Comprehending the Laws

At that very moment, a pillar of stellar light erupted skyward from the central point of radiance, seemingly piercing through the entire Land of Origin, blazing with indescribable brilliance.

An ineffable pressure descended upon Sky-Mending City, weighing on every soul within it. Everyone felt their hearts grow heavy, seized by an involuntary urge to kneel.

Even the three War Gods—Kro, Ruoshui, and Nuxing—felt the immense burden pressing down on them.

They stared at the pillar of light splitting the sky, their expressions shifting dramatically.

"What's happening?!"

Kro forced the words out through his trembling body.

Nuxing's eyes flickered, then filled with a mixture of elation and disbelief.

"Could it be... he succeeded? Yuan actually succeeded?! He's fully mastered the Laws?! But how could it be this fast?"

Based on Nuxing's understanding of Lu Yuan's comprehension progress, fully mastering Stellar Laws should have taken at least ten years of Land of Origin time—possibly several decades—even under the best circumstances. How could he have done it so quickly?

Nuxing's words sent a jolt through Ruoshui and Kro. Both turned to stare at him.

"What did you say?! Yuan has mastered the Laws?"

Ruoshui's eyes went wide.

Nuxing collected himself and gave a deep nod, his gaze fixed on the pillar of light above.

"What else could produce such overwhelming pressure? The birth and death of stars... returning to the origin in the end."

While everyone in Sky-Mending City stood transfixed by the stellar pillar, inside the training chamber, Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

Within his once-dark pupils, stellar radiance flickered and danced. Starlight enveloped his body, phantom stars materializing around him.

As awareness gradually returned, he felt the power surging within and allowed himself a small smile.

*Did I actually break through?*

Even he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.

Once the Evolution Cube had begun feeding him insights, his comprehension speed had accelerated far beyond anything before. Nearly every instant brought a new revelation, and in mere moments he had grasped every secret of the Stellar Laws in their entirety.

Lu Yuan had fully mastered the power of Stellar Laws. He had stepped into Laws Rank.

Turning his perception inward, he noticed his Gene Chain had shortened. At the very bottom—the First-rank segment—the Cosmic Body gene had vanished.

He understood why. Having comprehended the Laws, the Cosmic Body now existed within the domain of his Stellar Laws. The Gene Chain for that segment no longer held any meaning for him.

And that wasn't all.

Closing his eyes, he perceived the boundary of the Land of Origin's Upper Layer. He could enter and leave the Land of Origin at will now—without exiting through the hall, without even using his internal Light Gate. The Land of Origin's own will simply couldn't restrain him.

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised. Then understanding came: the Land of Origin, created by the Cosmic Origin, had never been designed to contain a Laws Rank being. When it was built, not a single Laws Rank powerhouse existed in the universe. Now that Lu Yuan had crossed that threshold, the Land of Origin naturally couldn't hold him.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought, and rose to his feet with a stretch, exhaling a long breath.

*Been sitting for so long. I'm actually stiff.*

Then he paused, turning with surprise toward a distant direction.

He sensed three immensely powerful Aberration signatures in far-flung regions of the Land of Origin.

*What is this...?*

Lu Yuan frowned slightly, then took a single step forward. His body dissolved like a bubble and vanished.

The Mechanical Kingdom's sector of the Land of Origin.

Above a vast forest, an enormous Aberration rift hung in the sky. Thunderous booms echoed around it ceaselessly.

Mados was locked in battle with a being of condensed flame—a Fire Elf. Unlike other Fire Elves, this War God's flames burned an eerie green. His aura was enormously powerful, and horrifying Aberrant flames blazed with his every movement. Even Mados couldn't afford to tank the fire head-on and had to keep dodging.

**BOOM!!**

After one violent clash, Mados retreated several paces. He surveyed the green flames burning around him and the Aberrant Corruption spreading unchecked, his expression darkening.

"Damn you, Elf... what the hell are you trying to do?!"

The Fire Elf Feike remained impassive. With a sweep of his right hand, clusters of green flame condensed into arrows and streaked toward Mados.

The arrows hissed through the air, their green fire corroding the very fabric of space. Mados conjured barriers of Spirit Power to intercept the assault.

**Boom, boom, boom, boom...**

Explosions rang out continuously as Mados deflected the Aberrant flames while firing Spirit Cannons in retaliation.

The battle remained deadlocked. But while neither side could gain the upper hand, the Aberrant Corruption never stopped spreading. Green flames ignited throughout the forest, and the number of corrupted Feral Beasts multiplied by the minute.

Mados's expression turned grim.

Then a flash of starlight cut through the air, and Lu Yuan materialized out of nothing.

Both combatants registered the sudden presence instantly. They broke apart, turning toward Lu Yuan.

The moment Mados recognized him, surprise gave way to a broad grin.

"Brother Lu Yuan! I didn't expect you to show up!"

Mados knew Lu Yuan's strength all too well. The man had single-handedly slaughtered the King of Flesh—that nightmarish monstrosity—along with over a dozen Divine Grade Aberrant Beasts. Dealing with one corrupted Fire Elf would be child's play for him.

Relief washed over Mados instantly.

While Mados relaxed, Feike went rigid, flames roaring across his body as he fixed Lu Yuan with a wary stare.

"Who are you?!"

He could feel the bottomless depth of Lu Yuan's aura. Shock ripped through him.

*How can anyone possess an aura this powerful?! Who the hell is this?!*

Lu Yuan smiled at Mados. "Senior Mados, it's been a while."

Then he turned to Feike, his gaze drifting past him to the Spatial Rift beyond. A slight frown crossed his face before he reached toward Feike and clenched his fist.

Feike's eyes bulged as his body locked in place.

Stellar light erupted from within him, tearing him apart completely. He dissolved into a ball of flame and vanished.

The entire process was over before Feike could even react.

And it wasn't just Feike who was stunned—Mados stood frozen as well, watching the dissipating flames that had been a War God moments ago.

During the counterattack campaign, Mados had at least been able to follow how Lu Yuan killed those Divine Grade Aberrant Beasts. But this time... he couldn't even tell how Feike had died.

*How has Brother Lu Yuan gotten even stronger?!*

He gaped at Lu Yuan, stupefied. *It's been less than a year since the counterattack!*

Seeing Mados lost in a daze, Lu Yuan didn't dwell on it. He surveyed the Aberrant flames and the rift overhead, and Radiant Fire blazed to life across his body. Dense waves of light-element power radiated outward in all directions.

Lu Yuan noticed that after fully mastering Stellar Laws, his insights carried over to other domains—his comprehension of other Laws had improved as well. Take the Laws of Light: comparing them against his Stellar Laws framework, he could now wield them with noticeably greater proficiency than before.

The power of light swept across the Aberrant flames in an instant, smothering them. The fire pouring from the rift guttered and died.

Lu Yuan then began assisting the Land of Origin's will in repairing the rift. For this, he drew upon the Laws of Space. More profound than the Laws of Light, his spatial comprehension hadn't benefited quite as dramatically from mastering Stellar Laws—but the improvement was still substantial.

The Spatial Rift began closing at remarkable speed. Within moments, Lu Yuan had sealed it entirely.

He turned to the still-dumbstruck Mados with a smile. "Senior Mados, I have other matters to attend to. I'll be taking my leave."

Mados snapped out of it, staring at Lu Yuan with a peculiar expression before nodding rapidly. "Of course, of course!"

Lu Yuan smiled. His body dissolved like a bubble and vanished once more.

In the Elf Race's sector, above an open ocean, Bingling was locked in combat with a colossal three-headed black serpent.

The serpent's power was formidable, and neither side could gain the upper hand. Bingling watched the Aberrant energy spread rapidly, dyeing the ocean surface a deep, sickly green. Beneath the waves, Feral Beasts were being corrupted one after another, twisting into Aberrant creatures.

Then Lu Yuan appeared without warning.

Both the three-headed serpent and Bingling noticed him at once. Like Mados before him, Bingling's face lit up with relief.

"Brother Lu Yuan! Help me out here! This Beast Race warrior is powerful! He's corrupting our domain!"

Lu Yuan smiled. "That's exactly why I'm here."

Even as he spoke, he made no visible move—yet the three-headed serpent, alert and on guard, suddenly went rigid. Its body erupted into a burst of starlight, flesh disintegrating, its aura snuffed out in an instant.

Bingling: "..."

He stared at Lu Yuan. Like Mados, Bingling was no weakling himself, yet he hadn't caught even a glimpse of what Lu Yuan had done. His mind went blank.

Ignoring Bingling's stunned expression, Lu Yuan began channeling the power of light, purifying the corrupted ocean and sealing the Aberration rift.

Afterward, he exchanged a brief word with Bingling and headed toward the last location where he'd sensed a powerful Aberration signature.

It was a mountainous region.

Above the peaks, Jinka and Yingu were jointly attacking a beast clad in pale blue Scale Armor, its form resembling a tiger crossed with a leopard.

Yingu's expression was savage, killing intent rolling off him in waves. He glared at the pale blue beast and snarled, "Lanli! You treacherous bastard! You dare invade the Land of Origin?!"

Beside him, Jinka flicked his forked tongue, eyes cold and pitiless.

The two Beast Race War Gods were immensely powerful, hammering Lanli with a relentless barrage. But Lanli's body flickered between phantom and reality as he conjured a swarm of clones, dodging every strike.

A cold smirk played across his face as he evaded their attacks. "The Upper Layer's barrier has grown so weak—I come and go as I please! What can the two of you possibly do about it?" He barked a laugh. "Besides, it won't be long before my God descends. When that happens, this universe is finished! How pathetic. You stubborn fools will perish along with everything else."

Jinka and Yingu's expressions darkened at the taunts, Spirit Power surging wildly as they pressed the attack. But though Lanli was outmatched in raw power, his evasion and survival abilities were extraordinary. The multitude of clones disrupted both War Gods' senses, making it nearly impossible to pin down his true body.

The three raced across the sky, their shockwaves sweeping the waters below and raising towering waves.

Then Lu Yuan appeared.

Jinka and Yingu sensed his aura the instant he arrived. They halted and turned toward the source. Lanli, mid-evasion, did the same—hundreds of his clones spread across the waters, all watching the Human who had materialized out of nowhere.

Recognition dawned on Jinka and Yingu, followed by elation.

"Brother Lu Yuan!"

Yingu called out eagerly. "Are you here to help us?!"

Lu Yuan nodded with a smile. "I am, Senior Yingu."

"Perfect." Yingu bared his teeth in a grin, then turned a cold smile toward the clone-riddled battlefield.

Seeing Lu Yuan's arrival and the shift in Jinka and Yingu's demeanor, Lanli's heart sank. Something was very wrong. This Human seemed dangerously powerful.

Lanli's Combat Techniques were geared toward survival and escape, so caution was second nature to him. The instant he sensed danger, he moved decisively—commanding every clone at once. Some streaked toward the Spatial Rift while the rest scattered in every direction.

Alarm flashed across Jinka and Yingu's faces.

"No! He's trying to flee!" Jinka shouted.

They both knew Lanli's abilities skewed heavily toward escape, and letting him slip away was the last thing they wanted.

Lu Yuan merely smiled. "Relax. He's not going anywhere."

He glanced at the swarm of fleeing clones, then reached toward a seemingly empty patch of air and closed his fist.

Space warped, and Lanli's true body was wrenched into view.

Jinka and Yingu stared, dumbfounded, at Lanli's horror-stricken face. They'd never imagined that every visible clone had been a decoy.

While they were still processing this, Lu Yuan unleashed his Stellar Laws. Lanli, still reeling from the shock of being discovered, was engulfed before he could react.

Jinka and Yingu watched Lanli die, their minds numb.

Lu Yuan simply smiled and turned to dealing with the Aberrant Corruption and the Spatial Rift. Before long, the rift was sealed.

He turned to Jinka and Yingu. "Seniors, I'll be coming to the Beast Domain soon to help you deal with the Aberration organization."

With that, he vanished before their eyes.

Only after he was gone did Jinka and Yingu finally come back to their senses. They exchanged a glance, both wearing peculiar expressions.

A tremor ran through Jinka's voice. "...He's gotten stronger again."

Yingu bared his white teeth in a grin. "Yeah. I have no idea how he does it. It's terrifying."