reloading the Life Ring with Energy, Gravis shot into the sky again. As soon as he reached a distance of 12.000 kilometers, he felt the difference that his new Law made. Gravis didn’t need to waste as much Energy as he was recovering, even at such a distance.

At 15.000 kilometers, he used just as much Energy as he was recovering.

At 20.000 kilometers, he was using up a lot of Energy.

At 25.000 kilometers, his front became far hotter while his back stayed cold. This was good since he now only needed to protect his back and not his entire body, which drastically reduced his Energy consumption.

At about 28.500 kilometers, he nearly reached the sun.

It was absolutely massive. It wasn’t nearly as big as the world, but it was definitely bigger than a Strider.

Additionally, the heat it exhibited was also insanely powerful. Gravis was using even more Energy than before since he now also needed to protect his front with the Law of Heat.

’This heat is truly intense,’ Gravis thought. ’This heat also feels qualitatively different to my Law of Heat. I can feel the usage of Energy of the sun, and it’s not nearly enough to create so much heat. This can only mean that this heat is produced with a higher-quality Law, which would be a level three Law.’

’My guess is that this should be the next level of the Law of Heat. Let’s call it the Law of Extreme Heat. Even more surprising is that there is actually no fire. I’ve thought that the sun was some huge ball of fire, but it’s simply a ball of light. This means that the Law of Extreme Heat is not intrinsically connected to fire. It can be produced by fire, but it doesn’t need fire to exist.’

’Interesting,’ Gravis thought with a smirk. ’Just as I’ve thought. After understanding the Law of Cold, I noticed that it also had no intrinsic connection with the element of water. Yet, it can still be produced by water.’

’This means that there should be five level three Laws for Temperature. I’m pretty sure that the Law of Supreme Cold, which the Water Immortal managed to understand, is a Law of Temperature, which is intrinsically connected to water. This means that the Law of Supreme Cold is a different Law than the Law of Extreme Cold, as I would call it.’

’One of them is Element specific, while the other one isn’t. The same thing should be true for heat. There should be a Law of Extreme Heat and one of Supreme Heat. One is element neutral, while the other one is element-specific. Lastly, there should be the element neutral Law of Temperature, which combines the Law of Heat and the Law of Cold.’

Gravis scratched his chin as he fell into thought. ’Does that mean that there could also be a fusion of the Law of Extreme Heat and Law of Extreme Cold? Would that be the Law of Extreme Temperature? If so, that should be a level four Law.’

Gravis sighed. ’Sadly, even though the Law of Extreme Heat is demonstrated in all its glory in front of me, I can’t truly comprehend it now. I can only stay here for some minutes until I need to go back to refill my Energy. I can’t concentrate like that. I’m also using a lot of Energy just to keep up with the sun’s movement.’

One should remember that the sun managed to travel across the entire world in an arc in simply twelve hours. This was an insane amount of speed, and Gravis had to use a lot of Energy to keep up with it.

’Well, back to base, I guess,’ Gravis thought as he diagonally shot back to the ground. Right now, he was no longer above the core of the world due to the sun’s movement.

After some minutes, Gravis reached the Grand Lake again and took a deep breath of air.

’Now I need to think about what I want to comprehend next. Sure, I will take a look at the Law of Gravity, but I also want to get my Law of Temperature to the threshold. Yet, that may take another hundred years or so. I’ve already spent over 300 years here.’

After some seconds, Gravis snorted. ’What am I hesitating for? I already spent 300 years here, so I might as well go all the way. Sure, let’s get the Law of Temperature ready. So what if I waste another century?’

And with that thought, Gravis sat down on the ground and experimented with the Laws of Cold and Heat.

He was about to spend another century.

Yet, for a level three Law, this was more than worth it.

Chapter 625 - 625 – Into The Ground

Gravis immediately started to combine the Laws of Heat and Cold to create the Law of Temperature. Yet, Gravis knew that this Law would take a long time.

When he had tried to learn the level three Law of Elements, he had spent over a century trying to comprehend it. During that time, he had subconsciously learned two other level two Laws. But this Law of Temperature was different.

This Law only required two level two Laws as a prerequisite, not three or more, as was usual. This meant that this Law had a ton of exclusive knowledge inside it. The temperatures between cold and hot didn’t have any Laws associated with them, which meant that they were part of the Law of Temperature.

Since there was a lot of exclusive knowledge, it was far harder to learn this Law. After all, the exclusive knowledge didn’t have a base Law.

After 20 years, Gravis was still finding a lot of new concepts.

After 40 years, he was finding even more concepts. Additionally, these concepts were scattered and difficult to discern. If Gravis hadn’t already understood the Laws of Cold and Heat, he would find it impossible to learn this Law.

After 60 years, Gravis thought that he could see the whole Law.

After 80 years, Gravis was sure that he finally knew the true expanse of the Law.

After 90 years, Gravis reached the threshold, but he tried to break through the threshold for five more years.

Sadly, Gravis still wasn’t able to understand a level three Law without any tempering right now. Because of that, he had to stop his comprehension.

’I’m at the threshold. I can feel it!’ Gravis thought as he relaxed. ’This is the second level three Law that I’m ready to understand. I only need one more push to understand both of them.’

Gravis dispersed the heat and cold and smirked. ’My Battle-Strength has not progressed in the last century, and I also have not learned an additional Law. Yet, this is all just preparation. All my preparations will explode forward at once when I return to the world. After my next fight, when I become an Emperor, all my accumulation will transform me into the third most powerful being in this world, after Heaven and Meadow.’

Gravis looked at his hand as he clenched it into a fist. ’Right now, if I were a level one Emperor, I could already fight an Ultimate. Yet, as soon as I understand these two Laws, not even the Ultimates will be my opponents anymore.’

Gravis took a deep breath. ’I’m about to reach that point again. In the lower world, there had also been a time when only the High Priest and Heaven had been above me. I’m not at that position right now, but I’m close to reaching it.’

’Additionally, my Battle-Strength now is even more powerful than back then in relation to my Realm. Back then, even when I had reached the Self Stage, the High Priest would have still been nearly impossible for me to defeat. After all, every three Realms, there’s a major jump in power.’

’Meadow has already said that she had already managed to kill an Immortal before, and when I’m a level five Emperor, I will be even more powerful than Meadow. I would be able to become more powerful than an Immortal when I’m not even one myself.’

Gravis stood up as he stretched himself. ’Anyway, it’s time to get to my next objective. My next goal will be the Law of Gravity. I’m not sure if it is a level two or level three Law, but I want to take a look at it anyway.’

By now, the hole that Gravis had dug all these years ago had completely vanished. After all, one shouldn’t forget that Gravis had been in seclusion for 400 years, a terrifying amount of time.

Gravis quickly dug a new hole and entered it.

As soon as he reached a depth of 10.000 kilometers again, Gravis felt it difficult to resist the heat. Yet, he had changed tremendously since the last time he had entered. He had comprehended the Law of Magma and the Law of Heat. Both of them gave him a terrifying defense against the heat.

At 15.000 kilometers, Gravis suddenly stopped. He could still go deeper, and there was still a lot of Energy left since it entered the hole. Yet, Gravis realized something terrifying.

Gravis wanted to take a deep breath but remembered that he was inside magma right now. ’I need to be smart about this,’ Gravis thought. ’The gravity down here is already terrifying. Keeping myself floating is draining me severely. I feel like I can go deeper without any issues, but what about my return? If the gravity becomes even more terrifying, I won’t be able to exit from here.’

Yet, Gravis had to chuckle. ’I wonder, is the reason why I saw no one with knowledge about gravity because all of them died to the gravity down here?’ Gravis mused. ’I’m not so stupid.’

Gravis flew upward again until he reached the surface.

"Morus," Gravis said.

"Yes, Master," Morus said as he flew to him.

"Follow me into the hole," Gravis ordered. "I want to take a look at gravity. If you want, you can also try to comprehend it. However, I probably won’t be able to exit myself. That’s why I need you close to me. You’re a level three Emperor, and your body is many times more powerful than mine."

"Yes, Master," Morus said.

Gravis nodded and entered the hole again as Morus followed behind him.

’Luckily, I have Morus. Otherwise, I would need to make some kind of rope or contraption to pull me out. Using a contraption is far riskier since I don’t exactly know what will happen as soon as I lose against the gravity,’ Gravis thought. ’Someone with more power is much more reliable.’

Did Gravis have any worries about Morus betraying him or breaking free of the control of the Life Ring?

No.

Where did the Life Ring come from? It came from the highest world and could even contain some weaker Immortals. It was specifically designed to keep such beasts under control. If it were so easy for the Life Ring to break, it wouldn’t sell at all.

Why was the Life Ring so popular in the first place?

Simple, it acted as a portable barracks for bodyguards. Some Cultivator Clans would fill a Life Ring with powerful beasts and give the ring to their weak progeny. Like this, their progeny would always be protected by several powerful beasts without the Clans having to waste personnel.

Because of that, the Life Ring had to be reliable. Otherwise, all the progeny of these Clans would die to their own bodyguards. Gravis knew all this since he wanted to know the uses of what he had actually bought. Gravis knew that sometimes an unreliable weapon was even worse than having no weapon at all.

In no time at all, Gravis and Morus shot past the depth of 15.000 kilometers. Morus was a level three Emperor with a fire affinity. The heat down here was not hard for him to resist.

"Are you still in control, Morus?" Gravis asked.

"Yes, Master," Morus answered.

"How much further do you think you can go until it becomes difficult?" he asked.

"Probably around 10.000 kilometers more. I estimate that the gravity and heat down there will be difficult for me to resist," Morus said.

Gravis nodded. "I don’t intend to go that far. The gravity is already becoming difficult for me to resist right now. Morus, grab my tail," Gravis said as he extended his tail.

Morus grabbed the tail with one of his claws.

"When I tell you to pull, you need to get me out of here," Gravis said.

"Yes, Master," Morus said.

"Alright," Gravis said as he looked downward with shining eyes. "Let’s do this!"

Then, Gravis shot downward with more power as Morus followed him.

At a depth of 17.000 kilometers, Gravis stopped resisting the pull and ordered Morus to keep him stable. Trying to keep himself stable cost more Energy than he was regenerating. As long as he let Morus carry him, he wouldn’t need to waste Energy on that.

"Bring me deeper," Gravis ordered as he hung from Morus’ claw with his tail.

Morus slowly brought them lower.

And when they reached a depth of 19.000 kilometers, Gravis ordered Morus to stop.

Chapter 626 - 626 – Gravity

Gravis needed to use all of his Energy to resist the heat. If he also had to resist the gravity, he would waste far more Energy. Because of that reason, Gravis told Morus to stop. This depth was perfect for him.

"Remain like this and tell me if it becomes difficult for you to keep me from falling," Gravis said.

"Yes, Master," Morus answered.

With that said, Gravis closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling of gravity.

Right now, the gravity was so terrifyingly powerful that some muscles and organs even ruptured from time to time. His tail especially was tearing a lot since it held Gravis’ entire weight. Thankfully, Gravis knew several Life Laws, which made it possible for him to remain in this state indefinitely without running out of Life Energy.

’Gravity penetrates everything,’ Gravis thought. ’With my Body Composition Laws, I can only influence the outside of a being. Everything else is blocked by the will. Yet, gravity goes through everything. Even my will is not able to influence the gravity at all.’

Gravis had already tried to use his Will-Aura to resist the gravity, but it had zero effect. It was like his will couldn’t interact with gravity at all.

Gravis narrowed his eyes as he hung upside down. Then, he scratched his chin. Anyone seeing this would think the image to be quite funny and embarrassing. It looked like Morus had caught a ponderous fish.

’I think this is the first force I have truly experienced that isn’t influenced by a will,’ Gravis thought. ’My Will-Aura can weaken the elements, influence the body, and can even impact the soul. The matter in the surroundings can also be crushed with my Will-Aura. Yet, gravity doesn’t interact with my will at all. This is truly wondrous,’ Gravis thought.

This was a completely new experience for Gravis. Up to now, he could influence everything with his Will-Aura. This was the first time when his Will-Aura didn’t work at all.

’That’s valuable knowledge,’ Gravis thought. ’I mostly rely on my Will-Aura in combat. Without it, someone can scatter my body with the Punishment Lightning Law. Additionally, they could fight me with their full power.’

’Yet, if my enemy knows the Law of Gravity, I wouldn’t even be able to resist. My most powerful weapon, my Will-Aura, would be completely useless. Additionally, my armor, which counts for most of my defense, would even become a burden in this scenario. After all, my armor weighs quite a bit.’

’Huh. That would almost be like fighting against someone with a more powerful Will-Aura than me. I guess that the Law of Gravity is some kind of counter to Will-Auras. I didn’t even know that such a thing existed.’

’Though, I wonder, is this a level two or level three Law?’ Gravis thought. ’I’m pretty sure it’s a level three Law, but I have been mistaken before. I’m also pretty sure that this is only the Mid-Tier form of the Gravity Law.’

’I’m also quite certain that I need it to continue on the Composition Law. After all, if I know everything about Composition, I know how the entire world is made. Yet, what is a world without gravity?’

’Anyway, I should get to comprehending.’

Thus began another long time of Gravis trying to comprehend a Law.

After 20 years, Gravis still felt that the Law of Gravity was wondrous.

After 50 years, Gravis managed to understand some scattered bits of knowledge.

After 80 years, Gravis managed to create some disjointed concepts about how gravity influenced different things.

After 120 years, Gravis managed to combine some of those.

’Man, this is harder than I thought,’ Gravis thought. ’Additionally, I don’t have a good base for understanding gravity. The Composition Laws of Metal and Wood are kind of related to gravity, but they are definitely not prerequisites. At least I’m 100% certain now that this is a level three Law. Additionally, it’s a level three Law that needs to be understood in one go. It’s like Punishment Lightning.’

After 160 years, Gravis saw a lot of concepts.

’Understanding a level three Law in one go is far more difficult than understanding one that’s reliant on a base. I’m using up a terrifying amount of time, but I would need to understand it in the future either way. It doesn’t make a difference if I understand it now or later. At least, right now, I have the opportunity to concentrate on this Law.’

After 200 years, Gravis felt that he managed to understand most of the Law. Now, he only needed to find the last bits.

After 240 years, Gravis was sure that he was nearly there.

After 250 years, Gravis managed to reach the threshold. Yet, instead of trying to break through it, Gravis stopped. He already knew that he couldn’t understand a level three Law without tempering himself. Trying to comprehend it fully now would be a waste of time.

"Morus, bring us up," Gravis ordered.

"Yes, Master," Morus said as he pulled Gravis upward. In the beginning, Gravis had to use a terrifying amount of Life Energy to keep his tail in one piece since they were rising, but the more they rose, the easier it became.

After around 4.000 kilometers, Gravis ordered Morus to release him. From this height, Gravis didn’t need any help to control himself. Gravis righted himself for the first time in 250 years, and it felt weird to be upright again.

’Man, I have been upside down for 250 years. It even feels weird to be upright now. Time really has a weird effect on perception,’ Gravis thought. ’I need to get used to standing upright again.’

"Morus, have you learned something?" Gravis asked.

"Yes, Master. I have not comprehended another Law, but the terrifying heat down here has given me more insights into fire and the Law of Heat," Morus answered respectfully.

Gravis smirked. "That’s good. Now, let’s return to the surface."

"Yes, Master," Morus said.

Then, Gravis and Morus rose upwards again. By now, the hole had closed up again with dried magma, but it wasn’t difficult for them to break through it.

WHOOOOSH!

Suddenly, Gravis and Morus felt water assaulting them. It wasn’t some kind of attack, but simply natural water.

"Huh?" Gravis said. "I don’t remember digging inside water. Did we make a wrong turn?" Gravis asked Morus.

"No, Master. I am certain that this is the place where we have entered," Morus said.

Gravis scratched his chin in thought. ’This can only mean that there is now water where there has been no water. I’m guessing that the sea beasts have made quite some victories if even the core of the continent is affected.’

Gravis rubbed the back of his neck. ’I guess 250 years is a long time. I have been in seclusion for 650 years by now. The world is probably no longer the same as it has been.’

The two of them shot past the seabed and fully entered the water.

"Intruders!" a mighty wave of Beast Sense washed over everything.

’Sure enough, we’re inside sea beast territory now,’ Gravis thought.

In a matter of seconds, a level three Emperor and several level two Emperors arrived and surrounded Gravis and Morus.

Gravis only looked at the gathered forces without any nervousness.

Morus had an above-average Battle-Strength, and Gravis could turn all the other Emperors into dust.

This was not a force that could threaten them.

Yet, Gravis wanted to see how they would react.

Chapter 627 - 627 – Supreme Leader

Gravis looked at the gathered beasts with interest. He wanted to know what had changed during his seclusion.

After the beasts surrounded them, they didn’t immediately attack, surprisingly. One would think that the sea beasts would attack a land beast immediately as soon as they saw one inside their ranks.

"What is your purpose, intruder?" the leading level three Emperor, a swordfish, said. Obviously, since the enemy didn’t know about the relationship between Morus and Gravis, he targeted his question towards Morus, the seemingly more powerful one of the two.

Morus didn’t react and stayed silent.

"We didn’t invade your territory on purpose," Gravis said, surprising the gathered sea beast. Why was the King talking? Did the Emperor feel that they were not worthy enough for him to say something?

"We were deeply underground for over two centuries, trying to comprehend the Law of Gravity. Back then, there was no water here. We simply returned to the spot where we came from, which is here," Gravis said.

Surprisingly, none of the present Emperors rebuked Gravis, even though he was a King. Usually, if a King opened their mouth with so many Emperors present, it would be like a kid trying to partake in a solemn discussion among adults.

One of the Emperors seemed to notice something as his eyes widened. Then, he informed the level three Emperor of something.

Gravis noticed that the level three Emperor had a change in expression as he also realized something. Then, he glanced at Morus and then back at Gravis.

"What’s your name?" the Emperor asked Gravis neutrally.

"I’m Gravis," Gravis said. "This is Morus, my servant," Gravis said as he gestured to Morus.

Immediately, the entire atmosphere changed. Instead of being nervous, all of the gathered beasts became shocked, except for the level three Emperor. His expression changed to a bright smile like he had found a goldmine.

"So, you are Gravis," the Emperor said. "Please ignore our earlier hostilities. After all, we have to protect our territories."

Gravis was a bit surprised at how friendly the level three Emperor suddenly became. Weren’t they still at war with the land beasts?

"It’s no problem," Gravis said with a dismissive wave. "I guess that Orthar has given you some orders regarding me?" he asked.

The Emperors became shocked when Gravis spoke out Orthar’s name. Was Gravis suicidal!?

If fish could sweat, the swordfish would probably sweat out of nervousness right now. "As expected," he said silently.

"Yes, the Supreme Leader has ordered us that we should find you and bring you to him. The Supreme Leader has also ordered that we have to treat you with respect," the swordfish said.

Gravis nodded. "Sure, bring me to him."

The swordfish nodded with a smile and ordered the other beasts to scatter. After that, he gestured for Gravis to follow him.

Gravis and Morus followed the swordfish for a short while. The central base for the sea beasts was inside the Grand Lake, and Gravis had entered the ground from close to the Grand Lake. Because of that, the base was not far away at all.

Surprisingly, the base of the sea beasts was not in the middle of the Grand Lake but at its edges. Yet, Gravis quickly realized the reason behind the peculiar placement. The sea beasts were probably not big fans of the Striders constantly walking over their territory.

Gravis already felt Orthar before he even properly entered the humongous Abyss, which was the core of the entire sea beasts’ faction. Yet, he didn’t contact him until they stood right before him.

They quickly swam past several level three Emperors and two level four Emperors. After that, the three of them reached the bottom of the Abyss, where a gigantic octopus resided. Orthar took up the entire ground of the Abyss with a lot of his tentacles buried inside the ground.

The swordfish bowed before Orthar and left quickly without saying a word.

Gravis had to smirk when he saw Orthar.

"This reminds me of the time we met," Gravis said. "Back then, you were also half-buried in the ground. The only difference was that you had been hidden."

"Half-true," Orthar commented. "Only a tenth of my body is visible as the rest stretches across the entire Grand Lake."

Gravis smirked. "So, you have noticed me even before your forces?" Gravis asked.

"Correct," Orthar said, "but the loyalty of forces has to be tested regularly. Enemies from inside are a bigger threat than outside enemies."

Gravis nodded. As long as Orthar’s forces didn’t know that he saw everything inside the Grand Lake, they would show their true colors.

However, Gravis thought that this deception was unnecessary. Who could even pose a danger to Orthar?

After all, he was a level five Emperor right now.

Yes, in the past 650 years, Orthar had managed to become a level five Emperor, and Gravis knew that Orthar wouldn’t have taken this step if he hadn’t already comprehended a level three Law. Orthar could probably ascend anytime he wanted.

"I guess that you already have comprehended a level three Law and have become an Ascender?" Gravis asked.

"Obviously," Orthar answered. "I would be a fool to ascend to this level without having comprehended one."

Gravis nodded. "So, the sea beasts still have two Ultimates, or is there a new one?" Gravis asked.

"The sea beasts have no Ultimates left," Orthar answered.

Gravis’ eyebrows lifted in surprise, but he quickly found out the reason. "I guess you killed the other two to become a level five Emperor?" Gravis asked.

"Correct," Orthar answered. "They have fulfilled their uses and have become my steppingstones for understanding a level three Law."

Gravis had to sigh when he heard that. The two Ultimates had helped and protected Orthar. Yet, Orthar killed and consumed them without any second thoughts. Orthar’s cold, logical nature was hazardous to not only his enemies but his comrades as well. Sometimes, Gravis even doubted if Orthar actually saw him as a friend or a tool.

If someone were to offer a massive reward for Gravis’ death, would Orthar try to kill him for his personal gain? Gravis didn’t know.

’Well, if I don’t know, let’s just ask him,’ Gravis thought.

"Say, Orthar," Gravis started. "I see how you have killed nearly every single companion along your journey. So, my question is, if my death would benefit you, would you kill me?" Gravis asked.

"Too risky," Orthar said immediately. "Your cultivation, powers, talent, mindset, and everything else about you is indecipherable. I have no confidence in knowing everything about your power, and I also have no confidence in scheming against you. The chance of death is too high for me to scheme against you, even now, with me being an entire Realm above you."

Gravis found that Orthar’s answer made a lot of sense. "And if that were not the case?" Gravis asked.

"Then you would not be my friend," Orthar answered directly. "Someone with a weaker power or weaker mind is a tool. Only someone that can rival me in these aspects can be considered a companion."

Gravis scratched his chin. That also made sense. After all, Gravis also didn’t care much about weaker beings. All his friends had proven to be outstanding, which was the reason why they were his friends in the first place.

"What if I became useless?" Gravis asked in interest.

"Nothing would change," Orthar said. "The Realm is only momentary. Going against you because of a momentary phase of weakness might become my doom in the far future. Either I would need to kill you or not offend you at all."

"If I had enough power that I would be certain of your death, I wouldn’t need the reward that anyone would give out for killing someone so much weaker. Instead, I’m banking on our feeling of companionship. Killing you has no positive outcomes while remaining your companion has a lot of potential benefits."

Gravis smiled when he heard that. "Thank you for answering my questions, Orthar," Gravis said.

"Logical," Orthar said. "My logical conduct intrinsically cultivates feelings of doubt and suspicion. Eliminating these feelings is important for successful cooperation."

Gravis nodded. "So, I’m guessing you are ready to ascend now?" he asked.

Surprisingly, Orthar didn’t immediately answer, which made Gravis raise an eyebrow.

"I have searched for you for over a century but couldn’t find you. Therefore, I was certain of your death. I have already attempted to ascend, but something happened after I have killed my seventh Strider," Orthar said.

Gravis grew interested. "Oh?"

Chapter 628 - 628 – Similarities

What could possibly have happened that it stopped Orthar from ascending? The only two things Gravis could think of were Meadow or Heaven interfering. Yet, if Heaven interfered, Orthar wouldn’t be alive anymore. Keeping troublemakers alive was not something that Heaven usually did.

"What happened?" Gravis asked.

"Someone contacted me, telling me that you were still in this world and that I only had to wait for you to reappear," Orthar said.

"Did you know that voice? Was it Meadow?" Gravis asked.

"It was not the ruler," Orthar said. "It was a male voice. His voice radiated with an indescribable feeling of authority and power. When I heard his voice, it felt like existence itself was talking to me. When I heard him, my entire being rejected his voice. It was like my being couldn’t acknowledge that someone like this even existed."

"Oh!" Gravis said. "That was probably my father."

"Your father?" Orthar asked. "You have told me that he is impossibly powerful. Yet, is he so powerful that he can even see my actions from your homeworld?"

Gravis nodded. "Father watches over me when I’m in another world. He does that to ensure that Heaven doesn’t pull something sneaky. He knows that we are companions and informed you to wait. Since he contacted you, it also means that he has probably agreed that you can come home with me."

Orthar remained silent for a while. "So, I have come into contact with one of the two most powerful beings in existence," Orthar commented quietly.

"Eh," Gravis said with a dismissive wave. "He’s not so bad. I’ll introduce you to him when we return to the highest world."

Orthar wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to meet the owner of that voice. His whole being told him that he shouldn’t come into contact with that person. Orthar felt that if he came into contact with the Opposer, he would have broken a taboo. It would feel like he had done something unforgivable.

Gravis noticed Orthar’s subtle change and groaned. "Oh, come on," Gravis said. "Father is just a human. Meanwhile, you have an incredible amount of tentacles, and there are eyes all over your entire body. As far as I see, you look like the one that someone wouldn’t want to meet."

Yes, Orthar’s appearance had changed. Instead of only having eight tentacles, Orthar was basically oozing with many thin and long tentacles. Additionally, there were a ton of eyes all over his body.

"Man, if I didn’t know you, I would think that you look like-"

Gravis suddenly stopped.

Yes, there had been another being that looked similar to Orthar.

Orthar noticed that Gravis stopped talking and grew interested. He hadn’t expected such a reaction from Gravis.

"Orthar," Gravis said evenly, "why have you chosen this form?"

Orthar noticed the change of tone in Gravis’ voice transmission. Gravis didn’t sound like his usual, friendly self. Instead, he sounded highly suspicious, like he suspected Orthar to be a traitor.

"I feel closer to the Laws with this form," Orthar said. "When I became an Emperor, I have decided to let the Laws guide my evolution. That was how I ended up with so many eyes."

Gravis looked with concentration at Orthar, like he wanted to discern if Orthar was speaking the truth. After looking at Orthar for a while, Gravis sighed.

Orthar’s explanation made a lot of sense. After all, hadn’t Azure chosen a similar form to a human’s for the same reason?

"Good," Gravis said. "That makes sense."

"Gravis," Orthar said. "You seem to know something about why this form makes me feel closer to the Laws. Please, tell me."

Gravis noticed that Orthar said please, which was something that beasts didn’t really do. Apparently, he had gained quite some experience in acting like a human.

Gravis sighed again. "It’s logical that this form makes you feel closer to the Laws."

"After all, you look very similar to Heaven," Gravis said.

The Heaven from the lower world had looked like a long, black worm with a ton of eyes. Meanwhile, Orthar also had a ton of eyes. This strange and unnatural aspect of having so many eyes made them look similar. Additionally, if one cut off one of Orthar’s eye-filled tentacles, one would think this tentacle to be a Heaven.

"I look like Heaven?" Orthar asked. For once, he was actually surprised. He had no idea how Heaven actually looked like, but he had subconsciously taken a similar form? Was that possible?

While Orthar was thinking about his appearance, Gravis also noticed other things. Orthar’s cold and logical mindset in managing a power also resembled Heaven’s conduct. Orthar only looked at the gains with no care for any feelings of loyalty or companionship.

If Orthar were leading a world instead of Heaven, Gravis guessed that Orthar would act very similarly to Heaven.

Yet, there was also a difference between individual Heavens. Orthar wasn’t similar at all to the lower Heaven. The lower Heaven had acted like a child with too much power. Additionally, it was far too incompetent.

Orthar also wasn’t similar to the middle Heaven. This middle Heaven followed its ancestor’s orders like they were holy decrees. Following orders without thinking for oneself didn’t fit Orthar.

Instead, Orthar seemed more similar to the highest Heaven.

Both of them followed cold logic. Both of them used every means to get as many gains as possible. Additionally, both of them were incredibly good at scheming. The highest Heaven was so good at scheming that not even Gravis’ father, the Opposer, could see through all of Heaven’s actions.

’Is this one of Heaven’s schemes, or is this just a coincidence?’ Gravis thought. ’It’s very possible that Orthar truly only chose this form to become closer to the Laws, but it’s also possible that he has been specifically created by Heaven to make me empathize with it.’

’If I have a close friend that’s very similar to Heaven, I may develop some feelings of understanding towards Heaven, which makes it more likely for me to forgive it for its past conduct. Yet, it’s also possible that it is just a coincidence.’

Then, Gravis remembered something that threw his suspicions out of the window.

’If this was one of Heaven’s schemes, father wouldn’t have stopped Orthar from ascending. There is no way that father wouldn’t have noticed if Heaven did something. Additionally, Heaven had no idea to which world I would go to. Father has chosen the world, and he only told me about it when it was time for me to leave.’

"Forget it," Gravis said. "I was overthinking."

Orthar wasn’t sure what Gravis meant with that comment, but he remained silent. If Gravis didn’t want to tell him something, he wouldn’t ask.

"So, what happened in the past 600 years?" Gravis asked.

Then, Orthar told Gravis about all the changes.

First of all, there were no Ultimates left. There were two level five Emperors, and both of them didn’t count as Ultimates. One of them was Orthar, and the other was the ruler of all beings, Meadow.

As far as everyone knew, such a situation had never happened before. There had never been a time when there hadn’t been, at least, one Ultimate.

The next thing was that the number of level four Emperors became frighteningly low. Right now, there were only five level four Emperors left that Orthar knew of. Two were from the sea beasts, while the three others were from the land beasts.

That development was explicitly something that Orthar had created. The reason for that was control.

Right now, the southern, western, and northern regions of the land beasts had one level four Emperor each. Yet, realistically, the land beasts only had one level four Emperor. That was because of one of Orthar’s actions which made it impossible for them to coordinate an attack.

After the sea beasts had taken over the eastern third of the continent, they stopped expanding outward. The ruler, Meadow, had decreed that everyone would get a half. Yet, she hadn’t said how the half had to be distributed.

Because of that, Orthar had only taken a third of the world and then created two mighty rivers. The rivers started at the Grand Lake and ended in the ocean. Each one was over 100.000 kilometers wide, far wider than any beast sense could reach.

These two rivers split the three territories of the land beasts apart. One river went through the northwest, while the other went through the southwest of the continent. Like this, the three remaining territories couldn’t talk to each other without invading the territory of the sea beasts.

Additionally, Orthar hadn’t taken his entire 50% yet. He could still get another 5% of the total area without breaking Meadow’s decree. This made it impossible for any level four Emperor to leave their territory and communicate with another territory.

After all, if one of them left, the sea beasts would know that this territory had no level four Emperor protecting it. This would leave the territory vulnerable to an opportunity attack. None of the three regions wanted to be the one that would lose a ton of their land.

This created a scenario where the sea beasts had less territory but were in complete control. They could decide when and where to attack.

This distribution had created a proverbial meatgrinder. Back then, there had only been two front lines. The southern and northern territory had had one frontline each, while the western territory had nothing.

Now, every territory was surrounded by sea beasts. The frontline stretched over their entire border. This intensified the war between beasts. Everyone was forced to participate in the war if they didn’t want to get annihilated.

After all, one had to remember that Meadow ordered the territories to be split. She didn’t order that the beasts were not allowed to enter the other’s territory.

So, if the defenses of the land beasts failed, the sea beasts could roll over their region and kill every single beast while not claiming their territory for the sea.

This would transform the now three continents effectively into dead wastelands.

The war was as intense as never before, and the sea beasts were in full control.

Orthar had won the war.

Chapter 629 - 629 – Preparations Finished

Gravis talked some more with Orthar and asked him the question of how his children were. Orthar had the biggest intelligence network out of any beast in this world, maybe even bigger than Meadow’s.

Orthar told Gravis that he specifically ordered his sea beasts to keep a lookout for Gravis’ children, but with the new dynamic, finding traitors in the ranks of the land beasts was much harder. When the land beasts hadn’t felt to be in true danger, running over to the sea beasts was no problem. Yet, if they left their camp now, they might be the next after their regions were destroyed. Because of that, fewer of them dared to collude with the sea beasts.

So, the only piece of intelligence that Orthar had was that all three of Gravis’ children were somewhere in the southern region. The last time any of them had been seen had been about 70 years ago in a battle. As long as the land beasts didn’t do something nefarious, Gravis’ children should still be alive.

Gravis was relieved when he heard that. Even after 650 years, his children were still alive.

Not only that, apparently, they had also all become Emperors. On top of that, they all still had the power to jump an entire level inside the Emperor ranks, which was very impressive.

Gravis also asked Orthar what he was planning to do now. Orthar told Gravis that he would remain here and comprehend more Laws until Gravis was ready to leave. Gravis could take all the time he needed to prepare himself since Orthar wasn’t in a hurry.

Gravis informed Orthar that he would first comprehend more about lightning and then become active. Everything from that point onward would go very quickly. As soon as he found a beast to temper himself against, he would fight it, consume it, and become an Emperor. At that point, there was no reason to temper himself anymore since there were no worthy enemies left. Then, Gravis would rapidly advance through the ranks.

As soon as Gravis became an Emperor, he would only make one last stop for one last thing before fighting Heaven. Yet, in comparison to his seclusion, this last little thing wouldn’t take up much time.

After some hours of talking, Gravis and Orthar said their goodbyes as Gravis and Morus left. Seeing that there was not much land left, Gravis decided to go to Meadow’s territory.

A singular island was amidst the sea. Tons of plants and mortals animals lived there as no sea beast dared to invade. This was Meadows’ territory, and no one dared to enter it with malicious intentions.

Gravis didn’t want to disturb Meadow, so he simply sat down and thought about his lightning. He needed a Law of Speed, and Gravis was sure that lightning had a relevant level two Law in that department.

Gravis imagined the Law of Lightning’s Speed and thought about his other Laws. There had to be some connection between the Laws that allowed lightning to move even faster.

BOOOOM!

After five years of remaining motionless, Gravis had managed to comprehend another Law of Lightning. Yet, it wasn’t the one he desired.

Gravis had comprehended the level one Law of Lightning’s Power.

In comparison to the Law of Lightning’s Explosiveness, this Law simply increased the power of Gravis’ lightning overall. It wasn’t a significant increase in power, but it also didn’t increase Gravis’ Energy output. This was important since Gravis could now move slightly faster and attack slightly more powerful without wasting more resources.

This was actually the perfect level one Law for his current situation, a small boost in speed and offense without any additional cost.

’I have concentrated on the aspect of speed, yet I have comprehended the Law of Lightning’s Power. This probably means that this Law is related to the level two Law of Lightning’s Supreme Speed. I’m sure there is one,’ Gravis thought.

15 more years passed, and finally, Gravis got what he had wished for.

BOOOOM!

’Finally!’ Gravis thought as he opened his eyes. ’The Law of Supreme Lightning Speed,’ he thought with shining eyes.

’Yet, the effect of the Law is different from what I had thought. Instead of increasing my speed, it cuts down my Energy usage severely when I use the Law of Lightning’s Speed,’ Gravis thought as he scratched his chin.

’But I think that’s actually even better than if it would increase my speed. Using all my acceleration has always cost me a lot of Energy. With this, my base movement speed has risen significantly since I can keep it activated.’

’Additionally, there is something else,’ Gravis thought with a smirk. ’My Lightning Acceleration has also cost me a ton of Energy to use. Yet, with the Law of Supreme Lightning Speed, the Law of Lightning’s Power, and the Law of Lightning’s Explosiveness, I can cut down even more on the Energy cost. This means that I can also keep up my Lightning Acceleration nearly indefinitely.’

’So, all in all, my top speed didn’t increase, but my average speed experienced a sharp rise. I think this is actually good enough for my goals.’

Gravis stood up for the first time in 20 years and stretched himself.

’Now, I actually need to prepare my equipment before I have my first fight,’ Gravis thought.

Whooop!

Gravis summoned a massive pile of different kinds of materials. One could see powerful ore, but also wood, water, air, and many other kinds of materials.

’First, my inner armor,’ Gravis thought as he concentrated on the specific materials. Gravis used wood, earth, ash, and many other similar materials to create a tight, black suit. This suit was necessary to give him a softer impact if he got hit by an enemy.

If a level three Emperor managed to hit Gravis with a physical attack, Gravis’ body would be torn apart due to the force. Just the physical power behind the attack would smash Gravis to pieces, which was why he needed something flexible to cushion the blow.

Gravis quickly put the suit on, which encompassed his entire body, except for his face.

’Next thing, the soft armor,’ Gravis thought.

Then, Gravis manipulated different kinds of leaves, liquids, and gasses to fuse with each other. After some minutes, Gravis had created something like a thin and springy cushion in the form of his body’s outline.

’Great,’ Gravis thought. ’This cushion-like substance will lessen the impact even more and will distribute the force over a bigger area. Additionally, the other side of the cushion will also stop me more gently.’

Gravis quickly retrieved the cushion and summoned it around his body. This cushion also had no opening except for Gravis’ head.

’Last thing, the outer armor,’ Gravis thought. After that, he quickly summoned different kinds of metal. In comparison to the other two parts, Gravis had to use a ton of lightning to forge his armor. Creating something soft was far easier than creating something hard.

After several minutes, Gravis expended nearly all of his lightning, but he had created an imposing, black suit of armor. Now that he had enough materials, he could finally pay attention to color without sacrificing effectiveness.

Gravis summoned the armor around his body.

Finally, Gravis was done with his armor.

’Weapons and shield,’ Gravis thought as he used a ton of ore to create multiple sets of weapons. If one of them broke, he would have several more to spare.

After that, Gravis was exhausted. So, he quickly rested until his lightning and Spirit returned to their peak. Yet, that was only short-lived since Gravis had to preload his weapon.

After loading his weapon, Gravis rested again until he was at his peak.

’It’s time!’ Gravis thought with shining eyes. ’My next fight will be perilous, and it will also be my first time fighting against someone four levels above me. I hope I have prepared enough.’

"Morus, follow me," Gravis ordered.

"Yes, Master," Morus said.

Gravis flew away from Meadow’s island until he was at a place with no land present. This would be perfect.

"Wait here, Morus," Gravis said.

"Yes, Master," Morus answered.

Gravis flew away from Morus until he had a distance of 100 kilometers.

Then, he turned around and summoned his Life Ring.

With a smirk, Gravis looked at Morus as he summoned his weapons.

Then, he destroyed Morus’ slave mark.

Morus would be his opponent!

Chapter 630 - 630 – Morus' Control

Morus’ mind recovered instantly as his old personality returned. Gone was his reverence towards Gravis. Now, he was able to see Gravis for what he was.

The over 700 years of being a servant appeared inside his mind. The 700 years of having no freedom felt terrifying to him. He had wasted 700 years under someone else!

Gravis had already fully prepared himself for the inevitable battle. Every single beast that had been freed from Gravis’ Life Ring previously had wanted nothing but his death. Being stripped of one’s own will was not something that someone could take easily.

Morus’ eyes narrowed as killing intent radiated from him. Then, he looked with cold eyes at the distant Gravis.

Yet, instead of speaking or attacking, Morus remained silent for several seconds. He was only glaring coldly at Gravis.

But then, he relaxed and looked evenly at Gravis. "You have not thought this through, Gravis," Morus said coldly.

Gravis only smirked. "I have had this plan for several centuries now, Morus," Gravis said. "I know that you have a high chance of killing me, but if you didn’t have this chance, I wouldn’t have freed you. You should know that I require genuine tempering since you should also know me pretty well by now."

Morus harrumphed. "That is not what I have meant."

"Enlighten me," Gravis said slowly.

"Being under someone else’s suppression and control for so long truly makes me hate you. Yet, I know your power. If I were to attack you out of rage, I have a possibility of death without any potential reward. What do I get out of our fight?" Morus said.

Gravis raised an eyebrow. "There is something to that, yes, but are you just willing to walk away like that?"

Morus slowly shook his head. "These are the two use-cases you had come up with when you decided to release me, right? Either I had to fight you or avoid a fight with you."

"What else is there for you to choose?" Gravis asked.

Morus sneered as he lifted his right claw. "You have forgotten something. I have a bellyful of anger and hatred towards you bottled up deep inside of me. Yet, if I fight you, I might very well die. Then, wouldn’t I die filled with regrets?"

Then, Morus lifted his left claw. "Yet, if I simply flee like this, I won’t ever be able to get rid of this hatred. I want to hurt you, but I might not have the power to hurt you, but I also can’t let you go."

"So," Morus said with a smirk. "What method do I have to hurt you immensely without battling you?"

First, Gravis had no idea what Morus meant, but then his eyes widened in horror.

Gravis had committed a horrible mistake!

Morus knew nearly everything about him. This meant that he also knew of Gravis’ weakness.

Morus noticed Gravis’ change of expression and smirked. "You are powerful enough to resist me, but what about your offspring?" Morus asked with a voice of superiority. "What if I just went to the southern territories and killed your offspring? What then?"

Gravis’ insides churned as his mind filled with fear, panic, rage, hatred, and helplessness. Morus was faster than Gravis. If Morus wanted to flee, Gravis had no way to stop him!

Additionally, the last news he had heard from Orthar about his children was that they had been level one Emperors. Becoming level two Emperors would already be amazing in such a short time, but they couldn’t possibly be level three Emperors. Additionally, Morus was above-average for a level three Emperor. His children would have no chance against him.

Yet, Gravis only narrowed his eyes as he looked with killing intent at Morus. "If you do that, you will forfeit your life, and you know that," Gravis said. "As soon as I see you trying to flee, I will search for the next level two Emperor and become an Emperor myself. At that point, only death awaits you."

"What if I have already accepted my death?" Morus asked. "I have been under your control for 700 years, and that hatred is so powerful that I want to resolve it, even if I die. Not everyone is as rational as you, Gravis. Sometimes, beasts do something that is damaging to themselves out of emotional reasons."

Gravis gnashed his teeth. He knew that was a possibility, but he had banked on the fact that Morus was still rational. After all, Morus was still talking to him.

"Then why are you not doing it, Morus?" Gravis asked coldly.

"To show you that you are not in control, Gravis," Morus answered with a smirk. "You believe yourself to be in control far more often than you actually are. This is a weakness of yours. You believe yourself to be safe in the core of the continent since no one would get anything out of a fight with you."

Morus gestured to his surroundings. "Yet, what about emotions? What if a beast wants to make a name for themselves and kill the legendary Gravis? Maybe there is a fanatic group among the sea beasts that believe you to still be part of the land beasts’ camp, even though you have left it?"

"One level three Emperor is a challenge, but two are your death. You think very logically and rationally, but not everyone thinks logically and rationally. Some beasts just follow their feelings, and if they feel threatened by your mere existence, they might act against you."

"By remaining this openly in the middle of the world, are you not banking on your own luck? Are you not banking on the fact that no beast has any interest in killing you even though there are countless beasts? Are you saying that there isn’t, at least, one idiot among millions of beasts? Are you that naïve?" Morus asked.

"And what about your background?" Morus continued. "Not everyone shares the same mindset as that one white ape in the old Icy Pride Empire. He has the wise mindset of looking at the long-term benefits when making decisions. Yet, sometimes, someone doesn’t have the time to consider the long-term benefits. Sometimes, you need short-term benefits to even stay alive."

"You tell everyone of your background and your extraordinary powers and bank on the fact that they wouldn’t want to risk fighting you. Isn’t that also relying on luck?"

"In the end," Morus said slowly with a smirk, "You are not in control but are relying on everyone else being as rational as you, which is naïve."

Gravis hated what he was hearing, but he had to concede the fact that Morus was right. People and beasts often thought of others to be more like themselves. Deceiving people saw traitors and deceptive intent in everyone around them, while naïve people saw only friendliness and good around them.

Yet, there were still apathetic people and people who didn’t consider their own gain. Gravis had bet too much on the fact that everyone was able to remain rational in an emotional and stressful situation.

"Why are you telling me this, Morus?" Gravis asked coldly. "You should know that your words are only benefiting me since you are highlighting one of my weaknesses. If you wanted to hurt me, you would have immediately acted without telling me anything."

Morus had to laugh at Gravis’ words. "Do you see this?" Morus said. "Even now, you believe that you know how I think. You believe that just because I teach you something now, that I don’t want to hurt you. For a beast similar to you, that might be true."

"But as for the reason..." Morus said as he trailed off with a smirk.

"I only wanted to give you hope before I dash it."

BANG!

And Morus shot towards the south with full speed.