Ch. 721..730

Chapter 721 - 721 – Goals Met

The three of them talked about seemingly random things for the next couple of hours. By the end of it, Jake also wasn’t sure anymore if this entire dynamic was one of Heaven’s schemes or not. The possibility was there, but for Jake, this made no difference. He only needed to look at Yersi to know that everything else was not important. The only important thing was that he had met Yersi.

After their talk was over, Gravis went back to comprehending Core. His conscience regarding his lie had been cleared, and now, he had to deal with his lightning, and for that, he needed power.

The Virtualization Array created more ore, and Gravis went back to comprehending. He was seemingly lost again, but not entirely. The problem with his lightning was always in the back of his head.

After around another hundred years, Gravis understood all the materials he could see. Now, he concentrated on the metal essence going through all the different materials. This was the only thing he didn’t understand yet.

Thanks to his understanding of all the different materials, Gravis made incredible progress with the metal essence. He found one connection after the other. Yet, there was still a ton to learn.

BOOOOM!

And after another 80 years, Gravis finally managed to comprehend Core.

Yet, Gravis also had to sigh. "680 years to understand Core, huh?" he muttered to himself. "This is even more than the clerk expected."

Gravis retrieved the Virtualization Array and looked around the ore. In comparison to other Virtualization Arrays, the created ore didn’t just vanish. Gravis simply remained standing in this position, looking at the entire mountain as understanding filled his mind.

He knew how all of these ores worked, and he had also seen a lot of connections between the ores. He knew how the different Ores interacted with each other and what attributes were shared among each other.

CRRR!

Gravis grabbed some of the ore and melted it down to create a weapon. He hadn’t tried to melt more than one material at a time since this would encroach on the High-Tier Hard Complex Law, which was definitely out of his reach.

Gravis simply played around with the different kinds of ore and mixed them together how he wanted. He only wanted to see what would happen.

After some minutes, Gravis noticed that some ores could stick together and compress on their own. This surprised him quite a bit since compressing ores was normally only something one could do when they understood the corresponding Law, and Gravis was sure that he hadn’t understood the High-Tier Hard Pure Law yet.

Because of this, Gravis looked at other fusions and was able to create some patterns.

Some hours later, Gravis used only one ore and forged a weapon.

Gravis looked at his newly created weapon as he scratched his chin. "Theoretically..." he said as he trailed off.

Then, he pushed them together in a very special manner as his Spirit moved individual particles around to certain places. He had noticed how these particles had aligned when he had mixed this ore with another one.

The weapon creaked as it was about to break apart again, making Gravis narrow his eyes. "Something’s missing," he uttered. "It’s like there is a wall that the metal has to breakthrough in order to stick together. When I push them together, it’s like the metal is rejecting itself, but as soon as it is compressed to a certain degree, everything just automatically sticks together."

"Yet, the problem is that the metal will break apart due to the pressure before reaching that compression stage. This kind of reminds me of magnetism. Two magnets of the same charge reject each other, but if they fuse, they create one big magnet," Gravis commented.

Gravis summoned more of his lightning but used the Law of Magnetism with it.

BANG!

Gravis’ eyes widened when he saw that the ore immediately rammed into another piece after his magnetized lightning bolt passed between the two. Gravis’ mind went into overdrive as he tried to understand this concept.

BANG BANG BANG!

Gravis moved his loaded lightning through certain pathways, making the different pieces of ore stick together in a certain way. Without an absolutely inhuman amount of control over lightning, this would have been impossible.

After some minutes, Gravis looked at his finished saber, which had a compressed edge.

"Huh, is it actually magnetism?" Gravis asked.

BOOOOM!

Gravis’ eyes widened again as he dropped the weapon. Had he just? Yes, he had!

Gravis had comprehended the High-Tier Hard Pure Material Law!

"Oh, I get it!" Gravis said as he slapped his thigh. "It actually is magnetism! By moving the ore in a specific way, I can use the force of the magnetism to make them attract to each other without repelling them. At least, that’s how normal Cultivators would do this."

"In comparison, I can simply shoot my lightning through it to destroy the repelling forces!" Gravis said with a bright smile.

"No wonder it took me that long," he shouted as he laughed. "I was only supposed to learn the metal essence, not all the individual materials. Yet, I concentrated on the individual materials first before going for the metal essence."

Gravis scratched his chin. "But that does not completely make sense," he uttered. "I just comprehended a level four Law from a level three Virtualization Array. A business wouldn’t make such a mistake. After all, they would lose a ton of money like that."

Gravis looked around again and checked out the ore. "The first Virtualization Array had the same materials as the second one. They probably only show around 50% of the different ores that exist in the higher worlds. Like this, people wouldn’t be able to understand the High-Tier Hard Pure Material Law.

Then, Gravis smirked. "Lucky for me, the last step to understanding the materials is overcoming the magnetic resistance. Others would probably need to see far more materials to find the correct path to fuse all of them, while I can just use my Law of Magnetism with my control over lightning."

"Who would have thought that my lightning would be so crucial to understanding my first real High-Tier Law," Gravis said as he chuckled a bit.

"Anyway, this concludes my Law Comprehension Session," Gravis said. "It’s been 1530 years since I returned to the highest world, and I hadn’t had a proper fight during that time. That’s nearly the entire half of my life, and I should return soon."

"By now, I know exactly 86 Laws, and I’m a bit over 3800 years old. I think this is a good point to return to my actual cultivation journey. Even now, I am still weaker than the middle Heaven, but I can’t rest easy and cultivate for such a long time while this issue with my lightning persists."

"All these different elemental Laws can’t increase my offense, but they will help in my defense, but when I understand the High-Tier Pure Elemental Law, I will be able to wield them. On top of that, this Law would be able to boost the power of the elements by an entire level, allowing all my elements to unleash the power of level four Laws."

"Right now, I should still be able to fight four levels above me, but that is only considering if my opponent is average. As soon as I am engulfed in a world of humans again, I will see many more geniuses. Beasts all follow the same path, while the paths of humans are varied and result in great gulfs of power."

"In order to boost my Battle-Strength to another level, the fastest way would be to understand the High-Tier Pure Elemental Law, and that will probably take me several centuries, at least. On top of that, I would need to spend a ton of money, requiring me to work for several centuries more. I’m not willing to stay here for another millennium."

Gravis took a deep breath as he made his decision.

In just a couple of years, he would enter the higher world. His two goals in staying home had been achieved. Gravis had finally cemented this world as his home, and he had comprehended the different Elemental Laws.

The only reason to remain here would be to spend even more time with his family, but that was not a necessity anymore. Yersi was happy, Orthar was gone, and no one else from his family would die in the next millennia. This was the perfect time to return.

SHING!

Gravis teleported away and reappeared in front of his father.

His father opened his eyes and looked at Gravis, and Gravis looked back.

"I’m done," Gravis said. "I’m ready to continue my journey in a couple of years."

Chapter 722 - 722 – A Talk

The Opposer looked at his son and nodded. "It took you longer to comprehend the High-Tier Elemental Laws than I had anticipated, but you managed to understand the High-Tier Hard Pure Material Law during this process. All in all, this is better than expected."

"I also agree that this is the perfect opportunity to continue your journey. Waiting for too long might weaken your resolve. If you wanted to stop your cultivation, there wouldn’t be any problem, but you don’t."

Gravis nodded as he accepted a cup of coffee from his father. "I have stayed here for a long time, and I finally know the highest world more than before. Yet, I also realize that the outside of the highest world is probably very different from the city."

"It is," the Opposer said. "The city is peaceful, but the outside is not peaceful. This city is the only peaceful place in this world, and that only because it acts as the major trading hub for the highest world. No major power wants Opposer City to be destroyed since its economy allows people between the Unity and Star God Realm to find the things they need to become more powerful."

"The outside world is different. Any city or power can be destroyed, and no one would feel any kind of consequence. When you return, you shouldn’t assume that you know the highest world just because you stayed in the city."

Gravis nodded. "I know. I have been reminded of that when I heard Jake ask about your power. I had expected that everyone knew that you were the only being stronger than a Heaven’s Magnate, but that isn’t the case apparently."

The Opposer drank a mouthful of his coffee. "People have different horizons, Gravis," he said. "Many people have heard about Heaven’s Magnates, but they can’t accept that there are people that much stronger. They see their exalted teachers, who are Ancestral Gods, but know of the illustrious Sect Leaders of the most powerful Sects, who are Divine Gods."

"Believing that there are people that could kill their exalted teacher with but a wave of their hand is already hard to accept, but believing that there are beings that can extinguish these mighty Sect Leaders with a wave of their hands is even harder to believe. It is only natural that people wouldn’t want to believe that there is someone that can extinguish Heaven’s Magnates with a wave of his hand."

"If someone were to come up to you and tell you that there is someone that can wipe out Heaven with a wave of their hand, you would also not believe them, even if it were true. Your horizons have only reached as far as mine, after all."

Gravis nodded. "I always believed that the highest world would be this all-powerful place where everyone knew everything about the world and Heaven’s secrets, but I now know that this thought was naïve. They are people, just like everyone else."

The Opposer nodded. "When do you want to go?"

"I think 170 years sounds good," Gravis said. "I think I will stay until my 4,000th birthday and then leave. This should act as a nice, last get-together for everyone I know," Gravis said.

"Sounds good," the Opposer said. "Right now, you are the most powerful Early Minor Circulation Immortal that exists, Gravis, but you need to keep comprehending Laws. Remember that being the strongest in your Realm is not your goal, but freedom is, and you can only achieve freedom by being more powerful than the Heavens and the Old Bastard."

Gravis surprisingly didn’t feel happy when he heard that he was the strongest person at his level. Everyone else would be happy and proud, but Gravis felt like this wasn’t good at all.

Gravis had seen the gigantic gulf between normal people and a Heaven. Even being able to annihilate everyone else in a world with a wave of one’s hand wouldn’t even be powerful enough to resist one wave of Heaven’s hand. One truly had to break all kinds of conventions to reach the absurd heights of a Heaven’s power.

The fact that Gravis was the most powerful Early Minor Circulation Immortal only made it harder for him to evaluate Heaven’s power. If there were more powerful Immortals, he would be able to compare his powers with them and see how far away he currently was from Heaven’s power.

Sadly, that was not the case. Gravis could only theoretically estimate Heaven’s power but couldn’t directly see it.

"Even now, I am weaker than the middle Heaven," Gravis said.

"You are," the Opposer said directly. "You know that you have only won because the middle Heaven had underestimated you. Some people would argue that it didn’t matter. You have indirectly killed it, which means that you are more powerful. In some sense, that is true, but relying on something like that is relying on luck, and we don’t have that luxury."

"Luck, huh?" Gravis commented. Then, he sighed. "Father, has Jake been introduced to Yersi because of Heaven?"

"Gravis," the Opposer said. "You are no longer a child. As an Immortal, you could even cultivate in the highest world already. You have truly stepped on the path of cultivation, and you’re no longer a kid in regards to the Laws."

"In regards to cultivation, you are now a young adult, and with adulthood comes responsibility. These are things that you have to find out yourself and understand yourself because you have chosen a path that doesn’t rely on my power."

"The same thing is true for your issue with your lightning. You have decided to go through with attuning your Spirit to Destruction Lightning, and you’re now old and mature enough to carry the responsibility for this action. You can request help with your issues, but you must still resolve them yourself, Gravis," the Opposer said.

Gravis sighed. For a bit, he felt guilty that he had asked his father about Jake. Gravis knew that these were his problems and that he should resolve them. "You’re right. Sorry, father," Gravis said.

"Nothing to be sorry about," the Opposer said. "I have informed you of the most important things in the past, so it is only natural that you would ask me. I simply want you to be more responsible and self-reliant. If you don’t know how to handle these issues now, you won’t have the experience to make the correct choices later in your life."

Gravis sighed again. "No matter how much time passes, I always feel like a kid when I’m in front of you," he said.

"And that will never change," the Opposer said. "Even when you ever reach my power, you will still feel like a kid in front of me because I’m your father. This shows our deep bond between father and son, Gravis. As long as you don’t feel like a kid in front of others, there is no problem with that."

The Opposer put his hand on Gravis’ shoulder, and Gravis could feel the love his father had for him.

Right now, the two of them were as close as never before.

The distance that Gravis had always subconsciously felt between him and his father had nearly vanished at this point.

The Opposer pulled his hand back and summoned a third cup of coffee. Then, he put the cup of coffee to the right of him, which was the left of Gravis.

Gravis looked at the cup of coffee in confusion. "Mother doesn’t like coffee," Gravis said.

"This is not for your mother, Gravis," the Opposer said.

Then, the Opposer changed his sitting position, which he usually never did. He always sat with crossed legs on the ground, but now, he sat with one leg beneath him, and the other angled in front of him. It looked like a knight kneeling in front of their lord, but more relaxed.

Yet, Gravis saw and felt that this was not a position of respect for his father. This was a relatively comfortable sitting position that also allowed him to quickly stand up.

SHING!

The Opposer’s saber appeared in his hand as he rested his arm on his knee. For the first time, Gravis could see his father’s weapon from close up, and what he felt surprised him.

It was nothing.

This weapon exhibited absolutely nothing, not even Laws. It was like this weapon wasn’t part of this world at all, similar to how the Opposer felt to others.

What was his father doing?

"Gravis, the higher worlds are the most important stop on your journey, maybe even more important than the highest world," the Opposer said. "The higher world will decide if you will ever reach my power or not."

"But for that, we need to talk with someone first," the Opposer said.

Gravis’ eyes widened as he realized why his father had changed his posture and summoned his weapon. There was only one being that could make the Opposer raise his guard.

Now, Gravis knew who the cup of coffee was for.

"Old Bastard, sit down. We need to talk."

Chapter 723 - 723 – Thread

Gravis felt nervous.

The highest Heaven would appear right beside him? It was one thing to meet a Heaven, but it was something entirely different when meeting someone on his father’s level. This was one of the two beings at the absolute peak of the Cosmos.

Gravis waited for some seconds while nothing happened. Meanwhile, his father started looking over to the side with narrowed eyes.

Clink!

The quiet sound of a cup being moved could be heard, and Gravis saw the third cup levitating seemingly out of its own volition. Then, it angled, and the coffee that poured out of the cup vanished into nothingness.

Obviously, the highest Heaven had already arrived, and it had just taken a sip of the coffee.

Yet, Gravis was unable to see the highest Heaven. He knew that it was beside him, but it was simply invisible to him. However, the fact that it was invisible made it appear only more frightening.

It was one thing to know that one was constantly watched from afar, but it was something entirely different when that mysterious being sat right beside him. Right now, the highest Heaven was sitting just beside Gravis. If he extended his arm, he could probably even feel it.

"Because I don’t trust you," the Opposer seemingly said out of nowhere.

Gravis looked at his father, but his father was only looking coldly at the empty spot beside Gravis.

Some seconds passed.

"Better to be prepared and not need it than need it and not be prepared," his father said again.

Gravis realized that his father was speaking to the highest Heaven right now, but Gravis could not hear it. The highest Heaven had probably made a comment to his father about his pose and the fact that he carried his weapon in his hand.

"Because I will tell my son about the Brand," the Opposer said.

CLINK!

The third cup broke in two. Apparently, this so-called Brand was something special. Otherwise, the highest Heaven wouldn’t have had such a reaction.

Some seconds passed.

"You were the one that showed that he was willing to go all-in," the Opposer said. "So, prove it. Show me that you honestly mean it and allow me to tell Gravis about the Brand."

Gravis grew more nervous. Yes, the highest Heaven had never shown any indication that it would attack him, but that didn’t mean that it couldn’t. Rules only worked for so long, and the highest Heaven could break and create the rules as much as it wanted.

Just because his father was there didn’t mean that Gravis was safe. The Opposer and the highest Heaven had the same power but protecting something was far more difficult than destroying something. If the highest Heaven wanted, Gravis would die since his father couldn’t defend himself and Gravis at the same time.

The only reason why the highest Heaven hadn’t killed Gravis yet was that the Opposer would flip the entire world upside down, probably killing every being in existence. The billions of years of time investment would be wasted, just like that, all because the highest Heaven had killed a mere Immortal. This was obviously not worth the trade.

Gravis’ potential was just that, potential. Having potential did not mean that one could achieve their full potential or live long enough to fulfill it. Gravis still had six major Realms in front of him before he was in striking distance of their power.

Gravis guessed that this Brand was probably something integral to reaching the Opposer’s power. Otherwise, the Opposer wouldn’t have invited the highest Heaven to talk. Just reaching the power of a Heaven’s Magnate wouldn’t be enough to warrant such measures.

"I’m not asking you to stop," the Opposer said.

Some seconds of silence.

"What I mean is that I want you to not do something if Gravis manages to become a Star God in the higher world. After all, he wouldn’t be in the highest world, which means that you shouldn’t get involved. Sounds fair, doesn’t it?" the Opposer asked.

Some more seconds passed.

"Stop derailing the conversation," the Opposer said with a huff. "So what if he looks? He’s in my house, and he’s my son."

Gravis’ heart raced for a second, and he averted his gaze. Without noticing, he had looked at the location of the highest Heaven without looking away. Gravis would also feel weirded out if someone kept looking at him that intensely.

"I don’t care. Give me an answer," the Opposer said.

Some more seconds passed.

"Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," the Opposer said. "I am going to tell him, no matter what. Either you accept it and maybe add some conditions, or you are forced to kill him, but you know what will happen next."

Nearly 30 seconds of silence passed.

"Now look who’s looking," the Opposer said with a huff. "You’ve just complained about my son looking at you, and now you’re staring at him like he’s a freak."

Gravis’ heart and mind raced. The highest Heaven was looking at him intensely? It was one thing to know that he was being watched, but it was something else when the most powerful being looked directly at Gravis from such a short distance.

If Gravis simply turned to the highest Heaven, their eyes would probably even meet. For some reason, this thought was terrifying to Gravis.

"Name them," the Opposer said.

Some seconds passed.

"I wouldn’t even try such an obvious plan on you. I hate you, but it doesn’t mean that I think you’re an idiot," the Opposer said as he carefully drank from his coffee. Obviously, he was fully on guard. Gravis had never seen his father so careful before.

Gravis could even feel a sense of doom and foreboding emanating from his father. It was like the apocalypse was being held at bay by a paper wall. Just one small poke and everything would explode!

For the first time, Gravis knew how the highest world felt. No matter what he did, his survival depended entirely on the whims of these two beings. Even if they didn’t target him, just a careless move of theirs would kill him faster than he could comprehend.

No one in the world knew that a meeting took place that could result in everyone’s death. If the highest Heaven decided not to cooperate or kill Gravis, the entire Cosmos would stop existing.

The mortals, Immortals, and Gods went about their day as always, not knowing that all their lives were currently hanging by a thread.

"I don’t agree," the Opposer said with narrowed eyes.

Gravis balled his fists as he broke out in a sweat.

"Because it’s impossible," the Opposer said after some seconds. "To reach that power, he would need to comprehend Laws for such a long time that your implemented soft longevity cap would easily reach the point where you can kill him while staying in the rules. If I agree to that, he will die."

Some seconds passed.

"So? One guy has billions of years while the other will be how old, 100,000, 200,000, 500,000 years? How about you give him 100 million years? That would only be around 1% of your firstborn’s longevity. It would still be vastly unfair, but I’m willing to agree to that," the Opposer said.

Some seconds passed.

Then, the Opposer smirked. "Oh, now it’s suddenly against your rules? Yet, wanting Gravis to fight your firstborn is not against the rules? Stop bullshitting! You only disagree because you know that after 100 million years, Gravis will easily wipe the floor with your firstborn."

Some seconds passed.

"What’s with your constant dodging?" the Opposer asked. "Weren’t you the one that forced the middle Heaven to train Gravis? Didn’t you want him to become powerful?"

Some seconds passed.

"Oh, shut up," the Opposer said. "As if you care about that. Give me a better condition!"

The Opposer narrowed his eyes, and Gravis felt like the apocalypse was closing in. Right now, the Opposer was threatening Heaven with his aura.

Some seconds passed.

Then, the Opposer pulled back his power and fell into thought.

A minute passed.

"I can agree to this, but only if you change the soft longevity cap somewhat," the Opposer said. "Instead of using your privilege of doing it yourself, I want it to continue happening. I don’t care where you get the people or beasts from, but his soft longevity cap should continue. Of course, he is not allowed to consume them."

Some seconds passed.

"I don’t care from where you get them. Create them, summon someone from our world, or whatever. As long as their powers fit the usual criteria, I don’t care," the Opposer said.

Some seconds passed.

"So what? Don’t act like you can’t protect the world. Just isolate them or something," the Opposer said.

Some seconds passed.

The Opposer nodded. "Obviously. If he does so, you can kill him."

Gravis’ nervousness returned. His father had obviously referred to him.

"Then we have an agreement," the Opposer said. "Now, would you be so kind as to fuck off?"

The Opposer glared at the spot where the highest Heaven should be for a while.

Some seconds later, the Opposer huffed, crossed his legs, and put his saber away.

The highest Heaven had left.

Gravis released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. This entire conversation was far more stressful than he had believed.

Gravis looked with relief at his father, who summoned more coffee and drank it violently.

BANG!

The cup hit the ground with a loud bang, but it didn’t break.

"I hate that guy!" the Opposer said with anger.

Chapter 724 - 724 – Deepest Secret

Some seconds of silence passed as Gravis calmed down. The past minutes had felt like he stood at the edge of chaos. Just one wrong step and he would stop existing.

"So, what is this Brand?" Gravis asked.

The Opposer looked at his son. "What I am about to tell you will never be repeated again, and you are not allowed to talk about these things with anyone, including your mother. Don’t even talk to me about it with a voice transmission after our talk is over since the danger is too great that someone will overhear your voice transmission."

"If anyone ever hears of this, no matter who, they and you will be immediately extinguished by the old bastard. Absolutely no one can hear about this," the Opposer said severely.

Gravis felt like a colossal weight pressed on his entire being. This was obviously something of paramount importance, which the Opposer had never shared with anyone, including his wife. Probably only two beings in existence knew of this thing, and Gravis was about to become the third one.

Gravis took a deep breath and released it. Then, he looked at his father with conviction and nodded. "I will never repeat anything you will say to me during this talk."

The Opposer nodded. "You are only allowed to speak of this when you are directly in front of me and only when I give you permission to. If you handle this incorrectly, you will stop existing. Understood?"

Gravis nodded again. "Yes, father."

The Opposer looked at his son for several seconds.

"Good," the Opposer said. "I will now tell you why it is impossible for a second Opposer to exist."

’Impossible?’ Gravis thought. It was one thing that reaching this power was very hard, but straight up impossible?

"This will also explain to you why I specifically targeted the Star Gods back then, and not the more powerful Gods," the Opposer said.

Gravis nodded again.

"When a Heaven’s Magnate steps into the next Realm, they will be able to somewhat resist the Old Bastard’s power. I won’t tell you the details since that power level is simply too far away from you and might move your cultivation into a different direction," the Opposer said.

"When I reached that Realm around 50 billion years ago, the Old Bastard immediately tried to kill me. That had always worked, and he thought that this would continue to work."

Then, the Opposer smirked. "But he underestimated me. I managed to resist him just long enough to ensure my survival. With my survival ensured, I managed to cultivate in peace until I broke through again and reached the power of the Old Bastard. That’s when I returned and fought him."

’Broke through again?’ Gravis thought with surprise. ’Does this mean that father is not only one Realm higher than a Heaven’s Magnate but two Realms? That’s insane! No wonder they are so powerful!’

"The Old Bastard realized that he had committed a fatal mistake and vowed that nothing like this would ever happen again. Because of that, he implemented the Brand," the Opposer said.

"A Star God is called a Star God because they condense a star inside their being. They become connected to that star, and it will act as the embryo for all their future advancement. The star is the very thing that allows them to become stronger."

"As their power increases, their star transforms multiple times until it finally gives you the ability to retreat into your own space, absent from the Old Bastard’s control. That’s when you reach the Realm after a Heaven’s Magnate."

"The Brand is an infusion of the Old Bastard’s essence and control into your star when it condenses, and its purpose is to grant him access to your star when necessary. This means that the protection of the Realm after the Heaven’s Magnate Realm doesn’t work anymore. Because of this, you can’t protect yourself against the Old Bastard. You can imagine the rest," the Opposer said.

Gravis nodded. Not being able to run from someone an entire major Realm above themselves spelled certain death. Battle-Strength also didn’t matter since the highest Heaven probably had the most powerful Battle-Strength out of anyone alive, except for the Opposer, maybe. Additionally, the highest Heaven would be an entire Realm higher.

That was why the Opposer said that it was impossible to reach the Realm after the Heaven’s Magnate Realm. No one could escape from the highest Heaven.

"Infusing a star with this Brand costs the Old Bastard a lot of Energy, and that Energy will only be reclaimed when the Star God becomes an Ancestral God," the Opposer said.

’That’s a lot of Energy,’ Gravis thought. Yet, he still had a question.

"Then doesn’t it mean that the highest Heaven loses most of its Energy? After all, only a select few will ever become Ancestral Gods," Gravis said.

The Opposer nodded. "Correct. Just this Brand alone probably slows down the growth of Energy in the Cosmos to 80% of its full potential. It’s a significant expenditure of Energy. Yet, the Old Bastard would rather waste this much Energy instead of allowing a second Opposer to appear."

Now, Gravis understood why the highest Heaven became so enraged when the Opposer killed the Star Gods. The highest Heaven had just used an incredible amount of Energy to brand the Star Gods, but not even one of them would ever be able to repay that Energy. Additionally, the Opposer had probably killed future Ancestral Gods, Divine Gods, and maybe even future Heaven’s Magnates.

This was a truly devastating strike.

"This is also the reason why Cultivators reach the highest world at the Peak Immortal Emperor Realm instead of the Star God Realm. The higher worlds can’t bring up the sheer amount of power required to infuse the stars with the Brand. Additionally, the Old Bastard would never trust any of his children with something that important. As long as he deals with everything himself, nothing can go wrong," the Opposer said.

Gravis had already thought it unusual that the higher worlds didn’t follow the ascension pattern of the lower and middle worlds. Now, he knew the answer to the question of why.

"If anyone finds out about the Brand, the entire purpose of cultivation will vanish from the world," the Opposer said. "Everyone believes that there is a chance to reach my power, even if it is slim. Additionally, the Heaven’s Magnates have not given up hope. Yet, if they know that it is straight-up impossible, the entire goal would be put into jeopardy. Far more people would decide to not continue on their path."

"That is why the Old Bastard is so adamant about keeping the Brand secret. It not only endangers his own survival but also the growth of his Cosmos. If anyone hears of this, the Old Bastard won’t stop until they stop existing," the Opposer said with severity.

Gravis took a deep breath. This piece of information was truly heavy. Just knowing it felt like Gravis was weighed down by a heavy burden.

"I understand, father," Gravis said solemnly.

"Good," the Opposer said. "Right now, by knowing about the Brand, you are the second most dangerous being to the Old Bastard. Even if he had to kill all Heaven’s Magnates to kill you, he would do it without hesitation. The only thing protecting your life is my threat right now, and that also only because I keep my word. As soon as I break my word, it would mean that the Old Bastard can’t negotiate with me."

"And when he sees that he can’t negotiate with me, he has to get rid of me, even if it means sacrificing billions of years of Energy. If this gets out, I am forced to let you get killed. Otherwise, everyone I love will die, and maybe even I will die."

Gravis nodded again. "I understand," he said again.

The Opposer nodded. "Now, in order to reach my power in the future, you obviously need to avoid getting that Brand. Yet, if you reach the Star God Realm in the highest world, you will be branded. Because of that, you need to reach it in the higher world."

"Of course, the higher world doesn’t have enough Energy to create a Star God. Even if you consumed the entire world, you wouldn’t be able to become a Star God."

"But there is one being in each higher world that has enough Energy to push you to the Star God Realm," the Opposer said.

Gravis nodded. "Heaven," Gravis said.

The Opposer nodded. "This means that to ever have the chance of reaching my power, you need to kill and consume a higher Heaven. You know how powerful the middle Heaven was, and you might be able to imagine the power of a higher Heaven. Yet, this time, no one will protect you when you initiate the fight too early."

"Additionally, the Old Bastard wants you to fight his firstborn, the most powerful higher Heaven. Otherwise, he wouldn’t agree."

"Gravis," the Opposer said. "You believe that you know the power of the higher Heavens, but you are still far off."

"To put it into perspective for you, the firstborn of the Old Bastard has lived for over 10 billion years, and it has comprehended every single Law that exists in the higher worlds."

"Every single one?" Gravis asked as he took a deep breath. "But doesn’t that mean..." he said as he trailed off.

The Opposer nodded.

"Yes, Gravis."

"It even knows the Higher Law of the True World."

"This thing is an absolute monster, even for my standards."

Chapter 725 - 725 – Planning For The Higher World

Gravis had to take a deep breath. He knew that the higher Heaven would be powerful, but that powerful? Gravis knew that he was also very powerful, but he couldn’t even imagine reaching such an insane level of Law Comprehension as an Immortal Emperor.

But Gravis remembered the words that his father had spoken to the highest Heaven. "But I’m not supposed to fight someone that powerful, right?" Gravis asked.

The Opposer nodded. "More or less," he said as he drank more coffee. "The only way for you to not receive the Brand is to fight the Old Bastard’s firstborn, but the firstborn won’t be allowed to unleash its full strength."

"In the end, we agreed that the Old Bastard’s firstborn would only be allowed to unleash the Law of the Living World," the Opposer said.

Gravis took a deep breath again. This was still incredibly powerful, but at least he could see a chance. "I presume this does not include the Emotional Laws?" Gravis asked.

The Opposer nodded again. "It’s only the Law of the Dead World combined with the Law of Life. Yet, the Old Bastard’s firstborn has the Law of the Living World as its Avatar. This means that all Elemental, Material and Life Laws can be wielded on a higher level. You will have to fight against someone that can unleash a vast multitude of different attacks on the level of level seven Laws, also called Highest Laws."

Gravis nodded. The level seven Laws were called Highest Laws because Cultivators only came in contact with these Laws in the highest world, and this Heaven would be able to unleash a ton of them.

"How many Immortal Emperors know the Law of the Dead World?" Gravis asked.

"Depends on which one you mean and where," the Opposer said. "The Mid-Tier Law of the Dead World is not common at all since the Immortal Emperors in the higher worlds have no way to look at weaker materials from a middle world. In comparison, in the highest world, around 1% know the Mid-Tier Law of the Dead World. Jake is one of them."

Gravis nodded.

"The High-Tier Law of the Dead World is basically unseen at this level. Right now, there are two Immortal Emperors in existence that know it. It only becomes more common in the Star God Realm, but it’s rare even among them."

"As for the High-Tier Law of the Living World," the Opposer said as he paused. "No one below the Ancestral God Realm has ever managed to learn this Law."

"Well, except for me, of course," the Opposer added as he drank more coffee.

Gravis nodded absentmindedly as he stared into space. His mind was currently still trying to process the entire dynamic. He was supposed to fight the highest Heaven’s firstborn. Yet, what if he didn’t want to?

Agreeing to this would mean that Gravis would be following the highest Heaven’s path again, which he didn’t like at all. Gravis loved freedom, but his freedom was once again constricted, being forced to fight someone he didn’t even know.

The Opposer knew what his son was struggling with, but this time, he remained silent. Gravis was an adult, and he had to find the answers to his questions himself. Gravis should be smart enough to make the right decision.

After nearly a minute, Gravis sighed. "Short-term investment for long-term benefit," Gravis commented.

The Opposer knew that his son would make the right decision and nodded. "Exactly. Right now, you only have a trial-version of freedom by refusing to follow the Old Bastard’s path, not the real one. If you want the real one, you need to be willing to pay the price."

Gravis nodded lightly. "This time, I need to follow what you two have agreed upon. Otherwise, I will never gain my freedom in the future. It’s a necessary sacrifice for my future goal."

Gravis drank from his coffee. "I presume this world is also a battle world?" he asked.

"Yes," the Opposer said. "Battle worlds follow the cultivation techniques and paths that give you the most powerful Battle-Strength out of all of them. The Ascenders from battle worlds are very dominant when they arrive in the highest world, and whenever one of them appears, a lot of Sects try to recruit them."

Gravis lifted an eyebrow. "The most powerful Battle-Strength?" he asked. "I thought it depended on the individual Cultivator."

"Mainly, yes," the Opposer answered. "But on average, the Cultivators in battle worlds are more powerful than Cultivators from other worlds. The main reasons for their overwhelming power are the Weapon Laws."

"What’s so special about them that they allow Cultivators to become so powerful?" Gravis asked.

"Cultivating Weapon Laws is very different from cultivating all other Laws," the Opposer said, "but I don’t want to tell you more about it. It’s better when you enter the world and learn it yourself. I can only give you the advice that you need to advance very far in your Weapon Law if you even want to have a chance against the Old Bastard’s firstborn. This part will be integral to your success."

"That important, huh?" Gravis uttered as he thought about his saber. "Having a World Weapon probably helps with that, right?"

The Opposer nodded. "It helps a lot. Having a World Weapon makes it far easier to comprehend a Weapon Law since it has a far closer connection to you, but I would advise you to keep your World Weapon or your ability to create them a secret."

Gravis nodded. "Because the higher world doesn’t have them, right?"

"No," the Opposer said, surprising Gravis a bit. The higher worlds also have World Weapons? "From time to time, someone will be able to understand the Mid-Tier Law of the Dead World and invent the concept of a World Weapon themselves. Yet, these Cultivators don’t share their knowledge or their services with others."

"Because of that, the general public does not know how World Weapons work. There are some World Weapons laying around in the higher world, being kept under strict guard in the powerful Sects. New disciples will try to adapt to the World Weapon but will most likely fail. After all, their aura needs to be nearly identical to the previous owner’s to work," the Opposer said.

"So, when you show that you have a World Weapon, every major Sect will go crazy for it, and if you show your ability to forge them, you will be held in custody forever, being forced to create World Weapons. If you refuse to make them, you will be killed. After all, if they can’t have it, no one can."

Gravis nodded with a frown. This meant that he had to disguise his World Weapon and only use it when absolutely no one was around. Yet, Gravis couldn’t guarantee that no one was watching. After all, as long as someone’s Realm was higher than Gravis’ Will-Aura, Gravis wouldn’t be able to feel them as long as they didn’t want to be found.

"Sounds like I should create my entire equipment with the High-Tier Hard Pure Material Law and keep my World Weapon hidden. Additionally, I can only use my World Weapon to practice in a safe environment," Gravis said.

Gravis looked out of the window with narrowed eyes as his mind tried to come up with a solution.

"Got it!" Gravis said with a smirk.

"What’s your solution?" his father asked.

"Lightning Fork and a high-tier Life Ring," Gravis said.

Yet, Gravis suddenly started frowning again. "Wait a second. Life Rings don’t have access to the Laws," he said.

"They don’t," the Opposer said, "but specifically for Weapon Laws, that doesn’t matter."

"It doesn’t?" Gravis asked in shock. How was it possible that it didn’t matter? When he couldn’t feel the Laws, how was he supposed to understand them?

"It doesn’t," the Opposer repeated. "Take it as some free advice from me. Your solution works."

Gravis smiled and nodded. "Thank you, father," he said.

"No problem," the Opposer said. "You are an adult, and you should be able to resolve your problems on your own, but I can still give you some advice from time to time. After all, I’m your father."

"Thanks," he said again. "So, now we know what waits for me."

"Are you afraid?" the Opposer asked.

"A little bit," Gravis answered. "This will be the hardest fight of my life, and there is a high chance that I won’t win. Yet, it’s the path I have chosen, and I’m willing to risk everything for it."

"Let’s see how it goes."

Chapter 726 - 726 – Name

Gravis and his father spent a couple of days together, talking about random things. The important conversation was over, and from this point forward, Gravis would never speak of the Brand again. The danger was just far too great that someone could overhear him.

After some time, Gravis’ mother joined them, and everything immediately became livelier with her around. She took some pot-shots at the Opposer’s ego in a playful manner, but the Opposer didn’t mind. One of the reasons why he loved his wife was because she talked to him as equals. No one in this world but Heaven talked to the Opposer on the same level. Even the Black Magnate still had some reservations.

Some days later, Orpheus also joined them. He had been called over by Gravis since he wanted to include Orpheus. Orpheus was his family, just like his mother and father. Gravis didn’t call for Yersi since he didn’t want to interrupt Yersi’s alone time with Jake.

Yet, Yersi appeared of her own volition after a while with Jake in tow.

It was about time that she introduced Jake to the rest of her family.

In the beginning, Jake was incredibly nervous as he stood before three far more powerful beings. Especially the Opposer frightened him to a high degree.

Of course, with Gravis’ mother being here, this awkward atmosphere didn’t last long. Yet, with a seemingly innocent and normal question, the entire atmosphere changed again.

"Could I ask for your name?" Jake asked Gravis’ mother.

Some awkwardness appeared in the atmosphere, surprising Gravis, Yersi, and Jake. This was a normal question. Why didn’t Gravis’ mother answer?

"Don’t ask about the names of people at the Ancestral God Realm or higher," Orpheus said.

Jake was surprised, and Gravis also realized something very strange.

He didn’t know the name of his parents. Wasn’t this a bit abnormal?

"Why not?" Gravis asked before Jake could ask.

"Because names are powerful," the Opposer said. "Names are just names in the Star God Realm and below, but later, they change their meaning."

"Could you explain?" Gravis asked.

"When you step into the Ancestral God Realm, your star changes into your own space. This is like your Spirit Space, but even more distant than that. Being able to invade someone’s private space is nearly impossible, even if you are far more powerful," the Opposer said.

"Everyone’s private space is different as it has been created by your own being, emotions, mindset, Laws, and everything else. It receives its own unique status and being. Some beings share your name, but there are no beings that have an identical private space."

"Your name, therefore, takes on a different meaning, as it not only refers to you as a being but also to your private space, which is separate from the Cosmos. Because of that, the name of the Cultivator interacts with their private space, allowing a connection to be established."

"I apologize," Jake said as he bowed a little. "I didn’t know that."

"It’s normal," Orpheus said as he shoved Jake in a joking manner. "Everyone learns that at some point."

"What exact effects does the name have?" Gravis asked as he still wanted to know more.

"Well," Gravis’ mother said as she tried to find the right words. "Your private space gets summoned by the call of your name. If you speak someone else’s name, you will receive some feedback from an unknown place. With a sufficient understanding in the Laws of Space, you can then teleport to this place, which is the private space of someone else."

"In short, you could compare it to someone else inviting themselves into your Spirit Space. That’s why no Ancestral Gods or more powerful share their names with anyone. Some of them even kill every being that knows their full name."

"Oh, right!" Gravis’ mother suddenly said as she remembered something. "This only works with the full name. The first name is not enough to create a resonance."

"Is that why I don’t know my own last name?" Gravis asked.

Gravis’ mother nodded with a smile. "Exactly. Our last name exists, but it only exists in your father’s head. Like this, none of our children can fall victim to this since they don’t even know their own last name. Therefore, they also can’t tell anyone."

Gravis blinked a couple of times. "Wait, does this mean that not even you know our last name?" Gravis asked in shock.

Gravis’ mother nodded sheepishly. "Sadly, yes. Only your father knows our last name. If you want to be shocked even more, I don’t even know your father’s first name."

Everyone was surprised, even Orpheus. Not even the Opposer’s wife knew his first name? This was far too weird!

"It’s to protect her," the Opposer said. "My private space is as powerful as the Old Bastard’s, which means that if it creates a resonance with this Cosmos, two equally powerful forces will collide. None of the two of us would die or get injured, but an uncountable number of beings across the Cosmos would die."

"Because of that, the Old Bastard will kill absolutely everyone that knows my first or last name, no matter who it is. My name has been a pretty common one back then, but as soon as I gained my power, the Old Bastard changed the entire world. No single being can think of my first or last name as long as they are not being told by someone that knows it."

"Even if you try out every possible combination of letters, you would subconsciously skip the right one without noticing. If you put your head to it, you might be able to find a way to find out my name, but the Old Bastard will just kill you before you can even get close," the Opposer said.

This explained why Gravis didn’t know his last name and why he didn’t know the names of his parents.

After some seconds, Gravis sighed and looked at his mother. "I presume that you are also not allowed to share your name since you share the same last name as father, and knowing your name would make it easier to find our last name, right? After all, they would only need to try last names with you to find the correct one."

Gravis’ mother nodded. "Sadly, yes, but it’s a necessary precaution. I don’t want so many beings to die."

Jake remembered something. "That also explains why my boss only gave me his title," Jake said. "I guess that Ancestral Gods and Divine Gods only refer to each other by their title, right?"

"Right," Gravis’ mother said. "My title, for example, is the Economistress," she said with pride and a smile.

"Pfffft," Gravis let out as he heard that name. "Seriously? The Economistress?" he asked as he started laughing.

Gravis’ mother also started laughing. "It’s great, isn’t it? I came up with that title all on my own!"

Everyone shared a good laugh at that. For some reason, this title didn’t fit her, but it somehow also did fit her. It was a weird feeling of not knowing if it fit her or not.

"Did I come at the wrong time?" a new voice said as the Black Magnate appeared with a complex expression on his face.

Jake and Yersi didn’t know who this person was. Additionally, this person just entered the Opposer’s room just like that?

"No, it’s a good time," Gravis said with a smirk. "Why don’t you come join us? Come out of your shell and partake in some festivities."

The Black Magnate had an unsure grimace on his face. He wasn’t really a fan of parties. He only came back to talk with the Opposer some more.

Yet, Gravis didn’t let the Black Magnate get away. "Jake, Yersi," Gravis said as he gestured to the Black Magnate.

"This is the Black Magnate, one of the few Heaven’s Magnates," Gravis said with a smirk.

Yersi was not very surprised, but Jake’s eyes nearly fell out.

One of the legendary Heaven’s Magnates!?

Chapter 727 - 727 – Yersi's Struggle

Jake almost couldn’t believe that one of the legendary Heaven’s Magnates stood right before him. Just some years ago, Jake didn’t even know that they existed, but now, one of them was standing right in front of him.

Yet, as time passed, Jake noticed that the Black Magnate was also just a guy. He talked like everyone else, and he also started some conversations with Jake. After talking with him for a while, Jake noticed that he was simply another Cultivator, just more powerful.

Oftentimes, people put someone’s grand accomplishments above the person, attributing a near divine-like status to that person, even though that person just casually talked with everyone like everyone else. Their accomplishments were not their being but something they did, like any other hobby from any other person.

After some days, most of the people scattered again. Gravis spent more time with Orpheus, Yersi, and Jake since he didn’t need to comprehend any Laws anymore until he left. Comprehending some Laws for a bit more than a century was unnecessary since he wouldn’t gain anything good out of it anyway.

Gravis was already done with the elements for now. Sure, there also were attributes of the other elements that didn’t involve their Composition, but they were the last Laws Gravis needed.

The only thing that Gravis could theoretically comprehend in maybe a hundred years were the Laws of Extreme Heat and Extreme Cold. Yet, after a short talk with Jake, that also fell through.

Apparently, there were no level three Laws for Heat and Cold. The level two Laws of Heat and Cold culminated in the level three Law of Temperatures, and the next level would be the level four Laws of Heat and Cold, which would then culminate in the level five Laws of Temperatures again. Understanding another level four Law in such a short period of time would be impossible.

Yersi had comprehended the level two Laws of Heat and Cold already, and her next stop would be the level three Law of Temperatures, which would then act as her Avatar. Yet, Yersi decided against comprehending this Law for now since she wanted to spend as much time with her father as possible. After all, there was a chance that she would never see her father again after he left.

An Immortal Emperor had a longevity of 200,000 years, and if Gravis reached that in the higher world, 20,000 years would have passed in the highest world. Sure, Yersi would still have 30,000 years left at that point, but Gravis also told Yersi that he would not return until he killed the higher Heaven.

Yersi asked why Gravis wanted to kill this Heaven, even though he hadn’t even met it, but Gravis could only say that he couldn’t tell her the reason why. It was simply something that had to be done.

How long would it take to reach such incredible power? The chances were high that Gravis would overstep his soft longevity cap several times over, and then, even with the time dilation, far more time would have passed than Yersi could live for.

As they all spent more time together, Yersi started to feel worse. She knew that Gravis loved her, and she knew that if she begged him to stay, he would probably comply. Sadly or fortunately, depending on one’s perception, love meant that someone wants the best for the other person. Yersi would never ask Gravis to stay.

Yet, Yersi knew that Gravis would feel horrible if he never saw his daughter again. Just imagining Gravis’ grief hurt Yersi.

On top of that, Jake was postponing a ton of time of his cultivation just to be with her. Jake loved cultivation, and he would definitely reach the level of a Star God in the future if he kept at it. Yet, Yersi was making it harder and harder for him to cultivate.

What about her siblings? Aris and Cera had a high likelihood of reaching the highest world. They would not take nearly as long as Gravis, but how would they feel when they, as maybe even Star Gods, returned and saw their sister, an Immortal?

They wouldn’t feel disappointed about her power, but they would feel disappointed that they would only see her again for maybe only 20,000 years or so. This was not that long for Star Gods. One cultivation session might even take longer.

Everyone she loved was becoming more powerful and leaving her behind. Everyone said that they didn’t mind that Yersi decided to stop cultivating, but that hurt her even more. It felt like the others were making sacrifices to ease her feelings.

The years passed with Yersi appearing more and more absentminded. Jake and Gravis noticed this very quickly and also knew exactly what she was worried about. They said several times that the only thing they wanted from Yersi was for her to be happy.

Yet, every time Yersi heard these words, she felt a sting. They only wanted her to be happy, but she couldn’t even accomplish that. How could she be happy when she saw all their sacrifices for her and when she imagined their pain when Yersi inevitably died in her tribulation?

For the first time, Yersi envied the simple mindset of regular beasts. They had no real loved ones, which made the future much brighter. They were living for the day, trying their best, and if they died, they died. There were no close ones grieving over them.

Yet, if Yersi died, a tsunami of pain would wash over all her close ones. The guilt nearly felt overwhelming to her.

Should she continue cultivating?

This was not simple to answer.

She wasn’t interested in continuing, but the potential rewards nearly made it worth it. Being able to live longer than her close ones, being able to accept the pain of their passing while sparing them the pain of her passing, being able to spend more time with them, all of these things held great attraction to Yersi.

Yersi would have long decided to continue to cultivate if there weren’t the fact that she could die even faster if she decided to continue. Gravis had already explained the concept of Karmic Luck to Yersi since they were now in the highest world, and with that knowledge, she was able to see the effect it had on her past.

Without her greater Karmic Luck, she would have died twice already, at least. In her perception, this showed that she was actually not destined, talented enough, or powerful enough to even become an Immortal. Every other being would have died while she had been artificially boosted to the Immortal Realm by her Karmic Luck.

In her mind, her talent was already below average in comparison to all the beings who managed to reach this level without the effect of special Karmic Luck. These beings were more talented than her, and their average talent would only increase the more powerful Yersi became.

Yersi had spent millions upon millions of Immortal Stones to close in on the Law of Temperatures. How many other Immortals had such an insane amount of wealth? How many Immortals were able to condense an Avatar with a good level three Law?

As far as Yersi knew, around 20% of Immortals had an Avatar that was not the Law of Space. Yet, how many Immortals had her insane wealth? Probably less than 0.001%. But even after spending so much money, Yersi still hadn’t managed to comprehend the Law of Temperatures.

Everything was crashing down on Yersi. What was she supposed to do? Should she risk it and try to get more power to potentially live longer, or should she accept that all her loved ones would feel incredible grief at her death?

The decision was hard, but in the end, Yersi decided to continue cultivating.

And with that, Heaven got its way again.

As always.

Chapter 728 - 728 – Departure

Yersi didn’t tell Gravis or Jake about her decision. If she did, they would probably try their best to talk her out of it since they didn’t want her to do something she didn’t want. Maybe it was better for them to believe that their sacrifices gave Yersi some happiness.

After she made her decision, Yersi felt like a crushing weight had left her shoulders. She was no longer torn between two choices but had committed to one. Whatever happened, happened.

The last couple of years felt like a dream to everyone. Knowing that one may not be able to see a loved one again in their life made the time spent together that much sweeter. Yet, there was also the ever-present feeling of future doom looming over them.

Sadly, the last couple of years passed far faster than any of them wanted. Even Jake had built a significant connection to Gravis. In terms of age and power, Gravis couldn’t even come close to Jake, but Gravis still felt like a dear friend to him. Sometimes, it even felt like Gravis was a big brother to him, even though Jake was far older.

Gravis’ horizon and mindset towards cultivation inspired Jake, making him adapt a lot of these philosophies. Especially Gravis’ mindset about the disconnection between happiness and power opened Jake’s eyes. Cultivation did not result in happiness. It was better to look at it as a hobby instead of one’s entire purpose.

The more time passed, the happier Jake became that he met Yersi and Gravis. His life was as good as nearly never before. The only time he might have been even happier was when he was still together with his old wife, who had sadly passed away many years ago.

Gravis’ birthday party came quickly, and everyone gathered in the Opposer’s room. Jake, Yersi, Orpheus, the Black Magnate, the Opposer, and his wife were there. Gravis would have wished for Orthar and his other two children to also be there, but that wasn’t possible.

This time, there were no presents. Gravis was no longer young, and anything that others could give to him might do more damage than good. In actuality, it was the opposite. Gravis was the one that made a gift to Yersi.

Gravis handed the CMO over to Yersi. She was already an Immortal but didn’t know much about the Life Laws. The CMO showed nearly all the Mid-Tier Life Laws. If she concentrated on the CMO long enough, she might be able to comprehend all the Mid-Tier Life Laws in the future. Additionally, looking at it was also mesmerizing. Even if it didn’t help her, it would act as some entertainment.

First, Yersi didn’t want to accept the gift, but after Gravis said that he didn’t need it anymore, she accepted it. Gravis was about to enter a new world full of more powerful Laws. Keeping the CMO wouldn’t help in any way.

The party went on for three days, and when a lull in the conversation occurred, Gravis decided that it was time.

The happy atmosphere immediately turned into a sad one as Yersi even started crying. There was a high chance that she would never meet Gravis again. Orpheus also felt horrible, but he kept it hidden behind a cheerful smile. This was his brother, and he had watched him grow from a 14-year-old boy into a powerful Immortal.

Gravis went over to Yersi and embraced her with all his heart. It actually took all of his willpower to hide his intense feeling of grief in front of his daughter. He knew that he would never see her again. This was the last time he would ever see and feel his daughter, and he wanted this moment to last forever.

He didn’t want to let go, but he had also made his choice. Yersi was happy, and that was everything that was important. Gravis would gladly accept the grief he felt right now if it meant that Yersi’s life would be full of bliss from now on.

He was her father, not her life companion. Jake would be able to give Yersi more happiness than Gravis ever could. After today, she would feel horrible grief over him, but she would get over it. Her family was there, and Jake was there. With all of their support, she would be able to get over Gravis leaving very quickly.

"I love you," Gravis said quietly as he embraced Yersi.

Yersi also tried to hide her pain, but her will wasn’t powerful enough. Streams of tears appeared in her eyes, and she felt guilty for it. She wanted Gravis’ potential last look at her to be a happy one instead of a sad one.

Yersi put something in Gravis’ hand. It was a jade token.

"Keep it," Yersi said with a tearful smile. "As soon as you enter the higher world, look at it."

Gravis looked at the Jade Token. He felt like something very important was in there, and he wanted to look at it, but he would respect his daughter’s wishes. So, he nodded at Yersi. "I will."

After some minutes, Gravis went over to Jake and put his hands on Jake’s shoulders. "Make her happy," he said.

Jake nodded solemnly. "I will," he said.

Gravis nodded. "Thanks," was all he said.

Then, Gravis looked at the Black Magnate and smirked half-heartedly. "See you later," he said.

"See you always," the Black Magnate said. "I’ll be watching."

"Oh, right," Gravis said awkwardly. "I forgot you can do that."

"There isn’t much I can’t do," the Black Magnate said with a smirk.

Gravis nodded and went over to Orpheus. "See you soon, big bro," he said.

Orpheus’ smile didn’t falter, but he felt a horrible sting inside of him. "See you soon, little bro," Orpheus said.

Then, Gravis walked over to his mother, but before he could do anything, his mother pulled him into a tight embrace. "This is only temporary, Gravis," his mother said quietly. "The pain will pass with time, and we will see each other again, I’m sure of it!"

Gravis’ resistance to his mother was the weakest, and he almost unveiled the deep grief he currently felt. They simply embraced for around a minute until they parted again.

"See you soon, mom," Gravis said.

Gravis’ mother only smiled at him with happiness. "I’m proud of you. Always remember that," she said.

"I know," Gravis said.

After that, Gravis walked over to his father and nodded.

His father nodded back.

WHOOOM!

A portal appeared beside the Opposer. "As always, I’ll be watching. Remember, don’t engage Heaven too early. Take your time, and don’t overestimate your own power. Don’t compare yourself to others, but compare yourself to your previous self."

Gravis’ expression changed into a solemn one. "I will," he said.

"Then go," Gravis’ father said with power. "This is not something that can stop you."

Gravis nodded at his father again but turned to Yersi one last time. Then, he took out the jade token she handed him and waved it around.

"I’m sorry, but I couldn’t wait," Gravis said, making Yersi feel nervous, "but if that’s your decision, go through with it. I won’t stop you."

Yersi felt like she was in a dream. Her father had not disagreed? She would have expected that her father would feel betrayed, which was why she only wanted him to look at the jade token when he already left.

The jade token told Gravis that Yersi was returning to cultivation and why.

"So, see you soon, Yersi," Gravis said with a smirk.

Yersi’s tears streamed down her eyes, and she nodded. "See you soon, dad," she said.

Gravis smiled and stepped through the portal without hesitation.

Silence came over the room as no one spoke for several seconds.

"You didn’t tell him," the Opposer said to Orpheus.

Orpheus released a deep breath, and some tears appeared in his eyes.

"I always showed Gravis a façade to not make him worry. My wife has been dead for a while, and my longevity will run out in another 20,000 years. I wanted his departure to be a happy one. He doesn’t need to know about my incoming death," Orpheus said.

Yersi and Jake felt shocked when they heard that. Orpheus would soon die? His wife was dead? They had no idea!

Just like Yersi had her secrets, Orpheus had his secrets.

People often kept their pain hidden to not worry their close ones.

Chapter 729 - 729 – Arrival In The Higher World

Gravis’ vacation in the highest world was over, and it was time to return to his cultivation. He already missed his family, but he only needed to become more powerful to see them again, and when he ascended one more time, he would be able to stay with them all the time. This would be the last time he was away from his family for an extended period of time.

Gravis stepped out of the portal and appeared in a gigantic, grey hall. He looked around, surprised that he appeared in a man-made structure immediately instead of in the wilds. On the walls, Gravis could see a ton of different weapons hanging there.

Gravis quickly checked out the weapons and realized that they had all been crafted with the High-Tier Hard Pure Law, which meant that they had the power of a level four Law. This would be quite impressive for any new Ascender since no Ascender knew level four Laws.

On top of that, the weapons were crafted really well. As Gravis looked at them, he could even envision what kind of Cultivator would use these weapons.

"Greetings, Ascender," a voice came from Gravis’ left, from the entrance of the hall. Gravis was currently looking at the weapons but hadn’t dropped his guard. He had noticed this person from the beginning, but the person didn’t seem to have any hostile intent towards Gravis.

"Hello," Gravis answered without looking at the person. He didn’t mean to be rude, but he was just too interested in the weapons.

The man didn’t take it to heart and came closer. Gravis turned his gaze to the man and noticed several things. He was wearing light armor, grey in color. On his back, Gravis could see a rather long spear.

’Sure enough, he carries his weapon on his back,’ Gravis thought. ’This is probably a Weapon Cultivator.’

"These are symbols of power from the different Sects," the man said as he stopped beside Gravis. "As you can see, there are over a hundred of them, each one representing one Sect. They serve as a demonstration of the Sects’ ways."

Gravis nodded. "I can feel different elements in different weapons. I can also feel Laws like Heat, Cold, and several others. I can even sense some mixed elements. Yet, the surprising thing is that nearly half of them have no element at all."

The man, a guard probably, had a shocked look on his face. "You can feel all these Laws?" he asked.

Gravis nodded. "I know a lot about the elements, and I’m pretty good at forging. That’s why I can tell," Gravis said.

"You are no Purist then, I presume?" the guard asked.

Gravis furrowed his brows. "What’s a Purist?" he asked.

The guard looked surprised since he hadn’t expected that question. "How do you not know that?" he asked. "Are you joking with me?"

Gravis scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Does it have something to do with Weapon Cultivation?" he asked.

The guard narrowed his eyes in uncertainty as he tried to evaluate Gravis. "You talk like you know nothing about the Path of Weapons." Then, he looked Gravis up and down. "I also don’t see any weapon on you," he added.

Gravis nodded. "I’m not a Weapon Cultivator," Gravis said.

"Not a Weapon Cultivator?" the guard asked in shock, but then his friendly attitude immediately vanished. "Please tell me that you’re joking."

Gravis looked at the guard with interest. ’As I’ve expected. This is a Battle World, and the Weapon Laws reign supreme. Anyone that does not follow the Weapon Laws is seen as inferior,’ Gravis thought.

"I’m not joking," Gravis said.

Then, the guard harrumphed in disdain. "Then leave this place, servant. You do not deserve to gaze upon the Sects’ glory."

Gravis raised an eyebrow. "Servant? That’s a new one. Why do you call me a servant?" he asked.

SHING!

The guard pulled out his spear. "Silence, servant! Leave or feel my spear!" he shouted.

Gravis didn’t take the threat seriously. This guy was a Mid Early Circulation Immortal, nothing dangerous to Gravis. Yet, of course, this guard wasn’t alone. Several other guards looked in from outside. There were over a hundred of them, and Gravis noticed that their number was the same as the number of weapons in the hall. On top of that, they all held different weapons and armor.

"So you are an envoy of one of the Sects, I presume," Gravis said calmly.

SHING!

The guard pointed his spear at Gravis. "This is my last warning! Leave!" he shouted.

Gravis only smirked.

PACK!

Gravis moved so fast that the guard couldn’t even react. What was up with that ridiculous speed!? Gravis didn’t even use anything, but his speed was absolutely abnormal!

How was Gravis so much faster than someone an entire level higher than him without using any Law?

The answer was his body.

For over a thousand years, Gravis had lived among beasts with monstrous bodies. All of them had such powerful bodies that Gravis’ body only counted as average. The power of Gravis’ body had even become irrelevant in the middle world.

But now, Gravis was among humans again, and humans were not known for their physical power.

Gravis grabbed the shaft of the spear with one hand and looked at the guard’s shocked expression. At the same time, Gravis also looked at how the other guards reacted. Sure enough, none of them intervened. They were rather shocked about Gravis’ speed, but none of them even made an attempt to save the grey guard.

’As I’ve thought. They’re in competition or at war. I’m not sure how this world tempers itself, so I can’t be sure about their relationship,’ Gravis thought.

"You dare touch my weapon!?" the guard shouted angrily.

CRRRRR!

A wave of earth came out of the spear’s shaft as spikes tried to impale Gravis’ hand.

Gravis wanted to use his Composition Law of Core to destroy the earth, but he decided to stop.

The spikes hit Gravis’ hand but broke. Meanwhile, Gravis’ hand was not even injured. Even though Gravis was in his human form, the ridiculous defense of his scales still worked.

On top of that, this wasn’t even Core. This was the basic earth element with the help of a level two Law. Additionally, this was not an attack created by the actually dangerous part of the spear. This was simply a makeshift attack to push Gravis away.

The eyes of the guard nearly fell out. Why was this new Ascender so strange!?

YOINK!

Gravis pulled the spear to him but pulled the guard with it. Gravis was a bit surprised that the guard didn’t let go of his weapon. It seemed like he would first need to lose his arms before he let his weapon go.

 

And that was exactly what the guard did. Gravis cut off both of the guard’s arms with a chop and pointed the guard’s spear at him.

The guard looked like doomsday had arrived. It was like his closest companion had been killed.

"Servant, eh?" Gravis asked with a smirk.

As soon as Gravis took the spear away from the guard, the entire atmosphere changed. The guards on the outside no longer looked gloating into the hall. Instead, they narrowed their eyes in fury. Gravis noticed this and raised an eyebrow.

’So they are not at war. It’s probably a form of competition,’ he thought. ’Well, that’s why I didn’t kill the guy. As long as I don’t kill him, nothing bad will happen.’

BANG!

The guard fell to his knees in despair.

BOOOOOM!

And then, he exploded.

Chapter 730 - 730 – Power Is Everything

Gravis couldn’t believe it.

Why did that guy explode!?

He didn’t want to kill the guy in order to not create a deep enmity, but that guy just killed himself!? Was he so mad about his weapon being stolen that he wanted to pull Gravis down with him!?

SHING! SHING! SHING!

All the guards teleported into the hall, and it became very crowded suddenly. On top of that, their angry eyes bore into Gravis.

"What guts!" a guard in red armor said. "It has been a while since an Ascender dared to kill one of us!"

"I didn’t kill shit!" Gravis shouted as he pointed at the smoldering remains of the dead guard. "I only wanted to teach him a lesson, but that guy just exploded! How the fuck is that my fault!?"

"Stop lying!" another guard shouted. "It’s common knowledge that one’s path is severed when one loses his weapon!"

Gravis blinked a couple of times in surprise. "Really?" he asked.

"You can’t talk yourself out of this one, servant," another guard said as he stepped forward with his weapon. "Today, you will die. Servants that don’t respect the weapon are worthless."

"I truly didn’t know," Gravis said, activating his Law of Honesty.

At once, all the guards became shocked. Their Will-Aura couldn’t keep up with Gravis, and they immediately believed him.

One of the guards sighed. "So you truly didn’t know," the guard said.

SHING!

The guard pulled his saber and pointed it at Gravis. "Then consider this bad luck," the guard said. "You have killed one of us in the most disrespectful way possible. Not knowing doesn’t absolve you of your deeds."

’Of course it wouldn’t be this easy,’ Gravis thought. ’Even if someone confesses to a crime honestly, they will still get their punishment.’

’I wonder, is this because of my Karmic Luck?’ Gravis thought. ’Now that I’m among humans again, I will probably run into more instances of bad luck.’

"So you will kill me, no matter what I say. Is that it?" Gravis asked evenly.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

Nearly all guards took out their weapons. "We would have given you the privilege of serving us, but a servant that does not know how to respect their masters is worthless," one of them said.

Gravis rolled his eyes. Again with this servant shit.

"Actually," Gravis said with a slight giggle, "I find it amusing that you value the Cultivator’s path over their individual power. I agree that Weapon Cultivators are in general stronger than other Cultivators, but this only refers to the general populace, not everyone."

"Sometimes, there are people that break the convention," Gravis said as he gestured to them with his open palm.

"Like me, for example."

WHOOOOOOOOM!

An apocalyptic pressure pressed down onto everyone. The bodies of the guards shook as it became incredibly hard for them to move. Their weapons lowered as their arms couldn’t withstand the pressure.

Immediately, all guards noticed that they had committed a fatal mistake. This was not a normal Ascender!

Gravis slowly lowered his outstretched arm.

CRRRRRR!

And with the lowering of his arm, his Will-Aura intensified.

Some of the guards lost their footing and kneeled on the ground, but others managed to hold. For the first time, fear and respect appeared in their eyes. They had never seen or even heard about such a powerful Ascender! Over 100 Cultivators, an entire level above Gravis, had been made helpless in front of him.

"There are several paths to power," Gravis said with a smirk. "One of them is Weapon Cultivation, but it isn’t the only one. With my Will-Aura alone, I am undefeatable by every Minor Circulation Immortal."

"But there’s more," Gravis said with a smirk.

CRRRRRRR!

The hall shook as the ground below Gravis started to vanish. A crater appeared around the standing Gravis as everything around him got its Composition destroyed, transforming everything into dust and Energy.

A black void appeared around Gravis as everything around him turned into void. Gravis knew all the High-Rank elements and the Hard Pure Law. Light, darkness, earth, air, stone, everything was turned into nothingness as a swirl of white dust and Energy flowed around Gravis.

The power and sound of the destruction of everything assaulted the guards, heightening their fear and astonishment to incredible levels.

Step!

Gravis took one step in the void as the black, destructive nothingness traveled along with him. Everything that touched Gravis turned into nothingness. "Composition is another path to power," Gravis said.

WHOOOM!

18 balls appeared around Gravis’ body, each one representing a different element. The inner circle was comprised of the pure elements, while the outer one was comprised of the mixed elements.

The balls around Gravis started circling as they absorbed the power of the destroyed material all around him.

"You might look down upon the Elemental Cultivators, but even Elemental Cultivators can reach an incredible power," Gravis said as he stepped forward.

BRRR!

Suddenly, the entire hall became incredibly hot as the guards even felt their armors and weapons heating up. Yet, no matter how hot their weapons became, they wouldn’t drop them.

CRRR!

Then, everything froze over as it became even harder for the guards to move.

"The Temperature Laws can also be quite dangerous."

The guards shivered, but they weren’t sure if it was because of the cold or fear.

"But I don’t specialize in any of these examples," Gravis said with a smirk. "You wanna know what I specialize in?" he asked.

None of them could answer.

BZZZZZ!

Punishment Lightning appeared in front of Gravis as it unveiled all the lightning-related Laws that existed up to this point. "I specialize in two things," Gravis said as he summoned his saber.

Gravis slowly moved his saber through the lightning ball and absorbed it with his saber. Now, the saber crackled violently with power as Gravis’ impossibly powerful Will-Aura magnified the power of his lightning manifold.

The guards realized that this was a technique of Weapon Cultivators. Only Weapon Cultivators could infuse their weapons with so much power. They could feel the power in Gravis’ saber and grew incredibly shocked.

The power was colossal, but that wasn’t the shocking part. After all, there were several people on Gravis’ level that could create such a powerful attack.

What truly shocked them was that Gravis’ saber was absent of any Weapon Law!

How was it possible to push a technique from Weapon Cultivation to such an insane degree without using the very thing they all concentrated on!?

"My first specialization focuses on lightning, as you can see," Gravis said.

"And my second specialization..." Gravis said as he trailed off. Then, he lifted his outstretched hand.

"Are my Will-Aura related Laws."

And he lowered his hand.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

All guards immediately collapsed onto the ground, a crater appearing around them as their bodies were pressed into the ground with so much power that it couldn’t hold.

The guards felt pain as their muscles and bones screamed at them that they were being destroyed.

Gravis’ Will-Aura alone was killing them right now, and the guards felt that their death had come.

Whooosh!

Yet, all the pressure vanished suddenly.

’He stopped?’ they all thought in shock. They were alive?

"And I think that Weapon Cultivation will help me more in combining my powers," Gravis said calmly. "I have a powerful body, powerful elements, and a powerful Will-Aura. Yet, all of these things are separate from each other. I want to combine them into one, and I think Weapon Cultivation is just the thing I need."

"So," Gravis said as the guards slowly stood up again. "Take me as a novice of Weapon Cultivation, but an expert in pure power."

Gravis waited some seconds until all the guards stood up again. Right now, everything was identical to the time when the guards had just teleported into the room, with them standing on one side with their weapons and Gravis standing on the other.

Yet, one thing was different. No guard dared to look at Gravis with anger or disrespect. Instead, all of them feared and respected him.

These were the legendary heights of Battle-Strength every Weapon Cultivator strived for!

This was what they had chased for their entire life!

Gravis smiled as he looked at them. "I want to join a Sect to learn about Weapon Cultivation. Of course, I will follow the Sect’s rules and will give you access to my abilities."

"So, my question is, will one of you accept me into their Sect?"