Ch. 931..940

Chapter 931 - 931 – Living The Life

A couple of days later, the envoy from Underworld arrived.

Compared to the Elder that set up the Formation Arrays, this envoy didn’t shroud themselves in mystery.

They were a Peak Immortal King with the appearance of a young girl with silver hair.

When she arrived, she saw one person standing in front of a building, clad in imposing, black armor.

She had a good eye and could immediately see how expensive the equipment was, which surprised her.

This probably had to be the boss of this mysterious shop. No sane person would gift their employees such a ridiculously expensive set of equipment.

"Hello, I’m an envoy from Underworld," she said with a polite smile and polite bow. "I have been sent here to exchange Immortal Stones for all the ore you currently possess. You must be the boss, Gravis, right?" she asked.

"Sorry to disappoint you, miss, but I’m not Gravis," Liam said with a polite tone.

Gravis had always only seen the cold, prideful, and arrogant side of Liam, but that was to be expected with the dynamic between the two of them. In truth, Liam was a very approachable and friendly person.

"Oh, sorry," the girl apologized. "Will you be the one that will look over the exchange?"

Liam nodded.

BANG!

A huge part of the cave was filled with ore. Stella had handed all the ore over to him. They came to the agreement that Liam would take over the human side for the foreseeable future.

The girl looked over all the different ores with wonder and checked the quantity.

Yes, the quantity checked out.

Whoop!

The girl pocketed all the ore. "Thank you kindly!"

BANG!

A mountain of Immortal Stones appeared in the cave.

"Please count the Immortal Stones, sir," the girl said politely.

Liam’s Spirit Sense encompassed the Immortal Stones. The girl couldn’t see it, but Liam took a deep, shocked breath when he saw so many Immortal Stones.

When had he ever seen so many Immortal Stones in one place?

Even more, he got to keep 10%!?

"The sum is correct," Liam said with a friendly tone as he pocketed the Immortal Stones. "Thank you for the trade. Do visit the Gravitas again, miss."

"No, I have to thank you," the girl said with a slight bow. "I almost feel bad for buying all of this ore for only this little bit of Immortal Stones. I feel like I’m stealing from you."

’Stealing, huh?’ Liam thought with complex emotions.

Who was the one stealing from whom?

Gravis had only worked a collective five hours in the last three months for all of this ore.

They were basically the ones stealing from Underworld!

The two of them exchanged another set of pleasantries, and eventually, the girl left happily.

Liam thought that the girl appeared rather innocent and naïve, but he knew that things weren’t that simple. She was a member of Underworld, and she also had to have been in Underworld for quite some time. After all, no one would trust a new member with around a billion Immortal Stones.

Such a senior member of Underworld definitely couldn’t be a naive, young girl.

Right now, Liam couldn’t take his eyes off the 980 million Immortal Stones in his Spirit Space.

This was so much money!

Silence returned to the human side of the Gravitas as Liam simply continued standing there.

Usually, he would have considered just standing there to be a massive waste of time, but he was earning a ridiculous sum of money right now.

This short exchange gave him 98 million Immortal Stones. That was nearly half of what he needed to become an Immortal Emperor.

If this were considered wasting time, literally every human in the world would want to waste their time.

Some hours later, on the beast side, a new beast arrived.

The beast looked around and only saw a tall human in imposing black armor standing in front of it.

It couldn’t feel the Cultivation of the human in front of it, which surprised it. It was already a Peak Immortal King. Was this human an Immortal Emperor?

No, this was just Siral.

Siral was definitely not an Immortal Emperor. In fact, he was still the weakest member of the Gravitas with a Cultivation in the Early Major Circulation Immortal King Realm.

However, the armor hid his Cultivation from prying eyes.

"Are you the one offering equipment?" the beast asked with a bit of hostility. After all, this was a human.

"Yes, what do you want to purchase?" Siral asked.

Just like every other time, the beast wanted to test the power of the armor. Fortunately, Gravis had left plenty of plates behind.

Sadly, this beast brought new ore, and it was always most effective to show the effects of forging by using the very ore the beast brought.

Siral informed the beast about what would happen, and the beast agreed.

BANG! BANG!

Some Divine Lightning appeared and smelted a part of the ore mountain into a plate.

The beast became shocked yet again.

The Cultivator in front of it didn’t do anything. All this Divine Lightning had come out of the walls of the cave.

Sure enough, this shop wasn’t simple at all.

After the test was finished, the beast ordered a ton of equipment.

Siral had already gathered enough experience by watching Gravis for the past three months. He gave the beast a consultation session not in any way inferior to Gravis’.

After everything was decided, more Divine Lightning appeared, and the ore slowly warped into a suitable form for the beast.

After a couple of minutes, the beast left, fully armored.

Siral got to keep 10% of the ore that the beast had paid with, but he wasn’t as shocked as Liam. After all, his mind was completely dominated by the Life Ring. Right now, he had no selfish thoughts. He was simply a servant.

This was how the business continued for the next couple of years.

Siral consulted the beasts while Liam had more run-ins with the silver-haired girl from Underworld.

As time passed, more and more beasts came. Apparently, the power of Gravis’ equipment was gaining quite some fame and infamy in the beasts.

The beasts hated it when other beasts relied on external power, which created the infamy, but they couldn’t argue against the fact that the equipment was excellent and powerful, which was where the fame came from.

In just a couple of years, Gravis had amassed enough Immortal Stones to repay the Elder from Underworld.

After calling the Elder, she quickly arrived, and Liam handed over the ridiculous amount of Immortal Stones.

While Liam was talking to the Elder, the Elder only glared at the wall of the cave hatefully. If one had the ability to see through her disguise, they would see that she was even a bit red in the face.

The Elder snorted and quickly left after getting her payment.

Liam was a bit confused why the Elder was so curt with him.

Why was she so curt?

Why was she angry?

Well, all these Formation Arrays were her Formation Arrays, which meant that they had no effect on her.

So, the Elder was able to witness what was happening just outside the Formation Arrays, in a small cave.

Gravis had obviously been present all these years. Otherwise, he couldn’t have forged all that equipment.

Yet, what was he doing during all of this?

Well, obviously, he was "comprehending Laws" with the help of Stella!

Forging some equipment didn’t require much concentration from him, which was why he didn’t even need to stop his "activities" when he had to forge something.

Gravis was "comprehending Laws" with Stella’s help while earning a ridiculous amount of money at the side.

Gravis was living the life right now!

Chapter 932 - 932 – Phase Three

After another five years, something happened.

A new customer arrived, but this customer was different from all the previous ones.

It was a Black Demon with a snake head and four arms.

As soon as he arrived at the Gravitas, Gravis looked over and stopped what he was doing.

"What’s wrong? Why did you stop?" Stella asked, out of breath.

"It’s time," Gravis said with a smirk.

"Phase three of my plan begins!"

Stella looked with surprise at Gravis. Gravis didn’t fully explain the phases of his plan to her since he wanted to surprise her.

Gravis quickly transformed into his beast form and put on his armor to keep his Cultivation a secret.

Then, he used his Law of Perceived Reality to keep his identity as secret as possible.

He had to be incredibly careful right now.

Why?

Because Gravis couldn’t feel the Cultivation of this Black Demon.

This meant that this beast was, at least, a Mid Major Circulation Immortal Emperor.

The Black Demon had to have heard that the Gravitas couldn’t serve Immortal Emperors, but he had arrived anyway.

This could only mean that he was here for something that wasn’t equipment.

Phase three was about to begin!

Siral felt nervous when he noticed the impossibly powerful pressure the Black Demon in front of him radiated.

SHING!

However, when Gravis arrived in front of him, his nervousness vanished, and he bowed to Gravis. "Master," he said respectfully.

"I’ll personally take this customer," Gravis said with a calm voice.

Siral stepped back until he was in the background.

The Black Demon slowly walked into the Gravitas and looked at the armored Gravis in front of him.

He immediately noticed the shape of Gravis’ body and realized that Gravis was also a Black Demon.

This immediately changed the disposition that the Black Demon had towards Gravis.

What did the disposition change into?

Well, the Black Demon saw someone of his own race in front of him.

What would a Black Demon feel towards their own race?

Rivalry, competition, battle, dominance!

Only other Black Demons could be on the levels of Black Demons, which created an intense feeling of rivalry in them.

The eyes of the Black Demon became filled with battle-lust, but suddenly, the battle-lust vanished.

Instead, his eyes showed a bit of reverence and fear.

Gravis had seen this change, and he knew what this meant.

Narcissus had just warned the Black Demon.

After all, Narcissus didn’t want to kill one of his own beasts.

"What do you want?" Gravis asked evenly.

The Black Demon looked into Gravis’ eyes, but he didn’t dare to harbor any malicious intentions anymore.

Narcissus was here, and Narcissus was the most powerful being amongst all the beasts.

If the Black Demon offended Narcissus, he wouldn’t even know how he had died.

"Forging techniques," the Black Demon said directly with a deep voice.

Behind his helmet, Gravis’ smirk widened.

’It’s indeed the start of phase three,’ Gravis thought with excitement.

It was only logical that the beasts would want to learn how to forge this powerful equipment for themselves at some point.

After all, getting a product and getting a method to create a product were completely different things.

The Black Demons often created their own weapons, but their culture and experience in forging were vastly inferior to humans.

One had to remember that there was a gigantic difference between how humans spread knowledge and how beasts spread knowledge.

Beasts often didn’t spread knowledge since there was nothing to be gained, and even if they did, they simply told it to other beasts.

However, how did knowledge spread among humans?

Writing!

The wisdom, experiences, teachings, and techniques from Ancestors that had died millions of years ago could be preserved, spread, and built upon, unchanged and unaltered.

Something like the Weapon Technique of the Nine Elements Sect also took millions of years to form. This wasn’t something that a single Cultivator could achieve in their lifetime without becoming a Star God.

Because of that, these self-learned Forging techniques that the Black Demons created could never create equipment on the same level of quality as humans.

All of these Forging techniques were simply primitive, with a lot of things that weren’t considered.

A technique might start out bad, but when someone else cultivated this technique and achieved greater success than the creator of the technique, they could expand and refine the technique more. At that point, the technique might even become average.

The same thing would repeat time and time again. Sometimes, a Cultivator would gain a sudden insight or crazy idea. Then, they would experiment on the technique, and some of these experiments would elevate the technique to even greater heights.

So, as long as one being didn’t become ridiculously powerful, one couldn’t create something better than a technique that had been refined over and over again by people with different insights and ideas.

That was why the beasts needed Gravis’ Forging techniques.

"Currently, I only know a single Forging technique, and that is the one I use personally," Gravis said. "Getting good Forging techniques takes a ridiculous amount of wealth to purchase."

"There are more than one?" the Black Demon asked with narrowed eyes.

Gravis nodded. "Thousands and maybe even millions," Gravis said. "All of them have different requirements for materials, quality, methods, power, Elements, and Laws. You can forge with basically any Element, but you need the correct technique first."

"I only need one of them, and yours should suffice," the Black Demon said.

"I can give you mine, but I have to warn you. My technique is probably one of the simplest techniques in existence but also one of the hardest to master. Depending on whom you give it to, they might either master it quickly or never master it at all."

"What does your technique require?" the Black Demon asked.

"Only two things," Gravis said. "The fitting Matter Laws and a very good control over the lightning."

The Black Demon thought that this sounded rather simple.

"Show me," he ordered.

"You brought some ore?" Gravis asked.

The Black Demon opened his mouth, and a big stone of ore came out. The stone looked far too big for the Black Demon’s small body.

However, Gravis didn’t think that this was anything strange.

BZZZ!

Gravis used some Punishment Lightning to create a fitting weapon for the Black Demon. This ore was only on the level of a Mid Major Circulation Immortal King. Forging something like this was easy. Gravis also only used Punishment Lightning since he wanted to show that one didn’t need Divine Lighting to forge equipment.

"Try it," Gravis said.

Obviously, this weapon was useless to the Black Demon. After all, the Black Demon was a mighty Immortal Emperor.

However, he still tested the different aspects of the weapon and compared it to the raw ore. He even forged another weapon for himself and banged the two weapons against each other.

His own weapon shattered while Gravis’ weapon didn’t even get a single scratch.

The Black Demon had also looked at Gravis while he forged, and sure enough, Gravis had only used the Law of Punishment Lightning and the Hard Pure Law.

"I will purchase your technique," the Black Demon said. "What do you want?"

"Obviously, the prices between individual equipment sets and a technique to create these equipment sets are worlds apart. This trade will be far more costly. However, you probably have a very high status amongst the beasts, so you should have the necessary authority to procure the payment."

"However, I can assure you right now that your personal belongings won’t nearly be enough."

"So, see this trade not as a trade between you and me, but as a trade between the entire beast camp and me," Gravis said.

This was phase three of Gravis’ plan, and this was when the true treasures would appear.

There were things that beasts had that they wouldn’t exchange only for equipment.

However, there were also things that humans had that they wouldn’t exchange for Immortal Stones.

This was where the true meat of Cultivation was at!

The Black Demon narrowed his eyes. "I thought as much. State your price!"

Gravis smirked behind his helmet.

What were all these previous trades?

They were nothing!

In front of this trade, all the previous exchanges were worthless.

This single trade would be more useful to Gravis and his close ones than all the other trades combined.

"50 level five Law Life Fruits and 10,000 years in ten different level five Law Comprehension Areas each."

Chapter 933 - 933 – Forging Techniques

The Black Demon remained silent for a couple of seconds.

"How much!?" he shouted in outrage.

"You heard me correctly," Gravis answered.

"That’s ridiculous!" the Black Demon shouted.

"As I’ve said, this is not something that you can pay with just your personal wealth," Gravis explained.

"That’s still too much!" the Black Demon shouted. "I have no issues with the Law Comprehension Areas, and I could also accept 50 Law Comprehension Fruits, but 50 Law Comprehension LIFE Fruits? We need to essentially sacrifice 50 Major Circulation Immortal Kings for those!"

"So?" Gravis asked. "You are pretty high in the hierarchy amongst beasts, and as soon as I give you my technique, the entirety of the beast territory will know it in no time. You are essentially just sacrificing a level of 50 Major Circulation Immortal Kings for something that can increase the Battle Strength of every beast in existence.. You are sacrificing a little short-term gain for an immense long-term gain."

"I can’t accept that!" the Black Demon said. However, he didn’t appear as angry as before.

"Then leave," Gravis said.

The Black Demon glared at Gravis, and his inherent pressure leaked out.

The cave began shaking, but Gravis only looked at the beast without amusement.

"25," the Black Demon said.

"50," Gravis answered.

"35. We are taking a huge risk. You said yourself that your technique is hard to master," the Black Demon said.

Gravis remained silent for a bit.

"Alright, 40," Gravis said.

Some more seconds of silence.

"Fine!" the Black Demon shouted angrily.

Gravis nodded and grinned behind his helmet. "Deal. I want four Law Comprehension Life Fruits per level five Law. You can choose whichever level five Laws you want."

The Black Demon was not happy at all, and he seethed with anger. If Narcissus hadn’t warned him, he would have already killed Gravis.

"I will return in a week," the Black Demon said.

"Alright," Gravis said. "I will also purchase more Forging techniques in the meantime. However, I can’t guarantee how good they are since I haven’t used them before, but at least I can guarantee that everything on them will be honest."

The Black Demon huffed and left quickly. He didn’t want to continue talking to Gravis.

"That was such a big trade!" Stella shouted with excitement as she hugged Gravis.

Gravis laughed loudly. "Great, isn’t it?" he asked. "You four haven’t eaten any Law Comprehension Life Fruits yet, so I will give each of you four. You should be able to comprehend another level five Law with them."

"Really? You would do that?" Stella asked. "But those are basically portable level five Laws!"

"So?" Gravis said nonchalantly. "I’ve told you that you can’t eat too many Life Fruits anyway. I’ll only lose twelve and will still have 28 to sell. Underworld will be very interested in those."

"What do you plan to exchange for these Life Fruits?" Stella asked as she looked at Gravis with awe and wonder.

Usually, Stella wasn’t easy to impress, but as soon as she and Gravis had become a pair, it was like Stella had become a young girl again, filled with excitement.

A lot of pressure had disappeared from Stella’s shoulders, and she finally felt like she had someone that she could truly rely upon. Because of that, her mindset had relaxed.

"I will exchange them for access to level five Law Comprehension Areas," Gravis said. "After all, you guys can’t go into the beast territories. The access to the level five Law Comprehension Areas in the beast territory is for Mortis and me, while you guys can go to the human territories."

"Right!" Stella shouted as she finally understood. "I was wondering about that."

But then, Stella remembered something. "But what about the Gravitas? If you give the beasts your own Forging technique, we will run out of business."

Gravis had to laugh at that. "Do you think creating powerful equipment with lightning is easy? You should know something about forging. Tell me, can you forge with lightning?" Gravis asked.

Stella quickly shook her head a couple of times. "No way!" she shouted. "Lightning is so volatile. If I use too little, nothing happens. If I use too much, the metal turns to ash. I would need to hit everything perfectly!"

"Exactly," Gravis said with a smirk.

"What do you mean with exactly? Don’t you have a Forging technique that makes this easier?" Stella asked.

"That is my Forging technique," Gravis said.

"What do you mean?" Stella asked.

"That’s it. You just have to know how to create something you want and then hit it perfectly with lightning. That’s it. That’s the entire technique. The beasts don’t know the basics about forging, which is why they need a technique. However, we humans all at least know something about Forging. To us, this technique isn’t really a technique."

"The only requirements are the fitting Laws and an excellent control over lightning," Gravis explained. "I guess the control over your lightning has to be about as good as the control over Energy when you create a good Space Ring."

Stella’s eyes widened.

She had heard from Gravis how the highest world had Space Rings. Theoretically, a Space Ring could be created by using the level six Law of Space and by manipulating Energy to the finest degree. Normal Space Rings didn’t exist in the higher world. There were people that knew the level six Law of Space, but no one could control their Energy this finely. After all, why would they? It took far too much practice, and being able to control one’s Energy better didn’t really increase one’s power by much.

It wasn’t worth the effort, and powerful Immortal Emperors had better things to do.

Creating a Life Ring was even more difficult. One needed to basically create a Space Ring and then infuse it with the Law of the Dead World.

Wait, but the thing is called a Life Ring. Why did it suddenly need the Law of the Dead World?

Ironically, a Life Ring didn’t need the Laws of Life. It only needed to create an environment that allowed Life to flourish.

But wait, if the higher world didn’t even have Space Rings, how could it have Slave Rings, which were basically Life Rings?

Simple.

Previous Researchers from the highest world.

There was an uncountable number of lower worlds and a ridiculous number of middle worlds.

However, the higher worlds were basically all cataloged. Because of that, there had been a couple of Researchers per higher world.

They were the ones that brought the Life Rings to this world.

Stella had heard all these things from Gravis, and because of that, she knew how difficult it was to make Life Rings and Space Rings.

Yet, Gravis had said that one needed as much control over lightning to use Gravis’ technique as it needed to create a Space Ring.

That requirement was basically impossible to achieve without tens of thousands of years of practice.

The beasts would need to dedicate many Immortal Kings to only Forging to make any headway with this technique. These Immortal Kings would waste so much time practicing that becoming an Immortal Emperor was basically already impossible due to time constraints.

Stella felt bad for the beasts. To her, it felt like Gravis had scammed them. However, Gravis had said nothing but the truth. He had said that it could be the hardest technique to master out of all of them. He had clearly laid out how hard it was to master.

The Black Demon could simply have said that it was too hard to learn and that he would return when Gravis purchased a more fitting Forging technique.

However, the Black Demon readily accepted.

The Black Demon probably thought that Gravis was underestimating the beasts.

After all, how hard could forging be? Gravis didn’t even lift his fingers and only shot a couple of lightning bolts at the ore. It seemed easy enough.

By now, the Gravitas had gotten a different token from Underworld. After all, contacting the Keeper of Underworld just to facilitate some trades seemed like a bit of a waste of time.

Liam kept the token of the silver-haired girl from Underworld, and Gravis told him to contact her about Forging Techniques.

The girl quickly informed herself about Forging Techniques and told Liam about the details of the techniques.

Gravis very quickly shut her down.

He wasn’t interested in this trash.

The beasts were paying good money for these techniques, and Gravis wouldn’t scam them with a useless one.

Only the best techniques would suffice.

They had to be outstanding in at least one of the following departments and at least average in the remaining departments.

Complexity, Quality, Speed, Requirement.

Complexity described how hard the technique was to learn and master. Quality and Speed were self-explanatory. Requirement described what Laws one needed to know to use the technique in the first place.

Gravis’ Forging technique, for example, had a poor Complexity. After all, basically no one could really use it. However, Quality and Speed were absolutely outstanding. Requirement was good. One still needed to know a fitting Lightning Law.

Gravis wanted several techniques with different rankings amongst the criteria. After all, he wanted to give the Black Demon a lot of stuff to choose from when he inevitably returned in a couple of years.

There was no way that the Black Demon wouldn’t return. After all, this technique was essentially useless as long as they didn’t have a beast with ridiculous control over lightning or as long as they didn’t spend 100,000 years raising dedicated Forgers.

And like that, Gravis had spent a couple billion Immortal Stones again.

If one wanted to earn big, one needed to invest big.

Chapter 934 - 934 – Fruits

The techniques quickly arrived, and Liam handed over the payment.

Now, Gravis had 20 additional techniques, all with different strengths and requirements. Most of them needed the Inferno Element, but there were also some for Metal, Water, Light, and Earth.

Gravis especially picked a couple of techniques that were easy to master with an average speed and quality.

Yet, one should never forget how long it took average Forgers to create equipment. An average speed of Forging meant that the Forger would only need a couple of weeks to create a good weapon. That was already not bad.

Of course, there was still a difference as vast as the difference between heaven and earth when one compared these techniques to Gravis’ technique. After all, Gravis could create top-tier equipment in literal seconds.

Sadly, mastering it was absolutely not easy..

The Black Demon returned a week later with the payment.

The Life Fruits were quickly handed over, and Gravis got some inscribed scales from the Black Demon. The Black Demon had picked off his own scales and inscribed them. As long as a beast handed over these scales to a guard of a level five Law Comprehension Area, one would receive 10,000 years of access to that Law Comprehension Area.

After receiving the payment, Gravis personally taught the Black Demon his technique.

This Black Demon paid a hefty sum, and Gravis felt that it was only fitting that the Black Demon got some personal tutoring for a month.

When the Black Demon heard that, he was pleasantly surprised. He had expected that Gravis would simply hand the concepts of the technique over. However, getting personal tutoring was even better.

The Black Demon immediately left to gather several powerful Immortal Emperors with a lightning affinity. The Black Demon didn’t have the time to learn Forging. He would only look on to learn the basics.

He quickly returned with ten Immortal Emperors, and they all sat down in front of Gravis.

Gravis immediately transmitted his entire technique and all related concepts to the eleven of them.

In the beginning, they all felt like it sounded quite easy. The technique really wasn’t complex at all.

However, their biggest gain was all the basic knowledge about equipment. After all, knowing the basics about creating equipment was what allowed one to create one’s own techniques.

After getting all the information from Gravis, the beasts immediately knew why their own equipment was so horrible. The Black Demon especially realized now why Gravis’ weapon was so much better than his own.

Then, Gravis began demonstrating how he used his technique while explaining it in detail.

Over the next month, the eleven beasts tried to create their own equipment, but they completely failed.

They didn’t even manage to create a tiny plate.

All the ore they brought to experiment had been turned to ash.

The ten Immortal Emperors felt nervous. This was far harder than they had anticipated.

Yet, the Black Demon didn’t care. He wasn’t a Forger anyway. It was their job to learn the technique. In short, the other ten Immortal Emperors simply had to deal with it.

The eleven of them left after a month. The Black Demon was already planning about how to use the future equipment while the other ten left nervously.

Could they master such fine control?

Gravis waved at them as they left. Behind his helmet, he was smirking widely. "See you later!"

After everyone left, Gravis gathered the employees of the Gravitas to hand over the Life Fruits.

"Stella, which one do you want?" Gravis asked.

Stella looked at the 40 Law Comprehension Life Fruits with interest and then pointed at one. "That one!"

Gravis scratched his chin. "Why that one?"

"Because I need something for longer fights," Stella explained. "I already use a ton of Energy since I know two very aggressive level five Mixed Elemental Laws. I need something I can use while I fight normally."

Gravis nodded and handed the four Law Comprehension Life Fruits over that Stella wanted.

What Law did these fruits contain?

The Major Law of Temperatures.

Stella knew the element-neutral form of the Law of Heat but didn’t know the element-neutral form of the Law of Cold. As these Laws were now, they wouldn’t be able to help Stella much. After all, they required a lot of Energy, and Stella had level five Laws she could use instead.

Yet, if she knew the Major Law of Temperatures, she could keep the Major Laws of Cold and Heat active indefinitely. Over a longer fight, these Laws would weaken the opponent passively.

"And you, Liam?" Gravis asked while Stella was looking with wonder at the four fruits in her hands.

"That one," he said.

Gravis frowned. "Do you know the prerequisite Laws?"

"No," Liam said. "I know four of five. The last one shouldn’t take long for me to comprehend."

Gravis nodded. "Alright."

Then, Gravis handed over another four fruits to Liam.

What Law did Liam ask for?

The Major Law of Body Growth.

With that Law, Liam could regenerate his body faster and with less Energy. This was also useful for longer fights.

"Siral?" Gravis asked.

"I don’t dare to feel desire for Master’s belongings," Siral said.

Gravis rolled his eyes and threw four fruits to him.

"They are yours now, and I don’t accept any complaints."

Siral didn’t know how to react, but he didn’t dare to go against his Master’s orders.

What fruits did Gravis give Siral?

Hidden Wood.

This was a Mixed Element of Shadow and Deep Wood. As long as Siral mastered this Law, he would be able to stun his opponent’s soul when he struck. Like this, even if the opponent survived the first strike, Siral would be able to gain enough time to unleash a second one. Additionally, the opponent’s Spirit would be shaken, and it would become far harder for them to concentrate on finding Siral. This would also allow for Siral to flee.

Gravis kept the remaining ones for himself.

This was a great day for the Gravitas.

However, it was a sad day for Gravis.

Why?

Because Stella wanted to comprehend the Major Law of Cold, and she couldn’t do that here. Gravis didn’t know the element-neutral version of the Major Law of Cold, after all, which meant that he couldn’t help her with that one.

So, Stella had to go to space to comprehend it.

This meant that Gravis’ love life had to be put on hold for probably a couple centuries.

Gravis told Siral to eat his fruits in peace. During that time, Gravis would personally take care of the beast side.

Liam had to take care of the human side, which was why he also didn’t leave. However, in comparison to Stella, Liam could comprehend the last Law of Body Growth that he was missing right here. He only had to cut away on himself while waiting for customers.

So, right now, Stella and Siral were busy comprehending Laws while Gravis and Liam ran the Gravitas.

A couple hours after Stella left, a new beast entered the Gravitas.

Gravis looked over, summoned one of the tokens that the Black Demon had given him, and threw it over to the beast.

This beast was obviously Mortis.

It made no sense for Mortis to continue comprehending the Body Composition Laws in such an inefficient manner when he had access to actual level five Law Comprehension Areas.

"Thanks," Mortis said neutrally as he went back to the beast territory.

Which Law did Mortis choose?

The level five Law of Lightning’s Manipulation.

With that Law, Mortis’ and Gravis’ Divine Lightning would become a bit more powerful, a bit more efficient, and a bit faster.

’I swear, I’m like his father,’ Gravis thought. ’I am out here earning money, and he only comes to me when he needs something. Then, as soon as he gets it, he runs off to play.’

’I also want to comprehend Laws. I don’t want to just sit here all alone, waiting for customers.’

Gravis only continued frowning in front of the Gravitas as he waited for customers.

Chapter 935 - 935 – Gravitas' Success

Years passed.

The number of customers from the beast side decreased over time, but that was to be expected. Gravis knew that a drought of customers would come as soon as he sold his Forging technique to the beasts.

First of all, Narcissus no longer sent beasts to the Gravitas. One had to remember that nearly all the past customers had only come under the orders of Narcissus. Now that the Gravitas had served several customers, the growth would come naturally. Of course, that would still take a long time.

The second and more significant reason was that the powerful beasts that were interested in equipment had heard from their Wave Leaders that the beasts would soon forge their own equipment.

The payment that the beasts gave the Gravitas didn’t matter to the beasts. However, the reason why the beasts rather traded with other beasts was loyalty.

.

Gravis and that human that served them most of the time didn’t feel trustworthy to the beasts. The Gravitas was on the edge of the human territory, and the fact that the Gravitas had a human was already suspicious.

The beasts would much rather buy expensive and worse equipment from their own camp than buy cheap, excellent equipment from a stranger.

So, over the next century, the Gravitas got maybe one customer per year.

It was a significant drop from the earlier one customer per day.

However, Gravis knew that he only had to wait. He was certain that the beasts wouldn’t be able to forge useful equipment in the next 50,000 years.

So, Gravis waited for many years.

After a century, nothing much had changed.

After 500 years, everything was basically still the same. The only difference was that the customer base dropped even slightly more, but not by much.

And then, 1,000 years after Gravis had started waiting, everything changed.

The customer base suddenly exploded.

Now, there were over 30 customers per day!

Why were there suddenly so many customers when there had been nearly no customers for a millennium?

Two reasons.

The first reason was that the Forgers that the beasts wanted to create still weren’t able to forge useful equipment. The beasts had heard that they only had to wait, and they could buy equipment from their own camp.

However, 1,000 years was a lot of time, even for Immortal Kings.

1,000 years for an Immortal King was about as much time as a bit less than one full year for mortals.

Imagine you were told that you would get something you desperately wanted soon.

Yet, even a year later, there was no news.

Eventually, you would run out of patience, especially when you could get something even better from somewhere else.

The second reason was a tournament.

About every 500 years, a tournament for the geniuses amongst the beasts was held. Every participant was a Peak Immortal King, and the winner would gain access to a level five Law Comprehension Area until they comprehended the Law.

The opening of the Gravitas had been perfectly timed since that tournament was held just a year after the Gravitas received its first customers.

Who won the tournament?

That one silver tiger, the Gravitas’ first customer!

Then, the next tournament 500 years later had happened.

A normal beast had won, but the ones that used the equipment from the Gravitas placed far higher than what they should have reached.

The beasts were quite angry, but they believed that they would soon get their own equipment. After all, their Wave Leaders had told them that their Forgers were trying their best to learn Forging.

Yet, the years passed, and the Forgers made no progress.

Then, the next tournament was about to arrive, and there was still no news from their Wave Leaders.

So, the beasts had enough and charged towards the Gravitas.

They couldn’t allow the other beasts to win!

Gravis smirked when he saw so many customers arrive successively.

Big money was about to roll in!

And even more, the more beasts went to the Gravitas, the higher the pressure on the leadership of the beasts. After all, the leadership also didn’t know the background of the Gravitas. Only Narcissus knew the background, and he hadn’t told anyone.

The leadership of the beasts already suspected that their ore was transferred to the human side. Losing their ore was not an issue, but they didn’t want the humans to get it. They knew that humans needed ore desperately, and the more they had, the more powerful their Cultivators were.

So, every time they saw a beast go to the Gravitas, they imagined the equipment of humans upgrading by a rank.

Their Forgers made nearly no progress, even after a thousand years. Sadly, the beasts weren’t willing to admit that they had essentially bought a useless Forging technique. This resulted in the most prosperous ten years for the Gravitas.

Sadly, after eight years, an issue appeared.

It was an issue that Gravis had not foreseen, and this issue made it very hard for the Gravitas to continue earning Immortal Stones.

What issue?

Underworld and the Purist Sect had run out of money.

The prices of all ores on the human side dropped by nearly 70% due to the overabundance of supplies, and it was hard for Underworld and the Purist Sect to turn a profit.

Underworld and the Purist Sect now had mountains of ore that they couldn’t sell.

All their powerful Immortal Kings were already fully decked out in powerful equipment, and the frontlines were as safe for humans as never before.

But only on the eastern continent.

The other fronts hadn’t changed at all.

This gave the leaders of the beasts a lot of important information.

First of all, it was confirmed that their ore went to the humans.

When the leadership got the confirmation, they immediately asked Narcissus why he was supporting something like that. The humans were their enemies! Why would they willingly strengthen the humans!?

Narcissus said that the beasts also became more powerful. Even more, the most important aspect was the techniques that Gravis was selling to them. As long as they purchased all the techniques, they would have all the ore. What could the humans do then?

The beasts couldn’t argue with that.

The second thing that the beasts learned was that the ore was only transported to the east. This meant that the eastern front was isolated from the rest of humanity. After all, if the humans on the eastern front worked together with the rest of humanity, the average equipment on the other fronts would have also been upgraded.

So, what did the beasts do when they realized that the eastern front was now much more dangerous than the other ones?

One would imagine that they would pull back their own warriors from such a perilous front.

However, if they did that, the eastern front would collapse, and parts of their Great Forest would be burned down. This meant that the beast territory would shrink.

So, the beasts sent their armored beasts to the east.

This resulted in a vast disparity between the eastern front and the other ones.

In the east, the most powerful and most armed geniuses of the beasts would clash with the armed Cultivators from the Purist Sect.

Money was clashing with money, and the most powerful beasts went there.

The other fronts became a bit weaker, but it was still manageable for the beasts.

Right now, the eastern front was the beasts’ biggest concern.

Luckily, this decision had another positive side-effect.

Since the beasts sent all their most powerful and armed beasts to the east, the remainder of humanity felt that the beasts became a bit weaker. Additionally, they also hadn’t seen many armed beasts. This meant that the change among the beasts had been hidden from humanity.

The beasts were silently gaining power without humanity knowing of it.

Yet, all of this put even more pressure on the leadership of the beasts.

They had to make their own equipment!

They couldn’t allow the remainder of humanity to also gain more power!

So, 1,010 years after Gravis had sold his Forging technique to the Black Demon, the Black Demon returned.

The leadership couldn’t wait any longer.

They had to get the Forging techniques, no matter what!

Gravis smirked when he saw the Black Demon return.

’The Gravitas has reached its crescendo. We have enough Immortal Stones for everyone to become a Late Major Circulation Immortal Emperor. We have enough ore to last us until we leave this world. We have access to a ton of level five Law Comprehension Areas.’

’The Gravitas will now secure its last trade before it dissolves. It has served its purpose.’

Chapter 936 - 936 – Goodbye Gravitas

Gravis looked at the Black Demon with a smirk, which was hidden behind his armor.

"You’re back," Gravis said.

The Black Demon furrowed his eyescales.

"I’m here for more techniques," he said neutrally.

"I’ve got something even better," Gravis said. "I’m sure you would also much rather accept this trade."

"What do you want?" the Black Demon asked.

"I will give you 22 different, good Forging techniques. They all have different requirements, different strengths, and different weaknesses.."

"On top of that," Gravis said slowly. "When you accept this trade, the Gravitas will immediately close forever. You don’t have to think about the humans getting more powerful anymore."

The Black Demon thought that he heard incorrectly, but he quickly became suspicious.

"That sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch?" the Black Demon asked.

"No catch," Gravis said. "Five people are working for the Gravitas, three humans, and two beasts. My entire goal of creating the Gravitas was to secure a future for us five. What’s the point of amassing more and more wealth? Strength is what matters in the end. All this wealth I have received will be used to increase the power of us five, and we have nearly enough."

The Black Demon listened and remained silent for a couple of seconds.

"Where are your loyalties?" he asked.

"To us," Gravis said.

"Us who?"

"Us five."

"You’re telling me that you five are your own side and that you don’t belong to the humans and beasts? Do you know that this can quickly end in your death?" the Black Demon asked.

"I know," Gravis said. "However, that’s our only option."

At that point, Gravis activated his Law of Honesty.

"We have offended four of the five Peak Sects," Gravis said. "The only remaining Peak Sect that we haven’t offended is the Purist Sect to the east, which is our trading partner. However, we still have to remain hidden. If news leaks out that we are here, the other four Peak Sects will pressure the Purist Sect to hand us over. At that point, we will have to flee again."

"Two beings of the Gravitas have no issue with fleeing. After all, we can just come to the beast territory. However, that’s not true for the three humans. You won’t allow humans to enter your territory, after all."

"However, we are one group, and I will not leave my group behind just to save my own ass."

"Because of these reasons, we need to remain hidden and get enough resources for us to reach supreme power without being affiliated with any Sect."

The Black Demon became less suspicious as he heard Gravis’ words. Gravis’ group truly had no options left.

"Do you want to know what we have traded for your wares?" Gravis asked.

The Black Demon’s eyes shone. He always wanted to know what the Gravitas got out of these trades and what the humans gained.

"If you’re willing to tell me," the Black Demon said.

The Black Demon had planned to take the initiative in the conversation to get a good deal for another technique, but as soon as he had arrived, Gravis had taken complete control over the conversation.

Now, the Black Demon was only listening to Gravis.

"We traded the ore for Immortal Stones. Humans can absorb these stones to increase their Realm."

"Right now, we have enough stones to create five Late Major Circulation Immortal Emperors," Gravis said.

The eyes of the Black Demon widened.

That was a lot of power!

"In return, the humans to the east got your ore. You should have noticed the increased quality of their equipment by now."

The Black Demon nodded solemnly. There was no way he hadn’t noticed.

"The access to the Law Comprehension Areas is for personal use for the two of us that can enter the beast territory."

"The Law Comprehension Life Fruits will be traded with the humans for access to more Law Comprehension Areas. That’s for our three humans to use."

"In short, everything that we have gained from our exchanges is only for us."

"Now, we are only missing a single thing. Can you guess what that thing is?" Gravis asked.

The Black Demon wasn’t stupid, and he immediately narrowed his eyes.

"Level six Laws," he said.

"Correct," Gravis said. "That’s the last thing that’s left. After we have access to level six Laws, we only need time and tempering."

The Black Demon remained silent as he looked at Gravis.

Trading more level five Law Comprehension Life Fruits was not really an issue. However, level six Laws touched the very basis of the beasts’ survival. Access to level six Laws was always strictly enforced.

"What do you want for the 22 Forging techniques?" the Black Demon asked.

"First of all, another 50 level five Law Comprehension Life Fruits. With those, my three humans can comprehend whatever Law they want in the human territory. Then, everything should be taken care of until they reach the Major Circulation Immortal Emperor Realm."

The Black Demon thought for a bit. "To be honest, the closing of the Gravitas is a bigger draw than the 22 Forging techniques. So, I can agree to that request. What else do you want?" the Black Demon asked.

"The next and last thing," Gravis said slowly.

’Last thing?’ the Black Demon thought in surprise. He had believed that Gravis would want much more.

"For the two of us of the Gravitas that can enter the beast territory, we want personal access to any Law Comprehension Area in the beast territory, no exception," Gravis said.

The Black Demon took a deep breath.

This was insanely difficult to grant!

Not even the Black Demon had access to all the Law Comprehension Areas, and he was one of the leaders of the beasts.

Several seconds passed.

In actuality, granting something like this to two beasts wasn’t so bad. After all, the beasts wouldn’t spend anything by giving others access. It wasn’t like these Law Comprehension Areas would be locked as soon as someone entered. A lot of beasts could enter.

However, they were basically paving the way for two beasts with no affiliation towards the beast camp to become powerful Ascenders. If these two beasts decided to attack the beast camp together with the humans, the beast camp might very well get eradicated.

The Black Demon believed that Gravis wouldn’t stab them in the back. He simply had a feeling that Gravis wasn’t such a kind of beast.

However, such important decisions couldn’t be decided on feelings alone.

On top of that, he would need to gather the remaining leadership of the beasts.

This wasn’t something that he could grant by himself.

"I, personally, am not against that," the Black Demon said. "If it were up to me, I would grant you access as long as you swear that you won’t backstab us. However, I can’t give you something like this. My authority simply isn’t high enough."

"Mine is."

Narcissus got involved.

The Black Demon stepped back to show that he would follow whatever Narcissus decided.

"You’ve probably listened in," Gravis said. "So, what do you say?"

"I presume that access is for you and Mortis?" Narcissus asked.

Gravis nodded.

"Then it’s fine," Narcissus said. "I will give you two special parts of my roots, which will grant you access to any Law Comprehension Areas in the beast territories. However, these tokens only work for Mortis and you. Protect them with your life. If you lose them and are still alive, it means that you have sold them."

"If that happens, I will personally extinguish Mortis and you."

The Black Demon took the backseat as he only listened to the conversation.

Narcissus was the undisputed leader of the beast camp.

The lower beasts didn’t know about the true inner workings of the beast leadership. The normal beasts believed that they had nine beasts that decided the fate of all of them.

However, that was not entirely true.

If Narcissus made his opinion known, everyone else would follow.

"I agree," Gravis said with a smile. "You can oversee everything anyway. So, the token actually doesn’t really matter, but sure, I’ll follow what you say."

"Then a deal is struck," Narcissus said.

"Hand over the Forging techniques."

Gravis immediately transmitted all 22 Forging techniques to the Black Demon and Narcissus.

"Is everything in order?" Narcissus asked the Black Demon.

"Yes, leader," the Black Demon said respectfully.

"Good, then go get the 50 level five Law Comprehension Life Fruits and bring them here."

"Yes, leader," the Black Demon said respectfully as he left.

After the Black Demon left, Gravis dismantled the Gravitas. He had no fear that the Black Demon would renege on his promise. There was no way that he dared to go against Narcissus.

Back in the middle world, Meadow had kept her power a secret, but in this world, Narcissus was showing his supreme power very openly.

No beast dared defy him.

Liam was surprised when he noticed that the Gravitas was being destroyed, but Gravis quickly informed him that their goal had been achieved.

Liam felt happy when he heard that.

He didn’t have to wait aimlessly anymore!

Gravis quickly sent Liam to get Stella, and Liam left.

Siral had already been put back into Gravis’ Life Ring.

Two hours after Liam left, Mortis arrived.

"Give us the tokens," Mortis said to Narcissus. He was already annoyed that he had been interrupted in his Law Comprehension by Gravis, but he realized that it was for a good reason.

Two small, black roots floated to Mortis and Gravis. They had many complex runes on them, and the two of them felt that they were really powerful.

They even had some of Narcissus’ Realm in them.

After Mortis got his token, he immediately left again.

Another two hours later, Stella returned, and Gravis informed her of the closing of the Gravitas.

Stella didn’t know how she should feel about this. On one hand, she was happy that she could now do whatever she wanted, but on the other hand, she felt like their home had vanished.

Yet, when she looked at Gravis, she realized that her home wasn’t some cave in the underground but at Gravis’ side. Wherever Gravis went was where her home was.

Gravis also felt just like that when he saw Stella.

Two days later, the Black Demon returned with the Life Fruits and handed them over.

"Thank you for visiting the Gravitas, but we are now closed indefinitely," Gravis said with a smirk.

The Black Demon wasn’t a fan of jokes and quickly left again. He had to bring these Forging techniques to the beasts.

"Say goodbye to the Gravitas," Gravis said to the others.

Stella and Liam looked at the now-empty cave with different expressions.

"Goodbye," Siral said.

"That wasn’t an order," Gravis said with a roll of his eyes.

"I’m sorry, Master," Siral said.

"Anyway, let’s leave," Gravis said as he put Siral and Liam into his Life Ring.

Then, they passed the remaining Formation Arrays.

"Narcissus, would you please destroy the Formation Arrays and the cave?"

CRRRRRRRRRRRR! CRK!

Narcissus’ roots wrapped around the Formation Arrays and then broke them after some seconds.

The cave had been cracked and destroyed like a walnut.

And with that, the Gravitas vanished from the higher world.

Gravis and Stella quickly reached the surface again, and Gravis let the other two out of his Life Ring.

It was dawn, and it perfectly reflected the feelings of the four of them.

The path to power was now wide open!

Chapter 937 - 937 – Siral Regains His Freedom

The four people of the previous Gravitas floated high above the ground, clouds below them, and the limitless sky above them.

For several seconds, only silence was left as everyone thought about their limitless future.

Then, Gravis nodded with conviction. "Alright! So, first of all..."

Gravis took out his Life Ring.

DING!

Then, Siral’s eyes widened as his previous personality returned.

"Siral, I said that I would keep you for 9,000 more years, but I don’t think I need you anymore," Gravis said with a smile. "Originally, I had planned to make a deal with the All-Matter Sect, which wouldn’t have been nearly as smooth of a cooperation as with Underworld."

"I had thought that I needed you to spy on several Sects and even assassinate some greedy people, but who would have thought that everything would go over so smoothly," Gravis said..

"So, I decided to release you early."

Siral looked with a complex expression at everyone as his emotions were going haywire.

He still remembered how he had wanted to assassinate Gravis in that one Law Comprehension Area but failed. Yet, instead of dying, he had only served Gravis for around 40,000 years. Even more, Gravis had even dealt with Siral’s Tribulation, which had been a significant worry for him.

Siral had done a couple of small tasks for Gravis, but nothing worth noting. All his tasks could have been finished in just a couple of years, and for the remaining years, Siral had basically been able to do whatever he wanted.

Was this truly the life of a slave?

No, definitely not!

Even more, Gravis had given Siral enough resources to reach supreme power himself.

If a slave were paid such outrageous wages, everyone in the world would want to become a slave.

So, was Siral mad at Gravis for suppressing him for 40,000 years?

No, not one little bit.

This had been their agreement, and Gravis had kept it.

Right now, Siral was unsure how he should feel.

On one hand, he was happy that he had regained his freedom, but on the other hand, he felt like he owed Gravis even more than before.

Even more, Siral didn’t want to leave Gravis’ side. He had grown to like Gravis’ decisive but diplomatic personality.

"Mas- Gravis," Siral said nervously.

Then, he bowed deeply.

"You have done more for me than I could ever repay. I thank you deeply for that," Siral said honestly. "If you ever need anything, I’m willing to throw my life away for you!"

Liam only snorted. Of course this guy was happy. After all, he got a ridiculous amount of money.

Stella could only smile warmly. Every person that had been freed of a Slave Ring had immediately attacked their previous masters with a ridiculous amount of killing intent.

Yet, Gravis, her man, managed to deal with a slave in such a way that he didn’t even want to leave.

As the master, Gravis could have easily gone against his words without any repercussions. Gravis had full power over Siral’s destiny, and no one could have forced him to keep to his words.

Well, no one except for Gravis himself.

Yet, in such a circumstance, Gravis kept to his words and actually treated Siral as a friend the entire time.

"You don’t need to thank me," Gravis said with a smile as he looked at the sun. "Your debt of wanting to assassinate me has been repaid. From now on, there are no debts between us."

Siral grimaced.

No debts between them?

How could that be?

Gravis gave Siral so many Immortal Stones and so much access to level five Laws. How could that not count as a debt?

"You are not my master anymore," Siral said with narrowed eyes. "You do not get to decide if there are debts between us or not."

Gravis only snickered a bit but didn’t really mind.

"For you, there may be no more debts left, but my debt has only grown heavier with time," Siral said. "Because of that, I want to follow you and do my best to repay this debt."

Gravis turned to Siral and awkwardly scratched his neck. "Well, it’s nice to hear that, but there is one issue."

"What issue?" Siral asked.

"Well, you don’t have enough power to help me," Gravis said with a bitter smile. "My Realm is higher, and my Battle-Strength is far higher. Even the speed of my growth is faster."

"Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are simply too weak and slow. You just don’t have the ability to help me," Gravis said uncomfortably.

Gravis felt a bit bad since he was shooting down the genuine feelings from Siral with brutal honesty. However, Gravis preferred to be honest.

Siral took a shaky breath.

Yes, what had he been thinking?

How could a mere him be a help to someone like Gravis?

"I understand," Siral said heavily.

Gravis felt Siral’s feelings with his Law of Empathy.

Guilt, pressure, self-loathing, weakness.

"Hey," Gravis said as he came closer and put a hand on Siral’s shoulder. "It doesn’t have to be like this forever. You simply have to work harder than anyone else, and you might reach a level of power where we can see eye-to-eye."

"I would suggest joining Underworld. After that, you should continually switch between comprehending level five Laws and tempering."

Then, Gravis’ eyes widened as he remembered something.

"Oh, right!" Gravis said. "I will probably remain in the Immortal King Realm for a really long time. My Laws in relation to my Realm have taken a big hit, and I need to rectify that. I might even stay in the Immortal King Realm for over an entire tribulation."

"When the time comes, you might already be a powerful Immortal Emperor. Then, you can help me with some things. After all, I also want to take a crack at the Emotional Laws, and I’m being hunted by humanity. In the future, I might ask for your help."

"So, how does that sound?" Gravis asked.

Gravis felt that Siral’s emotions were changing towards the positive.

Yes, that was a possibility!

Gravis needed to comprehend a ridiculous number of Laws to keep his Battle-Strength as powerful as possible, but Siral didn’t have to follow Gravis’ example. Comprehending two level five Laws before becoming an Immortal Emperor was already more than enough for him.

When the time came, Siral could help Gravis!

"I will do that!" Siral said with fiery eyes. "When you ever need me, search for me in Underworld. No matter what you want, I will do my best to give it to you!"

Pack!

Gravis lightly hit Siral’s shoulder. "See? Sounds great! Then, I’m going to count on you!"

Siral nodded at Gravis and bowed politely again. Gravis said that Siral owed nothing to Gravis anymore, but Siral didn’t think so.

In his heart, Siral owed Gravis more than his entire life, and he would never forget this debt.

Siral turned to Liam and Stella and nodded his head in goodbye. He hadn’t talked to them. So, there was no real emotional connection between them.

Liam and Stella also said goodbye, and Siral left for Underworld.

Now, there were only three people left, Gravis, Stella, and Liam.

Chapter 938 - 938 – Liam's Problem

"So, what do you guys plan to do next?" Gravis asked Stella and Liam.

Stella went over to Gravis and leaned her head on his shoulder. Gravis smiled warmly at Stella and stroked her head.

"I will go wherever you go," she said peacefully. "You are my home, and I will follow you to the ends of the earth. No matter what you decide to do, I will forever be by your side."

Gravis’ heart warmed as he heard her, and he kissed Stella lovingly. "I don’t know what I have done to deserve someone as wonderful as you," he said.

Stella’s eyes became blurry as she felt the deep love Gravis held for her. "That’s what I’m asking myself every day," she said quietly.

.

"Urgh, get a room," Liam gagged from the side. "That’s my sister. I really don’t need to see that!"

Gravis chuckled and looked at Liam. "So, what’s your plan?"

This question made Liam shut up as he took a deep breath.

Stella and Gravis both looked at him with concern. Judging by Liam’s actions, he was probably making an important decision right now.

Some seconds later, Liam closed his eyes and released a deep breath.

Then, he opened his eyes and looked at Stella with conviction.

"I can’t always lag behind you," Liam said.

"What do you mean?" Stella asked. She felt like Liam was about to say something that she wouldn’t like.

"You both know the Law of Empathy, and Gravis knows far too many level four Laws," Liam said. "Just by being with Gravis, your Battle-Strength is destined to reach legendary powers. Fighting three levels above yourself will no longer be impossible."

"I’m far outclassed in that category," Liam said as he took another deep breath.

"As long as I remain with you, I will always lag behind. I’m bound to watch on as you reach impossible heights of power, leaving me behind."

Liam’s eyes became compassionate as he looked at Stella. "Eventually, your power will grow so vast that you will leave me behind."

"Liam," Stella said with a worried voice as she went over to hug him. "You know exactly that I would never leave you behind. You and Gravis are the most important people in my life. I would never want to lose you."

Liam took another deep breath, but he didn’t return Stella’s embrace. Instead, his fists curled in frustration. "I know that," Liam said. "However, Gravis won’t stop. If I don’t become far more powerful, you would have to choose between us, and I will never want you to do that. Such a choice would be far too cruel!"

Liam gently pushed Stella away from him and looked into her eyes with conviction.

"Happiness is our main priority, but strength immediately comes after that," Liam said slowly. "I want to be part of your life, but I also want to become powerful."

"You have always been the Holy Maiden of the Nine Elements Sect, but what have I been? I didn’t even manage to become a Holy Son Candidate. I was only a mere Core Disciple my entire life."

"The gulf between us is too large, and it will only grow wider with time if things remain as they are."

"I can’t always chase after your footsteps. I don’t have the talent to reach the heights of Battle-Strength that you will reach."

Stella’s insides shook as she listened to Liam. She had expected that Liam was feeling like this, but she couldn’t have been sure since Liam had never truly shared these feelings with her.

Was this truly how Liam felt?

Had he always felt inferior to her?

Had he always feared that Stella would leave him behind and that he wouldn’t be able to keep up anymore?

"Liam, you know exactly that I would never leave you behind," Stella said with sad eyes. "You have been with me for my entire life, and I don’t want to lose you, ever."

"I know," Liam said with a nod. "And that’s why I can’t stop you. I know that you love me, but exactly that is the reason why I can’t put you before such a cruel choice."

Liam’s eyes steeled. "I might not reach your levels of Battle-Strength, but I can, at least, reach a level of Battle-Strength that allows me to jump two levels. Then, I only need to increase my Realm. As long as I don’t try to push my Battle-Strength too much, my Realm can still keep up with yours. In fact, my Realm might even progress faster."

"As long as my longevity isn’t lower than yours, we will still be in the same world. Life will continue as it always has."

"However," Liam said with a steely voice, "first, I need to reach that level. For that, I need to go through hell and temper myself. I can’t be distracted by you anymore if I want to grow powerful."

"In the Nine Elements Sect, I was always afraid that something would happen to you. I was always scared that you would have died while I was in Law Comprehension."

"My Realm and Battle-Strength have stagnated during that time because of my worry for you, while your Battle-Strength increased due to the mandatory tournaments. I had nearly no tempering, while you had plenty."

"I don’t want you to leave me behind, which is why I need to push my everything into Cultivation!"

Stella and Liam looked at each other while Gravis kept himself out.

After some seconds, Liam released a deep breath as he shot a complex glance at Gravis. "I was against your relationship with Gravis, but I can’t deny that this relationship has come with more positive than negative things," Liam said slowly.

For the first time, Liam was not speaking to Gravis with a distant tone.

"The most positive outcome is not all the resources he has granted me, but the fact that I don’t need to worry about your safety anymore, Stella," Liam said as he turned to Stella again.

"I might not be the biggest fan of Gravis, but I know that he truly loves you and that he will never allow anyone to hurt you."

"If Gravis can’t stop someone from hurting you, I most certainly can’t do any better. You don’t need my help anymore."

Liam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Because of that, I will leave you two and will join the Purist Sect."

Gravis nodded. Love and Cultivation were always opposed to each other. It was incredibly difficult to have both of them at once. The only way one could have both was when both parties grew in power at a similar rate. In Gravis’ mind, Liam was making the correct decision.

Stella also knew this, but it was still difficult for her to accept. Liam and Stella had always been together ever since they were born. They had only been apart from each other when they were comprehending Laws.

Stella had to sigh.

She knew that Liam’s power couldn’t reach her own. Yet, Liam still felt like it was his duty to protect her. Stella couldn’t imagine how frustrating it must have been for Liam, knowing that he was too weak to protect the most important person in his life.

It must have been hard for Liam.

"I understand," Stella said.

"Thank you," Liam said quietly as he embraced Stella. "In order for us to stay together, I must leave you now. I don’t know when I will return, but it will probably be many, many years."

Stella nodded. "I know," she said.

"I’m sorry," Liam said quietly.

"It’s fine," Stella said. "I understand where you’re coming from."

While Liam and Stella were talking with each other, Gravis left.

He didn’t want to intrude on their last moments together.

Gravis knew that he was important to Stella, but he also knew that Liam was just as important to her.

He wouldn’t interrupt them because of some idiotic feeling like jealousy.

While Liam and Stella said their goodbyes, Gravis talked with Mortis. Gravis wanted to plan which Laws they should each focus on.

Gravis was also giving Mortis a heads-up that he might be assaulted by a ton of loving feelings for thousands of years.

Surprisingly, Mortis had no problems with that.

In fact, the opposite was true.

Mortis didn’t want to feel stuff like happiness and love since he believed that these feelings would only make him weaker. Mortis believed that he had to cut off all emotions to reach supreme power. After all, every connection meant one more weakness that an enemy could exploit.

So, Mortis actually saw the assault of these loving feelings as a form of tempering.

Whenever Mortis felt these feelings, he would try to dissociate and isolate himself from them.

With enough "emotional tempering", Mortis would be able to fully control these feelings. Then, they would no longer have any value, and Mortis could finally reach the perfect mindset for Cultivation he always wanted.

Gravis didn’t know what he should think about that.

Such a mindset was dangerous.

However, Gravis also felt like he wouldn’t need to feel guilty for feeling these feelings anymore. After all, Mortis had no problem with them.

’Well, he is he, and I am I. If that’s the path he wants to follow, he can follow it. It doesn’t matter if I think that his path is a dead-end or not. It’s his path, his choice, and his freedom.’

A week later, Liam left, and Stella returned to Gravis with a lowered head.

Gravis quickly embraced her and stroked her hair lovingly.

It was difficult for Stella to say goodbye to the person that had been with her for her entire life, but she wasn’t weak-willed. She knew that this was the correct decision.

"Have you finished the Major Law of Cold?" Gravis asked.

Stella looked at Gravis, surprised that he asked such a question in such a situation.

"Not entirely. I’m still missing a bit."

Gravis smirked. "Then, let’s go."

Gravis pulled Stella along in his embrace as he shot towards the sky with his full speed.

The wind hit Stella’s face as she looked at the sky, which was slowly turning from blue to black.

In some seconds, the wind vanished since there was no more air around them.

Now, Stella and Gravis floated in the nothingness of space.

Below them was the higher world, filled with life, while above them was the vast nothingness of space.

Gravis let Stella go and looked at her slightly from above, with a happy smile on his face.

Stella had been in space for a long time. The sight of space and the world was no longer something special to her.

However, when she looked at Gravis as the stars illuminated his back, she was stunned for a second.

When she had been in space, it was simply another place for Cultivation for her.

Yet, with Gravis, it felt different.

It was like an endless, isolated place where only the two of them existed.

The feeling was completely different from before.

Gravis also looked at Stella as the stars shone on her face. He was just as stunned by her beauty.

Gravis slowly came closer.

Pack!

Then, he lightly shoved Stella.

"You’re it!"

Whoop!

Then, Gravis used his Law of Shadow’s Subtlety to hide as he flew away.

Stella was taken aback for a second.

She was it?

After some seconds, a face appeared on one of the stars.

It was the face of a shadow rabbit.

Obviously, this was Gravis playing tricks.

"Mortal woman, you can never catch this supreme lord of hide and seek," the rabbit said with a high voice. "Give up and serve this lordship for the remainder of your natural life!"

Stella looked with surprise at the face of the rabbit.

Then, she had to laugh.

The voice just didn’t fit the words it spoke.

"Oh?" she uttered with a cocky smirk.

After that, Stella charged at the star as she also activated her Laws to track Gravis.

In a star-filled sky, one man and one woman were playing hide and seek like two happy kids.

This day, space was filled with happy laughter as the two of them played happily.

All the worries were forgotten.

Only two lovers remained.

Chapter 939 - 939 – Comprehending Together

Gravis and Stella played for several hours, just traveling across the stars, laughing all the time.

After they were done, they simply floated in the vast nothingness of space. Stella was lying on Gravis’ chest as she looked at the passing stars. The stars in this world were just like the stars in Gravis’ previous middle world. They were simply several-kilometers-wide spheres of pure Energy.

Many Cultivators in the past tried to absorb these stars to reach a higher Realm, but some kind of force always stopped them. For some reason, these stars were unabsorbable by living beings.

"I wish this moment could last forever," Stella said with longing.

Gravis chuckled. "The time we have available together now could as well be described as limitless," Gravis said slowly. "We have resources.. We have power. We have freedom. We have time."

Gravis lightly moved Stella’s head so that she looked into his eyes.

"Our time together has only just begun," Gravis said slowly as he lightly kissed her.

Stella only smiled contently as she closed her eyes in bliss.

Gravis was right.

They had so much time now.

There was no pressure.

They could take as long as they wanted.

They simply floated in space, just talking for several days.

Yet, eventually, the two of them wanted to do something else.

However, they would still be together.

Stella sat down in the nothingness of space as she concentrated on the Law of Cold.

Gravis thought that it was also a good time for him to comprehend the Law of Cold. So, he simply sat down beside Stella as he closed his eyes.

For Gravis, this was a new form of comprehending Laws.

In the past, he had always lost himself in the Laws.

He had been alone.

There had been only the Laws and him.

However, now, Gravis felt Stella close to him as he comprehended the Law of Cold.

Even though Gravis still lost himself in the Law, he felt like there were now three things instead of two.

Now, there were the Laws, Stella, and Gravis.

Gravis and Stella didn’t communicate with each other while they comprehended the Laws, but Gravis felt like the two of them were walking around an icy beach, looking at all the oddities.

One could say Gravis felt like he was on vacation.

What the two of them hadn’t noticed was that their Laws of Empathy had connected with each other. They were currently not physically connected but emotionally connected. It was like their Spirits were looking at the Laws together, and their Spirits shared some minor comprehensions.

In essence, they were truly comprehending the Law of Cold together.

In fact, this method of comprehending Laws was even faster than the normal one, but not by too much. The speed was around 40% faster.

After an unknown amount of time, Gravis felt that Stella was leaving for a different place.

However, Gravis didn’t become nervous.

He knew that they were together.

The fact that Stella left meant that she had comprehended the Law of Cold. After all, she had been in this place for a thousand years longer than Gravis.

Gravis remained in the ethereal icy beach as he looked at it, alone.

Yet, Gravis didn’t feel lonely.

Now that Stella was with him, this feeling of isolation felt more like quiet and peaceful solitude.

Some time later, Stella returned to the ethereal icy beach.

Gravis felt like Stella grabbed his hand as she pulled him along the beach, showing him everything.

They were like a couple on a beach. One of them was running around the beach, showing the other exciting things they found, while the other one simply listened to their partner.

Eventually, Gravis had seen the entire icy beach, and he shot one last look at the cold beach, smiling with content.

BOOOOM!

Gravis comprehended the element-neutral level four Law of Cold easily.

After that, he also left the icy beach.

Gravis took a deep breath as he opened his eyes. He looked forward and saw Stella seemingly sleeping on his lap. Her eyes were closed, and she had a happy smile on her face.

Gravis couldn’t stop smiling warmly as he saw her.

"You’re already done?" Stella asked as she opened her eyes.

Gravis nodded.

"That was quite fast," Stella said. "It has barely taken you 300 years."

Gravis raised his eyebrows. "That really is quite fast. I was expecting 500 years."

Stella nodded as she leaned her head on Gravis’ chest. "I think it’s because we have looked at the Laws together."

"Have you also felt it?" Stella asked quietly. "It was like we were on an icy beach."

Gravis nodded. "I felt it, and I think that’s the work of our two Laws of Empathy. Apparently, we don’t need to be physically connected to share our experiences."

Stella had to chuckle a bit. "I’m glad that we have an alternative. I mean, I don’t mind a physical connection, but this is much more relaxing. It also feels purer."

Gravis agreed. Sex was nice, but doing it all the time could become boring. At some point, one needed a break. Otherwise, it would just become stale.

"Have you already finished the level five Law of Temperature?" Gravis asked.

Stella nodded. "Yes, I only needed 50 years to finish my Law of Cold. After that, I directly ate the Law Comprehension Life Fruits."

Stella’s expression became complex suddenly as she looked at the stars.

"I actually still can’t believe it," she said.

"Believe what?"

"That I already know four level five Laws as an Immortal King," Stella said. "It has been an uncountable number of years since this had happened the last time. I should be the most powerful Immortal King in the world right now, but I don’t feel any different."

"I just feel normal. I also don’t feel like I am that much more powerful than the other Immortal Kings."

Gravis chuckled a bit. "I know why you feel like this."

"You do?" Stella asked with surprise.

"Yes," Gravis said.

Then, Gravis smirked.

"You don’t feel like the most powerful Immortal King because you aren’t."

Then, he pointed with his thumb at his chest.

"I am!"

Stella groaned as she lightly punched Gravis.

"I’m not counting you!" she said with fake annoyance.

Gravis chuckled a bit more. "No, but seriously, I know how you feel. I also went through similar feelings in the lower and middle worlds. You have been born in the higher world, while I have gone through two other ones. When you reach the power of the most elite geniuses, you feel powerful. Yet, when you jump above that bracket and occupy a league of your own, you, ironically, don’t feel as powerful."

"That’s because you have no one on your Realm to compare yourself to anymore."

"When you reach that level, you can only compare yourself to two things, people of higher Realms and yourself. Obviously, you wouldn’t feel super powerful then," Gravis explained.

Stella silently listened to Gravis’ words and nodded.

"That makes sense," she said slowly. "You really went through a lot. I have spent my entire life in a Peak Sect, but you went through so many different worlds. I guess you simply have more life experience than me."

"Maybe," Gravis answered.

The two of them continued talking until Gravis remembered something.

’I wonder how Mortis is doing,’ Gravis thought. ’He was still comprehending the level five Law of Lightning Manipulation when I started comprehending the Law of Cold. Is he done by now?’

’Can I even check that? I should be able to.’

Gravis thought about several Lightning Laws and thought about how he could better manipulate lightning better.

A sea of categorized and ordered information came to Gravis’ mind. It was like he had already learned everything there was.

All this information was new to Gravis, but it didn’t feel new.

He felt like he had already comprehended something like this in the past.

It was like Gravis had already manipulated his lightning with such proficiency for his entire life.

BZZZ!

Gravis summoned some Divine Lightning and felt its power.

Sure enough, it was a bit more powerful, a bit faster, and a bit more efficient.

Stella looked with interest at Gravis’ lightning.

"Is Mortis done?" she asked.

"I think so," Gravis said. "Let me ask."

"Hey, just to make sure," Gravis transmitted to Mortis. "You are done with the level five Law of Lightning Manipulation, right? You know, because normally, I have some kind of enlightening feeling when I comprehend a new Law, but right now, I just feel like I’ve always had this Law."

"Yes, I finished around 280 years ago," Mortis answered neutrally.

Gravis scratched the back of his head. ’Well, seems like I comprehended a level five Law just like that. Sure feels weird.’

"By the way, Mortis, I just comprehended the element-neutral Law of Cold. Just for your info. Would be nice if you could give me a heads-up when you comprehend the next one. Otherwise, it feels weird to know a Law but not know that I know it," Gravis said.

"Fine," Mortis said. "Then, just for your info, I’m currently comprehending the level five Law of Lightning’s Supreme Speed. Shouldn’t take too long."

Gravis nodded. "Sounds good. I will probably check out the element-neutral level four Law of Heat. Stella will probably also help me along the way. Should only take around 300 years. After that, I’ll see what we can comprehend next."

"Fine," Mortis answered, cutting off the connection.

Gravis had to chuckle and turned to Stella. "It sure is weird that I comprehended a level five Law without even noticing."

If anyone else heard that, they would turn green from envy.

Comprehending a level five Law just like this?

Yet, Stella wasn’t envious.

Yes, Mortis allowed Gravis to learn Laws much faster, but Gravis was also intrinsically bound to Mortis.

She wouldn’t want to be in Gravis’ shoes.

Chapter 940 - 940 – Black Sun

Gravis and Stella exchanged their love for a couple of hours.

After they were done, Gravis looked at Stella. "So, you want to help your boyfriend a bit in comprehending the element-neutral Law of Heat?" he asked.

Stella looked shocked. "What? No! Why would I want to spend more time with you!?"

Gravis was a bit taken aback for a second, but then he had to laugh.

"Okay, you got me. Your voice just sounded way too convincing," Gravis said between laughs.

Stella also giggled. "Of course I’ll help you. Wherever you go is wherever I go.. We are together. We are one."

Stella and Gravis left space and directly shot into the ground.

After a while, they stopped at a depth that was still somewhat comfortable for Stella. The gravity and temperature around them had shot up to insane levels, but they weren’t some new Cultivators. They could resist something like this easily.

Gravis sat down, and Stella plopped on his lap again with a cute giggle.

Gravis also had to chuckle a little and then closed his eyes.

This time, Gravis felt like he was on a hot desert dune. There was red sand all around him as the sun ruthlessly bore down on him.

Stella was with Gravis, and she pulled him along.

Stella already knew the Law of Heat, and she would be Gravis’ guide on this journey.

Stella showed Gravis interesting things and demonstrated a lot of other things. Yet, she never explained anything. Explaining something was entirely different from showing someone the correct way.

If Stella explained the Law to Gravis, he would be able to understand it instantly, but that wouldn’t grant him any experience in comprehending Laws. It was important that Gravis made all the important connections himself.

They didn’t even talk once. They simply traveled across the desert as Stella showed Gravis where they should go next.

Gravis simply followed with a smile as he looked at the magical world of Laws.

Comprehending Laws had never been so much fun!

In the past, it was like the time for comprehending Laws didn’t even exist. It was like Gravis just started and then was already done.

But now, this process had become enjoyable with Stella.

It was like a fun vacation with his lover, and everyone that had a healthy relationship enjoyed something like that.

Even more, the time spent comprehending Laws now felt relevant and important. The memories of the process no longer got erased but engraved themselves in Gravis’ heart.

The time also didn’t feel short anymore.

Gravis now felt the full passage of time as he comprehended the Law of Heat, and he wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

This was time spent with Stella, and Gravis cherished it.

Time passed as every day in the world of Laws felt like years. In the past, every year felt like seconds, but everything had changed now.

Eventually, Gravis had seen the entire desert, and Stella only smiled at him.

Gravis smiled back and looked at the desert in comprehension.

Gravis comprehended the element-neutral level four Law of Heat!

Gravis smiled.

However, he didn’t leave the world of Laws yet.

Instead, Gravis looked some more at this desert.

Something else was intriguing Gravis about this desert.

Gravis didn’t know what it was, but he felt like he had seen something like this.

Gravis knew that this wasn’t the Law of Temperatures. It was something else.

Yet, Gravis just couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

’It feels like there is more here,’ Gravis thought. ’Yet, that makes no sense. This entire world of Laws is only a visualization of the Law of Heat. This world actually doesn’t truly exist. It’s just the concepts of the Law converted into a visual medium.’

’I’m only looking at the Law of Heat, but why does it feel like there’s more here? That shouldn’t be possible.’

’Where have I seen something like this before?’ Gravis thought.

Gravis’ Spirit was racing as he tried to find the origin of this ethereal feeling.

Stella looked with confusion at him. What was up with him?

Gravis just kept looking. The feeling of familiarity had increased by now.

’I know exactly that I have seen something like this before!’ Gravis thought as he furrowed his brows. ’I also know that it is of great significance. Yet, what is it? Where have I seen it before!?’

Gravis analyzed the desert around himself.

There was nothing.

There was only sand and heat, and even the sand was basically just heat.

Everything was heat.

Silence stretched across the world of Laws.

Absolute silence.

There was no movement of air.

There was no movement of sand.

There was no movement of life.

Everything was simply... dead.

Gravis’ eyes widened!

’The middle world!’ Gravis thought in realization. ’Before I met the middle Heaven, after the entire world died, I saw a similar scene! Everything was dead, and the world had stopped!’

WROOOOOM!

Suddenly, the sky in the dead desert shook.

The blue, cloudless sky suddenly started moving like a shockwave had gone over the world.

Gravis turned his head, and what he saw took his breath away.

On the horizon of the world of the Law of Heat, a black wave was moving outward. It was like a black sun was rising from the east as its black light engulfed the world in a kind of darkness.

Yet, this darkness didn’t feel like the darkness Element to Gravis.

It felt... different.

The darkness Element felt complex. It could hide things, engulf things, protect things, hurt things.

Yet, this darkness felt far simpler.

This darkness simply felt like the end.

There was no complexity about it.

It was simply the end.

’What’s going on!?’ Gravis thought nervously. ’This entire world is only a visualization of the Law of Heat! Why would there be something else here!?’

Gravis looked transfixed at the horizon while Stella looked with confusion at him.

Then, she also looked in the direction Gravis was looking towards, but she saw nothing out of place.

This only confused her even more.

After some seconds, Gravis looked at Stella, and he noticed that she looked with confusion at him.

’She doesn’t see it?’ Gravis thought.

Gravis looked back at the black sun that was just below the horizon.

It was impossible to not notice something like this.

’It feels familiar, somehow,’ Gravis thought. ’Yet, it also feels different.’

’I need to check what this is!’

In the world of Laws, Gravis was suddenly charging towards the direction of the black sun. This world didn’t really exist, and because of that, no rules applied.

Gravis flew faster than any Divine God in this surreal dream of a world.

Yet, no matter how far he flew, he didn’t come closer to the black sun.

It was still just below the horizon.

Gravis looked back and saw Stella beside him.

Distance was irrelevant in such a surreal world. After all, it didn’t really exist.

’Is it actually physical distance?’ Gravis thought.

Gravis shot Stella a look and vanished from the world of Laws.

In the higher world, Gravis was opening his eyes, and Stella also opened hers.

"What’s wrong?" Stella asked.

Gravis turned his head to the east.

"It’s still there," Gravis said. "I can still feel it."

"Gravis, what’s going on? You’re worrying me!" Stella said with a serious voice.

Gravis told her what he had seen just now, and Stella also fell into thought.

"I’ve never heard of anything quite like it," she said. "I’ve learned a lot about history in the Nine Elements Sect, but I’ve never heard even something similar."

Gravis remained silent for a while as his brows furrowed.

"I feel like it’s calling to me," Gravis said.

"Calling you?" Stella asked.

Gravis nodded.

"I want to see what it is," he said.

Stella had a worried look in her eyes, but there shouldn’t be many things in this world that could threaten them. By now, Stella knew much more about the background of the world, thanks to Gravis’ story and meeting Arc.

Such a thing shouldn’t be something that a Cultivator can do, even the most powerful ones in this world.

Only something or someone like Arc would be able to create something so mystical.

Yet, this couldn’t come from Arc. After all, if Arc wanted something, he would simply call Gravis and directly tell him. Stella didn’t think that Arc liked acting all mystical.

However, just after Gravis stood up, he stopped.

"This feels too weird," Gravis said with furrowed brows. "All of this feels unnatural."

Gravis scratched his chin in thought.

"I think instead of charging headlong into something like this, I should ask Arc," Gravis said.

Stella released a breath and nodded. "Yes, that sounds for the better."

"Arc, something happened," Gravis said.

"Oh? What’s up?" Arc answered directly into Gravis’ mind.

"Have you heard my previous conversation?" Gravis asked.

"Nah, I have better things to do. Why? Something the matter?" Arc asked with a cheerful voice.

Gravis explained to Arc what he had experienced.

When Gravis was done, Arc remained silent for several seconds.

This immediately made Gravis furrow his brows.

Arc knew the entire world like the back of his hand. Being silent meant that one was thinking.

Yet, what was there to think about? Arc knew everything about his world!

SHING!

Suddenly, Arc appeared in the underground room beside Gravis.

Gravis and Stella raised their eyebrows.

This was the first time that they had seen Arc leave his clearing.

He had always been in his clearing the entire time.

Yet, this time, he left it.

"I think I know what’s going on," Arc said with furrowed brows. His voice sounded serious.

"Bring me to it," Arc said. "You don’t need to worry. I won’t let anything happen to you during this journey."

Gravis blinked a couple of times. "What do you mean with bring you to it? Can’t you see the entire world?"

"I can, but if my guess is right, I can’t see it," Arc said. "Only you can see it, and I need you to guide me to it."

"What do you mean with that only I can see it!?" Gravis asked. "This is your world!"

"Yes, this is my world," Arc said, "but even if I can control everything in this world, my world still resides in my creator’s cosmos, and my creator’s cosmos still resides in the Primordial Chaos. The rules of my creator’s cosmos still influence my world, and the rules of the Primordial Chaos influence my creator’s cosmos."

"It’s the same thing as actual luck," Arc said. "My creator knows Karmic Luck, but the actual concept of luck is too ethereal. Yet, luck still exists. This is simply something that exists in the Primordial Chaos, and we just have to deal with its existence."

This was the first time that Gravis had heard of something like this.

"Bring me to it," Arc said again with a serious tone.

Gravis nodded with a bit of confusion. "Sure, it’s towards the east."

SHING!

The three of them immediately teleported.

Gravis’ and Stella’s Spirits shook a little.

That teleportation must have been insanely far! The spatial displacement affected even them!

They also noticed that the Energy density had dropped considerably. In fact, it was even lower than the Energy density in the territory of the Sect Alliance.

"Further to the east?" Arc asked.

Gravis shook his head a bit to clear his mind and concentrated on that peculiar feeling.

"Yes."

SHING!

Another insane spatial displacement.

By now, the Energy density was just as low as in a lower world.

"Where now?" Arc asked.

"A bit to the south-east."

SHING!

This spiel repeated itself many more times until they finally stopped.

"I think we are above it," Gravis said as he looked down.

Gravis felt like the thing that was calling to him was just below him. Yet, he still couldn’t see it.

Arc nodded.

SHING!

The three of them shot towards the ground and passed through it at ridiculous speeds.

Arc was essentially making them non-existent to the world. Not even the gravity and heat were affecting them.

"Stop!" Gravis said.

Arc stopped, and Gravis felt like he was very close to it.

Just a bit further to the east.

They weren’t really that deep in the earth, less than 100,000 kilometers deep, in fact.

Gravis moved forward a bit under the worried gaze of Stella. Arc was staying close to him.

After some seconds, the three of them entered a ten-meter-wide underground cave.

Stella saw nothing.

There was just a cave.

Arc also looked around with narrowed eyes.

Yet, he also saw nothing.

Then, Arc looked at Gravis and saw that Gravis was looking transfixed at the middle of the cave.

"Can you see it?" Arc asked.

Gravis nodded as he couldn’t avert his eyes.

"Yes, I can see it."

"What does it look like?" Arc asked.

...

Meanwhile, in the highest world, the Opposer was looking at what Gravis was doing with furrowed brows.

He could also see it.

"Are you fine with this?" the Opposer asked.

Silence.

"Are you still unsure of your decision?" the Opposer asked.

Silence.

"Are you that confident in yourself?"

Silence.

"Fine, it’s your cosmos. I’m not bailing you out if you screw up." the Opposer said.